Umatilla County Fair & Farm City Pro Rodeo | East Oregonian & Hermiston Herald | 3
A mad dash
Some parts of the fair are coming
together within weeks of big event
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
T
he 2020 Umatilla County Fair should have been
a complete fl op.
The event was largely canceled due to the pan-
demic. But knowing how essential it was to allow kids
an opportunity to sell their animals, the livestock auc-
tion was held virtually, with kids watching and receiving
feedback from judges over livestream.
“It pays for their continued education,” said Angie
McNalley, the fair manager. “So we were going to do it
one way or the other.”
The livestock sale ended up being the second most
successful in the fair’s history, raising just over $585,000,
about $30,000 less than the 2019 fair. But not because
there were more animals. There were fewer.
What happened?
If you ask McNalley, people and organizations from
all over made sizable donations because they wanted
to support the community’s youths. Some people even
made add-on donations to make up for other shows the
kids wouldn’t be able to attend that year.
“We had people coming out of the woodworks to
donate,” she said, “even though they were going through
their own hardships.”
Now the fair is looking to rebound from the pan-
demic year and is revving up for 2021. A new car-
nival company and new artists headlining evening
concerts are sure to attract thousands of eager fair-
goers who have anticipated the event since last year’s
cancellation.
But with months where it was unclear whether large
events could happen in Umatilla County, it’s been a
Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group, File
scramble to pull it together, McNalley said.
Nearly all entertainers contracted to perform in 2020
were carried over to this year. But as the state remained
in lockdown until recently, with capacity limits and
masking and distancing restrictions, some of the fair’s
main-stage acts were wary of returning to the event. As
of July 8, the fair was still trying to lock in an act for
Wednesday night.
“It’s just been very last minute for what was unfore-
seen and out of our control,” said McNalley.
Fair tickets, which are typically sold in May, didn’t
go on sale until mid-July. Sponsorships also couldn’t be
recruited until the event was a lock.
Vendors have been slow to come, and some regular
vendors folded entirely because of the eventless pan-
demic. Some vendors run by students also will be absent
because of pandemic restrictions that remain in place in
some districts.
“It’s like you squeeze the end of a toothpaste tube
and now all the stuff at the end is what we’re dealing
with,” said McNalley, “Stuff we normally do over the
past year, it’s all happening like right now.”
But luckily, community members have been eager to
get involved, as sponsors and volunteers have recently
reached out en masse.
And there will be new attractions coming this
year. A new carnival company will be setting up for
the fi rst time at the fair, giving it a brand new look. A
huge lineup of Latino musicians will perform at Fri-
day night’s Latino Night, which has become one of the
fair’s main and most profi table events, McNalley said.
Some things won’t be changing from last year. The
livestock auction will be held virtually to accommo-
date those who don’t wish to attend in person. And now
that pandemic restrictions are lifted, McNalley said
she’s excited to see people come out to the fair.
“We’re just hoping that people who want to work
will fi nd us,” McNalley said, “and that we can recruit
so that people will have a great fair experience like
they used to.”
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