WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
FROM THE EDITOR
Decades of
memories
À oZered iQ
fair JroXQds
But for me, it was often the
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from school who I hadn’t seen
GARY L WEST
SHADES OF GRAY
in months. I lived out in the
country, as did many of them,
and many of them worked on
family farms over the summer.
It’s almost time for the So, between the distances in-
Umatilla County Fair and I volved and people’s summer
am excited to be back home obligations, summer was of-
again for the fair and Farm- ten an isolating time of year in
City Pro Rodeo.
those years before I had a car
I have not been home for or a driver’s license.
the fair and rodeo for many
But each August, I always
years, so it is particularly poi- knew everyone would make
gnant to be back for the 100th time to spend some time at
anniversary edition of the fair the fair.
and for the last fair and rodeo
My mom often volun-
to be held at the fairgrounds teered to work in one of the
in the middle of town.
commercial exhibit booths,
Fair time was always my so I helped her in the booth
favorite time of year in my in exchange for a ride to town
youth. After I grew up, went and admission to the fair.
away to school and ventured
Traipsing around the fair-
IXUWKHU D¿HOG DV SDUW RI P\ grounds provided a way to
early journalism career, I got renew school friendships and
to experience other fairs in exhibit a little adolescent in-
other counties in Oregon and dependence. Some years, I
California, but it was never was captivated by the mid-
quite the same experience. way games, there was a brief
The other fairs, including fascination with some of the
the Oregon State Fair in Sa- carnival rides and as my in-
lem, just didn’t seem as good terest in photography grew,
somehow.
there was interest in the photo
and art exhibits.
Mostly, though, fair time
meant time with friends af-
ter a summer absence that
seemed painfully long. It was,
in many ways, one of the last
hurrahs of each summer.
The reason no other fair
has been able to live up to this
fair in my mind is because
the Umatilla County Fair was
woven into the fabric of my
memories as part of the tapes-
try of annual ritual.
This year feels a little like
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with anticipation for the fair.
Who will I see? What sto-
ries will we share? I’ve been
home for a few months now
and have had the opportunity
to see many old friends and
I am looking forward to see-
ing more familiar faces in a
familiar place one last time,
before the fair moves to its
new home. I am also looking
forward to meeting new peo-
ple who I have not yet had the
opportunity to talk with.
I’ll be spending some time
in the Hermiston Herald/East
Arguably, some of these Oregonian booth along with
other fairs were better by one coworkers. Come by and see
or more subjective measures. us and chat for a bit.
Many were bigger, had big-
Share your fair and rodeo
ger name entertainers and photos using the hashtags
featured more exhibits. Big- #UmatillaCountyFair
or
ger did not necessarily make #FarmCityProRodeo
on
them better. I couldn’t put my Facebook and Twitter and
¿QJHU RQ ZK\ WKRXJK EXW , show the world what makes
WKLQN,¿QDOO\¿JXUHGLWRXW
the 100th anniversary fair and
Those days spent at the ¿QDO URGHR LQ WKH GRZQWRZQ
Umatilla County Fair weren’t arena special for you. We
just about the elephant ear may use some of the photos
confections or midway games in the Aug. 19 edition of the
or trinkets collected at the Hermiston Herald.
various commercial booths. It
In the meantime, I’ll see
was about a time in life that you at the fair.
can never be recaptured.
Gary L. West is editor of the
In my teens, fair time was Hermiston Herald and Hermis-
¿OOHGZLWKDQWLFLSDWLRQ,WZDV ton editor for the East Orego-
something I looked forward nian. Reach him at gwest@
to all summer, as did many hermistonherald.com or follow
of my peers. Some were in him on Twitter @GaryLWest or
groups like 4-H and entered on Facebook at www.facebook.
items to be judged in the fair. com/journalist.glwest.
The reason no
other fair has
been able to
live up to this
fair in my mind
is because the
Umatilla County
Fair was woven
into the fabric
of my memories
as part of the
tapestry of
annual ritual.
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