INSIDE
MAN VS. BEAST: COWBOYS TAKE ON TOP STOCK AT FARM-CITY
PAGE A10
Hermiston
Herald
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2017
HermistonHerald.com
$1.00
INSIDE
CARNIVAL RIDES
RIDE SAFETY A TOP PRIORITY
FOR FAIR, CARNIVAL VENDOR
PAGE A3
MORROW
COUNTY
MORROW COUNTY FAIR
RUNS NEXT WEEK
IN HEPPNER
PAGE A8
STATE PRIDE
HERMISTON REPRESENTS
OREGON IN LITTLE LEAGUE
REGIONAL TOURNEY
PAGE A11
BY THE WAY
MORE SPACE
BIGGER FAIR
Fair fi rst day full of adjustments, excitement
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
D
uring opening day of the Umatilla
County Fair, vendors and
participants were busy getting
used to a lot of new things — and
preparing for the big crowds to come.
Most people noted that the biggest change
this year is the size of the venue.
“It’s a bigger footprint up here,” said Mary
Corp, regional administrator for the OSU Ex-
tension Service, who oversees 4-H entries for
the fair. “People should wear good walking
shoes and maybe split it up into a couple of
visits.”
Many of the fair logistics will be different
this year too, such as parking. There are several
lots around the EOTEC grounds, and a daily
parking pass costs $5. A season fair parking
pass, valid for the entire week, is $20. Passes
can be purchased from parking lot attendants
and must be paid for in cash.
ABOVE, Hermiston
Mayor Dave Drotzmann
walks around one of the
livestock barns at the
Umatilla County Fair on
Monday in Hermiston.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Because the grounds are so large, “people
movers,” or small trolleys towed by tractors,
will be circling the grounds all week, taking
people from the more distant parking lots up to
the fair entrance.
On Friday and Saturday, Mid-Columbia
Bus Company will provide a free shuttle ser-
vice between the fairgrounds and four loca-
tions in Hermiston: the Hermiston Chamber
of Commerce parking lot, Hermiston City Hall
parking lot, the Walmart parking lot near Mc-
Donald’s, and at Hermiston High School park-
ing lot near Weber Field. The shuttle will run
from 2 to 10 p.m.
In the animal barns, many said they were
getting used to the space.
“Once all the kinks are worked out, it’s
going to be absolutely wonderful,” said Alice
Dyer, superintendent of small animals for the
fair. Dyer said the students show their animals
on Wednesday and Thursday, but the fi rst cou-
ple of days are busy for another reason.
“We individually vet-check every single an-
imal,” Dyer said.
Leah Smith, the FFA advisor at Hermiston
High School, said her students have had to
make some adjustments to the new venue.
“They’re mostly positive adjustments,” she
said. “We don’t have to pen our animals to-
gether as much anymore.”
She said the students don’t have as much
space to store their own things, which is a chal-
lenge.
“We’re defi nitely at a loss for tack space,”
she said. “We will need to adjust that next year.
And parking, there’s maybe been some frustra-
tion. But the facilities are beautiful, and next
year, it’s going to be spot-on.”
Law enforcement will have their hands full
this year, as well.
“It’s just so much bigger,” said Umatilla
County Sheriff Terry Rowan. “We need to be
very fl uid this week. As the week progresses,
we will likely fi nd some wrinkles that we need
See FAIR, A9
‘It’s a bigger footprint up here. People should wear good
walking shoes and maybe split it up into a couple of visits.’
Mary Corp, regional administrator for the OSU Extension Service
There will likely be a va-
riety of opinions about the
new fair and rodeo facili-
ties at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center as
this week’s Umatilla Coun-
ty Fair and Farm-City Pro
Rodeo are hosted for the fi rst
time at their new home. But
an early review was offered
Monday by T.J. Korkow of
Korkow Rodeos, one of the
stock contractors providing
livestock for the rough stock
events. “I think it’s awe-
some,” Korkow said of the
new arena and stock pens be-
hind the rodeo arena where
his bulls and bucking horses
will spend then week. Kor-
kow and his livestock were
unloading at the new arena
Monday afternoon.
• • •
Hermiston High School
senior Dayshawn Neal was
featured last week in the Or-
egonian’s sports staff’s list
of the top 50 football players
to watch in the 2017 season.
The Oregonian list said the
Bulldogs receiver is likely
to top 1,000 yards this sea-
son, after 51 receptions, 911
years and 12 touchdowns as
a junior. The Bulldogs are
schedule to open the season
on the road for a non-confer-
ence game on Friday, Sept. 1,
against Union High School
of Vancouver, Washington.
We are just over three weeks
away from the season open-
er.
• • •
Umatilla High School
brought home a couple of
awards from the Technology
Student Association’s na-
tional conference, held June
See BTW, A9
New grounds opened
Work done, ribbon
cut, fair begins
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Echo FFA members junior Bobbie Sharp, top left, gets a hand
from junior Kaylee Murstig, second from bottom left, and
junior Lexie Cox, top right, while decorating their goat pens
on Monday at the Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston.
About
100
people
crowded into the foyer at
the Eastern Oregon Trade
and Event Center main
building Monday evening,
hours from the start of the
facility’s biggest event to
date.
On the eve of the 105th
Umatilla County Fair,
backers of EOTEC and
community members cut
the ribbon on the facility
and cheered the efforts it’s
taken to get to this point.
It was a culmination of
years of planning and work
and many expressed relief
that the roughly $16 million
project was fi nally coming
to fruition.
“If you’re like me,
you were nervous up un-
til today,” said Hermiston
Mayor David Drotzmann.
“There was a lot of anxiety
and nervousness that things
wouldn’t get done. But I’m
excited and proud to be
here.”
Drotzmann, along with
City Manager Byron Smith
and Umatilla County Com-
missioner Larry Givens,
both members of the EO-
TEC board, talked about
the work it’s taken to get
the facility up and running.
“In 2012, we had just
signed away the Umatilla
County Fairgrounds,” Giv-
ens said. “I was more than
scared. I thought, was this
an absolute disaster? But
people have pitched in. I
went down to the old fair-
grounds last Saturday, and
thought, how did we man-
age to survive in that spot?”
Smith said it was excit-
ing to see the place fi nally
fi ll up with vendors.
“There have been lots of
bumps,” Smith said. “But
nothing we couldn’t over-
come.”
See RIBBON, A9