Contrary to some reported rumors, the carnival has not been eliminated from this year’s Umatilla County Fair.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Fair Manager Peggy Anderson. “The carnival will be back bigger and better than ever.” The Umatilla County Fair will be held in its current location on Orchard Avenue through at least 2015.
Due to construction of a new athletic complex at Hermiston High School, however, some changes have been made in the configuration of the fair.
“We’ve moved the carnival to a larger area west of the new field,” said Anderson. “It was probably the fact we had to move the carnival slightly west that led to the misunderstanding.”
Carnival wristbands with reduced pricing can be purchased now through Aug. 5 at the following locations: Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, Fiesta Foods in Hermiston, Columbia Bank in Hermiston and Columbia Harvest Foods in Umatilla.
Movement of the carnival is just one activity that has been keeping the fair staff busy. Anderson and the fair board, as well as volunteers and several employees have been working long hours to put finishing touches on the county’s annual August event. Prep work has involved cleaning away debris that has fallen during recent windstorms. In addition, the fairgrounds will be repairing walkways in order to assure they are safe for the public.
“The maintenance projects are certainly keeping us busy,” said Anderson, “but there’s also a lot to do in terms of receiving entries, defining booth space for exhibitors and vendors, and promoting our slate of entertainers.”
The fair officially opens on Aug. 6. The annual fair parade is scheduled for Saturday, August 3 in downtown Hermiston.
