Umatilla County Fair Manager Peggy Anderson will be leaving her post after next week’s fair to take a similar position in Josephine County.
This will be the last fair held at the current Umatilla County Fairgrounds. The fair will move to the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center in 2016.
During her tenure, Anderson has served full-time manager of the fair and fairgrounds. Fair board members and Umatilla County Commissioner Larry Givens has indicated the next fair manager will likely be a half-time position.
Anderson’s involvement with county fairs goes back to 1980 when she was a 4-H leader. She has also served as superintendent of the horse department and chaperone for the fair court.
During her time as Umatilla County Fair manager, cash sponsorships have grown to more than $130,000 a year and attendance has increased by about 20 percent.
She said she is looking forward to her new challenge.
“In a way, the Josephine County Fair is about the same place the Umatilla County Fair was when I became manager,” she said. “It will be exciting to see if we can duplicate the success we had here in a different county.”
