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Attendance tops 19,000; wild horse races popular

Country singer headlines at county fair

Headliner Alexis Ebert, 20, entertained concert-goers at the Jefferson County Fair Friday night with many of her own songs. Ebert, a country and folk singer, was among the talent hailing from Oregon.

Photo by Holly M. Gill

Headliner Alexis Ebert, 20, entertained concert-goers at the Jefferson County Fair Friday night with many of her own songs. Ebert, a country and folk singer, was among the talent hailing from Oregon.

The wild horse races drew many people to the Jefferson County Fair last week, which recorded an attendance of 19,160, which was down by around 1,000 people from the year before.

"Other than the helicopter ride that didn't show, the fair went very well this year," said fairgrounds manager Sandy Forman.

Favorite attractions included the Kids' Pedal Tractor Pull. "It was a huge hit. I know a couple of families that scheduled their whole week around the tractor pull," Forman said.

"The rodeo stands were also packed, and I've had many, many comments about the wild horse races. In Central Oregon, we're the only sanctioned wild horse race," Forman said.

The 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction on Saturday night didn't do badly, considering the economy.

Auction helper Barbi Riggs reported, "We sold 166 animals and raised roughly a little over $210,000. Last year, we sold 150 animals and raised $206,000," she said.

"We had a lot of new buyers, a lot of returning buyers, and many individuals that bought multiple animals. We also raised $2,200 for scholarships through the auction of a donated hog," Riggs said.

"We had fewer bidders and the hog prices were down a bit, but the community stepped up to the plate as usual and helped support the kids," said 4-H coordinator John Gandy, adding, "We're still getting bumps from the community to bring the auction prices up a bit."