Back to its roots: Morrow County Fair goes local

Published 5:00 am Thursday, July 31, 2025

Public transportation available from Boardman to Heppner during fair

HEPPNER — The Morrow County Fair this year is going back to its roots in more ways than one.

Firstly, it’s the fair’s theme: Back to our Roots in Cowboy Boots. Secondly, for the first time in 10 years, the fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo has a queen, 16-year-old KC Anderson, of Heppner. And, finally, most of the performers are local, as well.

Sue Gibbs, the fair manager, said she’s hoping the local theme will remind people how great Morrow County is for the four days the fair runs, Aug. 13-16.

“It’s a place to come together and just be together as a community,” Gibbs said of the fair. “For a really tiny town, we really put on a good show.”

Livestock auction

The fair is free to attend, with food and drinks available to purchase throughout each day. There are also daily livestock events, with sheep, goats and cattle being major draws for the 4-H and FFA participants as well as buyers.

The auctions draw big crowds, Gibbs said, and this year, they’ve already met their limit for entries in sheep and goats.

“We often said, ‘How many beds do you think we could get in here?,’” she said. “Well, we now know. Not another one.”

The dairy category is growing, too, she said, with more than 20 entries this year. The youth livestock auction will start at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Aug. 16, at Wilkinson Arena.

In addition to the livestock portion of the fair, there are art competitions, food and wine tastings, community booths, a comedy magic show, live music and more.

“People seem excited about it,” said Gibbs. “ You see the smiles, the congratulations, the hard work being paid off.”

The Queen’s Dinner and other events

The fair will kick off Wednesday, Aug. 13, with a full day of activities followed by the Queen’s Welcome Dinner from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., which is open to the public and celebrates fair sponsors as well as the new queen. Anderson is signing posters that will be available during the dinner.

Gibbs said Anderson, who is going into her sophomore year at Heppner Jr/Sr High School, has been a wonderful queen to restart the tradition.

“She is just doing an amazing job,” Gibbs said. “She just glows.”

On Thursday and Friday, Aug. 14-15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tillamook will have trucks selling ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches on site. Thursday through Saturday evenings will feature the Northwest Pro Rodeo Association events.

A second community dinner — the Morrow County Livestock Growers Dinner — will take place Thursday evening, Aug. 14, from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Performing throughout the week are local artists Musically Unstable (Aug. 14 at 6 p.m.), Randy Woods (Aug. 15 at 1 p.m.) and Cory Peterson (Aug. 16 at noon). Musically Unstable is led by Joe Lindsay, a wheat farmer in the county.

Public Transportation

Morrow County’s public transportation, the Loop, is following a special route during part of the fair to make it easier to access from the county’s north end.

Thursday and Friday, the Loop will run its normal 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. route that includes a stop at the fairgrounds, but it will have an additional route from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. that starts and ends in Boardman, with connections in between through Heppner, Lexington and Ione.

“It’s our first year doing the fair and we want to support (it) as much as we can,” said Steven Davis, transit manager. “Historically, attendance has been from South County. If we have a lot of people riding, then next year we’ll try to offer more opportunities from the North end.”

A full schedule of events can be found on the county’s website.

The Loop in Morrow County will run a special schedule during the county fair Aug. 14 and 15. (Morrow County/Contributed Photo)