08/23/2026
I want to apologize for the confusion around the email requirement on the Google form. I honestly did not know how to remove that setting when I created it. I’m a volunteer trying to help gather the community’s feedback, and sometimes that means learning as I go.
I understand that the email requirement made some people uncomfortable or gave the impression that the Fair Board was trying to hide something or misrepresent the purpose of the form. That was absolutely not our intention.
Our goal is simply to gather everyone’s ideas, concerns and suggestions in one place where the Board can actually review them. The original article and the comments have now been shared more than 60 times, which is wonderful, but it also makes it nearly impossible for us to track all of the feedback scattered across different posts and conversations.
The good news is that a very kind FFA instructor from La Grande helped me figure it out, and the email requirement has now been removed. You can submit your feedback without providing an email address.
I’m human, I didn’t know how to change the setting, and I’m sorry for the frustration it caused. Please keep sharing your thoughts with us. We really do want to hear them, and we appreciate everyone who takes the time to help us make our fair better.
-Jamie Jo.
The Carnival Question: What Comes Next at the Union County Fair?
For many people, a carnival is part of what makes a fair feel like a fair. The lights, the sounds, the rides, the screams, winning a prize and meeting friends at the midway are all part of the memories people have of fair week.
We understand why people miss it. We miss it too.
For others, the fair means 4-H and FFA, livestock, exhibits, food, music, family and seeing friends. There are many reasons people feel connected to the Union County Fair. We want to respect all of them and keep building a fair that has something for everyone.
One question we hear often is, "Why can't we just get a carnival?" It's a fair question.
The Fair Board did not decide to stop having a carnival, and we have not stopped looking for one. We know the carnival has traditionally been a big part of the fair experience, and we also recognize that attendance by others has declined in recent years without one.
Bringing a carnival back, however, is not as simple as hiring one. Traveling carnivals are businesses, and they choose fairs where they believe attendance and ride sales will support the cost of moving their rides, equipment and crews from one community to the next.
Our first-weekend-in-August dates are also during one of the busiest times for fairs across Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Smaller rural fairs like ours are competing for a limited number of carnival companies, often at the same time as much larger fairs.
That doesn't mean we have stopped asking. We continue to look for opportunities to bring a carnival back to Union County. That door remains open.
In the meantime, the Fair Board hasn't simply left an empty space and waited. We have worked to bring other activities to the grounds, including Bouncin Bins, Triple Play, the National Guard and other groups and activities that give kids and families more things to do while they are at the fair. These were never meant to replace a carnival. They were ways to keep adding fun while working with what was available to us.
For the last several years, much of the Board's work and funding has also been focused on the foundation of the fairgrounds. Water, sewer, restrooms and other improvements may not be the exciting part of fair week, but we knew they were important. We also continue to look at what these grounds need to serve Union County during the other 51 weeks of the year.
But we haven't forgotten the fair. The fair itself is a big reason we are on this Board.
As our infrastructure work moves forward and new funding becomes available, we hope to put more focus on entertainment and the fair experience. We have ideas. We would like to explore larger names for live music, more things happening throughout the day, evening entertainment and activities for different ages. We want little kids to have fun, teenagers to want to come with their friends and families to have reasons to stay a little longer.
We also wonder if our own community could help us bring back some of the midway experience. Could a local team, club or nonprofit run a ring toss, basketball shoot, baseball milk-jug game, football throw or another classic fair game as a fundraiser? It won't replace the rides, and that isn't the goal. But it could bring back some of the games, prizes, sounds and friendly competition of a midway while helping local organizations raise money.
As we look at adding more, we also want to protect something that is important to us: keeping the fair affordable. General admission is $5, children 6 and under are free, and family admission is capped at $25. We do that on purpose. We want families to be able to come through the gate and still have money for food, games and activities once they are inside.
We would also like to explore local partnerships that could make admission even more accessible. Maybe a business or organization would like to sponsor free admission for children, a certain group, part of a day or even an entire day. Maybe another business would rather help sponsor music, an attraction or a new activity. There are many ways our community could become part of what happens next.
And that is really why we are starting this conversation.
We have ideas, but we know Union County has ideas too.
What would make you come to the fair? What would make your family stay longer? What would bring teenagers back in the evening? What kind of music would you like to hear? What have you seen at another fair or festival that you would love to see here? Is your organization looking for a fundraising opportunity? Is your business interested in helping sponsor something?
And yes, you can still tell us you want a carnival.
We know and we will keep looking.
But while we look, we also want to keep building. We want the lights. We want music. We want laughter. We want kids asking mom and dad to stay a little longer.
Help us decide what comes next at the Union County Fair. We will not respond to any comments or shared links, please fill out the attached google Form so we can review at an upcoming meeting.
https://forms.gle/XfLkbh3WcHYTQ5ix7
