For some 151 years now Oregon residents and visitors from all over the country have been entertained at the Oregon State Fair in Salem by local community groups, big name headliners, animals, and commercial vendors for the 11 day duration of the fair.
Every year there are performers who travel all over the country and make a stop at the Oregon State Fair ... as they will from August 24 to September 3 this year.
The biggest event in the state of Oregon was begun unofficially in 1858 by a group of local farmers with the first official Fair being held in 1861.
The annual tradition of rides, food, animals, games, entertainment, and more continues to be a popular event all these years later. In 1987 attendance broke the records with 818,285 attendees.
The Fair continues to stay relevant for every age group with carnival games, livestock showing, canned goods contests, local entertainment, and big name headliners including Sammy Davis Jr (1946) Johnny Cash (1990), The Judds and Selena Gomez.
2012 brings new and exciting things to the fair. In addition to all the traditional exhibits at the Fair, in the Pavilion will be a Rock U exhibit which is a tribute to Rock & Roll music over the years. Music memorabilia will be displayed and contests such as battle of the bands and a DJ contest will be featured throughout the Fair.
Throughout the Fair local favorites such as Ben Rue and Ty Curtis will be playing, while headliners such as Jeff Dunham and Jake Owen will take on the big stage at Comcast’s LB Day Amphitheater.
Les Schwab’s Familyville will have entertainment for the whole family, including Cirque Zuma Zuma African Acrobats (as seen on America’s Best Dance Crew) and a big cat exhibit called Walk on the Wild Side.
On Sunday, September 2 the Oregon State Fair will host the annual Oregon Fairs Talent Search which is the result of participating county fairs around Oregon sending their local winner to the State Fair to compete in the final competition.
Visit www.oregonstatefair.org for details of the Oregon State Fair.
For more information about top events in Oregon take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Oregon.