Oregon
What you need to know about the Oregon County Fair
The 55th annual Oregon Country Fair kicks off July 12 and tickets are already selling quickly.
The fair is touted as a celebration of art, music, earth and family where attendees are encouraged to dress with flair and let their inner child romp with glee as they wander through a fairy-like village in the forest near Veneta, about 15 miles west of Eugene.
In preparation for this year’s Mainstage lineup, officials with the OCF Administration created a playlist on Spotify titled “Official OCF 2024 Playlist.” Artists and bands include Dadweed, Haley Johnsen, Reggie Watts, Everyone Orchestra, Fruition, Robin Jackson and the Caravan, Rett Madison, Jackie Venson, TBA, Ghost-Note, Steve Poltz, Greaterkind with Lo Steele, Tolliver, Glitterfox!, and The California Honeydrops.
General information
The 55th Annual Oregon Country Fair is scheduled for July 12-14, operating 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily. About 45,000 people attend the three-day event.
Tickets are sold through aftontickets.com.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Oregon Country Fair Administration building at 442 Lawrence St. in Eugene on Mondays or Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m. until Tuesday.
General admission tickets for the fair went on sale last week for $60 each. Early bird tickets and three-day tickets for the Fair are sold out.
Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Seniors 65 and older can receive a $5 discount.
Vendors
Hundreds of artisan booths will be on-site, boasting hand-made goods like accessories, jewelry, body care, candles, ceramics and pottery, clothing and hats, rocks and crystals, woodworking, painting, instruments, leatherwork and more. Services include massages, energy work and tarot card readings.
Dozens of food booths and carts will also be available at the Fair, including the likes of drink stations for smoothies and orange juice, Cajun cuisine, hamburgers, Philly cheese steaks, pizza and calzones, falafel, empanadas, dumplings, tamales, pie, tofu, candy and more.
ODF has posted a full list of its food and vendors on its website.
Events and activities
The Oregon Country Fair has at least 17 stages this year.
A variety of musicians will take to the mainstage from rock and roll bands to solo acoustic artists. Other events range from spoken word to belly dancing to Vaudeville to gardening, arts and crafts, and more.
There are many parades throughout the day. For attendees who want to join a parade, they can visit the Dragon Lair in Chela Mela Meadow to meet Peachi the Dragon before she marches through the fairgrounds with her drummers starting at 11 a.m.
Family-friendly entertainment
Oregon Country Fair prides itself on its kid-friendly atmosphere and activities. On the Youth Stage, families can watch puppet shows, musical performances, jugglers and acrobats.
Families with children can visit Wally’s Way, a semi-supervised kid-friendly area with a playground, climbing structure, free library, and plenty of shade.
Resting areas for families will also be available at Mellow Space and Groover’s Grove featuring diaper-changing areas and shady seating to rest and let children explore various sensory activities in a safe and fairly confined area.
Transportation and Camping
Parking at the Fair costs $15 per day, per vehicle. Parking can be purchased when buying tickets through Afton Tickets or upon arrival at the fair. Carpooling is encouraged.
A free shuttle bus service from Eugene to the Oregon Country Fairgrounds will be available for visitors all weekend starting at 10 a.m. at the Lane Transit District Station at 10th Ave. and Willamette Street and at the Valley River Center northwest parking lot next to the bike bridge. The last bus leaves the fair site at 7:30 p.m.
Another shuttle service will operate Friday and Saturday between Veneta and the Fairgrounds. Visitors can find the shuttle service in Veneta at Carson Card Lock located at 25095 Jeans Road. The shuttles will depart from Carson Card Lock at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. Return trips leave the Fair at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
There is no camping at the fair site but there are options nearby.
Neighboring campsites include Zumwalt Campground, Carefree Campground, Darling Reunion Campground, GnomeWood Camp, EZ Camp, Sol Creek Farms, and The Other Side.
What to pack for a day at the Fair
According to the Oregon Country Fair Administration, packing the following items will make your fair experience more enjoyable:
- A refillable, non-glass water bottle
- Backpacks, purses, and fanny packs do not have to be clear.
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen and an umbrella
- Comfortable shoes
- Hand Sanitizer
- Face Mask
- A fun costume
Visit the OCF website at oregoncountryfair.org for more information.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@registerguard.com
Oregon
‘Resources were protected’: Salem firefighters respond to blaze at Oregon State Fire Marshal warehouse
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Salem Fire Department said they helped protect millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and infrastructure when they put out a fire at the Oregon State Fire Marshal warehouse.
The commercial building associated with the statewide wildland fire response is located in Salem.
City firefighters responded at 11:18 a.m., finding the warehouse emitting a heavy deluge of black smoke from the roof.
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The Salem Fire Department put out a blaze at the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s warehouse in Salem on May 23, 2026 (courtesy Salem Fire Department).
“Crews quickly located and extinguished the fire, minimizing damage,” the Salem Fire Department said. “Through these quick actions, crews were able to protect millions of dollars in equipment for the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and prevented millions of dollars in damage to the building.”
Officials said that with wildfire season upon us, it is as vital as ever to protect vital equipment and resources.
The fire remains under investigation.
EUGENE, Ore. – Another Oregon Ducks recruiting target announced his commitment in May after listing the Pacific Northwest program among his finalists.
Like the success coach Dan Lanning and the program had with the offensive line recruiting announcements, things swung in their favor once again with three-star safety Malakai Taufoou’s decision, who announced his decision on the Rivals YouTube channel.
Three-Star Safety Malakai Taufoou Announces Recruiting Decision
Taufoou decided between the Ducks, the California Golden Bears, the Washington Huskies, the BYU Cougars and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Golden Bears were for a long time considered the favorites in the recruiting race to land the in-state recruit, but Oregon has gained momentum this spring.
The elite recruit is ranked No. 38 at his position and the No. 436 recruit nationally by Rivals. He cited the Ducks’ development and the opportunity to step out of his comfort zone as the big factors in his decision during the announcement with Rivals.
Dan Lanning Wins Recruiting Battle vs. Tosh Lupoi
The Ducks’ former defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi, is shaping up to be a formidable foe in recruiting. Lupoi’s Cal squad is pursuing similar targets to Oregon in the state of California, with the Eugene team winning this round.
Between the Golden Bears, the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, the California programs are reclaiming their advantage with in-state recruits in the 2027 recruiting cycle. There were some concerns that the Ducks wouldn’t be able to have the same success they’ve had in years past with targets from California, with those teams on the rise, which makes Taufoou’s decision more notable.
Oregon Ducks Safety Future
The starting safety position has been a carousel for the Ducks in recent years. Dillon Thieneman starred at the position in 2025 as a transfer, but played his way to a first-round NFL Draft selection.
Lanning secured another standout Big Ten transfer in the offseason with the addition of Koi Perich. If Perich has a breakout season like many expect him to in 2026, he could have the same fate as Thieneman and be one-and-done for Oregon.
Peyton Woodyard and Aaron Flowers are among the returners in the safety room entering 2026, who may also compete for a starting role. They could be back in 2027 and provide the team with stability.
Lanning also has redshirt freshman Trey McNutt as a long-term option at safety that Ducks fans have long been excited about. He missed 2025 due to injury, but is set to make his debut in the fall after catching fans’ attention in the Spring Game.
The Ducks may elect to look in the transfer portal again next spring in search of their next star safety, given the success they’ve had. If they do rely solely on internal development, they have Taufoou, McNutt, as well as 2026 five-star Jett Washington, and secured another commitment from 2027 four-star safety Semaj Stanford.
The 2027 recruiting cycle is far from over. Lanning and the program might still push hard to get an additional safety commitment, either from one of their uncommitted targets or via a recruiting flip.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — David Brock Smith won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Oregon on Friday, in the last significant race to be called following the state’s May 19 primary election.
Brock Smith, a state senator, emerged from a field of seven candidates to challenge the incumbent, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, in November.
“This campaign is about putting Oregon first. Fighting for affordable living, safer communities, good-paying jobs, responsible government, and protecting the values that make our beloved state strong,” he said in a statement. “This election is bigger than politics. It’s about restoring hope, opportunity, and accountability for every Oregonian.”
Merkley, who was first elected in 2008, is viewed as having a generally safe seat since Oregon hasn’t elected a Republican U.S. senator since 2002. His campaign did not immediately respond Friday evening to a request for comment on Brock Smith’s win.
Friday’s result comes after other high-profile contests were called on election night, including a gas tax referendum and the Republican primary for governor that set up a November rematch for the state’s top job.
Voters overwhelmingly rejected the ballot measure that asked them whether to raise the state gas tax by 6 cents to 46 cents a gallon. The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed the contested gas tax increase and a series of fees last year to help fix roads and plug a gap in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans then launched a referendum campaign to refer it to the ballot and give voters the final say.
Republicans hailed the rejection of the gas tax increase after it was trounced by voters. Democrats have remained mostly silent and didn’t organize efforts to campaign for it as the Iran war caused prices at the pump to skyrocket. Some party members said in the run-up to the primary that they expected voters to defeat it.
In the governor’s race, Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan advanced from a field of 14 candidates to win her primary. She beat opponents who included a fellow GOP legislator who helped lead the gas tax referendum campaign and a former NBA player.
Her victory set up a rematch with Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, who won her party’s primary as she seeks reelection. Drazan lost to Kotek in 2022 by over 3 percentage points in a three-way race that included an independent candidate.
Elected that year to her first term as governor after years in the Legislature, including as Oregon’s longest-serving House speaker, Kotek has sparred with the Trump administration, which sought unsuccessfully to deploy the National Guard to Portland last fall for the stated purpose of protecting federal property and personnel following protests at the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.
Kotek also pledged to tackle homelessness, mental health and education. Despite approving funding and programs aimed at addressing those issues, the state has continued to see rising homelessness and flagging student test scores that have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Drazan will likely try to capitalize on those issues while facing an uphill battle: Oregon hasn’t elected a Republican governor in over 40 years.
Meanwhile, in Oregon’s lone competitive U.S. House district, Democratic incumbent Rep. Janelle Bynum won her primary. Patti Adair, a county commissioner, won the GOP primary there and will work to win back the seat for Republicans. The GOP flipped it in 2022 for the first time in decades before Bynum reclaimed it for Democrats.
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