Today I got my first taste of the Grant County Fair. I walked down from the office and got myself a Chicago dog, then spent an hour or so just wandering around, soaking it all in. I meandered among the food carts, inhaling all those good fair food smells (hamburgers, cotton candy, kettle corn, elephant ears); listened to a string band play some old-time tunes; strolled through the livestock barn; visited with my barber, my bartender and a few other acquaintances; and took a turn around the pavilion, where I learned a few things about the history of Bates, chatted with a few more folks I know and checked out 4-H projects about everything from dog breeds to gauging the age of sheep to the ins and outs of artificially inseminating cattle. I loved every minute of it and hope to go back for more before the fair’s four-day run is through.

As you might expect, the fair will dominate this week’s edition of the Blue Mountain Eagle. We’re planning stories on the fair parade, Grand Marshals Gibb and Gary Gregg, the 4-H/FFA livestock auction and the Eddie Montgomery/Jesse Leigh concert, among others. We’ll also have a story on plans to put the pool bond back on the ballot in November and the latest expansion of the golf options at Silvies Valley Ranch (we had planned to run that last one earlier but decided to hold it for some additional information).

Some of the highlights of last week’s edition, in case you missed it, included stories on three new housing developments in John Day, a ballot measure that would ban “magic mushroom” production and service centers in unincorporated Grant County, and coverage of the ICA Prime Rodeo and Grant County Junior Rodeo.

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