Well, the Grant County Fair has started in earnest, and to judge from the lack of parking spaces in the vicinity of our office, it seems like everybody in the county is there. As I write this, through my office window I can hear Alana Springsteen doing her thing on the mainstage, getting the crowd warmed up for headliner Josh Turner.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to wander through the fairgrounds, wolfing down Chinese food and soaking up atmosphere. I spent some quality time listening to some members of the Blue Mountain Old Time Fiddlers play those sweet old songs, took a stroll through the Trowbridge Pavilion to see the prize-winning produce, baked goods, quilts, artwork, Lego constructions and 4-H exhibits, and people-watched to my heart’s content. (I saw a number of folks on both sides of the political divide currently tearing up the John Day City Council — I hope they took advantage of the neutral location to try to talk through some of their differences.)

I also indulged my curiosity about the secret ingredient (well, maybe it’s a not-so-secret ingredient) behind the enduring popularity of one of the Grant County Fair’s leading culinary attractions, the legendary Legion burger. You’ll find that story in this week’s edition of the Eagle, along with a full slate of fair coverage.

In case you missed last week’s paper, we had stories on the Grant County Fair’s ICA Rodeo and Junior Rodeo, the latest developments in the stolen sign saga, the decision to pull the plug on a law enforcement levy and Rowdy Israel’s experience at the National High School Rodeo Association queen competition.

And now an apology: If you called our circulation number last week, you may have reached a telephonic black hole. The number was correct for a brief period of time, but technical issues forced us to change back to our old 800 number. The number listed below is correct.

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As always, if you have comments or questions about the Eagle, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: editor@bmeagle.com.

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— Bennett Hall, Editor