Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fair Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington County Fair Board previews June fair and presses state lawmakers for funding
Summary
Board members discussed fair programming, marketing buys, vendors and entertainment for the 2025 Washington County Fair and reported lobbying efforts for state funding including Senate Bill 5505 and House Bill 2145 to remove the lottery cap.
At its May 7 meeting, the Washington County Fair Board reviewed a broad preview of the 2025 fair — including advertising, entertainment, vendors and new exhibit categories — and updated members on legislative efforts to increase fair funding.
Leah and marketing staff described a major advertising push across television, radio, outdoor billboards and digital platforms. Staff said digital metrics from the previous year had more than 1,600,000 views in a month and reported a planned connected-TV (CTV) buy of 300,000 ad impressions targeted to Washington County ZIP codes, with 150,000 of those impressions in Spanish. The board also discussed daily placements on local morning and evening newscasts, radio buys on country and rock stations, and expanded outdoor electronic boards.
Programming details presented included livestock and 4‑H exhibits, FFA contests and community displays in the Wingspan Event Center; new creative-hobbies entries for apiary arts (honey and beekeeping products) judged with support from the Washington County beekeepers; family attractions such as Brad's World of Reptiles and Super Science; and a main-stage lineup that includes Nashville artist Ned LeDoux plus several tribute bands. The board said there will be two movie nights (one a Wicked sing-along) and a rebranded Taphouse stage. Staff reported open class registration is active and that fair entry forms are due May 15.
The board also reported ongoing legislative advocacy. Staff said they testified on Senate Bill 5505, described in the meeting as a proposed $20 million investment for fairgrounds, and on House Bill 2145, an effort to remove the statutory cap on the fair share of the state lottery. The board said Washington County currently receives a capped $54,167 per year from the lottery and that removing the cap would increase the county’s share to about $250,000 (figures presented by staff). The governor included fairgrounds funding in her budget this year, staff said, and Washington County commissioners have requested $15 million for phase 1 of a strategic plan and construction funding for the fairgrounds. The board noted other requests this session, including a $3 million request by Union County and a $20 million request for the Oregon State Fair.
Board members said the Oregon Fairs Association convention will be held in Washington County Oct. 18–19 at Wingspan, bringing fair directors and commissioners from across the region. Staff also reminded the board of a joint meeting with the Washington County Board of Commissioners scheduled for June 3; time had not been published in the meeting record.
The board discussed several operational details: the 4‑H requirement that animal-project youth (except Cloverbuds and pet projects) complete YQCA training, ongoing vendor booth allocations, and the Washington County Livestock Association’s Blue Ribbon steak dinner and livestock auction on July 26. Staff said many entertainment and vendor negotiations are already under way and that some contracts are being renegotiated because of price increases.
