Benton County parks department readies fair, summer camps and small capital repairs

Benton County parks staff reported that preparations for the upcoming county fair and summer programs are underway, with crews completing grounds work, volunteer refurbishments and repairs to aging park infrastructure.

Staff said crews have prepped the grass and arena for the fair and that volunteers are refurbishing the Irish Bend Bridal replica, which will be displayed in the west gate/bridal field entrance alongside historic fair posters. The fair is planned for four days (Wednesday through Saturday); staff noted family‑oriented free entry on Wednesday and new Thursday night programming, including a “battle of the bands” event.

Summer recreational programming will begin next week with day camps for 25 children ages 8–12 led by the natural resource coordinator, Adam Stebbins, who is a certified outdoor‑childhood educator. Staff said scholarships provide spots for rural residents and that the camps include activities such as archery, disc golf, historical site visits, invertebrate sampling and wild food foraging.

Parks staff also reported infrastructure work: resolved issues at Hyak restroom sewer main and continued work on Adair County Park water systems, noting recurring maintenance needs for aging systems. A Salmonberry retaining wall project to protect a boat launch was completed as a recent CIP item. Staff also mentioned trail and multimodal coordination with ODOT and TGM grant work and volunteer efforts to maintain and enhance park amenities.

No board action was requested; staff sought to inform the commissioners of preparations and volunteer engagement for the fair and summer programming.