Exploring the Oregon State Fair: Contests
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From the Predictable to the Bizarre
Competition adds spice to life, which has made the State Fair a very spicy place! The first few fairs provided awards for such things as target shooting, salt rising, hop yeast, soda biscuits, ox yoke, axle grease, horse shoeing, butter and ice cream churning and currant wine. An early premium list noted awards for the best exhibit of mechanical dentistry, best penmanship, and hat and gown making. Over the decades, the range of competitions and contests grew with the times, often in bizarre and unexpected ways, but always adding to the color and diversity of the State Fair. Here are some of the ways that Oregonians have competed for some amount of fame, if not fortune, at the fair.
A man gives out a yell as he holds the trophy for winning the Hog Calling Competition at the State Fair. (Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center)
Boys show different emotions during the Pie Eating Contest at the State Fair. (Oregon State Archives, Oregon Fair Expo Center Photos)
A woman cinches up her hat during an aptly named Strange Hat Competition at the State Fair. (Oregon State Archives)
A mother holds a stuffed bunny in front of her daughter as they practice for the first Diaper Derby at the State Fair in 1964. (Oregon State Archives, State Fair Photos)
Kids through age 14 learn life skills by participating in the Needle in a Haystack Competition at the 1959 State Fair. The haystack was stocked with ten needles, each one worth $5 to the lucky finder. (Oregon State Archives, State Fair Photos)
A graphic advertises the Amateur Wine Competition at the 1998 State Fair. (Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center)
Competitors race to saw through a log in the shortest time during the 1979 Grand National Lumberjack Championships at the State Fair. (Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center)