Like any mother would, Jayci Larson felt a bit nervous watching her two young sons prepare to “mutton bust” — sheep ride — Saturday at the Deschutes County Fair.

But she knew it was safe, and that her two sons, 8-year-old Chance and 5-year-old Cortez, would get a thrill out of an authentic rodeo experience.

“They’ve been waiting all week,” Larson said.

Chance had done a mutton busting run two years ago at the fair, so he showed no fear this time. He suited up with a helmet and a protective vest and sat on a sheep in a real miniature bucking chute, waiting for the gate to open.

He knew what to do.

“Hold your legs around it, and hold the hair really tight,” he said.

When the chute opened, Chance’s run to glory didn’t last long, just a few seconds. It ended with a face plant in the sawdust, but he was proud to have ridden the sheep on his own without any help from handlers.

Younger riders, like Cortez, had two handlers keeping them from falling, but his run was still impressive. Cortez rode all the way across the small arena before a handler pulled him off the sheep.

The five-day county fair, which ends Sunday, is an eclectic collection of events like this — livestock on display, concerts, carnival rides and games. There are prize-winning peaches, handmade quilts and corn dogs.

Jayci Larson, a real estate broker for John L. Scott in Bend who had moved to Redmond 12 years ago, said her friends and family jokingly call her the “fair groupie,” because she attends every day of the fair each year.

To get the full experience, Larson focuses on one aspect per day. One day she and her family will visit the livestock, and the next day the carnival.

“You have to section it out,” she said.

If Larson had gone to see the livestock Saturday morning, she would have seen how hectic it was for 4-H and Future Farmers of America members, as they groomed and washed their animals one final time before auctions started at noon.

The day marked a culmination of months of hard work caring for the animals. It was also a somber day for some of the children, because most of the animals are slaughtered — a fact the children kept only in the back of their minds until they saw their animals taken away.

Jerry Everist, who owns Everist Irrigation in Bend, watched as his 9-year-old daughter, Alexis, put the finishing touches on her 1,360-pound steer, named Billy Shish Kabob. Everist knew his daughter was not looking forward to saying goodbye to her steer. He reminded her to have fun showing him off, and remember getting him sold is what she has been working up to do.

“It’s going to be a very emotional day for her,” Everist said.

Alexis raised Billy Shish Kabob since September, when her family bought him at an auction in Madras. Caring for a large steer was a huge step up from last year, when she raised chickens for the fair. Now she is hooked. The 4-H member said she plans to raise another steer for next summer’s fair.

“It teaches the kids some work ethic,” her father said. “The amount of growth we have seen in her this week is tremendous.”

For Bend residents Ty and Sarah Darapiza, county fairs offer an experience that spans generations. The couple spent Saturday taking their four children, ages six weeks to 7 years old, around to each corner of the fairgrounds. The children enjoyed sitting in a fire truck on display, and petting the rabbits, chickens and pigs.

Ty Darapiza, who works in the IT department for Deschutes County 911, said watching his children cruise through the fair brought back fond memories of county fairs he admired as a child.

“When I was younger, I would do the county fair and go with all of my friends,” he said. “Now it’s more for the kids.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, 
kspurr@bendbulletin.com