From carnival rides and rodeo to 4-H displays and rock and roll, the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo offers something for everyone—including a menu of fantastic fair food served up by longtime food vendors.

“Once you find a good food vendor, it’s like finding a good mechanic—you stay with them,” said Ross Rogers, fair marketing coordinator for the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo. These vendors come not just for the business but also for the relationships they’ve formed with fairgoers over the years.

To whet your appetite, here’s a look at a few of these long-term vendors.

Bruce Heveran, owner of Old World Candies from Ashland, entices fairgoers with sweet treats such as nut brittle, salt water taffy, chocolate fudge, suckers, and more from his indoor booth. Outside, look for his stand offering fresh, cold lemonade and iced tea, in addition to hand-dipped ice cream bars and cones. At 43 years, Old World Candies is the longest-running food vendor at the fair.

Beaver State Burritos first attended the fair in 1984 and they’ve been back every year since with their popular vegetarian, beef, and chicken burritos. Owner Michael Callahan said his two favorite fairs are Deschutes County and Kennewick, Washington.

What trumpets “county fair” more than elephant ears? Mike Barr’s Celebration Services, Inc. serves up delicious plate-sized, deep-fried dough dusted with sugar and cinnamon or smothered with a variety of options such as whipped cream, Nutella, or their special maple-bacon topping.

“This is a great five-day fair that is well attended, has beautiful mountain views, and is a first-class fairground,” said Barr.

Local favorite Eberhard’s Dairy Products has been a fixture at the fair for more than 40 years. They’ll serve up eight flavors of hard ice cream and sell pints of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry milk.

“We’ll have our most popular ice creams, such as Death by Chocolate and Salted Caramel, on hand,” said Mike Prom, operations manager. “We’ll make our final selection after this summer’s Music on the Green series sponsored by the Redmond Chamber of Commerce, to see what customers are asking for.”

Another popular vendor is Tom Leonard’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. Different from crushed ice snow cones, Leonard’s machine shaves a block of ice into razor-thin, snowlike flakes, then the ice is topped with flavors ranging from fruit syrups to Red Bull to heavy cream.

“The shave ice actually absorbs the flavored topping much more so than crushed ice,” said Leonard.

But it isn’t just about selling sweets or food at the fair that brings these food vendors back every year.

“The Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo is really about as close to an old-style country fair as you can get,” said Leonard. “The 4-H and FFA kids with their animals and the agricultural barns, you just don’t see that much any more at urban fairs.”

Daryl Whichloe with Southern Oregon Food & Beverage has been a vendor at the fair for more than 30 years. Providing a classic fair menu of hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn dogs dipped in Tillamook cheddar, Whichloe also serves up breakfast for the 4-H kids.

“You see a lot of the same kids year after year and you get to watch them grow up,” said Whichloe. “These kids come back as adults with their kids and that’s really special.”

The fair looks forward to the start of long-term relationships with two new food vendors this year: Smokehagen,serving giant smoked turkey legs, and Mac Daddy’s, dishing up delicious mac and cheese in a number of different ways.

Whatever you’re craving, you’re sure to find something to please your palate at the fair.