There are expectations that come with a visit to the county fair. A good county fair maintains strong traditions that keep the community coming back year after year. The promise of mouth-watering food, stunning animal exhibits, crafts, and summer-night air filled with live music and the shrieks of carnival riders—these are some of the staples.

All of these expectations grow astronomically when the event happens to be the largest county fair in the state of Oregon. When August 1 rolls around, the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo will come on strong with all the lively traditions Central Oregon fairgoers have grown to know and love. On top of the tried-and-true, the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo will raise the ante with several new additions designed to make the fair experience better for all.

A driving force of progress for this year’s fair is Elyse West, the fair marketing assistant. Using a decade of event marketing experience, West has put great effort into bolstering the county fair’s social media and digital footprint. She is determined to enhance the fair experience, not through massive expansion but by putting the county fair right in the palm of the visitor’s hand.

This year, the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo will unveil the fair app, which may prove to be a game changer for many. The digital app is free to download and available 24–7.

“The thought behind the app was, we really want to give fairgoers everything they need to craft their personal fair experience, even before they walk through the gates,” said West.

West is enthusiastic about the addition of the new app and is looking forward to feedback. The fair team has focused on making downloading and using the app simple and intuitive for anyone with a mobile device. It will provide fairgoers with an up-to-date schedule of events; fair maps; vendor, product, and food lists; and a chance to win tickets to next year’s fair! For those who choose to use it, the app will be a great supplement to the overall fair experience.

In addition to the app, West has focused on building the social media platform for the Des-chutes County Fair and Expo Center. On this front, community interaction has been a goal in managing the fair’s Facebook, Twitter, Insta-gram, and YouTube accounts. Through the various social media platforms, the fair team are making it easier for fairgoers to share photos, ideas, information, and feedback.

But back to traditional country fair goodness. Ross Rogers, fair marketing coordinator, explained the physical changes that will occur in 2018. All of the familiar carnival sights, the smoky smell of barbecue, and the jovial crowd of fairgoers will remain, but the layout will shift slightly.

“When people pull in, they’ll see the carnival at the main entrance and the Familyville carnival at the north entrance gate,” said Rogers.

Noticing a sizable patch of unused grass at last year’s event, as well as an opportunity for additional shaded space, the Deschutes County Fair team has decided to do some rearranging. As Rogers explained it, the Bulletin Family Fun Zone will be moving in front of the Beef Barn, adjacent to the rodeo arena. And Familyville will take the place of the old Fun Zone, near the north entrance gate.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to the change. It actually opens up the Family Fun Zone; there’s a little more property there. Everyone is excited about the swap,” said Rogers.

With so many moving parts, behind the scenes as well as during open fair hours, it has been important for Rogers and the fair team to examine the layout in terms of experience, from the size of each area and the visibility of stages and attractions all the way down to the amount of tented space for the warm summer days.

Whether it be the new fair app, the new layout, or the same old brilliant buzz of the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo, 2018 looks promising. Without yearly progress and plenty of hard work, this age-old tradition couldn’t survive.

With that said, cheers to the Deschutes County Fair Association, the fair staff, and all of the volunteers who come out to help. Cheers to the always-strong Central Oregon community, who come out in droves to enjoy and support their county fair. And most of all, “Cheers to 99 Years!”