REDMOND — What began as the Redmond Potato Show more than a hundred years ago has transformed over the years into a sprawling 120-acre family fair that features 4-H livestock showcases, carnival rides and live performances.

When it opened Wednesday, the 102nd Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo was still evolving. This was the first year since 2020 that it was held without COVID-19 restrictions, and the first time in the county fair’s documented history, that it was sponsored by a political candidate.

But one thing hasn’t changed: Its popularity.

“It’s good for the soul,” said Sarah Pierce, who has been attending and working at the fair since she was 7 years old.

Now in her 40s, Pierce said it’s easy for her to describe the quintessential county fair: the fruition of fair exhibits, from baked goods to cheese to prizewinning hogs.

“I love to see the community proud,” she said.

A modest crowd arrived early for the first day of the fair, streaming by an opening ceremony near the fairgrounds entrance. The ceremony included the national anthem and fluttering white doves. Fairgoers were headed for booths that featured mini-doughnuts, venison jerky and a mechanical bull, for carnival rides that nearly touched the sky, and for kettle corn.

A sweet aroma was nearly everywhere.

Meanwhile, fair workers who have been attending for generations are doing what they can to keep tradition front and center.

“We’re trying to keep a little bit of old country Deschutes County alive,” said Holly Cole, a fair director who has been involved in the fair for over 20 years.

After a hiatus in 2020, last year’s fair drew around 140,000 attendees, said fair Director Geoff Hinds. It also broke records earning the highest revenue in the fair’s history, as reported by The Bulletin last year.

Hinds said this year’s fair marks a return to the county fair before the pandemic. It’s bigger. It’s more spread out.

Not everyone is comfortable with that, however. Karen McBride, an associate director at the fair, said the fair is flashier than it used to be.

“We’ve been struggling with the commercialism,” said McBride. “It’s not just about the sponsorships.”

McBride works to preserve the history of the county by encouraging pride in the next generation of fairgoers. She said it’s hard to put into words the sheer joy of producing something for the fair and presenting it to the community.

“We don’t want to lose the people who bring their exhibits to the fair,” McBride said.