What's new at the 2023 Oregon State Fair?
The 157th Oregon State Fair kicks off Friday with all your favorites, including animals, rides, food and entertainment.
But there's always something new to experience, and 2023 is no exception.
The schedule is jam-packed every day in the barns, on stages and at exhibit halls. Visit the state fair website for a daily schedule throughout the 11-day event, which runs through Labor Day, Sept. 4.
Watch daredevil divers or join the circus
The Flying Fools are sure to make a splash in their state fair debut, performing a high-dive show daily at 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The acrobatic divers will be jumping from as high as 80 feet into a pool just 26 feet in diameter and 9½ feet deep. The show includes multiple divers jumping at a time, including five at once.
If you are acrophobic, Circus Imagination and Clown College might be a more suitable attraction.
Circus Imagination is a half-hour spontaneous show pulling children from the audience and turning them into star performers. It happens daily at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Family Fun Camp area.
Clown College allows children to learn basic circus talents, including Hula-Hoop, juggling and balance beam. Classes are in session daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Map it: Where to find activities and food on the 185-acre fairgrounds
Staples and new items on the menu
Annual favorite foods will be there, including funnel cakes, Oregon Dairy Women ice cream and BBQ.
But if you're looking for some new fair food, head to the Green Acres Landscape Plaza for a charcuterie board or some fry bread.
Pacific Rim Charcuterie Board will offer a classic board with cheeses, cured meats, fresh and dried fruits, olives, nuts, jam and crackers, and a chocolate board with three types of cookies, brownie bites, fresh berries and ganache dipping sauce.
The Red Food Truck offers fry bread with savory or sweet toppings, including cinnamon and sugar, s'mores and strawberries and cream
More than 30 vendors — about one-third of them new — will serve at more than 70 locations across the mid-section of the 185-acre fairgrounds.
Take a spin on 13 new carnival rides
Portland-based Rainier Amusements will operate 55 rides during the fair, including 13 new attractions.
The rides, according to the carnival section on the state fair website, are categorized in three levels: kid, major and spectacular.
The new kid rides are Mad Birds, Mini Ferris Wheel, Route 66 and Circus Train.
Dumbo, Wacky Worm, Dreamland Funhouse, Cobra Coaster, Chopper Hopper and Flying Elephants are the new major rides.
The new spectacular rides are Insomniac, Medusa and Pirate Ship.
A discount on carnival wristbands, good for unlimited carnival rides, three games and a medium drink from carnival concessions is available online through Thursday. A weekday wristband is $45 ($60 during the fair), and a weekend day wristband is $55 ($70 during the fair).
Amphitheater stage will be rockin'
Nine concerts from rock to country are scheduled most evenings during the fair.
None of the shows will sell out before the day of because some general admission seating for each concert is free with paid fair admission on a first-come, first-served basis while available.
Doors for all but one concert open at 6:30 p.m., with shows at 7:30 p.m. The Chris Janson concert starts at 4:30 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.
As of Monday, reserved seats remained available for all shows, although entertainment producer Eric Marcuse reported they were "very limited" for the Beach Boys on Aug. 29 and I Love the 90s on Aug. 31. Reserved tickets start at $50 and include fair admission.
Fair concert tickets are available only at oregonstatefair.org via FunCard with no service fees.
The fair is offering for the first time American Sign Language interpretation at all concerts at the L.B. Day Amphitheatre, which seats 8,900.
CANstruction project benefits food share
A project where construction know-how meets community need will kick off at noon Saturday in the Creative Living S.T.E.M. Building.
The National Association of Women in Construction Salem Chapter #198 will lead an effort to build an outline map of the state of Oregon out of cans of green beans to benefit the mission of Marion-Polk Food Share.
The structure has been CAD designed and will be 7 feet, 4 inches tall; 9 feet, 7 inches wide and 2 feet, 6 inches deep. Organizers estimate it will take 6,470 cans to build.
The Salem chapter purchased three pallets of green beans (6,528 cans), a meal item the food share indicated families desire during the holidays to make traditional green bean casserole dishes.
"I love the image that it creates in my mind that our structure will help provide happy, and yummy, holiday memories for our food-insecure neighbors in this community," said Juli Foscoli, NAWIC Salem Chapter president and co-owner of South Town Glass.
She anticipates the structure will be a popular photo op for fairgoers and said builders will hide tiny, Oregon native animals within it for a fun "Where's Waldo" type of game for families.
The organization has received donations from several local businesses but still has about $1,200 in canned food expenses left to cover. To donate, email Foscoli at juli@southtownglass.com, or visit nawicsalem.com/payments, marking donations as "CANstruction donation." Some volunteer spaces also remain available online.
The project ties in with "Share at the Fair" day on Wednesday, when two or more donations of non-perishable food such as peanut butter, tuna, shelf-stable milk, fruit or cereal gets $2 off gate admission.
The NAWIC Salem chapter will have volunteers available that day to help sort and organize donations.
Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6710.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: What's new at the 2023 Oregon State Fair?
