Tillamook County Fair facts for kids
The Tillamook County Fair is a super fun event that happens every year in August! It takes place in the city of Tillamook, which is in Tillamook County, Oregon, in the United States. This awesome county fair started way back in 1891. The fairgrounds are the biggest place in the county for big meetings, parties, and other gatherings. More and more people come to the fair each year, with over 70,000 visitors now attending annually!
Fair History: How It Started
The land where the fair is held today was given to the county in 1921. At that time, people in the county voted to approve $1 million to buy the land and build the fairgrounds. This helped create the amazing place we see today!
Exciting Races: Pig-N-Ford Fun
One of the most famous and exciting events at the fair is the Pig-N-Ford Races. These unique auto racing events first started in 1925 and have become famous all over the country!
How the Pig-N-Ford Races Work
The races use old Model T Fords that have been stripped down, but their engines are still original. Here's how the race goes:
- When the starting gun fires, drivers run across the track.
- They grab a live 20-pound pig from a special bin.
- Then, they have to hand-crank their car to start it up!
- Once the car is running, they drive one lap around the track.
- After the lap, they stop, turn off the engine, and get a different pig.
- They repeat this process for another lap.
- The first driver to finish three laps without losing their pig wins the race!
It's pretty cool that some of the cars racing today are the very same ones that first competed in 1925!
