Wallowa County, Ore. fair on tight budget

ENTERPRISE, Ore. (AP) — It’s almost time for the Wallowa County fair and organizers are working with a very tight budget.

The Oregonian reports that state funding fell from $52,000 to $36,000 last year and Wallowa County is relying heavily on volunteers for repairs and management.

Eric Schmidt of the Association of Oregon Counties says Wallowa County is not alone in facing the problems of keeping fairgrounds and fairs running in the current economy.

Schmidt says fairgrounds may not be as important as county jails, but they’re essential to a community’s quality of life.

He says he expects to see more and more Oregon counties relying on volunteers to maintain fairgrounds. “These are tough times to ask people to open their wallets and pay more taxes,” he said.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com