Crook County Fair and rodeo heritage in Prineville
The Crook County Fairgrounds are at 1280 S. Main Street in Prineville. The fairgrounds' own history page gives this timeline.
Timeline from the fairgrounds
- 1903. The fairgrounds were established, starting as a race track and grandstands.
- 1904. The first Central Oregon Fair was held, mainly an annual horse race with some small exhibits.
- 1914. The 4-H program was established in Crook County.
- 1915. Half the grounds were sold, and the track was reduced to the current half-mile oval.
- 1917. The fair was renamed the Oregon Interstate State Fair.
- 1927. The fair took its final name, the Crook County Fair.
- 1945. The first Crooked River Roundup and 4-H Club fair was held on September 2 and 3.
- 1972. The Roundup grounds were deeded to Crook County.
- 1979. The wooden grandstand was replaced with a new one.
- 1989. The Roundup bought 40 portable stalls, which the history page says helped earn the fairgrounds the nickname "Horse Capitol" in Central Oregon.
What the fairgrounds list today
The fairgrounds website has an events section with categories for the fair, livestock and horses, banquets and auctions, community events, automotive and others. Under livestock and horses it lists rodeo, bull riding, barrel races, horse shows and livestock shows. The site's fair and events pages did not list fair dates when we checked, so use the event calendar for current dates. The Crook County Fair Board meets at the fairgrounds, and its public notices are posted on the county website.
Crooked River Roundup
The Crooked River Roundup site describes the Roundup as run by the all-volunteer Crooked River Roundup Association. It lists a rodeo that it calls PRCA-sanctioned and horse races that it calls the largest parimutuel horse races in Oregon, both held at the Crook County Fairgrounds. It posted 2027 dates of June 24 to 26 for the rodeo and July 14 to 17 for the races, so check the site for the current schedule.