Kind of a Pig Deal
Tillamook County Fair celebrates 100 years of Pig-N-Ford
By Chelsea Yarnell
It’s arguably one of the most unique things about the Tillamook County Fair: racers in Model T cars with piglets tucked under their arms. The Pig-N-Ford races are a tradition that is celebrating 100 years and being honored as this year’s fair theme.
“We really strive to keep the traditions of an old-fashioned fair alive,” said Tillamook Fairgrounds Manager Camy VonSeggern. “The Pig-N-Ford is one of our biggest attractions. They’re local [drivers] and have their own cheering section. People cheer for their favorite car, driver or owner.”
“Celebrating 100 Years of Pig-N-Ford” racing will be fully packed into four fun days during the 2025 Tillamook County Fair, taking place Wednesday, Aug. 6, through Saturday, Aug. 9. The fair is recognized as one of the top ten Blue Ribbon Fairs in the nation due to its uniqueness and offerings to fairgoers. Attractions include exhibits, 4H and FFA animal projects, food, a carnival, local performers, pari-mutuel horse racing, Pig-N-Ford racing, live concerts and the much-anticipated demolition derby.
“We’re family friendly and once you pay admission there’s so much to do,” VonSeggern said.
Like the Pig-N-Ford races, the fair has its other daily traditions. Tillamook is widely known as a dairy community and during the fair, guests can view a live operating milking parlor.
“We’re having a local dairy show and are very fortunate to still be able to do that,” VonSeggern said. “It takes a lot of time and effort on the farmers' part to bring their animals here and not milk them right at home. So, it’s a big deal and they do it because it’s a tradition of the fair.”
Coming full circle, guests can get a scoop of Tillamook ice cream at the Tillamook County Creamery Association’s booth located inside the Main Exhibition Hall. Each purchase benefits Tillamook County 4-H.
Keeping the fun rolling, the carnival section of the fair is a big hit, especially since traveling carnivals are hard to secure at smaller fairs.
“We’re probably one of the largest, in terms of volume, fairs that the carnival company travels to,” she said. “They bring 16 to 18 rides to our fair, are a family-owned company and have been the carnival at our fair since 2015.”
The Courtyard Stage’s schedule is completely full for the four days of the fair.
“We have a lot of local talent here that will perform including all three dance studios and local musicians,” VonSeggern said. “We also have the Army National Guard Band back. They were here in 2022 and we heard such great things. We’ll also put music on the Courtyard Stage at 9 pm so that people can stick around and enjoy the night a little bit longer.”
Capping off each evening is headlining entertainment beginning at 8 pm. Chase Matthew will perform Wednesday evening, the Fleetwood Mac Tribute band Taken By The Sky will take the stage on Thursday night and Waylon Wyatt will perform on Friday.
To close out the fair, the demolition derby will bring the weekend to a crashing halt. Hosted in the grandstands on Saturday night at 8 pm, it draws the biggest crowd of the weekend.
All entertainment, excluding the carnival, is included in the price of admission.
The fair is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. The carnival opens daily at noon. Daily admission is $15 for people aged 13 and older; $10 for kids aged six to 12 and free for children aged five and younger. Season passes are $45. On Wednesday, Aug. 6, kids under 15 can receive free admission to the fair between 10 am and 1 pm with a donation of two cans of food for the Oregon Food Bank. On Thursday, Aug. 8, admission for seniors aged 62 and older and active military and veterans is $10.
General parking is $5 per car, $20 for a season parking pass and $30 for premium parking.
The Tillamook County Fairgrounds is located at 4603 East Third Street, Tillamook.
For more information and advance tickets, go to tillamookfair.com.