Our booth located in the domed exhibit hall showcasing Tillamook Cheddar Cheeses at the 1932 Tillamook County Fair. It’s not too far from where our ice cream booth is today!

It’s county fair time! In Tillamook, it’s a time for pronto pups, ice cream cones, exhibits, horse races, Pig-n-Ford races and thrills on the midway.

The Tillamook County Fair was established in 1891. In 1921, land and money was acquired to build a permanent home for the fair. One of the first buildings erected was the domed exhibit hall, which is still a feature of the fairgrounds today.

We don’t know exactly how long TCCA has been involved with the fair, but we’ve certainly had a long relationship of supporting and participating in the annual event. Through the years, dairy farmers would show their cows, and cheese contests were held where all of the local creameries would submit their best cheddars. Dairy farmers still show their cows, but the cheese contest was no longer needed once all of the cheesemaking consolidated in the central plant in 1968.

But no worries, the fun never stopped. In the early 1970s an ice cream booth was established. Since then Tillamook Ice Cream cones have been available to all fairgoers. Just steps inside the main exhibit hall you can belly-up to the booth and order one or two scoops of our delicious ice cream. Today, we partner with 4-H to staff our ice cream booth. They keep all of the proceeds from the sales and we all get to have some fun.

In 2010, USA Today named the Tillamook County Fair one of the top 10 blue-ribbon county fairs. Stop by for some fun at the Tillamook County Fair, Aug. 10-13!

By Chandra

Kristen Kaste, Tillamook County Dairy Princess Ambassador

Congratulations to Kristen Kaste, crowned the 2011 Tillamook County Dairy Princess Ambassador. Just what is a Dairy Princess Ambassador you ask? I like to say Dairy Princess Ambassadors are “public relations specialists” for dairy. It requires a lot of public speaking and the ability to transition from speaking to kids to speaking to state representatives, industry professionals, and at times the media.

The Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassador program is managed through the Oregon Dairy Womenwith individual counties producing their own Ambassadors who compete for the state title and scholarship dollars each January. The main role for the Ambassador is to visit elementary schools and share the positive story of dairy farming and the role dairy products play in achieving a balanced diet. It is not about the sparkly crown (though who wouldn’t want a sparkly crown?). It is about educating youth about where our food comes from and promoting dairy products and the dairy industry. In addition to public speaking, the Ambassadors have fun throughout the year participating in special events like the Milk Carton Boat Races, Ag Fest, and the Oregon State Fair. 

Congratulations, Kristen. We look forward to working with you!

By Heidi

Bohren Farm

Have you ever wondered about the big painted quilt blocks displayed on local barns and businesses in Tillamook County? They’re part of the Tillamook County Quilt Trail, the first quilt trail on the West coast.

The trail is a partnership between a coalition of local citizens and businesses to identify historic barns and other buildings in Tillamook County, enhance them with large painted wooden quilt blocks, share the history of the dairy farms and quilts through a self-guided tour for visitors, and to celebrate Tillamook’s rural heritage.

The barn pictured here is called the Bohren Farm and is displaying a pattern block called Lone Star. Here is the description posted in the Tillamook County Quilt Trail map:

Bohren Farm - One of the earliest owners was Peter Morgan. He also was part-owner of the sailing ship Morning Star, whose replica sits in front of the Cheese Factory. Tom Hyder later purchased the farm. Tom grew barley on the farm and made moonshine. In 1949, Gottlieb Bohren and his sons bought the farm from Tom Bohren, a Swiss immigrant, who had lived on the farm next door. During a remodel of the barn, hundreds of whiskey bottles were found under the floorboards of the barn. The original farm house was just north of the barn, but blew down in the 1950s. Gottlieb’s brother Albert was in the house at the time but came out ok. The Obrist family bought this farm from the Bohrens in the mid-1990s, because they felt the need to expand their home dairy, located on Trask River Road, when all three of their sons decided to return home and work with their father, Richard Obrist. (Lone Star)

By Heidi