150,000+
People hosted annually
Neighbors from every corner of the county gather here year after year.
Keep Our Fairgrounds Open. Vote Yes.
A 5-year levy protects Polk County's agricultural heritage, our 4-H and FFA youth programs, and the county's front-line emergency response hub — all for about $30 a year.
Election Day · November 3rd
Without passage of the levy, the Polk County Fairgrounds closes permanently on December 31st.
Help Save It
About the Measure
Protect Polk County's heritage, culture, and emergency response
The Polk County Fairgrounds has long been a central hub of community life for rural Polk County — a place to showcase our agricultural heritage, host 4-H and FFA youth events, and bring exhibitors from all across Polk County to showcase goods and services all throughout the year.
On November 3rd, Polk County will be asking local voters to approve a straightforward 5-year, $1 million per year property tax levy to keep the Polk County Fairgrounds open and restore the Fairgrounds as a safe and vital community hub for agriculture, education, community events, and emergency response.
The levy will preserve the Fairgrounds as the county's primary asset for local emergency staging, evacuation, disaster relief, and as the school re-unification center for West Salem and all of Polk County.
What the Tax Levy Will Do
Six things your yes vote pays for
Every dollar stays here in Polk County, with the majority committed to making the grounds safe, functional, and ready when the county needs them.
Save the Fairgrounds
Keeps the gates open past December 31st and returns the grounds to full community use.
65% to Safety
Nearly two-thirds of levy funds secure the safety and functionality of the grounds as a community hub and emergency response center.
$3.5M in Repairs
Electrical replacement, building renovations, roofs, HVAC, asphalt, and interior flooring over five years.
Emergency Ready
Brings technology infrastructure to the grounds so they can serve as an emergency response facility and a secure school re-unification center.
Preserve Our Heritage
Supports local youth with facilities that can continue to host more than 300 4-H and FFA exhibitors every year.
About $30 a Year
The 12-cent per $1,000 levy costs the average Polk County household roughly $2 to $5 a month.
By the Numbers
A vital part of our county for generations
Every year, the Polk County Fairgrounds does far more than host a fair.
700
Diverse events each year
Livestock shows, markets, weddings, banquets, meetings, and community gatherings.
600+
Exhibitors every year
Including 300 4-H and FFA youth and 300 open class exhibitors presenting over 4,500 exhibits.
$850,000
Raised for local causes
Generated in local charitable giving each year through fundraisers hosted on the grounds.
Front line
Emergency & disaster relief
The county's hub for evacuation and relief — it sheltered 70 families and 400 animals during the 2020 Beachy Creek Fire.
Official
School Reunification Center
The secure site where West Salem and most local schools reunite students with families in an emergency.
In the News
What reporters are saying
Local and regional coverage of the levy and what closure would mean for Polk County.
Bill Poehler reports that the Polk County Fairgrounds ran a $348,000 deficit last year, and that the shortfall is widening. Most of the buildings date to the 1950s and need work on electrical and water systems along with seismic upgrades. County officials say the general fund can no longer absorb the losses, in part because roughly 70 percent of the property tax the county collects goes to public safety.
The article places Polk County in a statewide context. A lobbyist for the Oregon Fairs Association describes the county as a bellwether, with other counties watching the November result closely. Counties have received only about $53,000 a year each from a capped share of lottery funds; a 2026 law lifted that cap and is expected to raise the figure by roughly $200,000 per county starting in 2027.
It also looks at counties that found a way through. Josephine County now draws maintenance money from the interest on a $9 million property sale, while Yamhill County has discussed selling its fairgrounds and relocating.
Read it at Statesman Journal Opens on the publisher's site. A subscription may be required.David Hayes covers the June 10 decision to place a 12-cent per $1,000 levy on the November 3 ballot. The motion carried 2-0; Commissioner Craig Pope was away for the evening vote but backed the measure earlier that day. Residents testified in support, among them a West Salem teacher who argued that losing the grounds would cost local youth the FFA and 4-H programs that depend on them.
The article itemises the spending. Of roughly $3.4 million for overdue maintenance: $1.25 million for electrical work, $750,000 for building interiors and the parking lot, $500,000 each for the main building's roof and exterior, $150,000 each for its floor and for HVAC, and $100,000 for technology. Operations take $350,000 in year one, rising to $409,000 by year five.
Staff estimate the levy raises about $1 million in its first year and $5.4 million across five years, costing roughly $30 a year on a home assessed at $250,000. Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst put the choice plainly and noted the fairgrounds brings an estimated $3 million into the local economy each year.
Read it at Polk County Itemizer-Observer Opens on the publisher's site. A subscription may be required.Bill Poehler opens with Deb Darr of Falls City, who has been involved with the fairgrounds for more than four decades and told commissioners it serves as a place for education, community gatherings, and events such as the annual Dallas Christmas Cheer food distribution.
The piece sets out the terms of the measure and its history. The county bought the 20-acre Rickreall site in 1949 and put up most of the buildings in the 1950s. An earlier 15-cent levy failed in May 2025, rejected most heavily in West Salem. Officials say that without passage they will stop funding the fairgrounds and the facilities will close at the end of the year.
Supporters point to what else would be lost: the grounds served as an evacuation centre during the 2020 wildfires, and a fair board member argues the county could become a model for keeping such facilities open with a modest levy.
Read it at Statesman Journal Opens on the publisher's site. A subscription may be required.Summaries are written by the campaign. Full articles remain with the publishers who reported them.
Get Involved
Join us to save our Fairgrounds
Support our community, save our Fairgrounds, and protect Polk County's heritage, culture, and emergency response. Here are five ways to help.
Save our Fairgrounds. Vote yes November 3rd.
For about $30 a year, we keep 150,000 neighbors gathering, 600 exhibitors showing, and the county's emergency response hub standing ready. Without the levy, the gates close December 31st.