SALEM — The Oregon State Fair’s fresh air activities draw daring crowds: a spin on several whirl-and-hurl rides, muddy moguls crisscrossed by mountain bikers, sobering rounds on a mechanical bull.

But if you prefer spending your sugar high in more quiet comfort, wrap a fist around a paper cone of spun sugar and duck into the Americraft Center for another sort of travel, the back-in-time kind, to a moment when neat hand stitches and specimen carrots have always garnered blue ribbons and nods of approval.

For visiting members of the literati, there are walls of poetry, some penned by Oregon’s own Steven Robert Heine: “The K.G.B./is after me./ They want me for my brain.”

For the green of thumb, there are envious rows of pastel-colored roses and dahlias.

Read more on Oregonlive.com

According to numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers markets in the U.S. has increased 170 percent over the last ten years.

It’s good news for farmers market vendors like Baird Family Orchards. Owner Trevor Baird says he used to just do markets on weekends, but now it’s a full time job. Because of this, he’s been able to cut back on wholesale accounts and focus almost exclusively on selling directly to the consumer.

Senior Market Manager for Portland Farmers Market, Jaret Foster, says markets have undergone a resurgence as people look for ways to socialize and be part of a community.

Farmers markets, he says, also offer a more sustainable and premium product.

Food sold at a farmers market has traveled an average of 50 miles while food at a grocery store has usually traveled over 1,500 miles.

Farmers Markets don’t always succeed. Portland Farmers Market’s Pearl District location closed last summer due to lack of growth.

The opening of the two new markets this summer means there are six markets operating under the umbrella of Portland Farmers Market.

The new markets are the Pioneer Square Market and the NW 23rd Market.

Each Portland Farmers Market operates on a different day and offers a unique mix of vendors.

For more information go to www.portlandfarmersmarket.org.

See the video of Jaret on Net Green News here

** STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series Championships: The Oregon State Fair is proud to be hosting the 25th anniversary season of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. The Series’ quarterfinals, semifinals, U.S. Championship and Collegiate Championship will take place during the fair’s opening weekend Friday, August 27 through Sunday, August 29. ESPN 2 will be there to capture all of the exciting action!

* Days of the Dinosaur: Calling dinosaur lovers of all ages! This eye-popping exposition features more than 30 life-sized dinosaur robots, skeleton replicas and an interactive children’s area with a fossil dig for junior anthropologists, a little dino ride and more. There is also an informative 3-D movie that answers questions about dinosaurs and the making of the robots, a snack bar for dinosaur-sized appetites and a merchandise area. Tickets: $5/adults, $3/kids (11 & under)

See the original story on KOIN Studio 6 here

http://www.oregonstatefair.org/

In among the prize sheep, blue ribbons and extra large vegetables this year, 43 lumberjacks from across the country will compete for the title of Stihl Timbersports National Champion.

Aptly named Mike Forrester, a 44-year-old contractor from Glide, Oregon, competes almost every weekend during the summer and says it’s a lot of fun.

Mike Forrester: “If you get a nice axe that matches the block of wood. It’s kind of effortless, you’re swinging it. You know it makes you feel good. You get a high off it of a little bit.”

The fair runs through Labor Day. Tickets are $11 and as many as 375,000 people are expected.

Also on show are 4-H competitions, named for ‘Head, Heart, Hands and Health,’ a carnival, 80 food booths and a chance to sample 200 award winning Oregon wines.

No home brews are allowed. But a bill is expected to try to change that in the next legislature.

Read the full story on OPB News here

To get the weekend off to a positive start, we’re celebrating winners in the recent news.

WINNER: Salem-Keizer school renovations. Of the 17 schools closed for renovation this summer, work on 10 has finished ahead of schedule.

Those 10 schools — Brush College, Englewood, Hoover, Liberty, Myers, Pringle, Scott, Wright, Houck and Whiteaker — will reopen today for use by school staffers. Four Corners, Hazel Green, Washington, Waldo, North Salem, South Salem and Howard Street schools are scheduled to re-open Monday.

WINNER: Salem Foundation. During the past year, it has given more than $1.75 million to nonprofits in Salem and the Mid-Valley. Those grants are especially needed during the difficult economy.

The 80-year-old foundation goes about its work quietly and humbly, but it deserves the community’s appreciation for its wise stewardship.

WINNER: Oregon State Fair. This year, the fair will live up to its slogan, “Too big to miss.” The fair opens today with timber competitions, an interactive dinosaur exhibit and other new activities to complement the beloved traditional homecraft, farm animal and chocolate-cake contests.

WINNER: Garmin AT. It plans to add a call center in Salem, hiring as many as 200 more employees. The company will hold an informational career forum for job applicants from 1 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at 2345 Turner Road SE.

WINNER: Marion County commissioners and Salem Area Mass Transit Board. They will hire a forensic investigation company to determine what went wrong in the planning, design and construction of Courthouse Square.

WINNER: Willamette University. U.S. News and World Report ranks it 59th among national liberal arts colleges and counts it among the top up-and-coming colleges. The Princeton Review has listed Willamette in “The Best 373 Colleges.”

Read more on The Statesman Journal here

The top lumberjacks and lumberjills from all over the globe, plus some log-loving dogs, will be in Salem to chop and saw their way to a championship during the Oregon State Fair.

One of the top 32 competitors in the world is from little Idleyld Park, east of Roseburg, and he hopes to bring the title home to Oregon.

Mike Forrester is a third-generation timber competitor, following his grandfather and father. The 44-year-old contractor, wrestling coach and father is a two-time single buck (saw) champion and world-record holder for 27-inch hot saw (power saw). He has yet to win the overall title, though, losing to champions from New Zealand.

“They’re fourth- and fifth-generation choppers and timber-sports competitors down there,” Forrester says in a phone interview. “We didn’t come into it until the ’60s.”

For those unfamiliar with timber sports, the championship involves mastery of six disciplines, from underhand and overhand chopping to power and hand-sawing. Lest you think it’s all about being strong (and some of it definitely is), Forrester assures that it’s a mix of strength, technique and mental toughness.

“It’s more than just brute strength, it’s very mentally oriented,” he said. “You have to keep your technique the entire time. Most of the competitors are 30 to 45. The young guys are too aggressive. They don’t know how to approach the event.”

Forrester even compares chopping wood to golf, in that you have to be mentally tough and very accurate.

There are plenty of fans of timber sports out there, including talk-show host Stephen Colbert, who featured Forrester in a hilarious segment on timber sports in 2008.

“Shows like ‘Ax Men,’ ‘The Colbert Report,’ ESPN … they keep people interested in timber sports,” Forrester says, though he acknowledges the timber industry is not as strong as it used to be.

“When I was growing up, in the late ’60s and ’70s, there were timber-sports events in every community in Oregon.” Today, he says, “If Stihl weren’t here, we might not have any events.”

Still, people come out in droves to see the chips fly as competitors wield razor-sharp saws and axes.

“It’s the best show in the world, frankly,” says Forrester, who adds he might just win if “all the cards fall my way.”

The Stihl Timbersports Series features the professional competition, along with a speed climb, boom run, logrolling and a collegiate competition, which will feature Oregon competitor David Green.

The competition runs Friday through Sunday at the Oregon State Fair. Lumberjack demonstrations will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Sept. 6. The competition will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Dogs have their own competition with the Stihl Dogs and Logs World Championship Thursday through Sept. 5. Canine athletes will compete in Big Air, Extreme Vertical and Speed Retrieve.

Read the full story on Oregonlive.com here

The spirit of the fair, say organizers, is to feature the best of Oregon while adding new events that will draw people from around the state to Salem. Along with fair staples — fuzzy animals, livestock barns, horse shows, agriculture exhibits and carnival rides — big new features this year include the Stihl Timbersports Series championships (see story on Page X), where lumberjacks and -jills saw and chop their way to an international title; a life-sized dinosaur exhibit; concerts from hall-of-fame rockers; a new outdoor dirt racetrack; and a Northwest all-star performance of “Frogtown.”

Big dinosaurs

As far as we know, there are no dinosaur ranches in Oregon, but the extinct reptilians have been given new life at the “Days of the Dinosaurs” exhibit. Thirty life-sized animatronic dinosaurs — including Triceratops, Velociraptor and T. rex himself — will tower over the humans at this impressive exhibit in the Oregon Pavilion.

“It’s going to be amazing. They’re big … it’s great family fun,” said Connie Bradley, Oregon State Fair manager. “We’re one of only seven spots in the U.S. to get this exhibit.”

Dino fans will begin their journey back millions of years with a 3-D movie about the extinct lizards, then walk into a replica dinosaur environment to get up close and personal with the moving models. Kids can have their own archaeological fun at a fossil dig sand area, be artistic at the coloring area, eat dino food items at the cafe and even climb on a dino or two.

Exhibit is $3 for children 11 and younger, $5 for ages 12 and older; plus fair admission

Read the full story on OregonLive.com here

Forsthoefel, 48, who joined the market staff in August 2008, has presided over two years of growth and national recognition for the market.

Under her leadership, Portland Farmers Market doubled this year from one city block to two at Portland State University. Market receipts reported by farmers climbed last year despite a recession.

Forsthoefel also launched new markets in the King neighborhood and at Pioneer Courthouse Square. She closed the market at the Ecotrust building in Northwest Portland and opened one on Northwest 23rd Avenue.

Read the full story from The Oregonian on Oregon Live.com here

Get ready to travel back  in time– 65 million years!   The Oregon State Fair’s Oregon Pavilion will be transformed into a dinosaur discovery land with a 3-D introductory movie, 37 dinosaur exhibit, fossil dig sand area, childrens dino coloring area, dino food items, and dinosaur merchandise available.

And if dinosaurs aren’t enough, you can catch the Stihl Timbersports series, take a visit to Familyville, or listen in the music of great performers such as ZZ Top, Lifehouse and Dierks Bentley.

The Oregon State Fair opens on Friday, August 27th and runs through September 6th.  For more information, visit their website.

Watch the video on KATU Channel 2 AM NW of Oregon State Fair & Days of the Dinosaur