July’s best foodie fairs, festivals and more

Get your wallets, sunglasses and appetites ready: Fair and festival season is upon us. Enjoy the area’s bounty of food vendors throughout July, including at the Oakridge Independence Day Festival, the Oregon Country Fair and the Lane County Fair. 

Lookout Eugene-Springfield has the list, along with some sips and dishes to anticipate:

Eugene-Springfield

Golden Hour Market
Farmers Market Pavilion, 85 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene
4 to 8 p.m. July 2

Catch the second Golden Hour Market, part of the monthly summer event series presented by Whiteaker Community Market. It turns the Farmers Market Pavilion into a community gathering space with local food vendors, artists, artisans and live music. The June market also offers indoor skating with Eugene Roller Vintage. All Golden Hour Markets are free to attend.

Lavender Bloom Event
McKenzie River Lavender, 40882 McKenzie Highway, between Walterville and Leaburg
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 11-12

Pick your own lavender and enjoy live music, local makers and delicious food during McKenzie River Lavender’s annual celebration of the floral, purple perennial bloom. It might just be the best-smelling event on this list.

Adkins Farm Blueberry Festival
Adkins Blueberry Farm, 85995 Gossler Road, Eugene
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 18

Head to the farm for a day of blues, blueberries and brews. Adkins Blueberry Farm will offer U-pick blueberries, artisan booths and live music during its free annual festival. With tacos, shaved ice, hot dogs, sausages, barbecued meats, baked goods and pizza, you can’t go hungry. Adkins will collect donations for CASA of Lane County during the event.

5th Street Public Market Fest
5th Street Public Market, 296 E. Fifth Ave.
11 a.m. to 9 p.m., July 18; noon to 5 p.m., July 19

The market is about to become a circus: Celebrate 5th Street Public Market’s 50th anniversary during a two-day fest that will feature live music, carnival confections and eye-catching performances with aerialists, acrobats and circus performers.

Cheesemaking class
Osteria DOP, 1122 Oak St., Eugene
2 to 3:30 p.m. July 19

Spend an afternoon making and tasting cheese with Claudia Lucero, an author and the founder of Portland-based Urban Cheesecraft. Lucero will lead a live demo of a classic cultured cheesemaking process that can be adapted to your home kitchen. Tickets are $30, and part of proceeds goes toward Slow Food South Willamette. Space is limited.

Lane County Fair
Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene
Opens at 11 a.m. daily, July 22-26

With dozens of gut-busting food options, it’s no wonder the Lane County Fair is a four-day sesh. To name a relative few: Pronto’s cornmeal-battered hot dogs, Walla Walla burgers, pad thai, barbecue meatloaf, schnitzel, frozen lemonade, apple pie fries and edible cookie dough. We’ll be bringing our antacids. In between the bratwurst and chocolate dipped cheesecake, give yourself time to digest before hitting up the carnival. The festival boasts a bull riding competition, horse show, clown college, and dinosaur and dragon installations throughout the grounds. Buy tickets online, at the Lane County Fair business office or at the ticket booth.

Around the county

Oakridge Independence Day Festival
Greenwaters Park, 48362 Highway 58, Oakridge
1 to 11 p.m. July 3; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 4

Ring in America’s 250th on the beautiful Middle Fork Willamette River during Oakridge’s annual Independence Day Festival, which prides itself on having “the longest firework show in Lane County.” Food trucks will dot Greenwaters Park during the two-day event, offering all the meats — brisket, pulled pork, hot dogs, smash burgers — plus tacos and burritos, corn, woodfired pizza, ice cream, lemonade and other backyard barbecue delights. This year also marks the festival’s first pet parade. 

Oregon Country Fair
Oregon Country Fairgrounds, 24207 Highway 126, Veneta
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, July 10-12

Grab your sun hat, (empty) water bottle and a costume your 5-year-old self could only dream of: It’s fair time. The Oregon Country Fair returns to Veneta for its 57th year. Check out the recently published Peach Pit, which is your guide for fair activities, music schedules, resources and booths, including, of course, the fair’s wide-ranging food lineup. Vendors this year include Lane County’s very own Brandywine Fisheries (smoked fish), B Heavenly (vegan dishes), Edible Improv (crepes), Afghani Cuisine, Café Mam, Palace Coffee Roasters and Peek-a-Boo Delight (fresh fruit popsicles, chamoy fruit cups). Your taste buds can travel from Philly to Nepal, making the fair a true worldly culinary affair. 

Porch & Farm Crawl
Farm and bake stands across Lane County
July 11

Have you ever driven by a cute stand selling baked goods, eggs and jams? The Porch & Farm Crawl is your roadmap to them, connecting you to 30 home-based bakers, growers and makers around Lane County. Choose from sourdough loaves, focaccia, s’more cinnamon rolls, fire cider, cake slices, cookies, produce, flowers, crafts and other goodies.

For this self-guided shopping crawl, the event provides vendor maps for three areas: Eugene-Springfield, Creswell and Junction City/Harrisburg. Pick up maps at the stands or access them on the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. This is The Porch & Farm Crawl’s first year. 

Sasquatch Summer Fest
Greenwaters Park, 48362 Highway 58, Oakridge
July 11-12

Do you believe, want to believe or are just looking for some mythical fun? The Sasquatch Summer Fest is your ticket, with artists, food vendors and the opportunity to hear from and chat with 12 Bigfoot experts, including Dr. Simeon Hein, author of “Dark Matter Monsters” and “Searching for Sasquatch” star Jason Kenzie. The family-friendly, two-day festival is located within the Willamette National Forest, the perfect spot for a potential Bigfoot sighting. Tickets are $35 for a day pass or $55 for the whole weekend, with other packages and experiences available.