A tradition many decades in the making, Redmond’s annual Buckaroo Breakfast is one of the longest-running cowboy cookouts in the United States.

World War II was still raging in 1944 when local businessmen, ranchers and county fair supporters gathered to plan a real Western breakfast for the last day of the Deschutes County Fair. Its steaks, eggs, potatoes, pan bread and coffee were cooked over open flame — the cowboy way — and served to hundreds of bleary-eyed fairgoers beginning at 6 a.m.

As the years went by, the event was feeding upwards of 3,000 at the fair, including politicians hoping to shake a lot of hands, visitors from outside Redmond eager to be a part of the unique event, and former Redmondites on a visit home.

Today, the Buckaroo Breakfast has changed little. Its location shifted when the fairgrounds moved but the food is still cooked over wood-fired open grills on the last morning of the fair.

The 100-plus volunteers who work the event often include entire families and many of them are third-generation crew members.

Find out more at www.buckaroobreakfastclub.net.