A familiar face will be on hand Wednesday when the 98th Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo opens.

Central Oregon Community College board member Alan Unger, a former county commissioner and Redmond mayor, will serve as the fair’s grand marshal.

He has attended the fair since he was a child, when his father entered his vegetables and his mother entered roses in competitions there.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to be the face of the Deschutes County Fair,” Unger said. “When I was asked, I said, ‘Really, you want me? I’d be happy to.’ ”

Unger’s ceremonial duties have involved attending parades, along with Rodeo Queen Janna Davis, from Redmond to Sisters to Spray, in the months leading up to the fair, he said.

He will meet and greet visitors at Wednesday’s opening ceremony, at 10 a.m. at the main entrance, and take part in the first night of rodeo by riding in on a big wagon.

The fair is a family affair for Unger. His brother Craig Unger is the director of public safety, overseeing police, fire and private security at the event.He is also a past president of the fair board and serves as a public address announcer.

Another brother, Rev. Craig Unger of St. Thomas Catholic Church, will lead the prayer at the ceremony. It’s his third time offering the prayer.

“It feels good because we’re part of the community — Deschutes County,” Rev. Unger said.

Once the gates open, fairgoers will notice some new features in 2017. Most notable might be the second carnival area, located near the beef barn, not far from the rodeo arena. Ross Rogers, fair marketing coordinator, said the area, on the other side of the fairgrounds from the main carnival, will features rides aimed at younger kids with a couple major attractions.

“The whole idea to it is more rides, shorter lines,” he said. “We think that will prove true.”

The carnival expansion, called FamilyVille, is an example of the fair building on its relationship with Davis Shows Northwest, which started providing rides and games in 2016 after outbidding Funtastic Shows, which did them for 37 years.

“We went out on a limb last year because we were hoping it was going to be good, but they exceeded our expectations by 150 percent,” Rogers said. “We had more compliments about the carnival in one year than any year before.”

Davis Shows will once again offer unlimited ride wristbands for $36 during the fair after discounting them at Bi-Mart for $29 in the weeks leading up to the fair.

The fair, which runs through Sunday, is coming off a strong year of 268,200 attendees, up from 248,000 in 2015, when weather kept some away. Rogers said Deschutes County’s is the largest county fair in Oregon and the largest event of any kind east of the Cascades in the state, he said.

“It’s the nature of the beast, with everybody moving into the area,” Rogers said of the fair’s consistent growth.

The fair expects to see growth this year in its free concert series, which will be held in the newly renamed First Interstate Bank Center.

Rogers said Old Dominion, which plays the final concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, is the biggest act to play the fair.

Also performing will be Montgomery Gentry on Wednesday, Melissa Etheridge Thursday and The Marshall Tucker Band on Friday.

“Every year I say it’s the best lineup we’ve ever had,” Rogers said. “This year exceeds the best lineup we’ve ever had because every artist I requested I was able to get.”

The fair was able to secure Old Dominion, because Nate Ritches, the band’s booking and touring manager, was Rogers’ former right-hand man at the fair.

The band’s recent hit “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart” was its fifth Top 10 country song.

Rogers expected all the free concert tickets available at local McDonald’s to be gone by the time the fair starts and the shows to be full each night. He said the concert hall holds 12,000 people at a time, with some people leaving and being replaced by others.

“By the end of the night, sometimes 16,000 people will fill in,” Rogers said.

Like the concerts, the rodeo is free. The fair also offers free parking and shuttles from several locations, including Redmond High School.

The fair will also feature some new food vendors, including New York City Sub Shop and Oregon Coast favorite Mo’s.

Admission is $12 per day for adults, $7 for seniors over 62 and children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under.

Season passes are also available. Visit expo.deschutes.org for more information.

Alan Unger looks forward to the annual Buckaroo breakfast, which takes place from 6-10 a.m. Sunday, before the fair opens for the day. He said it’s a great chance to meet people he hasn’t seen in a long time.

But he most enjoys seeing the young 4-H members show off the livestock that they’ve raised. The events have become so popular that barns at the fairgrounds are full and some animals are kept in auxiliary tents.

“That stuff, to me, is the highlight of the fair,” Unger said.

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com