Steven Mireles and his mother, Connie Mireles, of Redmond, planned on waiting for the end of the day to see how their open class entries at the Deschutes County Fair placed.

But after walking onto the fairgrounds, they found themselves walking straight to the building that housed their baked goods and quilt entries on Wednesday, the first day of the fair.

The fair, which runs through Sunday, brings out people from all aspects of the county to see exhibits and livestock.

The fair is known for its classic experiences like carnival rides and deep fried food. People flock to get their elephant ears, corn dogs and funnel cakes before leaving the fairgrounds. Vendors are out, too, trying to sell custom sneakers, hats and jewelry — and promote their businesses. But the exhibits and livestock showcases are at the heart of it all.

Steven Mireles, 46, peered through the case that held some of the baked goods that came from the recipes of his childhood: peanut butter cookies, frosted brownies, chocolate-covered English toffee, and his personal favorite, his mother’s chocolate chip cookies. Together, mother and son submitted 20 entries.

As Steven Mireles pointed out one winning entry after the other, his mother, 75, stood humbly beside him, giddy to see his excitement for her. Connie Mireles had help from her son during their prep. While she got all of the ingredients ready and portioned, he would help her mix them together. The past week was spent preparing for the big judgment day.

“The work was grueling,” Connie Mireles said,”just from the standpoint that we wanted to make sure it was all fresh and packing it up.”

Mother and son have lived in Redmond for more than 30 years and have attended the fair in the past, but this was the second time they have been part of it. They recommend everyone put in an entry or two to see the camaraderie in the community.

Along with the open class exhibits, the livestock showcases, known as 4-H classes, also drew attention. From the moment the fair opened, a crowd gathered around the 4-H classes to cheer on the participants showing off the livestock they have cared for the past year.

Clemente Ayon, sheep judge for the Deschutes County Fair, said he has judged other fairs in the past, but enjoys seeing how close, both literally and figuratively, the community is in Deschutes County.

“The people are really warm and friendly,” Ayon said. “It’s a nice good sense of community. Everybody’s helping each other out.”

Kelsea Bomke, 16, has been showing livestock at the fair for more than 10 years and loves the industry because of the community. She started out with chickens and progressed to cattle, goats and sheep.

This is her second year showing sheep at the fair. She won reserve champion with her sheep, Maserati.

“I named him that because he’s just kind of like a freak,” Bomke said. “You don’t see sheep like him very often, and Maseratis are kind of like that. When you watch him walk, he’s rare and he’s just really cool.”

Bomke woke up at 5:30 a.m. to start prepping Maserati for the fair. She fed, exercised and groomed him before the competition. Winning made her eligible to compete against the top two within the Future Farmers of America category.

“(The win) is really big for me,” Bomke said. “I’ve put in a lot of work into my animals. I probably work with Maserati two hours a day. Sheep are a lot more personal. You build a better relationship with them.”

Jennifer Bomke, her mother, is especially grateful to have the Deschutes County fairgrounds as their “second home,” with her children being involved with the 4-H program for many years.

“I think 4-H really teaches children a lot of poise and not only how to be a showman but just how to be just a nice citizen of the community,” Jennifer Bomke said.

“I love watching (the show) and watching the accumulation of months and months and really years of hard work,” she said. “They get up to feed every morning before school, and they come home after school and work with them.”