Community is a crucial part of Redmond’s history. Before the County Fair there was the Potato Show where the area’s first settlers held agricultural events before Redmond was even incorporated.

Back in 1916, when Bend and Redmond had just been incorporated into the newly formed Deschutes County, locals became entrenched in a battle for which community would be recognized as the home of the official county fair. Redmond won in 1919, after which building ensued, creating an arena, a 1,200-seat grandstand, a racetrack, barns and exhibit buildings on land long used for community events. The site is now home to Fred Meyer and Lowe’s stores.

The community legacy continues to this day.

Today the fairgrounds consists of a 279,000-square-foot event center, a 106-space RV park, a large outdoor rodeo grounds, three smaller buildings for community events and a variety of animal barns.