Since the first Oregon State Fair was held on four acres along the Clackamas River in the Gladstone/Oregon City area in 1861, the fair has been the focal point of Oregon culture--a place to see and be seen and to compete against the best in the state. It has been a place of victory and a place of discovery for nearly 150 years. For many generations of Oregonians, the fair was a chance for families and friends to reunite and share the excitement of this grand, uniquely Oregon event. Today the fair's popularity continues and, for 12 days each year, transforms the fairgrounds in Salem into the fifth largest city in the state.

Starting in San Francisco in 1854, the California State Fair and Exposition began as a vehicle to showcase, encourage, and expand California's agricultural industry. It quickly became an attraction for thousands of residents, both local and from across the state. By 1884, it occupied the largest exhibit hall in the United States. Within 100 years, it became the largest fair in the country by adding horse racing, elaborate exhibits from every county in the state and from around the world, thrill rides, top-flight entertainment, and, of course, the best food. The original goal of the fair was met some 50 years ago, as California remains the nation's top producer of agricultural products.

Each of the 40 extraordinary hand-crocheted afghans displayed here in magnificent photos is a blue-ribbon winner, and you can recreate these wonderful items at home, thanks to the patterns, detail shots, and instructions provided in "Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs." Scattered throughout the text are fun facts about the fairs, along with new and vintage photos

Since the first Oregon State Fair was held on four acres along the Clackamas River in the Gladstone/Oregon City area in 1861, the fair has been the focal point of Oregon culturea place to see and be seen and to compete against the best in the state. It has been a place of victory and a place of discovery for nearly 150 years. For many generations of Oregonians, the fair was a chance for families and friends to reunite and share the excitement of this grand, uniquely Oregon event. Today the fairs popularity continues and, for 12 days each year, transforms the fairgrounds in Salem into the fifth largest city in the state.

A look inside the historic mental hospital that served as the location for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—includes photos. Seen through the eyes of those who lived there, this book examines the world of a mental hospital established in Salem, Oregon, in 1883—where, in desperate attempts to cure their patients, physicians injected them with deadly medications, cut holes in their heads, and sterilized them. Years of insufficient funding caused the hospital to decay into a crumbling, understaffed facility, which was later used as the setting for the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Today, after a $360 million makeover, Oregon State Hospital is a modern treatment hospital for the state’s civil and forensic mentally ill. In this compelling account of the institution’s tragedies and triumphs, author Diane Goeres-Gardner offers an unparalleled look at the very human story of Oregon’s historic asylum.