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Posts Tagged ‘oregon state fair’

Oregon Rodeo Queens Reign at 2009 Oregon State Fair

August 24th, 2009

Seven finalists vie for the 2010 Miss NPRA Queen title September 3-4

Queens from around Oregon provide spectacular opening to NPRA Rodeo Finals September 1-4

Salem, Ore., August 24, 2009 – In her 2000 book “Rodeo Girl,” former Vogue and Mademoiselle fashion editor Lisa Eisner documented the world of rodeo queens and shared her “fascination with the… individual style, and the ceremonies and rituals of rodeo.”

The 2009 Oregon State Fair promises to dazzle visitors as it draws rodeo queens from every corner of Oregon, as well as queens from Washington, for two days of competition and four evenings of pageantry.

“It’s going to be an amazing event,” said Acting State Fair Director Connie Bradley, who grew up outside of Salem where she was a 4-H member and showed livestock animals at the Marion County Fair and the Oregon State Fairs. “These intelligent cowgirls have worked incredibly hard for their communities, promoting rodeo and our western heritage. We want this to be a night that they, their families and Oregon never forget.”

There are seven finalists competing for the 2010 Miss NPRA Queen title:

* Caylee Cooper (St. Helens, Oregon; attending Mt. Hood Community College)
* JoAnna Fischer (St. Helens, Oregon; attending Portland Community College)
* Michelle Hunter (Ellensburg, Washington; attending Central Washington University)
* Stephanie Larson (The Dalles, Oregon, graduate of Oregon State University)
* Amanda Paul (Corvallis, Oregon; attended OSU and Linn-Benton Community College)
* Nicole Schrock (Corvallis, Oregon; attending Linn Benton Community College)
* Katherine Waynette Rickert (Salem, Oregon; graduate of Montana State University)

On Thursday, September 3 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, the 2010 Miss NPRA Queen contest begins with the finalists demonstrating their horse riding skills in the Pavilion. The day’s competition includes the following categories: Horsemanship (Pattern, Flag Run, Arena Run, Calf/Steer Push), a Horsemanship Interview, and a written Rodeo Knowledge Test.

On Friday, September 4 at 1 PM, the competition continues as the contestants, dressed in formal rodeo attire, show off their poise and speaking skills on the new Bi-Mart Spirit of Oregon stage. The categories of the competition include Modeling and Speech, and each contestant will participate in a mock TV interview.

The 2010 Miss NPRA Queen, whose reign with begin January 1, 2010, will be announced and crowned at the Down in the Dirt party takes place after the final rodeo on September 5. Starting at approximately 9:30 PM, the party also features country music star Aaron Tippin. Tickets for the Down in the Dirt Party are $10.00 (without Fair admission).

To see a multitude of queens on parade, fairgoers can come to the NPRA Rodeo Finals at 6 PM on September 1-4. The queens, all in full regalia and wearing their crowns, will open the rodeos with their Grand Entry. Entry to the rodeo finals is free of charge.

For more information about the 2009 Oregon State Fair, visit www.oregonstatefair.org or call the Fair Information Line toll-free at 1-800-833-0011.

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Posted in Outside Portland

Tags: 2009 Oregon Rodeo Queen oregon events oregon state fair

Oregon State Fair Says “No” To Plumped Chickens

August 12th, 2009

What does it mean to “plump” a chicken and how does it affect you as a consumer?

Plumping is the practice of injecting saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract or some combination thereof into chicken to increase its weight and price, while simultaneously increasing sodium content by up to 700%.

Sounds bad, huh? I agree.

Here’s a few more Plumping facts to chew on:

* Plumped chicken is 85% chicken and 15% saltwater.
* A person is likely to spend $1.50 per package on saltwater when buying plumped chicken.
* The average household could waste more than $150 a year on saltwater.
* The USDA estimates that plumping can cost American consumers up to $2 billion per year.

So, why do you need to know this (aside from the obvious reasons)?

Just as consumer buzz on “plumped” poultry begins to take off, Foster Farms will be participating in the Oregon State Fair, with the infamous and hugely “plumped” Foster Imposter chickens. The Imposters, longtime stars of Foster Farms’ TV ads, are two crazy out-of-state, freezer-burned, junk food-eating chickens, that have been trying (to no avail) to live up to the high standards of Foster Farms chicken – always natural, always fresh – and never “plumped!”

Foster Farms participation in the fair will feature entertaining and interactive visuals throughout the day:

- Two 5’ + tall, fully feathered, “plumped” Foster Imposters at the fair.
- Full sized, junk-food strewn Plymouth Belvedere from the infamous Foster Imposter commercials will be available along with the larger-than-life Imposters for free souvenir photo opportunities throughout day.

The Imposters and the Foster Farms Say No to Plumping team will be out at the Oregon State Fair all day on Saturday, August 29th.

Why is Foster Farms participating? Foster Farms is in the midst of a full-scale education campaign aimed at informing West Coast consumers about “plumping” – that is, the injecting of saltwater into fresh, raw chicken at a significant economic and health cost to consumers. Foster Farms does not inject its fresh chicken with saltwater.

According to USDA, U.S. consumers spend $2 billion a year on useless saltwater in “plumped” chicken. Plumped chicken contains 700% more sodium than truly natural chicken and more salt than a large order of french fries. Consumers could be paying $1.50 for just saltwater per package of “plumped” chicken.

The plumping issue is heating up as multiple national publications report on the topic and consumers are taking to comment boards and blogs to voice their dissatisfaction. Foster Farms is keeping the momentum going by educating consumers on the ground at events like the Oregon State Fair.

Please contact us if you have any questions. You can also learn more about plumping at www.saynotoplumping.com.