This was our first time going to the McMinnville Scottish Festival. To be honest, we were let down a bit. Coming from the Arkansas Scottish Festival, this was much less of “a celebration of Celtic life” than the counterpart in Arkansas.
Oregon’s version is held at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds and you feel very much like cattle being pushed through quickly. It was overcrowded, badly arranged, and there was absolutely nowhere to just sit down and hang out for a day.
The Arkansas Scottish Festival could easily be turned into a two day event as a patron and it was just as fun being a vendor.
I doubt we will return to this even in the future unless the venue changes. That also goes for other events, such as Renn Fairs, that are held at fairgrounds. Fairgrounds are built for packing in tons of people that don’t stay long. That flies in the face of the idea of building a community of event-goers that return year after year. Mind you, this is just our opinion based on our past experiences. There were plenty of people having fun there. It’s just wasn’t our style of event.
On the way back we hit the Yachats Farmers Market and it was full of fruits, veggies, mushrooms, and crafts. I wish I hadn’t used my battery up at the fair and had been able to take more photos at the market instead. Lots of interesting colors and shapes.
