Free train tours of the fairgrounds

Engineer Ken and his all-electric, solar-charged Rawhide Express is yet another reason it pays to say hello to people and ask questions here at the Clackamas County Fair.



I saw Ken's train driving by yesterday and hardly thought anything of it. But when I talked to him today I found out he's a former business management consultant who many years ago saw a train shuttling people around a fair and thought to himself, "It would be nice if someone gave tours of the fairgrounds." On August 2, he celebrated 33 years of providing those tours at fairs and other events.

Ken's mission is to show families what there is to see so they can get the most of their time before everyone gets tired and grouchy. He also gives personalized promotion of the fair's sponsors as he toodles about the grounds at precisely 2.75 mph.

He does 40 events per year and typically arrives three days early to orient himself and talk to fair participants. The man has a phenomenal ability to retain information, so put him to work for you. You can climb aboard right inside the main gate where the train leaves about every 20 minutes for the 12-minute ride.