Santiam SummerFest

On the last Saturday of July, Third Avenue in historic downtown Stayton fills with booths. Vendors, crafters and farmers market stands line the street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food trucks work through the day, and a beer garden pours beside them. Santiam SummerFest charges no admission. The Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce runs it and calls it the chamber’s signature event.

The stage carries the day in three sets. At the 2026 festival, held July 25, Mathieu Raney played from 10 a.m. to noon and Inner Limits from 12:30 to 3 p.m. The Shinkle Band followed from 3:45 until 6, after the street booths had closed.

Lumberjacks by the Jordan Covered Bridge

Pioneer Park, a short walk from downtown, holds the Jordan Covered Bridge, and festivalgoers stroll there for the lumberjacks. In 2026 professional lumberjacks gave demonstrations in the park in two sessions, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

A 9 a.m. start at Vault Fitness

The day begins before the booths open. The Santiam SummerFest Fun Run & Walk, presented by Santiam Hospital & Clinics, starts at 9 a.m. at Vault Fitness on North Second Avenue, with registration opening at 8. Runners and walkers of all ages choose a 3K or a 5K. The organizers describe both routes as passing waterways and trails, with Willamette Valley scenery along the way. The run carries its own registration fee.

Petting zoo, heavy equipment and horse-drawn wagons

The 2026 festival was billed as the 30th annual. The earlier counts do not quite line up. Our Town Santiam reported the 2023 festival as the event’s 27th year, and the chamber counted 2016 as its 21st.

In 2023 the street fair shared Third Avenue with a family fun zone of petting zoo, sports and games. A “big boy toys” area showed construction, forestry and emergency services equipment. All three ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and food, beer and live entertainment went on until 7. No admission was charged, though the paper noted a suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per family.

In 2016 the chamber, two decades in, said it was still adding new, creative ideas to keep the festival engaging for community members of all ages. That year the 18th annual Stayton SummerFest Car Show set up in Pioneer Park beside the festival. Free horse-drawn wagons carried visitors back and forth between the park and downtown.