NEWPORT — A California-based carnival company blames delays in processing federal foreign-worker visas for pulling out of the Lincoln Co. Fair, highlighting the amusement industry’s brittle dependence on alien labor.

Brass Ring Amusements of Fair Oaks Calif. was slated to set-up rides and a midway at the annual Lincoln Co. Fair & Rodeo, Thu.-Sat., July 2,3 & 4, but pulled out at the last moment as fair officials pressed to sign a contract. The announcement came from the county fair office on June 26.

Fair Manager Heather Tower announced the event would still take place as advertised, noting the event hasn’t had a carnival since 2017, anyway. Used to thorny problems, the part-time fair manager held last year’s fair and rodeo at Chinook Winds Casino & Resort last year when the county commission ordered redevelopment of the fairgrounds.

“We were trying to close the contract when they said they didn’t have enough workers,” said Tower, who runs the county’s 4H programs. “But we’re ready and excited to have a great fair this year. We’re still trying to fill some of the empty space and if there’s anybody who wants to put on a display or a new car show call me at 541-648-6818.”

The show will feature prize-winning pies, crafts and 4H animals, an OMSI display, food carts, live music and camel rides, while the widely-recognized rodeo is expected to draw several thousand fans. The Lincoln Co. Fair won the NPRA’s “Best Rodeo” award in 2023 and 2025.

Brass Ring had repeatedly promised since March that additional foreign workers would arrive “within a couple of weeks” but ended up cancelling 14 events, including Newport, Kaizer and other festivities in Oregon.

The company blamed delays in the federal H-2B temporary foreign worker program, which generally takes 3 to 6 months to issue a visa for non-agricultural work. Typically used for seasonal work, such as in hospitality, construction, and landscaping, the visa is capped at 66,000 per fiscal year. Employers also must demonstrate a lack of qualified U.S. workers for the position. Brass Ring officials told the county 40 percent of carnival operators around the U.S. are running with fewer than half the people they had in 2025.