Unemployed find temporary work at Lane County Fair
EUGENE, Ore. - Crews are fine-tuning exhibits, rides and food stands for Tuesday's kick off of the Lane County Fair, and workers are banking on the temporary employment to help get them through some tough times.
"You work a lot of hours, and having the fair here is a great way to get a lot of people jobs when there's not a lot of jobs here," said Erik Knapp, temporary worker.
The 19-year-old graduated from Churchill High School with an expensive burden on his shoulders: the cost of college.
"Got to pay for a room and books and food," said Knapp.
Before heading to Linfield College in McMinnville, Knapp is counting on every penny he will earn from his job at the Lane County Fair.
"We've gotta find some money somewhere, and this is a good way to make some money when you don't have a lot of time," said Knapp.
Like Knapp, Anali Silvius and her husband, an area plumber, have plans for her $10.50 hourly wage.
"It helps out tremendously. In my position particularly, I get a lot of overtime, so we literally bank it," said Silvius. "Come January and February when his trade gets really slow, we pull it out and that's what we live off of."
The paychecks wont last for long, but some of the couple hundred workers hired this week are looking at their employment as a bright spot in a tough market. While new unemployment numbers show the recession could be bottoming out in Oregon, the July unemployment rate is still high: 11.9 percent, compared to the national average of 9.4 percent.
"This summer job, it will carry us through," said Silvius.
