Fort Umpqua Days Brings History, Music and Family Activities to Elkton
Fort Umpqua Days returns to Elkton Sept. 5 and 6 with living history demonstrations, live music, a parade, artisan vendors, chicken bingo, a 5K and the Echoes of the Umpqua pageant.
ELKTON, Ore. - Fort Umpqua Days will return to Elkton on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6, with two days of living history, music, food and family activities at the Elkton Community Education Center.
This year’s festival will recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States while highlighting the history and heritage of the Umpqua Valley.
Much of the celebration will center around Fort Umpqua, a volunteer-built replica of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post established in the area during the 1830s. Unlike a military fort, the original site operated as a trading post, warehouse and gathering point for trappers, traders and others traveling through the region.
Volunteer interpreters will bring that period to life through blacksmithing, woodworking, traditional crafts, storytelling and other historical demonstrations. The site includes a stockade, trading building, living quarters and blacksmith shop based on the original fort’s design.
Saturday’s activities will begin with an outdoor pancake breakfast at ECEC. The “Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the USA” parade will travel through downtown Elkton beginning at 10 a.m.
Visitors can then return to ECEC for artisan vendors, food, a wine and beer garden, tours, live music and activities throughout the grounds. Cover Culture, featuring Wayne Ellsworth and Buzz Long, is scheduled to perform Saturday. A pie auction will begin at 1 p.m.
Chicken bingo will make its first appearance at Fort Umpqua Days this year, with several rounds and prizes planned during both days of the festival.
Sunday will begin with the Thomas Batterman Mental Health Project’s 2026 Run/Walk for Wellness. Live entertainment during the day will include Vine Katz and Elk Creek Ramble, a regional group formed by two families from Drain and Elkton.
Visitors will also be able to explore ECEC’s gardens and Butterfly Pavilion, browse artisan booths and enjoy food and additional family activities throughout the weekend.
Each day will conclude with the Echoes of the Umpqua musical pageant at 5 p.m. in the ECEC amphitheater. The annual community production shares stories connected to Elkton and the surrounding Umpqua Valley.
Admission is free. The main festival will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with breakfast activities beginning earlier and the pageant following at 5 p.m.
The Elkton Community Education Center is located at 15850 State Highway 38 W. in Elkton. Additional information is available on the Fort Umpqua Days event page or by calling 541-584-2692.
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