Enjoy the small-town vibe of Roberts during a big celebration Saturday
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ROBERTS — A community is coming together this weekend and is inviting people from neighboring cities to celebrate small-town charm and have “big-time fun” with vendors, food, music and more.
Market Lake Day will be on Saturday, July 19, at 4 p.m. in Roberts at 650 North 2880 East. It has been happening for over 10 years and is always on the third Saturday of July. It’s free for people to attend.
“Roberts was originally called Market Lake,” said April Galbraith, the city of Roberts clerk and treasurer. “It was deemed Market Lake because that is where the Native Americans would go to trade animal fur and other essentials with other tribes.”
The name changed from Market Lake to Roberts sometime around 1910, she said. According to the city website, it was named Roberts in honor of H.A. Roberts, an official with the Oregon Short Line Railroad. Click here to read more about the history of the community.
“The town has always been resilient, and that’s what we want to celebrate is the resilience of Roberts and the people of Roberts. And we are very diverse,” she said.
Galbraith said that just under half of the population in Roberts speaks Spanish. The town also has three different churches: a Latter-day Saints church, a Catholic church and a non-denominational church.
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About 2,500 people typically attend Market Lake Day. Roberts has a population of about 670 people, Galbraith said.
“The event kicks off with a parade. We have food vendors, we have bounce houses for the kids, live music and then we have fireworks at dusk,” she said.
The parade is free to enter, and no registration is needed. Line-up starts at 3:30 p.m. at Roberts Elementary School. Anyone can show up with a float, vehicle, or group. There’s karaoke and a beer garden. There will also be a variety of food trucks and unique vendors, along with “one-of-a-kind finds,” the city website says.
“We have anything from jewelry to pictures to art to books — quite a variety of merchants,” Galbraith said.
It’s a time for connection and enjoyment.
“We just really want to invite everyone to come and celebrate with us and kind of slow down and take a minute and enjoy the small-town feel,” she said.