The Coos County Fair is going green in more ways than one as the annual summer event kicks off Tuesday.

Recycling bins will dot the Myrtle Point fairgrounds for the first time, along with a couple of tents highlighting the area's natural resources and potential for clean energy.

They'll feature information about aquatic, agrarian and forest ecosystems. The goal is to teach visitors, especially children, about how a healthy environment can translate into a strong economy and improved quality of life, said Dennis Wise, director of the Coquille Watershed Association.

Getting the message across involves games, question-and-answer sessions and other interactive methods, said Cassie Bouska, who's been helping Wise implement the project. Visitors will be offered passports to guide them around the tent and get them asking questions, Bouska said.

"A lot of it is pretty practical," she said.

The idea for the tent came from a combination of venues. Part of the plan was to model the natural resources tent off of the popular birthing station that debuted last year (It's back again for another go-round). It's also an extension of an education program developed for Powers High School.

A part-time teacher in Powers won a grant from the Siskiyou National Forest Resource Advisory Committee to teach students about natural resource management, Wise said. Part of the grant is paying for the tent.

Organizations participating include the Powers High School Native Plant Center, Shoreline Education for Awareness, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Coos Soil and Water Conservation District, Coos County Weed Board, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and Coos Watershed Association.

The energy tent offers information about the potential for alternative and renewable energy production in Coos County, including biomass fuels, wave energy, solar and wind.

Other new features at this year's fair include a wine-tasting area, a man-made pond and llama arena.

Tina Barnett, owner of Old Coyote Winery of Myrtle Point, is setting up shop at the back of the logger's museum on the deck overlooking the fairgrounds. Old Coyote and Sea Mist Winery of Bandon will have sweet and dry wines available for tasting. Visitors also can buy wine by the glass or bottle, she said.

The 97th fair also was supposed to feature an all-terrain vehicle rodeo, but that's been nixed, said fair director Cindy Beddingfield.

There still will be the traditional rodeo events, featuring the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, she said.

"The quality of the bulls and riders will hopefully be up there so we can get a great show," Beddingfield added.

The rodeo also will feature Bert Davis of Coquille, who's made a name for himself at the National Finals Rodeo.

The fair will host the next round of the Teen Idol talent show, as well as the local Colgate Country Showdown. Joining the events will be a Senior Idol, featuring contestants 62 years old and older, Beddingfield said. Tryouts are scheduled Wednesday, with the finals set for 3 p.m. Friday.