Oregon Country Fair

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The Oregon Country Fair takes place on the second weekend in July every year in Veneta, Oregon, 15 miles (24 km) west of Eugene, for a three-day bash with about 40,000 to 45,000 ticket holders participating. For those three days of the year, it becomes the 15th largest city [1] in Oregon with its own water and communications systems, recycling service, emergency medical team, and security force. The Country Fair, which started as a barter and craft fair in 1969 as a fund raiser for an alternative school, offers an earthy mix of village atmosphere that hearkens back to a prehistoric urbanity.

The Fair is generally considered a family event. There is no alcohol allowed and smoking is limited to designated areas. Children will find face painting, puppet shows, fairy wings, and music to keep them busy. That said, the Fair is pretty wild by puritanical standards and has been described as "very hippie". There is no dress code. Everything from utilikilts to little more than dried mud is worn. Women with bare breasts, often colorfully painted, are a common sight.

The Fair itself is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by an elected Board of Directors with six full time year round employees and thousands of volunteers. It is an example of how 'alternative' values such as cooperation, artistic creativity, naturalism, environmental awareness, localism, and concern for the welfare of the world can be successfully integrated. All crafts sold must be hand made and there is no processed food available from food vendors. Recycling is taken very seriously. All food utensils and materials must be compostable, recyclable, or reusable. For example, plastic utensils have been completely phased out in favor of reusable metal utensils. The natural and archaeological integrity of the 11,000 year old meeting site is carefully preserved. If the Fair were to be given a political identity, it would clearly be somewhere on the left. However, while some are very vocal about their politics, the Fair is more about stepping out of the everyday world for some fun than engaging in political campaigning.

The Oregon Country Fair has more than a dozen stages and venues that feature acts throughout the day. Music acts incorporate many styles - folk, rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, latin rhythms, spoken word, and others. Despite the name of the Fair, straightforward country music is not very common. Fair goers can bring hand drums and join in The Drum Tower, a drum circle that begins on Thursday morning and continues 24 hours a day until the Fair closes. The Fair is a very popular place for jugglers and other daredevil acts, with free juggling lessons offered daily in the meadow. Marching bands, stiltwalkers, and any number of travelling entertainers make just walking around enjoyable.

Ticket holders are able to purchase entry for daytime only. Booth people and volunteers camp on site overnight. The fair becomes fairly laid back at night so the vendors and families can enjoy what they miss during the day. The Midnight Show is an event on Saturday night that brings together the best acts from around the fair for the enjoyment of those who work during the day.

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• Oregon Country Fair