Oregon Country Fair

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A stiltwalker costumed as an Ent at the 2007 fair
A stiltwalker costumed as an Ent at the 2007 fair

The Oregon Country Fair (OCF) is a three-day fair that takes place yearly beginning on the Friday of the second weekend in July in Veneta, Oregon, approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of Eugene, with an attendance of nearly 50,000 over the three day period, with attendance peaking on Saturday at around 18,000.[1] The fair has its own water and communications systems, recycling service, emergency medical team, and security team. The Fair began as a barter and craft fair in 1969 to raise funds for an alternative school and has been held consecutively every year since.

The Fair is generally considered a family event with face painting, puppet shows, fairy wings, and music for children. Women with bare breasts, often colorfully painted, are a common sight.[2] Everything from utilikilts to little more than dried mud is worn. No alcohol is allowed and smoking is limited to designated areas.

The banks of the Long Tom River decorated for the fair, as seen from the "eight" (the main path through the fair).
The banks of the Long Tom River decorated for the fair, as seen from the "eight" (the main path through the fair).

The Fair 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 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 so that the natural and archaeological integrity of the 11,000 year-old[3] meeting site is carefully preserved.

The Oregon Country Fair has over a dozen stages and venues featuring acts throughout the day. Musical acts incorporate many styles, including folk, rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, latin rhythms, slam poetry/spoken word, and others. Despite the name of the fair, country music is not very common. Fair participants 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 popular place for jugglers and daredevil acts, with free juggling lessons offered daily in the meadow. The fair is also a gathering place for marching bands, stiltwalkers, and travelling entertainers.

Ticket holders are able to purchase entry for daytime only. Most booth staff and volunteers camp on site overnight.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Oregon Country Fair Time Line
  2. ^ C/O Hiking & Soaking in the Western U.S. & Canada - CommunityWalk
  3. ^ Oregon Country Fair Time Line
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In 1997, The Lane County District attorney, along with the DEA, sent a letter to the fair board of directors.[1] They threatened a civil forfeiture of the property based on their perception that the fair was an open drug market. Prior to this letter being sent, the fair staff did not make attempts to curb drug usage but did attempt to stop open sales. In response to the letter, the board and staff made a decision to make drug use forbidden in public areas. Alcohol, which had previously been welcome, was also restricted.


The Oregon County Fair is really two separate events. In the day light hours when the public is able to purchase a ticket, the advertised fair occurs. At 7:00pm each night, a band of volunteers hold hands and usher out the paying public. It is when these people have gone that the real party begins. This is for the people who have booths, volunteer on the various crews and the entertainers. The fair never really sleeps. The highlight of the evening events is the Saturday night "Midnight Show" (which actually starts earlier, around sundown), and lasts until the suns comes up. [2]

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