Wearing a patchwork jacket and waving a giant folded fan, Michael Shaff stood at the front of a hat booth at the Oregon Country Fair near Eugene Friday cooling passersby. People smiled, thanked Shaff and one stranger told him, “I’m your biggest fan.”
”Everyone enjoys a cool breeze and it’s totally free,” said Shaff, who traveled from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area to help his friend sell handcrafted hats at the art, food and music fair that continues through Sunday in Veneta. “Here, it’s all about giving.”
The nonprofit Oregon Country Fair, which debuted 55 years ago, the same summer as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in New York, relies on 5,000 volunteers to create a forested world with paths to frivolity. They set up 17 stages and booths for 85 food sellers and 400 craft makers, and guide ticket holders into Dragon Plaza, the entrance to the 55-acre event, with well wishes of “Happy Fair.”
Parades of volunteers walking nimbly on stilts or stomping in marching bands like the Fighting Instruments of Karma circulated through the dappled light along the Long Tom River and through Xavanadu and other villages that sprouted for fair days and will be pack away to protect the land for the rest of the year.
About 45,000 people are attending this year, most dressed like animals, avatars or other creatures to amuse each other and add to the fair magic. The family-friendly event allows everyone to star in the show.
On Friday, a handful of men raised in the 1960s peace, love and understanding era were dressed in vintage two-piece swimsuits that exposed their beer bellies. With wide smiles, they posed with members of younger generations enjoying time at the famous fair that has been called a pure repository of hippie energy and spirit.
“Far out,” said a 20-year-old man wearing rose-tinted sunglasses imprinted with peace signs.
IF YOU GO
The 55th annual Oregon Country Fair is 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July 12-14, near Veneta, 12 miles west of Eugene on Oregon 126. Tickets must be purchased at oregoncountryfair.org before the fair: $150 for three days, $60 daily (children 12 and under are free).
Total attendance over the three days is expected to be about 45,000 people. Parking is limited and it’s recommended ticket holders carpool, take the free Lane Transit District’s Oregon Country Fair Express shuttle bus from Eugene or ride a bike (lockable bike racks are available).
Dust, heat, crowds and uneven surfaces make the fair grounds difficult for people with mobility limitations. Volunteers wearing 4A (Alter-Abled Access Advocacy) shirts are onsite to assist. A battery re-charging station for electric wheelchairs and a limited number of wheelchairs, canes and crutches are available at the Dragon’s Head near the Main Gate.
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman