An Oregon signature: The Country Fair

At the end of my first week at the farm, Leslie, Andrew and I went on an Adventure to see what the infamous Oregon Country Fair was all about.

After getting up for 8am farm days all week, we awakened at the even earlier hour of 5:30 am to get on the road in order to stop at a recommended co-op in Corvalis on the way down to Veneta. A couple coffees and sing-alongs to old 90's music got us there easily.

Awesome co-op. They have local hummus and Kombucha by bulk. What else do I need to say? They're yellow? 

After getting turned around a couple times, we made it into Veneta a bit later than planned but parking in town was easier than I'd anticipated. While waiting for our shuttle to take us into the fair, we met a very nice fellow named Tucker who hitched onto our caravan for a bit.

Ending our day at the fair with new friend Tucker. 

The fair was...like paying to go to a Rainbow Gathering. Leslie and Andrew were pretty enthralled. I got sick of the congested paths, trying to keep track of people and walking around booths of incredibly expensive food and crafts. We'd all packed some snacks but by the end of the day, Andrew and I couldn't resist splurging and paying to split an enticingly unique-sounding hemp burger. It was okay.

Ginger had a booth there to talk about her off-grid farming

 I did enjoy the talent. Costumes galore and artists that just set up rugs off the path to play their music. In between the rushing and feeling like I couldn't stay any one place, I was able to catch most of a circus performance with some very impressive Silks work and acrobatics.

I was walking by the stage and had to do a double-take...Peter Yarrow from dad/childhood favorite's Peter, Paul and Mary? Yes, yes it was. 

Wonderlust Circus

the U-Ching 13-moon astrology table. They read our birth tones. That was nifty.

I also ran into a few rainbow family, many of whom had performances of their own scheduled for the fair.

While it was enjoyable for the most part, I left with the conclusion that the worth-while aspect of the fair was not the event itself but the "behind the scenes" community that was closed off to the layman. As a performer or gate worker, I could see the attraction. Once the gates closed for visitors, each evening lay ground for music and dance and food and meet and greets all night long. The sense of community probably makes the days and nights feel like a really fun village. But for visitors, there is a huge separation from that and it feels strictly limited to a commodity experience. Leslie and Andrew wanted to go back for another day but luckily they realized how worn out they were once they left that it was an easy notion to let go of. 

That night, we stayed with a Eugene connection graciously made by my friend Jeff. In the morning, after finding more coffee, we began to wind our way back up 101. We stopped a couple times along the way to watch the impressive rolls of fog over the ocean and pick up some snacks (and more coffee) and ended up taking a good 6 hours or so to wind our way back into town. 

A true napper.

coolest fog scene ever. 

Although the Country Fair was not necessarily the pinnacle of the weekend for me, I appreciated the time that I got to share with Leslie and Andrew. Living off of the farm has proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be. For the past few weeks, appointments, AmeriCorps preparation, the weekend job I did eventually snag at the Pizza Garden and now taking care of my friend's garden while she is away has forced me to sacrifice many bonding opportunities on the farm. After work, when everyone is getting ready to venture to the river or plan the night's dinner, I am sprinting off to a to-do list. 

Hopefully, this will change after this weekend!