the fair

i just spent the weekend at the Oregon Country Fair

the fair is a weekend long festival of creative expression, music, costumes and general zany self expression. anything goes at the fair, and many people dress up in beautifully creative costumes, paint their chest and go bare, where feathers or go naked. the vendors and stages are all tucked into the woods, lending it all a magical-fairy-realm ambience. buskers dot the paths, one of my favorites was the stamenphone: a 16 string harmonic sculpture played with a cello bow. created by ela lamblin after having a dream that he was playing a flower, it has a beautiful, etheral sound and is a work of art in and of itself.

The Oregon Country Fair creates events and experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on Earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous and healthy ways.

that's the fair's mission, and the level of environmental consciousness is very inspiring. all vendor plates and cups are compostable. there are giant, well labeled recycling bins everywhere and the recycling crew is diligent and committed. the whole fair is run by autonomous volunteer "crews" that handle all aspects of the fair: the sound, recycling, ambience, etc. folks on these crews, as well as all the vendors are part of the fair family and are able to camp on site, and continue the bacchanalian festivities into the night.

i lucked my way onto one of these crews, and spent the mornings getting folks to fill out fair surveys. my favorite nighttime activity was The Ritz, a giant and beautiful sauna complex. it has 2 saunas, one big enough for about 50 people, the other a bit smaller. there's also a slew of open showers and a fire pit in the middle. the middle part is open to the air, roof-free and there's a small stage next to the fire pit. its quite a magical scene, to be in post-sauna relaxed bliss, hanging out around the fire with 50 other naked happy people and listening to an amazing band play 10 feet away.

the fair can feel totally overwhelming, in the heat of the day when the paths are packed. its grown each year and now ticket sales are capped at 45,000 for day passes. they sell out each year. about 7,000 people are camped out on site as part of the fair family.

busking on the side of the path was also a treat, folks were certainly appreciative and i even picked up another fiddler and a guitarist!