Oregon Country Fair Photos and Report © Andyo
We didn't get to the Oregon Country Fair this year. The OCF is a favourite event of ours as the Organizers consistently provide a safe, friendly and music-filled carnival environment where topfreedom and nifty body painting is considered normal, healthy and fun. We asked our new pal AndyO how the Fair was this year. He cheefully answered our questions and provided a plethora of wonderful pictures!
Q:
What was the vibe like this year??
A:
A lot of people having fun. The fair is drug and
alcohol free. I noticed a few grass smokers here
and there, but they were very discrete.
There was an entire area for kids including puppet
shows and special kids' parades. It was crowded at
mid-day, but only once did I have to ask someone to
stop pushing. Everyone else was very considerate when
the paths became crowded.
Q:
Were costs resonable, expensive, inexpensive?
A:
I thought costs were reasonable. Admission was $12
for Friday, $15 for Saturday, $12 for Sunday. Kids 10
and under were Free. Parking was $5 per day or there
were free shuttle buses from two locations in Eugene.
Food prices varied, but they were quite reasonable
compared to other fairs I have attended. Rita's
Burritos (all organic and honestly the best I have
ever had anywhere) were huge and cost less than $5.
Most of the other food was under $5 per serving.
Punches and teas and other drinks ran $1 to $3
depending on where you got them. Merchandise prices
were about average for fairs of this nature, and there
were 350 or so booths to sample. With five stages of
continuous entertainment, you literally couldn't see
it all, even in 3 days.
Q: For those of us who like to go Topfree, would we be the norm at this event or...
A:
...Topfreedom was prevalent everywhere, but less than
10% of the women did so. There are a lot of hippies
that attend every year and a lot of women who enjoy
being body painted. Those were the ones who were top
free.
Q: Were photographers welcome? Did any subjects object having
their picture taken?
A:
Video cameras are banned, but still cameras are
permitted. I only saw one person object to having her
picture taken, and I think her concern was that she
was body painting someone and didn't want a partial
result photographed.
Q: Any anecdote or particular incident occur of
interest?
A:
This overweight boy, perhaps 14 years old, came
running up to a topless hippie girl (perhaps 18 years
old) who was standing in the line for the potties. He
aims his disposable camera at her and hollers "Excuse
Me! Excuse Me!". When she looks up, he takes the
picture and says "Thanks... That's for my Dad!" and
runs off. Most of the people around laughed out loud,
knowing his Dad would probably never see the picture.
I was amazed at his nerve as she had a very fit
looking young man on her arm that could have made a
lot of trouble for this kid. But fortunately for him,
the hippie types are pretty mellow and peace-loving.
Q:
Any tips for someone thinking of going next year?
A:
Leave the video camera at home (they aren't
permitted). Buy your tickets early (see www.oregoncountryfair.org for info). They DON'T
sell tickets at the gate, so you have to get them in
Eugene (14 miles from the fair location in Veneta) or
through FastTix. The parking was easy, but so were
the buses, so either way to get there works. Arrive
an hour before the gates open and you can hang out in
the meadow and be entertained by a merry band of
comedy players, jugglers, bicyclists in costume, stilt
walkers, bands, and others acting like lunatics.
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