This past Sunday we went to the Oregon Country Fair. It was our first year ever going to this particular fair and the mixed reactions I got when I told people I was going was, in retrospect, a bit over reactive. We had been warned that everybody at the Country Fair will be naked (though I don't see the big deal in that) and that it's going to stink to high-heaven "with all those hippies who don't bother to take showers" and that it will be a giant dust bowl that will spit us out looking like Pig Pen. Well, some people were naked, but nobody was completely naked and people's creativity of costume and unabashed exhibitionism was actually quite liberating to watch. The kids had a fabulous time doing crafts and attending quirky theater shows, while the adults mostly enjoyed the superb people-watching mixed with a juggling lesson here and there and the occasional cup of juice spiked with vodka. We prepared for the day by accessorizing with body paint, headpieces, and wings, then it was off to the fair where we were greeted with jovial exclaimations of "Happy Fair" by a procession of fair workers on the long walk to the entrance. All in all: this might have been my first year to the Country Fair but it definitely won't be my last!
Salem is kind of the "bible belt" of Oregon. So I am not surprised that people were over-reactive about your attending the fair. I am glad you guys went and had a good time.
Posted by: Lance | 19 July 2012 at 08:38 AM