Oregon daily emerald., June 20, 1977, Section B, Page 3, Image 18

Time to take to the woods
Country fair waiting for you
In Shakespeare the green
world of the forest and nature
turned events upside down and
made people reveal a different
nature — that often was more
themselves than the facade they
portrayed in civilized surround
ings.
The same thing happens to
people at the Oregon Country
Fair.
The fair, which runs this year
from June 24 to 26, is a chance
. ,—j
for people to take to the woods,
reclaim their community involve
ment with the outdoors and
reawaken their sense of humanity
and art.
“The fair provides a critical
reflection on metropolitan cul
ture," explains Bill Wooton, cen
tral coordinator for this year’s fair.
The country fair is a collec
tion of artists, entertainers and
craftspeople who for the three
days will create a virtual town in
Photo by Kin Smith
Two indulgers in last year s Oregon Country Fair exchange greetings
at one of the fair s many booths. This year's fair planning committee
expects between 6,000 and 8,000 fair-goers each day of the three
day event.
A fair kiss
the open fields and woodlands
that make up the fairgrounds.
(The fair is located northwest of
Veneta on Highway 126.)
Originally started by Ron Ul
rich as a way of raising money for
the community school his chil
dren were attending (and to pay
for the cost of their tuition), the
fair was modeled after a Renais
sance Fair held in Marin County,
near San Francisco.
Ulrich’s first fair took place in
November, 1969 and raised
some $600 for the school. Some
still remember that first fair fondly,
saying its small scale made it one
of the best. “It was very intimate
By LORA CUYKENDALL
Of the Emerald
with only 20 or 30 booths and all
the crafts people had good taste,”
says Wooten.
Since then, the fair has
gradually evolved into a major en
terprise involving a planning
committee of some 40 people.
Wooten says he expects average
fair attendance this year to be be
tween 6,000 and 8,000 a day,
with single day attendance prob
ably peaking at 10,000. Last year,
the fair brought in $32,000 from
admission receipts and booth
fees charged to crafts people, al
though all the money was put into
running the fair.
“It’s usually about a break
even proposition,” says Wooten.
He explains that most of the
money the fair committee takes in
goes to various community or
ganizations such as White Bird or
BRING to provide services for the
fair during its operation.
“The fair tries to be a
reevaluation of land and labor as
a foundation of community, says
Wooten. “The accent is on crafts
and craftsmanship and emphasiz
ing the sense of beauty of well
done hand labor.
In addition to art, the fair fea
tures entertainment. Five perfor
mance areas will display a variety
of entertainment, including musi
cians, mimes, jugglers and magi
cians. According to Paul Freelan
(Continued on Page 16)
carnival
theatre
BQUUS
A Play by Peter Shaffer
WINNER OF THE TONY AWARD FOR BEST PLAY
EQUUS IS AN ELECTRIFYING JOURNEY
INTO THE MIND OF A 17-YEAR-OLD
BOY WHO SENSELESSLY AND SYSTEMA
TICALLY BLINDS SIX HORSES WITH A
STEEL SPIKE. AS A PSYCHIATRIST
EXPLORES THE YOUNG BOY'S TORTURED
PSYCHE, THE PLAY BECOMES A SHATTER
ING CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE PAS
SIONATE SPIRIT OF THE LIFE FORCE
ITSELF, AND THE DISTORTIONS FORCED
ON THE THE SPIRIT BY "CIVILIZED"
SOCIETY.'
FRESH FROM A SEASON AS THE HIT OF
THE LONDON STAGE, EQUUS OPENED IN
NEW YORK TO UNQUALIFIED RAVE RE
VIEWS, AND WON THE TONY AWARD FOR
BEST PLAY. WALTER KERR CALLED
EQUUS "REMARKABLE...THE CLOSEST I
HAVE SEEN A CONTEMPORARY PLAY COME
IT IS POWERFULLY CLOSE-TO REANIMA
TING THE SPIRIT OF MYSTERY THAT
MAKES THE STAGE A PLACE OF BREATH
LESS DISCOVERY.
robinson theatre
june 24,25,293Q July 1,2
8'30p.m
box office
686-4191