o r e g o n c o u n t r y fa i r 2 0 1 6
It's all about
TOM GA NNON
The Ice
A discussion with OCF’s new general
manager Tom Gannon
ooking back over his first year
as general manager (GM) for
the Oregon Country Fair, Tom
Gannon says the thing that’s
surprised him the most is “how
incredibly important ice is.”
It might sound strange, but
realize that the frosty lemonade
you’re enjoying, or that tasty burrito with extra sour cream,
or your gluten-free hemp seed salad with extra hemp seeds,
were all made off the grid. No one operating a food booth
has a fridge to plug in — there are no plugs.
In a sense, OCF operates like a mammoth-sized
campground, yet routinely dazzles all manner of health
inspectors who patrol the loops the entire Fair weekend.
So, from food booths to medical tents, ice is king.
The OCF lays in its supply in January and distribution is
critical.
“No ice, no fair,” Gannon says with a chuckle.
I’m speaking with Gannon in the upstairs offices at the
Oregon Country Fair’s Lawrence Street headquarters.
We’re surrounded by 40 years of history: photos,
posters, knickknacks, mementos, a small sampling from
the cultural institution that has put a sleepy oak grove west
of Eugene on the worldwide map.
This year, Gannon took the helm from Charlie Ruff,
who had held his spot as Fair GM for years.
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A friendly, burly guy, Gannon has colorful full-sleeve
tattoos, bright eyes and speaks with the warm, competent
cadence of someone who’s seen it all before.
“This is my first main camp as the solo GM,” Gannon
says.
“We’re in good shape financially,” Gannon says. “But
we have virtually a whole new staff — a new GM, a new
assistant GM, new site manager, new caretaker.”
(This was the last day in early June, before the crew
— admin included — moved on site full time, to clean,
mow, water and rebuild the Fair in anticipation of its July
8 opening.)
“There’s been a lot of turnover and that has certainly
been a challenge, but all these fresh eyes present
opportunities to increase our institutional knowledge, too,”
Gannon says.
“My job is to create the framework so the people who
can actually run the Fair — like that all-important ice crew
— can do it,” he says.
Remember, few get paid to do this work. Besides a
skeleton crew of full-time staff, the OCF relies almost
entirely on its army of volunteers to pull off its massive
party in the woods.
“I’ve always been interested in city management,”
Gannon says. “And this is like an ephemeral city, with
crew leaders, like the water crew, recycling, childcare,
kind of acting as a zoning board. And then there are social
groups, like the Community Village, that kind of serve as
the nonprofits within the city.”
Gannon hails from Seattle, where he managed
commercial recycling and composting, including outreach
and volunteer programs. He and his wife have two children,
ages 4 and 8.
Looking back on the work he’s accomplished this year,
besides gearing up for thousands of visitors, Gannon says
he’s been glad to collaborate with local officials from
Elmira and Veneta, OCF neighbors, to help facilitate
positive change. “We were able to get state funding for a
path along Territorial Highway to be built that connects
Veneta and Elmira with a non-motorized path,” he says.
Gannon says he meets regularly with the mayors and
city managers of Veneta and Elmira to discuss mutual
issues.
And he reports to the OCF board of directors, who
not only wield an approximately $2 million annual
budget, gifting a portion of that out each year to the local
community, but are also stewards the vision for the future
of the OCF. With Gannon’s support, the board is entrusted
with making decisions to stay the course in perpetuity.
Gannon may be a relative newcomer, but he’s clearly
proud of what the Fair represents. “If you think you know
what the Oregon Country Fair is all about, prepare to be
surprised,” Gannon says. “We’re open to however it is you
want to present yourself.” — Rachael Carnes
Beauty and the breasts
The forecast for Oregon Country Fair includes a
definite chance of breasts — different shapes, sizes and
protruding from bodies of all kinds.
This year, however, we’re getting down to busi-
ness about boobs. Katelyn Carey, author of the recently
published Beauty After Breast Cancer, is giving a talk
about this increasingly common milestone for women.
Carey has been working on changing the dialogue
about breast cancer for the past three years by creating
a “coffee-table” book that isn’t overloaded with daunt-
ing medical terms and horrifying photos. Au contraire,
the 38 folks in her 178-page book show off their newly
sculpted bods and share their stories in ways that makes
the experience more palpable — enjoyable, even.
Carey is no comedian, but she clearly has a sense of
humor when it comes to breast cancer. And why not?
Since one in eight women are reported to get breast
cancer in their lifetime, Carey says everyone knows
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July 7, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com
someone who goes through the journey. What isn’t as
common, though, is greeting the news with optimism.
“This isn’t going to be a scary talk,” she says. “This is
going to be a fun talk.”
Usually breast cancer is met with fear, but Carey is
actively trying to change the tools and resources for
folks who receive the big news. “A new resource need-
ed to exist for women,” she says.
That resource is hope. By discussing and humaniz-
ing breast cancer, Carey aims to give people an easier
go of things when facing a big life change like a mas-
tectomy, or even just trying to stay calm during a rou-
tine mammogram.
Catch Carey’s talk, “Change the World (A Sto-
ry About Boobs),” 3 pm Saturday, July 9, at Rabbit
Hole stage and 12:30 pm Sunday, July 10, at Front
Porch stage. For more details about her work, visit
beautyafterbreastcancer.com. — Kelsey Anne Rankin