Talk:Oregon Country Fair

Oregon State Fair
I'm curious why the Oregon State Fair is not mentioned? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.73.10.112 (talk • contribs) 01:54, July 14, 2005 (UTC)
 * Please sign your posts with ~ . There's no connection between the Oregon Country Fair and the Oregon State Fair, they are completely unrelated in ever aspect, with possible exception of having the words 'Oregon' and 'Fair' in the name. - Chairboy 14:16, 14 July 2005 (UTC)
 * The issue is that Fair in the Oregon info box links to here, as if it's the official fair (which would be the Oregon State Fair) --Jason McHuff 17:29, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
 * "There's no connection between the Oregon Country Fair and the Oregon State Fair, they are completely unrelated in ever aspect" Actually, as of 2005, the OCF does have a presence at the Oregon State Fair with their LiveArt! exhibition. This should be added to the article as well. Katr67 20:28, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I fixed the Oregon infobox so it doesn't link to OCF any more (that was probably wishful thinking on someone's part). Katr67 20:36, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

To do
We need to add a mention of the Long Tom River and the Kalapuya, whose artifacts are found on the fair site, along with expanding on the Fair's archaeology program in general. Katr67 22:19, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

Fourth Fifteenth Twenty-seventh largest city
Katr67 05:33, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Just because their site claims it is the 4th largest city doesnt make it correct. [ http://www.oregon.com/towns/population_rank.cfm]. As I see it, it can only possibly become the 11th largest city in Oregon. I have heard that 50,000 people attend on a sold out day. This would make it the 11th largest city in the state. If this is true there would be a total 150,000 people over the 3 day fair. I assume this is where they come up with their 4th largest claim, althought 150k would actually make it the 3rd largest. However, knowing what I do about the fair, it is obvious that this is an inaccurate claim. A large percentage of the people attending the fair are repeat visitors, meaning they attend 2 or more days. Counting each of these people's visits as an individual patron shouldn't happen. Even if there were 142k unique patrons, which there definietly are not, they would not all be there at the same time. For these reasons, I believe the Oregon Country Fair deserves to be recognized as the 11th largest city in Oregon. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Criptofcorbin (talk • contribs) 22:15, July 9, 2006 (UTC)
 * Actually, I had a conversation with OCF board member User:Oregon Bear and he changed it to 15th, according to his calculations. Katr67 20:09, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * After being changed to 15th, it got changed back to 4th without comment here. I changed it back to the 15th and put the reference back as well. Katr67 20:14, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * 15 sounds reasonable to me Criptofcorbin 12:44, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Criptofcorbin that s/he finally just took the "nth-largest city in Oregon" info out. Unless we can get a reliable outside source besides the OCF website, it is indeed hard to prove... Katr67 15:51, 20 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Well here is a reliable source and credible authority citation. According to the most recently published population report (Mar 08) compiled by the Population Research Center, College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University, the population of the Oregon Country Fair (with an average attendance combined with the 12,000 on-site staff) balloons the Eugene/Springfield MSA (Metropolitan Area) population into the second largest MSA in Oregon only to be behind the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton MSA.  This citation was added to the article.  Source: http://www.pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.prc/files/media_assets/PRC_2007_Population_Report2_rev.pdf Bear (talk) 12:27, 20 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for figuring that out. It would be really good if we could get a citation to a reliable third-party publication, like a newspaper for a figure like that. I'm sure your calculations are accurate, but that sort of thing can be seen as original research. I personally won't remove the info, but someone else would be justified in doing so. Katr67 (talk) 19:08, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Recent changes
H Bruthzoo, your current revision seems OK, but please don't add what appear to be editorial comments, for instance your previous edit about "middle-aged women". I've seen you hide joke edits among a series of legitimate edits before (Smokey Bear for example). I'll assume good faith in that it must have been an innocent mistake, right? And no, I believe blog observations are considered original research. Katr67 23:09, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

References and additions
Let me preface this by saying that I am a longtime member of the Fair Family (attending since 1988) and am not continually adding tags about references to this article because I have something against the fair. But I am also an experienced Wikipedia editor and recognize that this article is far from being up to Wikipedia standards for citations of reliable sources. Yes, I have observed everything in this article as "true", but even if it is true, statements still need to be backed up with references. It should be quite easy to find reliable sources for this article. A good start would be the archives of the Eugene Weekly and then check The Register-Guard for the annual "Oh look those hippies are at it again" article.

For future expansion this article could use mention of Energy Park and Community Village.

Latr, Katr 22:07, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Oldest Festival Claim Not Supported
The oldest festival claim should be removed or edited to narrow the category to alternative festival.

This seems to have its start on the OCF Discuss mailing list. In February of 2009, there was a brief discussion of challenging the Guinness Book record. Although the Pinkpop festival cited there is considerably more recent than the Fair, there are many others much older than either. One post on the discussion cited the Portland, Oregon Rose Festival http://www.lists.opn.org/pipermail/ocfdiscuss_lists.opn.org/20090221/001034.html as being over 100 years old, as a nearby example.

RJosephNewton (talk) 04:45, 9 April 2009 (UTC) Joseph Newton 4/8/2009 21:43 PDT


 * A claim that is accurate is that the OCF is the oldest festival 'of its kind.' That is, a 501(3)c organized group derived from and promoting the Hippie culture and principles originally popularized in the 1960's. Bear (talk) 12:32, 20 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Hi folks. I know Joseph was/is on the board, Bear, you're not the same person as Oregon Bear, who was/is on the board, right? Anyway, Bear, it sounds like your claim is, as I mentioned above original research. Such claims need to be backed up by reliable sources. Surely this topic has been written up in the Oregonian, Register-Guard, Eugene Weekly, or even a national publication? Katr67 (talk) 19:30, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Criticism and culture
I removed the following from the article and bring it here for discussion.


 * The Oregon Country Fair is strongly linked to other cultural institutions in the Eugene, Oregon community. Many 1960s-era counterculture icons including Ken Kesey, the Grateful Dead, and modern anarchist advocate John Zerzan either lived or made the Eugene-Springfield area their home. The University of Oregon is also a local factor, bringing many liberal arts students to a campus environment long known for political and social activism.


 * As a result, the Oregon Country Fair attracts many individuals both interested in the counterculture history of the region as well as many individuals who simply enjoy going to outdoor fairs, and vendors who profit from the large crowds that attend the event with disposable income.


 * Saturday Market is another has an open-air arts and crafts fair that is held every Saturday from mid-April to mid-November in downtown Eugene, with a focus on handcrafted goods and services as well as street food vendors. Many of the vendors who work at Saturday Market also sell their wares at the Oregon Country Fair.


 * As a result, the Oregon Country Fair has many vendors and businessmen who attend as part of a festival sales circuit. Young men and women often wander through the event holding trays of tchotchkes and jewelry for sale, but the fair has been criticized by attendees as devolving rapidly into a "Hippie Shopping Mall", with the profits from vendors and tickets alike going to valid causes.

Most of this, like the parts about Eugene, are not really relevant, and the rest is OR/POV/unreferenced. As such, none of this can remain in the article. ---  RepublicanJacobite  The'FortyFive' 16:47, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

Refs for expansion

 * Note that a Google Image search without "SafeSearch" set on "Strict" may not be Safe For Work unless you work for hippies

Katr67 (talk) 08:06, 8 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Good 2006 story from Eugene Weekly

Volunteer Element?
I noticed that there is no mention of the volunteer aspects of the fair. What are the thoughts about adding a section to explain the incredible volunteerism which contributes to the event? Lani'mae 19:41, 9 April 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lani'mae (talk • contribs)

Took relevance flag down after adding info to ticket section.Lani'mae

Working on rearranging the flow of information, with a goal of clear and fluid progression –suggestions? :)Lani'mae 16:50, 15 April 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lani'mae (talk • contribs)

Anyone object to making culture and infrastructure two separate sections? Lani'mae 16:55, 15 April 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lani'mae (talk • contribs)

Moving comments of info which need citations to the talk page :

from History: (A second Grateful Dead concert was held in August 1982, and another was planned for 1992 but the concert was canceled because of Jerry Garcia's health. Lani'mae

from Infasructure: It is an example of how values such as cooperation, artistic creativity, naturalism, environmental awareness, localism, and concern for the welfare of the world can be integrated. Lani'mae

citation needed - could not find a source All crafts sold must be hand-made and food sold by food vendors must be prepared on site. All food utensils and materials must be compostable, recyclable, or reusable. For example, plastic utensils have been replaced with metal ones. Lani'mae

citation needed- Because of the extra strain placed upon area roads and the local community surrounding the event during the three-day festival, festival organizers work with public transit authorities, local law enforcement and state and federal officials. Lani'mae

citation needed- The natural and archaeological integrity of the 11,000-year-old meeting site is carefully preserved. Lani'mae

citation needed- There are several stages dedicated to music throughout the fair, including the Main Stage. Other entertainment venues include several spoken word stages, the Gypsy Caravan stage dedicated to Middle Eastern dance and music, a youth stage, and two vaudeville/circus stages. Lani'mae

It seemed odd to have legal issues be the within the first section of the event, moved info and try’in a new spot for it, any ideas for a stronger heading for it?. Lani'mae 17:44, 18 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lani'mae (talk • contribs)

Or consdier taking it out : In 1997, then-Lane County District Attorney Doug Harcleroad and sheriff Jan Clements sent a letter to the fair board of directors threatening to raid the fair and seize the land based on the assertion that the fair was "permissive" towards marijuana smoking. In response to the letter, the OCF board and staff publicly declared the fair a drug and alcohol free event, which is enforced before, during, and after the fair by the internal, external, and pre-post volunteer security crews. Both Harcleroad and Clements have since stepped down from those posts. Since this therehas been no

i'm not sure what this infomration adds to the page Lani'mae 17:48, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

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