Oregon Country Fair: from hippies to belonging

At the Oregon Country Fair, there are fairies and gnomes walking around in colorful costumes. A 40-person marching band also bursts out of nowhere and plays down a path.  “Feels like you stepped into a wonderland or something magical,” one fairgoer told OPB in 2024.  The fair grew out of a 1960s vision of a better world: a paradise for hippies. But the history of the fair is complex. It takes place on a native ancestral gathering site.  “I think there's a part of hippie culture that thinks that they can take any culture from any part of the world and make whatever they want of it,” said David Lewis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at Oregon State University and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.   In this week’s episode, we sit down with OPB’s Oregon Art Beat producer Eric Slade and freelance producer Kunu Bearchum to talk about the Oregon Country Fair and how it houses hundreds of artists every year – and its history, from hippies to Native belonging.    Check out OPB’s hour-long documentary on the Oregon Country Fair.    For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage. Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too. You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.   Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps: Hush  Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars Politics Now Think Out Loud And many more! Check out our full show list here.