Oregon Country Fair in Veneta celebrates art, music and self-expression

"Fair," as those who attend regularly call it, began in 1969 as a simple fundraiser for an alternative school. But over the last 56 years, it has turned into a veritable Oregon institution. Its mission is to create “experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous and healthy ways.” In 2013, “Think Out Loud” went to the Oregon Country Fair and broadcast a show live from just outside the entrance gates to see how that mission was playing out. Oregon Art Beat has a new profile of the fair, which airs on OPB TV Thursday, July 10, and is now up on OPB’s YouTube channel. Our guests included fairgoers Lucy Kingsley, Geoff Silver, John Lyle and Suzi Prozanski, author of the book “Fruit of the Sixties: The Founding of the Oregon Country Fair,” as well as acoustic troubadour Brian Cutean. We also talked with Tripp Sommer, KLCC news director; Sheri Lundell, who helped plan the first fair in 1969, co-founder of the Portland Saturday Market and owner of Cafe 26; and Peter Yarrow (1938 - 2025), formerly of Peter, Paul and Mary, who performed at the 2013 fair. Production note: The 2013 live broadcast was hosted by Dave Miller, produced by Allison Frost, and engineered by Steven Kray and Jonathan Newsome. We had production help from interns Jessica Kittams, Alex Eidman, and Kathryn Boyd-Batstone.