A short summary of my history at the Fair!

My history with the Oregon Country Fair goes back to the very first fair at Hawkins Lane in 1969. I went to an organizational meeting at the Ulrich’s and showed up at a couple of work partys before going to the Fair. I seem to remember it cost 50 cents and we had an attendance of about 1000 people per day, Friday and Saturday.

I missed the second Faire, the spring of 1970 in Crow and I believe it is the only faire I have not attended.

I just came as an attendee at the first Faire at our current site in the Fall of 1970. I remember walking in on Chickadee Lane that was little more than a farm road, undulating and muddy. I also climbed up the platform tower erected in the middle of Main Stage and watched the entertainment from the top.

In the spring of 1971 the Kasler clan and I had our first booth, selling copper enameling products we had made. This was over on Strawberry Lane where the bank is washing away.

For the Fall Faire of 1971 I was back in Astoria but came down for the weekend. I really like the change in foods in the fall fairs.

In 1972 the Kaslers and I did Chow Fun ( a Hawaiian noodle and pork dish) with the Patsy Mink for President campaign committee in the back of what was to become Energy park.

In 1973 we started Phoenix Rising. Actually the first year we did not have a name. Bill and Cindy gave us the location because we were willing to provide meals where main camp could eat.

Phoenix Rising got its name the second year. In between 1973 and 1974 Miss Piggy’s was loaned to the Boy Scouts for a Jamboree. They took the 200 firebrick we had left behind and used them for fire pits and burnt half the booth wood. With the major reconstruction the booth earned its name.

I burned out of doing a food booth in 1978 and joined a friend of mines craft booth for several years.

In 1985 I helped with the Friends of Bagby Hot Springs Booth and moved into my current neighborhood at the Faire. This lasted through 1987 as we got moved into and out of Energy Park.

1988 and 1989 I couldn’t find work so I snuck in. In 1990 I showed up, again looking for work, when they built the pumphouse and Wolden Pond. I worked cutting pipe for the pumphouse and earned my first staff pass.

After traveling in 1991 I found I had a job with Water Crew. Shortly after that there was the big BOD recall and I decided to run for the Board. I then spent 7 years on the BOD in the mid 1990s.

At the time wristbands were instituted, Photo ID was set up to deal with people who could not or would not wear wristbands. Since then I have run the Photo ID part of the Wristband Crew, my current position with the Fair.