Great music series in the summer featuring local and regional artists. You can take chairs blankets…read moreor towels they have food trucks or you can bring your own food

I remember when this first started, what a cool idea. They put a half shell in Stewart Park and had…read moremusic for free. People would sometimes show up hours - literally early am hours - to place blankets and mark the spot that they wanted for the upcoming show. Obviously the size of the act that was performing would kind of dictate how early people would start showing up to lay claims on a spot. Through the years they have had a wide variety of performances spanning all types of genres of music. This year is really no different, with events cancelled last year, they are moving forward once again with the Tuesday night music night at the half shell. Cool venue for a show, nice grassy hillside that overlooks the South Umpqua river. Usually you can catch a nice breeze to minimize some of the heat. If you're in the area and a fan of live music, check this place out.

This is an awesome, amazing, community event. So much fun free stuff packed into one day! There…read moreare so many kind people to explain the water cycle and teach to all the participants . Pleas donate and support this awesome event. Doggies of all types are welcome.

Super fun! Loved browsing through all the food options and flea market stuff. The shows they had…read morewere super fun too

Time for another annual trip to the Junction City Scandinavian Festival! This year the crowds of…read morevisitors all seem in good spirits. Many people wearing various styles of lederhosen, others dressed as vikings, Oompa music fills the air along with the cooking aromas from Elephant Ears, Meat Pies, aebleskivers and brats! Ice cream and various cold drinks are also available. There are the usual array of vendors selling t-shirts, jewelry, handmade crafts, and the food! There is also plenty of entertainment to be had. There is an area for performing dancers doing traditional folk song and dance as well as a Maypole waiting to be decorated. I found a vendor for a company called 'Just Rum' who had a unique and very old recipe for the manufacture of rum. Utilizing these old recipes this company based in Sandy Oregon had come up with several award winning rums with varying alcohol levels. After a very entertaining and informative tasting session, I just had to purchase a bottle of Blackberry Rum! This is some potent stuff and seems to work best as a mixer, although there is one with a very high alcohol content made for sipping. Moving along to the Viking Village section I came across a vendor I had met last year. A leather belt maker. He does the whole process starting with a hide. Tanning the leather, cutting and tooling the designs, staining and preserving, it's just good quality craftsmanship. I purchased a belt from him and it's still in such good shape that I decided the cost was worth it to pick another style from him. He will also be at the Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel. Having secured my purchase of another belt, we escaped the heat for a bit by going into the crafts building where some of the more delicate items are on display. One of the real eye catching items is lampshades made out of wood! These shades are carved so thinly that light actually penetrates the wood casting a fantastic incandescent sepia tone of light. Time for some eats now, so we moved along and found an assortment or caramel apples with nuts, chocolate, M&Ms... you name it. We were also very happy to find some outstanding corn on the cob and some Danish Sausage Dogs with a very authentic European style casing that actually gave a crisp snap as you bite into the sausage. Thank You Junction City for another successful Scandinavian Festival. I just might come back before this four day event ends!

Greetings Fairgoers! StevO reporting for KWTF Traffic in the…read moreGreater OCF area Porta potties have been making their debut in the neighborhood with many thanks from the local Great Unwashed. The arrival of 45,000 visitors has created huge lakes of vehicles in private fields and overwhelmed our local cell tower for our population of 5,000. Signal can be quite sketchy at times. Some travelers have been spotted in the local hardware store looking for bug spray. Some shopkeepers are leaving the shelves of deodorant, soap and mouthwash unlocked in hopes of petty theft. The early morning hours brought us a traffic jam on Hwy 126. Traffic was stalled from the gates of the fair all the way to Fern Ridge Reservoir. Even THIS exceptional reporter had to lay on the horn to prevent someone trying to pass me on the sidewalk in the only intersection in town. The lights became meaningless as vehicles were stopped in the middle of the intersection during light changes. Suttle Rd traffic has slowed significantly but is still manageable. New to the 'Fair Outside the Fair' this year are 25mph radar speed signs hanging over the standard 45mph placards on both Suttle and Territorial. This makes for a nice diversion and a good opportunity to calibrate your speedometer at 55mph, one can't be too sure.. On the lighter side.... This afternoon gave us a highly decorated madman with water pistols jumping out in the road and squirting cars, let's just hope it was water and that he can dodge in case a local shoots back. On Eastbound 126 there was a 3 wheel scooter speeding down the bicycle lane. Lucky for them there was one of Veneta's finest on that side of the road only too happy to celebrate this event with flashy lights! The intersection at Suttle and Territorial is once again turning into a game of Vehicle Mosh Pit as you see many sticker laden vehicles that are obviously low on blinker fluid. StevO signing off for KWTF Traffic, reminding everyone to stay cool and use sunscreen.

My 1st fair was 7 years ago. Within 10 minutes of being inside, a woman came up to me and said…read more"welcome home". If you understand what that means....leave the world behind a day and visit the fair.

I grew up in Eugene, but never went to the OCF until a decade or so after I moved away. It's been…read morearound since the 60s or something (long before I was born), but when I was younger I think it was held in a different location before it moved out to its current location in Veneta. It started as a fundraiser for an alternative school but it's now a 503(c). It's always held the first full weekend in July. Once upon a time, it was a drug filled revelry from what I understand, but they've made it significantly more family friendly over the years. Don't get me wrong--you'll still come across a topless woman or walk through a cloud of pot smoke--but it's not as bad as it once was. And as far as unique experiences go, you'd be hard pressed to find another much like this. It was fun but getting a ticket is a little annoying. You can't purchase tickets there; they must be purchased off-site in advance. I guess it's probably great for crowd control or something--though I don't know that they actually limit the number of tickets--but I don't always remember to plan ahead. Oh well, I guess I'd rather they manage the crowd if that's what it's for. Head over to the parking lot of VRC to pick up your ticket and you can also catch the shuttle there too when the fair rolls around. It's great that they have a shuttle since parking around the place is honestly impossible I think. Unless you're camping, perhaps. There's a lot happening at the Fair, so for those who are quickly overstimulated you should be aware. You'll see stilt walkers wandering around. There's planned and/or impromptu parades that weave through the place. There are troubadours and small ensembles that may pop up, or individuals with a band on their back! You may find a juggler or a few wandering. There's activities for children, like puppet shows or face painting. Alcohol is not allowed on the premises, although there are areas where folks can smoke. There are tons of vendors. It's like the Saturday Market on steroids. There was a booth selling the most beautiful masks; capes and wings; art of various mediums... lots of treasures. There are also a nice variety of food vendors. When I went there was a booth that had beignets and they tasted like they came from New Orleans. There was music of various genres; activities both spontaneous and planned. A booth where you could create your own affirmation. The Oregon Country Fair is truly unlike any sort of fair or festival I've ever been to. I was mad at myself for not having visited sometime when I was growing up and living there permanently instead of waiting until 10 years after I'd moved out of state. But I will return with my little one in tow to enjoy this wacky experience all over again.

You're letting it way too many people into these event. Friday was shoulder to shoulder all day…read morelong, found it very hard to find a place to sit in the shade. No place to sit for any other performances. The vendors have plenty of space to relax, but for people attendance Do not. not recommended.

Excellent craftsmanship, excellent communication, excellent all around customer service. Highly…read morerecommend!

Peg Stilts by Kricket are the best!…read more If you want a pair of high quality handmade stilts for a fair price look no further. I have personally seen the effort and love that Kricket puts into each and every pair of stilts she makes. This simple sturdy design will have you up and above the crowds in no time. Curt C

The Eugene Celebration is our town's "Farewell to Summer Party," and it, like many small-town…read morefestivals, has changed a lot over the years. The official party weekend is scheduled now at the end of August, but before Labor Day, and is a Friday - Sunday affair. Although the festivities used to stretch farther and wider (to Good Times on the north end, and W.O.W. Hall on the west end), nowadays the partiers are confined to the heart of the downtown blocks, with three - five large-ish stages scattered throughout. Saturday morning of the fest is kicked off with my favorite Eugene event, The Celebration Parade! Here you will see so many things, rich and strange, that even the most through-and through south valley-ites have missed! The parade is capped off with the first public venture of our S.L.U.G. Queen (who was crowned some two weeks earlier at an early August pageant). The parade is free but to get "in," one must purchase a pass. These are $15 for the whole weekend, $8 for Sundays, and some unknown amount for singleton admit on the other days. The music scene is pretty tight for our little town. I've seen the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (of course), Fishbone, They Might be Giants, Blitzen Trapper, Lyrics Born, Misty River, Pinback... All with little to no crowds. The music has stayed strong over the years, but what is waning is all of the local color inside the festival gates. There used to be so many ... oddities... throughout the festival gates, and that is what I really miss. Even the firedancers were absent this year! -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78m7O7UOQw I'm still a fan though. I mean, what other small town do you know of that puts on a festival so uniquely its own? It's supported entirely off of donations and volunteers and has been getting us to party since 1983! Locals, let's get downtown next year!

I'm giving it three stars for years past…read more This year 1 star. For some reason, there were no Market Place vendors. I have come to Eugene Celebration for maybe three years and I loved the little shops. The shops were a great place to by local gifts and wares. They had plenty of massage, kids, and local exhibitor booths. My friends and I decided to go to the Saturday Marketplace for a few shops, which was nice. The Saturday of the Eugene Celebration is usually busy, but it was dead. I felt bad for the other patrons. I was disappointed. The music we witnessed was okay. Beers were delish. Oakshire, Hop Valley, Ninkasi. Also, they usually have a DISCO BALL cart at night and that was not there, either. Food had some good options. My friend loved her: Cart De Frisco. An old college treat - she claims. Love the Celebration normally, but this year was a bust.

voluntarily being apart of this program had been…read moreenlightening spreading the word about community action. ashley monica ella carma and as well as the community volunteers made light work out of such a big event... hosting many states and confluence of arts and creativity had broadened my insight amd uplifted my hart..... i give tithe to this palace... to be in a place where security isn't needed is god in all bods...