|
Fruit of the Sixties
documents the Oregon Country Fair's deep roots in the upheaval of the
1960s that generated waves of change throughout American society. This
book takes the fair — an annual celebration of alternative culture
staged near Eugene, Oregon — through its first decade. During those
years, the fair evolved from a small 1969 fund-raiser for a children's
school to a full-fledged, nonprofit arts and cultural festival.
The story also features legendary icons of the counterculture, including
Oregon author Ken Kesey, the Grateful Dead band, and pioneers of the
New Vaudeville movement. These intertwined short stories weave a larger
tapestry showing the fair's substantial contribution to building a West
Coast community that embraced an emerging, alternative culture.
|
|
More than just a gathering, the fair became an event that nurtured the
values of change-agents who were experimenting with cooperative ways of
living and learning. They may have turned on and tuned in, but most
didn't drop out. Instead, many became activists who helped create
community organizations as diverse as Saturday Market in Eugene, Urban
Ore recycling in Berkeley, California, and Alligator Palace in La
Conner, Washington.
|
