2017 Oregon Country Fair Springs to Life

(VENETA, Ore.) - Just one day and a wake up until the 48th Annual Oregon Country Fair kicks off. The three-day annual event runs from July 7 thru 9, 2017, on the Fair site near Veneta, Oregon. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketswest.com. No tickets are sold at the Fair site.

Nestled on the banks of the Long Tom River, just west of Veneta, off Highway 126, the Oregon Country Fair features 18 stages of entertainment, more than 80 food booths, and nearly 350 craft booths featuring more than 700 vendors.

Vaudeville, circus acts, spoken word, wandering musicians, face painting, parades, and other perennial favorites will inspire creativity and promote a sense of wonderment. Surrounded by nature, fairgoers will enjoy the winding paths that offer magical surprises around each corner.

"The Oregon Country Fair is so much more than a party in the woods. It is a year round philanthropic organization that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in it's 48 year history to many charitable, community, and educational groups and foundations that serve many demographics of people," stated Shawn Kahl in his review of Oregon Country Fair (he gave it 5 stars).

"As a volunteer organization, it provides meaningful engagement for thousands of people to contribute their art, time, and energy toward a larger purpose.

"For food and craft vendors, it supplies their working livelihood, while providing patrons with unique, high quality products that are enjoyed. For the musicians, artists and entertainers, it is a very special place to perform that many travel long distances to participate in.

"For the land, it is an active land trust that works with government agencies, non-profit groups, and neighbors, to steward and protect the areas natural resources. For Fair Family, it is home."

The Oregon Country Fair is best known as the cultural exposition that asks the question, “How do we want to live?”

The nonprofit Fair organization, which is owner and steward of approximately 446 acres of land in Veneta, demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and seeks to model sustainable practices for organizations, events and everyday life. The Fair also continues to make significant contributions to the community of Lane County, and has received a special Community Stakeholders award from the Fern Ridge Chamber of Commerce for its stewardship of land, philanthropy to schools, and arts and economic contributions.

Fairgoers support the spirit of the Fair year-round by helping raise money for the Bill Wooten Endowment Fund and the Jill Heiman Vision Fund, which provide grants to local nonprofit organizations and social service agencies.

Between these grants, as well as charitable donations from its board of directors, the fair has awarded approximately $1,000,000 to Lane County nonprofit and youth-oriented organizations in the past 20 years alone.

Full entertainment schedules for all the stages will be posted on the OCF website at www.oregoncountryfair.org. OCF tickets are on sale at TicketsWest outlets, by phone at (800) 992-8499, or online at ticketswest.com. If bought in advance, ticket prices are $27 for Friday, July 7; $30 for Saturday, July 8; and $24 for Sunday, July 9. Tickets purchased the days of the event are $30 for Friday, $34 for Saturday, and $27 for Sunday. Prices don’t include TicketsWest service fees.

A ticket good for all three days may also be purchased for $70 (advance sales only). Children ages 10 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult and there is a $5 discount for individuals who are alter-abled or age 65 or older.

Parking at the Oregon Country Fair is $10 per vehicle per day in advance, and $15 if purchased onsite. Parking passes may be purchased with admission tickets or onsite the day of the Fair, but fairgoers must show an admission ticket or will-call voucher to drive onto the site. To encourage all fairgoers to use public transportation to travel to the Fair and back, OCF has partnered with LTD to provide free bus service for those who have an OCF ticket to the Fair.

The free service for OCF ticketholders is offered on all LTD routes. For information about riding the LTD bus to the Fair, visit the transportation page on the OCF website. TicketsWest outlets are located at numerous Safeway stores throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. In addition to TicketsWest outlets, additional Oregon Country Fair ticket sale locations can be found at www.oregoncountryfair.org.