A first-timer at the Oregon Country Fair, I approached the fairgrounds near Veneta on Saturday, July 11 with a simple question: How much will this cost?
Beyond the colorful costumes and communal showers, the whimsical annual three-day festival has been a marketplace for artisans and vendors since its founding in 1969. Tens of thousands of attendees browse hundreds of booths each year, where everything from handcrafted jewelry to pottery to frozen bananas are for sale. And like just about everything else these days, the price tags reflect the rising cost of ingredients, material and labor.
For a new fairgoer like me, that meant balancing curiosity with a budget. So I tracked every dollar I spent to see what it takes to spend a day at one of Oregon’s most beloved summer festivals.
Pre-fair
My one-day ticket cost $60. For attire, I borrowed a friend’s dress and wore a pair of flip-flops — a free, though admittedly simple, outfit. Though I went back and forth over transportation, I ultimately opted to take the free LTD shuttle to the fair and forgo the $15 fee to park my car…