History Pub: Yes! Yes! Yes! 56 years of the Oregon Country Fair Presented by Terry Baxter

McMenamins Edgefield 
Blackberry Hall
Monday April 14th, 2025 
Program 7pm, Doors 6pm – All ages welcome.

The Oregon Country Fair began in 1969 near Eugene as a fundraiser for the Children’s Community School, a local alternative school. In 1972 and 1982, the Grateful Dead headlined the event, and the fair took to the sky. Over half a century later, it is an Oregon Heritage Festival attracting 45,000 people every year. This three-day celebration set in the forest is filled with a variety of music, art, entertainment, costumes, food, philanthropy, and frivolity. The mission of the Oregon Country Fair is to create experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous, and healthy ways. Archivist Terry Baxter tells the history of the fair and its continuing influence today.  

Terry Baxter has been an archivist for 40 years, currently with Multnomah County and the Oregon Country Fair. He is a past president of the Society of American Archivists and a founding member of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.