Question of the Week: What’s the best festival you’ve ever been to?
By Cole Goodwin
Welcome to Question of the Week, a weekly news column that poses timely questions about life, politics, culture, economics, health, and more to people out and about in our communities. Our hope at CCC News is that having this space dedicated to being curious about other people’s experiences can help us to deepen our understanding of people from all walks of life.
This week’s question of the week is a festive, summery question meant to open the box on good memories of days gone by.
This week's Question is: What’s the best festival you’ve ever been to?
Ashton, age 9, Bend, OR
“I’m from Bend, I come to Washington for the spring and summer. I’ve been to a fair and I went on a rollercoaster and a ferris wheel and I also did really fun games. It was with my Aunt Pam and a few friends of mine. And the first time I went on that roller coaster I was like AAAAAAA! But then the last few times I was really excited. And then I went on this one that spins really fast and I went on it a bunch of times and then I went to a garbage can and puked.”
Amy Krol, age 31, The Dalles
“Well I don’t go to many festivals because I’m home. But one that I’ve gone to my whole life and that I grew up going to is the Oregon Country Fair and it’s reminiscent of the 60’s hippy generation full of vaudeville and counterculture, art, music, food. It’s gone on for fifty years and was born out of the Woodstock generation. And it’s really a community and family gathering of people who are dreaming of a better world. It’s really an opportunity to be yourself completely and entirely from how you look to how you dress, people go all out. If you want to be naked, be naked. Maybe you want to not be naked and you want to be fully clothed.
It’s a very colorful, bright, musical, healing space. There’s commerce, there’s a lot of homemade crafts and muscivinas, and gatherings and talks and plays and healthy delicious food. It’s just a place where you see what's possible. The fair itself tries to be sustainable. It’s totally run by volunteers and it feels like my new year celebration, it’s like a rebirth into the next year.
I’ve gone my whole life. My Dad wanted to give me and my siblings a taste of another way of living closer to the land and closer to community and outside in the county away from the concrete jungle.
A lot more people are coming these days which has positives and negatives. It’s hard on the land and the animals that live on that public land. It has its problems like anything. But I think the fact that more and more people are coming also speaks to the fact that people are craving what the fair has to offer.
I’m hopeful that even as it grows it keeps its spirit. And I’m hopeful that there will be new blood and new energy keeping it going.
I liken it to a burning man in the forest. In my early 20’s I just really experienced it as a time to be myself and live in the present moment. You can live in the present there and there’s a spiritual element to it. Fair gives you what you need.
Leaving fair is an experience too. Monday morning everyone’s fairy glitter is gone and they pack up and get out of town and return to the concrete jungle. But when I would leave I’d like go to grocery outlet when I came back and everyone I saw I would be thinking like, this is what they are like in their everyday life, but what kind of Oregon Country Fair person would they be.”
Cade, Abrey, Brooklyn and Mitzi about to spend the afternoon at the North Wasco County Parks and Recreation Aquatic Center in The Dalles.
Abrey, age 5, Brooklyn, age 7, Cade age 3 and Mitzi, age 36, but actually age 7 at heart, The Dalles
“The Cherry Festival,” said Abrey and Brooklyn.
“How many times have you gone?”
“Three!” said Abrey.
“Cherry Festival is probably my favorite just because I get to go with these guys,” siad Mitzi.
Anne Marie Woolsey blinked right when this photo was taken! Sorry Ann-Marie!
Ann Marie Woolsey, age 70, The Dalles
“The Maryhill festivals. I’ve seen the Eagles, and a Spanish guitar group. I love the vista as much as anything and we’d hang out on the grass with friends and we’d usually take a picnic. I miss it.”
Danial, Gregg, Naomi, Zoe, and August pose for a family vacation photo.
Naomi, age 47 and Gregg Greeson age 44, visiting from Napa, California
“It was probably Coachella in the early 2000’s,” said Naomi “The Editors were super good. Depeche Mode was there. A lot of music that I liked back then were all playing at that time. I went with my now husband. We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary in July. We’re here exploring, we wanted to see the Columbia Gorge. This is such a cute town.”
“That was another lifetime ago,” said Gregg “That was like 2006. It was hot, and there was a lot of good music. It was more about the music back then it wasn’t so much about trying to out cool each other.”
John Doe, White Salmon, WA (declined to be photographed)
“Dixon Mayfair in California. It is one of the biggest rodeo fairs I’ve ever been to in my whole life. All of northern California goes. I really enjoyed the rodeo.”
Corena, Amaron, and Iban pose like rockband for their photo.
Corena, age 33, Amaron, age 8, Iban, The Dalles
“The Cherry Festival!” said Amaron.
“July 4th,” said Iban.
“Probably the Cherry Festival, probably just because of the childhood memories,” said Corena.
Lily Dog and Robin Denning pose in front of St. Peter’s Church.
Robin Denning, age 32, White Salmon, Washington
“The best festival I ever went to was Pride this year in The Dalles. It was awesome because there were just so many wonderful local queer people that converged on Lewis and Clark Festival Park and it was just beautiful to see how prideful they were of themselves and each other and how much love they have for community. It was really really powerful. We walked down 2nd street in a parade of rainbows and it was just great to be in such community and share our beautiful identities with everybody around us in this wonderfully wholesome way in The Dalles.
It was just really wholesome and super loving and there were so many smiles and snowcones and nice people and it was just great to be around all those wonderful, fantastic, queer people.”
Molly, Susan, And Ron Letourneau
Susan, age 65, and Ron Letourneau, age 77, Damascus, Oregon
“The Scandinavian Festival,” says Ron immediately upon hearing the question.
“In Junction City, OR,” says Susan, finishing his sentence.
“We go to it every year. They have a food cart there that’s got an awesome-” Ron says and pauses briefly to look at Susan.
“Shepherds Pie,” says Susan, finishing his thought.
“It’s got a line like a mile long,” says Ron.
“You know it’s good because of the line. And there’s all kinds of Scandinavian food, so Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Each day of the festival highlights one of the countries and there’s entertainment, great dancing, costumes. It’s really authentic and a great show of culture,” says Susan.
“There’s all kinds of stuff going on,” says Ron.
“So what brought you to White Salmon?” Asked CCCNews.
“We like the gorge and we wanted to explore Hood River. We did the bike ride on the Mosier tunnels, we got a dog trailer so we took Molly with us. It was fun. We we’re hot and we had to walk part of the way because of the hills, says Susan. “We’ve climbed up to the top of Mt. Saint Helens twice,” said Ron.
Aaron Jallen, age 31, The Dalles
“I’ve never really been to a festival. We usually try to hit up the Huckleberry Fest in Bingen, WA every year. It’s nothing crazy but it’s something to do, with the exception of last year, we’ve gone to that every year for like five to ten years. I never really eat huckleberries, but it’s just kind of nice to go out and get some of that carnival food. I’m not going to no Burning Man or anything like that.”
Jeff, age 69, and Sue, age 65, Missoula, Montana
“A music festival called Montana Folk Festival, in Butte Montana. It’s just amazing,” said Sue. “We’re from Missoula, Montana. We came to The Dalles to visit family.”
“It’s excellent music from all over the world. You never know what you’re going to hear. They’ve got like five or seven different stages and every two hours there’s a different group on each stage and it goes on for three days,” said Jeff.
“There’s food trucks everywhere. Great food. Lots and lots of people. I don’t know if I would go this year with covid, but I’m thinking about it,” said Jeff.
