The DrumsÉ THE DRUMSÉ They never stop! Bob-O Schultze at the 1990 Oregon Country Fair. a report by Richard Perez In the predawn hours of 12 July, the crew piled into packed trucks and headed north for the 1990 Oregon Country Fair. We were invited to put on a PV water pumping display (in the form of a Solar Fountain) at the Energy Park section of the Fair. We had the whole works prefabricated and ready to set up upon arrival. It was a strange and wonderful journey into the very heart of the Green Dream. Now, the Oregon Country Fair is unlike any fair, anywhere. This three-day fair, in its 21st year, has a permanent location that is more like a small town than the usual "set up for a weekend" fair scene. The Oregon Country Fair has streets shaded by large trees, permanent buildings (constructed by the booth holders & fair crews), and all traffic is only by foot. The Fair provides all the services that a town would normally supply its residents- water, waste disposal, traffic regulation, medical, and security. At this year's fair there were over 250 booths displaying hand made items (furniture, art, tools, clothing, musical instruments, you name itÉ) and over 50 booths serving up the finest in all types of food (no, make that cuisine at food prices). Energy Park is a small section of the fair dedicated to practical, effective alternative energy technologies, including solar, wind, hydro and conservation. We were in good company. The Energy Park was a microvillage of energy folks. On hand were PV displays (from Free Energy Options & Electron Connection), hydroelectric displays (Harris Hydro & Lil Otto Hydroworks!), inverters (Heart Interface), PV powered refrigeration (Sunfrost), recycling (BRING Co.), PV powered fans (Alternative Energy Engineering), solar hot water heaters (Sage Advance- the Copper Cricket), thermal mass masonry stoves (Kachelofen Unlimited), solar cookers (Sustainable Energy Education Network), and permaculture (Tilth). The Energy Park also houses the solar heated showers where fair goers can clean-up for a buck-fifty. During the weekend over 30,000 people went through the fair. About 2,000 of those stopped by for a chat with the folks at Energy Park. We met many Home Power readers and swapped tech tales. Everyone was kept constantly busy answering questions from folks wanting info on renewable energy use. We distributed over a thousand issues of Home Power to ready readers. We were in seventh level hog-heaven! About all we didn't do was sleep. After the fair closed for the day, the thousands folks putting on the fair could relax, eat and enjoy themselves. Exhibitors and the Fair Crew were living on site during the fair. If all towns were like this one, then I would consider moving into one. The Fair Crew deserves high compliments for the most efficient, loving, and effective, large gathering I have ever attended. There was live music everywhere, all the time (even in the wee hours). Our particular favorites were the Kudana Band and the Shumba Band, both all marimbas, and Artis, the virtuoso of the spoons (no kidding, the guy is a one man band using only cutlery). There was so much to see and do that we were experienced a fraction of the experiences. Sleep? Well, time enough for that later. We had a very good time and wanted to share this "high energy hit" with all HP readers. Know that there is hope. Know that you are not alone. From what we saw at the 1990 Oregon Country Fair, the Green Dream is very much alive and growing.