Prankster History Project

Godd Forbid, Kesey and Owsley Paul Foster Field Trip Poster

Welcome to the Field Trip Page In the early seventies Chuck Kesey's (Ken's brother) Springfield Creamery found itself in financial trouble after the local school district cancelled their milk contract because they thought, hey, with a drug fiend family like that, those rumours about them planning to dose the milk with LSD must be true, right? There was a fire in there somewhere, but maybe that came later. Anyway, in steps Ken and the Pranksters with a plan to save the creamery from going belly up. Prankster Black Maria heads south to speak to Jerry and the guys, they say "yes," Paul Foster draws a poster, and 27 days later (on the 27th of August, 1972 for you date freaks) the Dead play at the Old Renaissance Fairgrounds in Venata, just outside of Eugene, on the site where the Oregon Country fair is now held every July. It was sweltering hot. Tickets were printed on Creamery (Nancy's) Yoghurt labels. Family and friends built the stage. The gig was filmed -- Sunshine Daydream -- but never released. The event was called the "field trip" -- geddit -- and a fine time was had by all. Hmmm, what do I know about the Oregon Country Fair... Well not too much to be honest so maybe some brighter spark out there can fill us in on the details a little. Godd Forbid tells me that the first fair was in 1969, out on Fox Hollow Rd. in Eugene, the second in Crow (OR), and by 1972, it had moved out to its current site in Veneta. The first one was held, she thinks, to raise money for the Waldorf School in Eugene. There was a couple that ran the Renn. Faire for years--Bill & Cynthia Wooten. Now it's run by Committee. The Fair and Kesey and the Pranksters seemed to have shared some sort of common association over the years, but I'm not quite sure what this was based upon besides.... well, you know. Check out Godd Forbid's story about the early days on the left, while I try and find a scan I have somewhere of an early Paul Foster poster. Hah, here it is. Page URL: http://pranksterweb.org/countryfair.htm © Copyright 2001, Rick Dodgson Webmaster: Rick Dodgson Revised: July/27/2001

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