More than 65 food and craft vendors will descend on campus this Wednesday for the ASUO Fall Street Faire.
“This has been around for I don’t know how many years,” ASUO President Ben Eckstein said. Though the origins of the event are lost to history, the familiar faces of the event itself will be back.
One of those is the Great Philly Cheese Steak Company, a fixture at the fair.
“They’re quite a favorite and they always bring a great energy to the fair,” ASUO Events Coordinator Colleen Soles@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Colleen+Soles@@, the faire’s main organizer, said.
Elephant ears are another popular attraction.
“They’re a favorite of mine,” Eckstein said.
But Street Faire isn’t just about the food. A variety of arts and crafts are available in the forest of booths that lines 13th Avenue.
Soles described the “singing bowls” sold by Karma Arts and Crafts, which is returning to the fair this year: A signing bowl is a ceramic bowl with religious or meditation symbols on its exterior. The bowl is filled with water, and the user runs the finger along the edge to produce a sound.
“They’re a musical instrument,” Soles said. “They’re really gorgeous.”
Also returning this fall are jewelry-makers Kendra Grace Designs and One Love, @@which is the student-founded company?@@a student-founded company that produces Duck-themed apparel and donates a percentage of its profits to charity. Soles said the company has previously worked with the American Cancer Society and is currently partnered with Food For Lane County.
While many long-time Street-Faire veterans are returning, this year’s faire will include several new features, according to Soles. In fact, the slogan for this fall’s event is “New Experiences, Old Traditions.”
One of those new experiences will be ESPN College Gameday, which will be set up in the EMU Amphitheater to promote the Ducks’ home game against Cal on Thursday with a football-throwing contest and prizes.
While the ASUO holds two street faires each year, they are very different events in terms of atmosphere.
Soles explained that, while the spring faire is a celebration of the coming summer, the fall faire “sets the precedent for the year.”
It also raises the money.
“Street Faire is the ASUO’s biggest fundraiser,” Soles explained.
While the event costs student government around $3,000 to put on, it raises significantly more than that.
“With Street Faire, the funds that pay for it come from the funds it makes,” Eckstein explained. In essence, Street Faire pays for itself.
Soles wasn’t focused on the fundraising numbers, but rather on the experience it provides for students.
“I don’t do it to make money for the ASUO,” she explained.
Andrew Rogers@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Andrew+Rogers@@, communications director for the ASUO, explained the introduction he had as a freshman at last year’s fall faire.
“It was a great way to experience Eugene’s culture and make new friends,” Rogers said.
Part of that Eugene culture is undoubtedly the weather.
“Unpredictable weather is definitely a part of the history of Street Faire,” Eckstein said.
Regardless, Soles was confident that expected rain showers would not put a damper on the festivities.
“If it rains, vendors have their own plans and students still come out,” Soles said.
Fall Street Faire set to kick off Wednesday
Daily Emerald
October 2, 2011
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