The sun is out and 13th Avenue’s bike racks have been cordoned off to make room for vendors. The air will soon smell of Hawaiian food and elephant ears, and 13th Avenue will be bustling. The second ASUO Street Faire of the year starts in a few days. Emerald writers are here to tell you about their yearly traditions, favorite foods and helpful tips for the last faire of the school year.
Getting sunburned at the Quad
Getting sunburned is never fun, especially if you have pale Irish skin like I do. Luckily, the not-so-forgiving Northwest rain means that sunscreen is a necessity only a few months out of the year. However, people face a harsh learning curve when it comes to remembering to apply sunscreen around this time of year.
After not needing to think about sunscreen for eight months straight, it’s easy to forget when first venturing outside the house. It’s not a coincidence that my first sunburn of the season comes right as the UO’s biannual ASUO Street Faire comes around. After scarfing down an elephant year in record time, I like to take my bloated body to the grass quad to spread out and relax. And every year I end up peacefully falling asleep in the sun, only to wake up in agonizing pain. When will I learn? Who knows. All I can do is ease the pain with aloe vera and remember to lather my sunscreen. That is, until next year’s street faire.
-Zach Price
Buying succulents
I’m a freshman, so I don’t really think I can say that I have a Street Faire “tradition”. However, I can say that the last time that I went to the Street Faire I almost bought a succulent. I don’t really even like succulents, but I felt compelled as a millennial to do so — they’re cool, right? But succulents aren’t aesthetically pleasing to me. I do like plants, though. Early in high school, I was known as “that kid in the greenhouse” because I would spend the transitory time in between classes in the greenhouse.
Many students have seen me whispering to my sunflowers. They were mammoth Russians, if I were to be specific, and they were much more preferable to succulents. Maybe I’ll purchase some other kind of plant during the faire. Maybe I’ll try out a succulent to see if they’re as bad as I think they are. Who even knows at this point? At least I’ll have the next four years to decide.
-Ryan Nguyen
Making fingers fancy
Every year, both in fall and spring, my hands get quite the makeover. The Street Faire is full of vendors selling sweet and delicious treats, but there is one booth that I’ve been loyal to since my first term of college: the rings. It’s obvious that this booth is a big hit because I always have to push and elbow my way to the front row of admirers. The rings are stacked by size, with the majority of the inventory dainty and silver.
When I first arrived at UO, I had a small inkling that I wanted to make wearing rings part of my permanent getup, but I didn’t know where to find the ones I liked — let alone ones that didn’t break the bank.
Enter the Street Faire — the ring vendors are helpful and don’t push customers to purchase. I return to their booth every year, and I stock up on rings like you wouldn’t believe. I have backups upon backups, and I am not exaggerating when I say they are great quality. Sure, they bend a bit if you play with them too often, but they have never once turned my fingers green. Take the time to give each tray a diligent look, because the faire will be over before you know it — and your fingers deserve to feel fancy.
-Sarah Urban