With live music, fencing and a kissing booth, the annual ASUO Street Faire will take over East 13th Avenue between University and Kincaid streets today through Friday.
The main attraction is a concert lineup that includes Crown City Rockers, The Phormula, Undermind and Scott Gilmore performing in the EMU Amphitheater on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., said ASUO Marketing Director David Watson.
While the Street Faire will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, vendors are encouraged to stay open late for the concert.
This year the ASUO is introducing the Club Carnival to help individual student clubs raise money. Students will be able to purchase 50-cent tickets and use them to play carnival-like games at participating club booths outside the EMU.
To pay for expenses, many groups ask the Student Senate for incidental fees, but the Senate always asks the groups whether they have done fundraising on their own, Watson said. This will show whether they have made an effort to raise money on their own, he said.
Dirty Ducks Rugby Club Coordinator Kara Winek said her club will have a kissing booth that sells kisses for one ticket. The women’s rugby club hopes to raise money for new uniforms and traveling expenses.
The UO Fencing Club will have an area set up for bouts where visitors can use sabers to pop balloons attached to their opponents. Club Coordinator Joseph Leary said his club has many new members and it needs money to cover the cost of equipment, traveling and tournament entry fees.
The United States Student Association, which advocates nationally for University students and other college students in the country, will be raising money towards lobbying in Washington, D.C. by letting students throw darts at balloons for prizes, ASUO Legislative Associate and elected USSA Director Ashley Rees said.
Watson said he hopes this year’s event will yield the ASUO a profit of more than $10,000 from vendor space rentals. The money it earns will go to club programs and grants throughout the year. Non-profit organizations only reimburse the ASUO for the booth costs, and vendors pay the ASUO $75 to rent the space and booth for all three days.
Vendors have complained about bicyclists in the past, and The Department of Public Safety will issue a $20 fine to anyone riding his or her bike inside the barricades this year. There have already been several serious accidents involving bikes on campus during the last few months, Watson said.
There will be eight composting stations and vendors have been instructed to limit their disposable supplies to materials that can be recycled or composted.
“We want to make it a zero-waste production,” Watson – who in addition to being ASUO marketing director is an environmental studies major – said.
The ASUO is still looking for volunteers to provide security and to watch the composting sites to make sure fair-goers use them properly, Watson said.
This year, there will be 41 more vendors than in the Spring Street Fair, some of them offering handmade products from all over the country and world.
“One lady goes to Peru and buys homemade wares from her tribe,” Watson said. There will be imports from Thailand, a metal sculptor from Cortez, Colorado, fairy wings from Washington and lots of food as well.

[email protected]