Threads of Community: Oregon Country Fair Opens with Ceremony Honoring Makers

From a whisper on the wind, Zahra Indigo Rønlov, wisdom teacher and co-coordinator for Altared Space initiated the 2024 Oregon Country Fair Opening Ceremony Friday morning at Main Stage with the theme “Honoring the Makers.” Under the hot July sun, attendees filled the Main Stage meadow, collectively helping to warp a loom from a single cord. As the group wove, they sang a song to honor the makers Rønlov wrote with the melody collectively created by the choir.

As the ceremony came to a close, the warp was complete, and together they processed with the loom and elements to Altared Space. From a candle lit at the beginning of the experience, they ignited the Lotus Fire, one of only two ceremonial fires allowed within the event. The community was invited to add wefts to the warped loom throughout the Fair weekend.

Since the Opening Ceremony began, Rønlov has trusted her intuition to guide the theme each year, inviting the Fair Family to collaborate in its creation. The first element-themed ceremony featured Risk of Change, a sacred mummer and giant puppet troupe, which crafted elemental costumes and has participated in most ceremonies since

This year’s ceremony acknowledged the intention behind the work of craft and food vendors, crews, and attendees, all gathered for a shared purpose. Rooted in the cyclical nature of the elements, the Opening Ceremony embraces each individual's vision of sacredness.

For years, Rønlov used a metal singing bowl to open and close Board of Directors meetings. In 2010, she brought the bowl to the Fair’s opening ceremony. While on stage, she felt inspired to honor Water the following year, sparking a series of evolving ceremonies. Each year’s theme has reflected elements or concepts, including Earth in 2012, Air in 2013, Fire in 2014, Unity in 2015, Love in 2018, CommUnity in 2023, and “Honoring the Makers” in 2024.

“This year, to me, felt like the alchemy of these many years of ceremony has come full circle,” Rønlov said. “Not only did we have the four elements with us as we always do, but this year the Risk of Change, garbed as Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, were all  in attendance.” 

The Oregon Country Fair has thrived through the collaborative spirit of its makers. Founded as a charter school fundraiser, the Fair grew into a community of crafters and musicians who support one another. In the 1970s, the Grateful Dead performed to raise money to buy the land, helping make the event an annual tradition.

It was founded on the value of people working with their hands. “The impulse laid down by the early founders was that there was something essential about the act of making,” Rønlov said. “It was about the idea that anyone could walk into a booth, meet the artisan, and talk to them about what inspires their work.”

The "Honoring the Makers" ceremony celebrates the time and effort behind creating one-of-a-kind pieces, recognizing the value in stepping away from over-industrialization and embracing handmade work with heart and intention.

“That is something beautiful and so needed in the world today,” Rønlov said.

Each ceremony reflects the power of community at the Oregon Country Fair. Looking to the future, Rønlov hopes the opening ceremonies will continue as a "pure expression of what it means to be human and to feel life."