Barter Fair

Up in Southern Oregon, the pumpkins are big, bright, round, and ripe. Zucchinis still left on wilted vines are as big as boats. The grass has turned that shade of yellowish brownish gold that so unmistakably says “fall.” Leaves have turned red, orange, gold, yellow, chartreuse, magenta, burgundy, caramel, tan, and brown, nearly every color except green, and they are falling. Hay for the winter has been cut, baled, and stacked in barn lofts. The last of the apples and pears are being picked, and the hemp has been harvested. It’s time for the Barter Fair.

The Steering Committee is meeting for what they all hope will be the last time before the big event. “All right, all right,” says Jessie, this year’s chairperson. “Let’s all settle down and get done with what we came here to do.” Many of the people assembled here in the Applegate Community Center meeting room haven’t seen each other for a few weeks, so they’re reluctant to stop chatting, but after a couple of minutes, the room is reasonably quiet. “There’ll be time for chatter when we finish our meeting, so let’s get on with it,” Jessie continues. “Treasurer’s Report?”

“Well, we’re still in the black, and most expenses have been covered. We have enough to print the t-shirts and flyers and still have a couple thousand left over, give or take a few hundred.” Everyone claps and cheers. This is good news. Last year, they’d run out of funds and had to borrow enough to print the t-shirts they’d sold to raise money for this year’s fair.

“Vendors Committee?”

“All set!” says George, who’s in charge of that group. “We have over two hundred vendors signed up, and a good variety, and that’s all we have room for, so I’m closing the applications. Everyone has paid their fees and received their location assignments, so the vendors are all set. We’ll be at the entrance to check them in and make sure they know where to set up. I’ve drawn up this map.” He unrolls it and spreads it out across a table. Everyone admires his handiwork.

“Great!” says Jessie. “Good work George – and the rest of that committee. How about food?”

“Yep, we’re all ready on that too. Mostly the same folks we had last year, but a few newcomers. Those fried rice people were so popular last year. They’re coming back. And the Rainbow Kitchen, of course. We got a new bunch selling everything made with hemp. A bunch of coffee booths. Falafels. Tacos. Chili. Corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Watermelon. Ice-cream. Fees paid and locations assigned and ready. No problems,” reports Maggie.

“All right!” says Jessie. “You folks are doing such a great job! Entertainment?”

“All scheduled. Lots of good music, some great dance groups. The corn dancers and the mud dancers are coming again this year. We got the Lions of Jah who were such a great hit at Reggae on the River, and to front them, my cousin, Cala Lily, who’s a newcomer, but real pretty and real good. We got some fire spinners. They’re new this year, but I hear they’re fantastic. And we got a puppet show and a clown and a storyteller for the kids’ stage in the playground area. We still need to do some work on scheduling, but that’s almost done,” says Michael. “Jade and Rich and I are meeting next week to finalize everything.”

“Sounds good,” says Jessie. “Security? How are we coming on that?”

“We’re good,” says Ron. “Plenty of volunteers, and I’ve spoken with the county sheriff. He’s agreed to escorted inspections again this year – and no plainclothes officers, no narcs, so I think we have a clear understanding. He’s pretty clear on how much money this is going to bring into the Applegate.”

“Great!” says Jessie. “I wasn’t sure he’d go for the escorted inspections, but we really need that. There were a few too many problems last year. I was a little worried about that, about whether or not he’d agree to it.”

“Well, he’s a pretty cool dude,” says Ron, “and I guess that huge donation we made to the sheriff’s auxiliary group didn’t hurt either. Also, I have volunteers scheduled round the clock for the medical tent. We got some real good doctors and nurses coming in.”

“Hopefully, there’ll be no real emergencies, but best be prepared, right?  Last, but not least, how about facilities and grounds?”

“All arranged, and I ordered a couple dozen more porta-potties than we had last year,” says Josh. “Also three dozen more trash barrels. That was a huge problem, if everybody remembers, last year. We’ve anticipated an even bigger crowd this year, and I think we’re prepared. The owner of the land we’re renting is very particular about the location of the parking lot, and I’m going out there on Saturday to make sure we’re both on the same page on that score.”

“Good,” says Jessie. “So looks like all the committees have been really doing their jobs. Wow! This is going so much better than last year! Good going, everyone!” Everyone claps and cheers. “And this will be our last official meeting. Any last minute problems, don’t call me! Handle it, ok? So the only thing we have left to do tonight before we break for refreshments is to decide on our theme, or I guess I should say themes, for this year, so we can get those fliers and t-shirts printed up and ready to go.