Register-Guard reporters on their first time at the Oregon Country Fair

"Magical,” “expressive,” “transformation,” “organism,” “creativity,” “family,” and “home" are the types of words used by fairgoers to describe the Oregon Country Fair.

As Register-Guard reporters and newbies to the fair, we decided to dive headfirst into the wacky world .

Before even stepping through the gates, first-time attendees can’t escape the chorus of “happy fair” greetings from fair staff and fairgoers alike.

Once inside, you’re met with the smell of food and wet earth.

Find out more: Fashion-forward fairgoers: What people wore at the Oregon Country Fair

The sounds of merriment range from groups chanting to individual musicians plucking out tunes on their instruments to people embracing as they reunite after not seeing one another since the last fair. Visually, OCF is an explosion of color and creativity .

While we spent much of our time at the fair asking attendees, performers and vendors about their experiences, we also experienced some fair magic of our own.

After speaking with Arthur and Anita Jones, a couple who have attended the fair for 43 years, Arthur showered us both with glitter. Arthur said he was a part of the “glitterazzi.”

This was just the beginning of our initiation.

Later, we met Drew Clark, who has been a vendor at the fair for 10 years. When we told him this was our first time, Clark led us to Mystic Mirabella’s Faerie Fortunes where we met Mirabella, the fortune-telling fairy.

“She knew you were coming,” Clark said.

We each heard our fortunes. Miranda’s was “Sometimes, we step off of our path to better know where it truly is.” Haleigh’s was “Just a little reminder from the Fae: you matter quite a lot.”

Chris Pietsch, the Register-Guard's director of photography, who has been attending the fair in both a professional and non-professional capacity for decades, also received a fortune. It was “Take some time to know your shadow.”

We met artists and dancers, sculptures and spoken word poets, people who got engaged at the fair, couples who got married at the fair, folks who have been attending since the OCF was founded and others who were fellow fair “virgins.”

Each time we asked for advice as first-time fairgoers, we were met with encouragement.

We caught Alice and Taylor as they started their journey into the fairgrounds. This summer was Alice’s second time at the fair and it was Taylor’s first. When asked for advice for first-time fairgoers, Alice said it’s important to let your guard down and have fun.

“Like, letting go and accepting yourself because that’s what this community is,” Alice said. “You can’t put 'Fair' into words. It’s just 'Fair' and once you start going, you’ll understand that feeling.”

The most common piece of advice we received was to get lost in it all, to fully commit to the unique environment and go with the flow. Fairgoers emphasized that having a specific goal in mind would blind us to the many attractions along the way.

“Don't get caught up in the FOMO (fear of missing out) hunt,” said Rolando Beorchia, who has been going to OCF for several years. “You're never going to see it all. Don't do the continual hunt and waste all your time just wandering and not actually engaging. Don't pass up on an opportunity. If you see something fun, engage with it.”

The Register-Guard covered the fair pretty thoroughly this year. We had reporters and photographers out every day and wrote plenty of stories in advance, touching on everything from the fair's long history to a guide with last-minute tips and tricks .

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com .

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr .

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Register-Guard reporters on their first time at the Oregon Country Fair