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Back-to-back country fairs set Organizers� visions change, so they plan two festivals By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � The two men who organized last year�s country fair are looking at the world through different lenses this summer. Ashland residents Steve Traisman and Gerry Lehrburger are still friends, but their visions for hosting a community festival have parted ways. This year they�re heading up separate fairs on back-to-back weekends in September. "To have two fairs in Ashland is a blessing," Lehrburger says. "I think there�s plenty of room for two � and even more � fairs in Ashland." Last year, Lehrburger and Traisman organized the first-ever Ashland Country Fair, a three-day event held at the Wellsprings Healing Community, formerly Jackson Hot Springs. This month, the Ashland Country Fair will be born anew: Traisman is taking the fair�s name out to Emigrant Lake, where an American Indian-oriented celebration is planned for the weekend of Sept. 15. Lehrburger, meanwhile, is planning to host a new event � christened the Ashland Community Faire � at the Wellsprings the following weekend, beginning Sept. 22. The fair-splitting, Traisman says, is due to two factors: vision and the need for more space. "It was like a big party" last year, he says. "This year is different. We�re taking it to a higher level." Traisman�s vision for the festival�s future is to cross American Indian arts and philosophy with a country fair atmosphere. It�s a combination that hasn�t been done before, organizers say. "The native people and the non-native people coming together in this way is a very unique event," says Robert Owens, a Lakota Indian. "It�s not a powwow, it�s not a native event per se and it�s not a typical country fair." The fair will feature American Indian artists, from traditional craftspeople to rock �n� roll bands, even a comedienne. Poet-singer John Trudell, former national chairman of the American Indian Movement, is headlining the event. The fair will offer a rare glimpse into the American Indian community, Owens says, because native culture is typically very private. The following weekend, folks can taste a more traditional country fair � if a country fair can be called "traditional" � at the Wellsprings, says co-owner Lehrburger. The Ashland Community Faire will feature craftspeople, wellness booths and five stages for entertainers presenting everything from giant puppets to belly-dancing to reggae. "Celebrations and fairs are really important for this culture," Lehrburger says. "They�re about the sharing of ideas, philosophies and good music." Proceeds from the community fair will help Wellsprings repair damage caused by the 1997 New Year�s Day flood and prevent future flood damage. Mostly, though, Lehrburger expects it will be an educational and fun event that begins on the fall equinox, Sept. 22. Both fairs will have a bent toward environmental preservation, wellness and peaceful living. Organizers of both fairs say alcohol and drug use won�t be tolerated. "Both fairs will represent two different visions in the Ashland community," Traisman says. "People should go to both. "I�m going to." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA