Suzi Prozanski

Suzi Prozanski, author of the book Fruit of the Sixties, the Founding of the Oregon Country Fair, has attended the Fair since 1984. To document the Fair’s beginnings, she interviewed more than 300 Fair participants and extensively researched archived newspapers files, early Fair records, and other sources. A team from the Fair’s History Crew, headed up by long-time fairgoer Hal Hartzell, also contributed to the project by recording more than 40 interviews during the 2004 Fair. The book intertwines numerous short stories derived from the interviews and research into a compelling tale of the Fair’s founding years.  The book can be found and purchased at the Speaker Store, across the path from the Rabbit Hole Stage.

A journalist for more than two decades, Suzi worked for the Houston Post and the Register-Guard in Eugene, and has taught courses in reporting and copy editing as an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. She has actively participated in the Fair since 1989, when she helped with friend Gil Harrison’s booth on Upper River Loop. Since then, she has volunteered on the Info Crew and with Fair Family News, and has served on the Jill Heiman Vision Fund committee.

The idea of writing Fruit of the Sixties blossomed out of conversations with many Fair folks. Exploring the origins of this unique event turned into a labor of love that offered a wonderful reason to visit in depth with many good friends, old and new.