Corvallis Fall Festival shows why Trader Joe’s is coming to town

I've been envious, and more than a little irritated, at Corvallis since I learned that Trader Joe's chose to open a store there rather than in much larger Salem.

"What does Corvallis have that Salem doesn't?" I'd wonder. And quickly answer, "Major university. More highly educated people. A progressive, creative vibe."

Still, I hadn't spent much time in Corvallis recently. So to get a look at a town that Trader Joe's loves more than Salem, I said "sure" when Laurel suggested we go to the 2009 Fall Festival in Corvallis' central park.

Comparing it to the Salem Art Festival, I found the atmosphere hipper, cooler, more creative, and less up-tight.

As soon as we parked and walked a few blocks to the festival, I had an opportunity to try out the zoom on my camera when we passed by the music stage. An attractive beginning to what ended up being a very pleasant couple of hours.

 
We couldn't quite see these garden sculptures fitting into our yard. Maybe if we had a vegetable garden…

 
I think this art form was called Crow Dancing. It had a Tai Chi'ish feel to it, partly because of the yin-yang black-white outfits.

 
The crows fought at times.

 
The posture of the woman in black definitely looks like Tai Chi — "snake creeps down." It's difficult to go that low. I was impressed.

 
Some of the food options were considerably healthier and tastier than what the Salem Art Festival offers, thanks to Nearly Normal's cuisine. I loved my falafel. Sitting down to eat it, I was struck by the difference in the length of the lines of people waiting for a fruit smoothie (short) and ice cream (long).

 
The Amazing Vend-a-Matic was fun to watch. Quirky and creative. I'm not exactly sure what people got for their $2 — except entertainment from a black-gloved hand that snaked out of a slot in the box (plus a postcard).