San Rafael, CA – As it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the 2017 Marin County Fair is having fun with its tie-dyed theme by offering special exhibits to showcase its tribute to ‘60s San Francisco culture. You’d Haight to miss it!
The official County Fair poster. In Marin County, the Summer of Love was all about the music. The KFRC Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival, the first music festival of its kind, kicked off the counterculture explosion atop Mount Tamalpais on June 10 and 11, 1967. Local bands such as Clover and Sons of Champlin regularly played throughout the county, at venues from San Rafael to Stinson Beach. Santa Venetia Armory, Pepperland, Lion’s Share, Irwin Street Warehouse, Brown’s Hall, and more hosted the hometown rock heroes alongside internationally renowned artists such as Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, and Frank Zappa. Rock posters, which will be part of the Fantasy Fair special exhibit, give a glimpse into the psychedelic art and music that defined the Summer of Love. The posters were handmade by locals as well as artistic superstars such as Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, and Rick Griffin.
In addition to more than 100 rock concert posters, the Fantasy Fair exhibit includes original concert photos and video footage from attendees and rock photographers, handbills and programs, an original cell by Sausalito artist Glenn McKay from a liquid light show.
At 6 p.m. daily at the fairgrounds’ Showcase Theater, a live psychedelic liquid light show will celebrate the psychedelic art form that pioneered in the rock clubs and events of the ‘60s. Using vintage projection instruments and innovative techniques, the artists hand-animate painted slides, liquid mixes, and reflective materials to create a kaleidoscope of color and pattern. The performances feature members and archival materials from Glenn McKay and Jerry Abrams’s original Headlights, joined by performers such as Donovan Drummond, Dennis Keefe, and James Baldocchi.
Fairgoers will also be able to experience the Summer of Love through virtual reality as they are transported to far-away places, psychedelic worlds, and surreal landscapes. There will be hands-on art-making stations ready for fairgoers to make mandala spin art and kaleidoscopes. Visitors can pop into a photo time machine to try on tie-dye fashions, put some flowers in your hair and step back in time. Within the competitive exhibits, there are themed contests such as tie dye, Play-Doh, flashback to the ‘60s, macramé, kaleidoscope arts, tangle art, spin art, flower power floral arts, zen gardens, and a Let the Funshine In! themed contest.
Advance fair admission prices are $15 for ages 13-64, $12 for ages 65 and up, $12 for kids 4-12, and free for kids under 4. Once the fair opens on June 30, tickets at the gate will be $20 for ages 13-64, $15 for seniors and kids, and free for tykes up to age 3.
Remember, all ticket prices include admission to the headliner concerts held each day of the fair. Gold Circle concert admission is $50 per person and includes reserved seating in a special section. Headliners include Ann Wilson of Heart, Willie K, the 5th Dimension, the Commodores, the Liberators, UB40, the Happy Together Tour, and the Sons of Champlin.
Learn more about the band schedule and other details about the fair at www.marinfair.org.