About the Summer Circus

Drive South of Grants Pass, headed towards the beaches, and you'll pass through the tiny town of Selma, Oregon.  You'll probably miss the town except for the single swinging caution light at the one intersection between a Ray's Food Market and a Shell Gas Station.  Those that are in the know, those of us that crave to be the first to hike and swim the most beautiful parts of Oregon each Spring - we've been known to hang a right at this particular Shell Station, and head 10-15 more miles down the windy, gravely, single-lane road to relax by the Illinois River.  Whether it's the beer & drugs or just the casual atmosphere, the Illinois River has been a spot for a number of universal awakenings by the culture of outdoorspeople who make it their weekend destination.

One weekend each Spring, just after the right at the Shell Station, long before you hit the river's edge, a local property owner opens up his land for an all-weekend extravaganza of music, outdoor recreation, and a barter faire to celebrate the oncoming season - The Summer Circus.  Started 4 or 5 years ago, the Summer Circus began with a small group of musicians and their close friends  taking over a stage nestled in the middle of the Siskiyous for a couple days of music and excess.  It has grown into a slightly more mature outdoor venue for 2008, but with plenty of opportunity still to have a great time and experiment with new ideas (or medicines) within a healthy, comfortable and compassionate community.

The goals of the Summer Circus are to promote goodwill, sound environmental practices, open-minded spirituality, and to fuel the essence of brotherly love that is so crucial to a productively peaceful society in a day and age of civil unrest.  It sounds like a lot to accomplish, but people would be amazed at how easy it is for hundreds of strangers to come together as instant friends and family, just from sharing the same dancefloor.