CORVALLIS, Ore. – “The Merry Pranksters: A Zany, Psychedelic, Rollicking Conversation with the Merry Pranksters,” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the Construction & Engineering Hall at The LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis.
The talk is free and open to the public. The Pranksters’ appearance is the last installment of the College of Liberal Arts’ series, “The 60s: The Decade that Changed America.” The series, created by journalist and historian Bob Santelli, celebrates the cultural and artistic impact the 1960s have had on the past five decades of American life. Santelli is OSU’s director of popular music and performing arts.
The Merry Pranksters, led by Ken Kesey, author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Sometimes a Great Notion,” broke ground and paved the way for the emergence of the 1960s counterculture. Based in Eugene, Kesey and the Pranksters used elements of guerilla theater to advocate for and advance a cultural revolution.
Kesey and the Pranksters were immortalized in journalist Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” which chronicled the group’s journey from California to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City on their colorful bus “Further.”
Joining Santelli will be original Pranksters Carolyn “Mountain Girl” Garcia, Ken Babbs and George Walker, along with Kesey’s son Zane.
The LaSells Stewart Center is located at 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis. The event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts. For additional information about the series, visit: https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/60s-decade-changed-america.
College of Liberal Arts
About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts encompasses seven distinct schools, as well as several interdisciplinary initiatives, that focus on humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts. Curriculum developed by the college’s nationally and internationally-renowned faculty prepares students to approach the complex problems of the world ethically and thoughtfully, contributing to a student's academic foundation and helping to build real-world skills for a 21st century career and a purposeful life.
Celene Carillo, 541-737-2137, [email protected]
Bob Santelli, 541-737-1797, [email protected]