The Emerald Feast is happening from 6 to 8 pm Thursday, April 25, at the First United Methodist Church at 1376 Olive. Tickets $15-25 can be purchased at www.emeraldfeast.weebly.com/tickets or email your reservation to emeraldfeast@gmail.com, and then pay at the door. Participants vote for their favorite local entrepreneur from the four presenters, enjoy enchilada dinner and send home the winning presenter with a grant check.
A free workshop on Social Media for Business will be held by LCC’s Small Business Development Center from 6 to 9 pm Tuesday, April 30, at the LCC Downtown Campus Room 308. RSVP to 463-6200 or email lccbizcenter@lanecc.edu.
Oregon PeaceWorks closed its statewide office in Salem last week after 26 years, according to Kerry Fox, OPW’s current executive director. The nonprofit sent out a notice April 11 saying, “After extensive deliberation, the organization’s all-volunteer board made the decision at a session March 28, as the inescapable response to financial pressures.” The board has established a fund to match donations up to $5,000 to help retire the organization’s debts. See oregonpeaceworks.org.
Portland PeaceWorks and Eugene PeaceWorks are independent chapters of OPW and are continuing scaled-down operations, says David Zupan of Eugene PeaceWorks/Eugene Media Action. “The effective and persistent leadership of long time activist Peter Bergel is a major factor in keeping OPW and its newspaper the The PeaceWorker going all these years,” Zupan says. “It’s sad to see OPW close its doors, but reassuring to see that Peter and the OPW Board members plan to continue their activism working on other projects.” The Eugene group no longer has an office at Grower’s Market downtown, but collaborates with other local groups to put on conferences with nationally known speakers, local panel discussions and film showings. Contact zupandavid@gmail.com.
The Nightingale Public Advocacy Collective is a new nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the civil rights and wellbeing of those who experience harassment, discrimination and criminalization due to homelessness and poverty. They believe that everyone has a right to exist in public space regardless of socioeconomic status, and that the basic rights of individuals in public space outweigh the economic interests of business and government. For more info: respectexistence.org, nightingalecollective@gmail.com.
KLCC’s Spring Radiothon ended April 12 with a total of $280,650 pledged from more than 2,700 listeners who became members or renewed their memberships. The drive exceeded the goal of $280,000. Two-thirds of the public radio station’s budget comes form listener support and underwriting by local businesses. See klcc.org.
The Cannery is a new “sustainable gastro-pub” in downtown Eugene that opened its doors April 20 at 345 E. 11th Ave., the former location of the Bier Stein. The restaurant is an owner-operated establishment by chef Michael Wares and Lori Mace, who have been in the food and beverage industry nearly 20 years. The Cannery will focus on preserving, canning, fermenting and pickling featuring local organic products, along with 20 varieties of draft beer. Call 852-3015.
The Dirty Dash fun mud run will be in Eugene June 29 and anyone who registers before the end of April will have $5 of their $50 registration fee go to the Boston Marathon Relief Fund. See dirtydash.com for details.
The Maude Kerns Art Center is seeking submissions for Art For Your Garden, the popular outdoor art display at the 30th annual Art and the Vineyard Festival July 4-6 at Alton Baker Park. Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 26. See mkartcenter.org or call 345-1571.