Eugene Celebration 2010
Stylish Pets Take the Stage Raise the woof, meow and bray at the Pet Stroll
Local, National, International Film mania, plus zombies, at the EC Film Fest
Yoga Slugs and Friends in France SLUG Queen Slugasana takes over the EW
Ready to Raise Some Heck, I Mean Roofs? Eugene Celebration music round-up
Village People Habitat volunteers to build a shed
Regress, Relax, Unwind Health and Wellness Celebration
Speedy Celebration For runners, the parade happens in the afterglow
Undeath Will Not Them Part The Celebration gets its first zombie wedding
Yoga Slugs and Friends in France
SLUG Queen Slugasana takes over the EW
by Suzi Steffen
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When a troupe of colorful princesses and princes bound through the halls of the EW, we know it’s time for the photo shoot of new SLUG Queen Slugasana. Her balloon-aided tail under wraps for the first part of the interview, and with court members continually helping with the designer-made costume, Slugasana (Jerril Nilson in everyday parlance, owner of JLN Design and graphic designer for many of Eugene’s largest arts groups) answered a few questions for us.
So … do you bring your retainers everywhere?
Yes, my minions, the Slugasana court, do come with me to many places.
Tell me about your hair. It’s so … colorful and coil-y.
It’s reused telephone wire. I’ve been saving it up for years!
And your costume?
It’s made by Sarah Rose Moroney, a professional costume designer who lives in France and who was here on vacation. [Moroney’s website is http://therosesthimble.free.fr/, and if you can read French or use Google to translate, you can learn a lot more about her philosophy.]
How did this idea come about?
We were in a yoga class, and we had an idea, and we went from there.
How much time have you spent on this so far?
[Much laughter from the queen and the court; cries of “Oh, the amount of time!” “This is all volunteer!” “Out of pocket” and other incoherent calls of SLUG intensity waft around the room.]So, why did you want to be the SLUG Queen?
Because I can! Because I was a Rickie for 20 years, and I need to do something fun again. It’s either this or mayor!
What’s your favorite thing about Eugene?
Yoga classes! And family and friends. I’ve been here for 36 years.
Anyone you want to thank?
The Eugene Ballet! [One court member is Ballet dancer Ben Goodman.] They lent us a large snail costume so Ben, Monsieur SUV Cargot, could escort us to the stage! And my charity for this year is Slow Food Eugene and especially its school garden project.
Find out much more about Queen Slugasana at her Facebook page, http://wkly.ws/qb or www.slugqueen.com, and see her in the Celebration Parade starting at 10 am Saturday — or walk with her in the parade. The only requirement is that walkers wear green preferably slug and not kelly, green.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519