Sara Billdt

Born in Sonora, California, to a Native American mother and a European-American dad, Sara Billdt grew up in several small towns in the Sierra foothills. After her parents divorced, she and her father, Luther Billdt, moved to Phoenix, Oregon, near Medford. “My father sold cars,” she says. “We were poor, but we had everything we needed.” After high school graduation in 2003, she and her father moved to Eugene, where he has retired. She held a series of food service jobs and began to sing and play guitar on open mic nights at Cafe Paradiso. “My dad played guitar professionally in the ’60s and ’70s,” she notes. More recently, she got into bartending, first at Cowfish Dance Club, and now in her third year at Blairally Vintage Arcade. “I feel that I’ve found my place,” says Billdt, who also performs on guitar and vocals with local rock band Coyote. “We usually have a show once a month.” Late last summer, as she learned of indigenous peoples’ pipeline protest in North Dakota, Billdt was moved to action. She created the Facebook group “Eugene Stands with Standing Rock” Sept. 4. A week later, she was on the road to North Dakota with two carloads of donated camping gear, along with her new Facebook friend Meesha Goldberg and her 68-year-old mom, Nellie Wooldridge, who had driven up from Sonora. “It was an amazing experience,” she says. “I’ll never forget the smell of campfire smoke, sage and sweetgrass.” Following a fundraiser at Blairally last weekend, Billdt and Goldberg are planning another supply run to Standing Rock in December. They hope to stay for a month, camping in the cold Dakota winter.

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!