• We’ve been running our Activist Alert updates for years, but now more than ever we realize that as people get “woke” they need to turn their frustration and anger into action and activism. Got an activist event planned? Send it to editor@eugeneweekly.com as well as to our calendar at cal@eugeneweekly.com.
• Occupy Medical is celebrating its 5th anniversary! Code Red and Daniel and the Blonde will play at the benefit 5 to 10 pm Friday, Feb. 3, at Whirled Pies, 8th & Charnelton. “Every Sunday, rain, ice or shine, Occupy Medical has been open from 11:45 am to 3:45 pm to provide free health care to anyone in need,” event organizers say. “Volunteer doctors, wound care nurses, herbalists and many others have provided services to over 3,100 patients during 8,470 visits in the last five years of Sundays.” Treatments range from frostbite care to diabetic education. Occupy Medical’s First Friday event will include music, dancing and raffle ticket drawings. Suggested donation is $10, but no one will be turned away for lack of money. Go to Occupy-Medical.org for more info.
• At 12:30 pm Feb. 3 there will be a Rally and Hearing to defend the People of Lane County’s Initiative Powers at the Lane County Circuit Court, 125 E. Eighth Ave. The rally is at 12:30 pm in the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, and the hearing starts at 1:30 pm in Courtroom 307. Community Rights Lane County says: “At the hearing, Judge Karsten Rasmussen will decide whether initiative opponent Stan Long will get his way to keep voters from exercising their constitutional right of initiative in Lane County. In his lawsuit, Long seeks to stop the initiatives currently being circulated to ban the aerial spray of herbicides and recognize our Right of Local Community Self-Government.” More info at CommunityRightsLaneCounty.org.
• 350 Eugene is hosting daylong Non-Violent Direct Action Skills Training Saturday, Feb. 4. See EW’s What’s Happening calendar for more information.
• The 13th Annual Corvallis Eco-Film Festival takes place Fridays in February at Odd Fellows Hall, 223 SW Second St. The program begins at 7 pm. Beer from Oregon Trail Brewery and snacks from New Morning Bakery will be available for purchase. Local experts will be on hand after each film for a brief discussion and audience Q&A. Suggested donation is $5 per person or $10 per family. Films include: On Feb. 3, Wolf OR-7 Expedition, a documentary telling the story of Oregonians who traveled 1,200 miles tracking a wolf. On Feb. 10, To the Ends of the Earth examines extreme oil and gas extraction. On Feb. 17, Seed: The Untold Story features passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. On Feb. 24, A Plastic Ocean deals with plastic pollution.
• The Oregon Humanities Conversation Project comes to Lane and Benton counties and around the state with its goal of bringing Oregonians together “to discuss provocative issues and ideas” through community conversations. The nonprofit says, “This season’s programs address such topics as homelessness, food choices, immigration and refugee communities in Oregon, and returning home from war.” Upcoming talks include “Mind the Gaps: How Gender Shapes Our Lives” with Jade Aguilar 5:30 pm, Wednesday, Feb. 15, at Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth Street and “You’re In or You’re Out: Exploring Belonging” with Lori Eberly 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 NW Circle Blvd. Want to lead a conversation? Applications are due Feb. 28. Go to OregonHumanities.org for the full calendar and more details.
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) has announced its Volunteer of the Year for the South Valley Area, serving Benton, Lane and Linn Counties: Sue Brown, a volunteer Site Coordinator at Bertha Holt Elementary in Eugene, has earned the honor for 2017. SMART is a statewide nonprofit organization that “envisions an Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed.” Community volunteers read one-on-one with PreK-3 children, helping to strengthen literacy skills and to encourage a love of reading. Kids in the program get 14 new books throughout the school year to keep and read with their families. Visit getSMARToregon.org or call 541-726-3302 to learn more.