Lane County, Listed

Weekly Picks: 8/23-8/30

Thursday, Aug. 23

Ice cream social at Campbell Community Center

Please, let me interrupt your day with an important free ice cream alert because, as the heat continues to drag us down, ice cream is needed more than ever. The City of Eugene invites the public to head over to the Campbell Community Center for free ice cream, music and shelter from the heat. Runs 5:30 to 7 pm at 155 High Street. FREE.

Friday, Aug. 24

Garage sale benefits Honor Flight

Honor Flight brings veterans of foreign wars to Washington, D.C., to experience many of the national monuments dedicated to them. Without Honor Flight, many veterans would have lived without seeing this. The nonprofit organization needs money to do this, especially since we will always have veterans (a good reminder that the U.S. is still at war). The garage sale will benefit the organization, and if you have items that you want to get rid of and don’t want the trouble of having a garage sale, you can drop those items off. The sale is at 296 Benjamin Street and runs 9 am to 3 pm today through Sunday, Aug. 26. FREE.

Local Eugene Author Book Reading

Sure, you could buy some lousy book by James Patterson and Bill Clinton or you could support a local Eugene author. One of those authors probably needs your support more than the others, however. Kyle Yamada releases his first novel, Metanid Convergence, in a book release party at the Knight Library browsing room. Metanid Convergence tells the story of a teenage hacker who must save herself and the world from AI gone bad. Her technophobic grandfather is the only person who can help her. Yamada is a social studies teacher who spent eight years on the book — and publishing the book is a dream, since he grew up in Corvallis. Copies are available at the reading for $10, and you can get yours signed by the author. The event runs 4 to 5 pm at the Knight Library browsing room. FREE.

Saturday, Aug. 25

Back-to-School Clothing Swap

Buying clothes for kids on their way back to school can get pricey. Rather than heading to a giant company like Target or Wal-Mart for clothing imported from sweatshops, look into Back-to-School Clothing and Supply Swap, sponsored by 350 Eugene Families. Just bring in some of the clothing that is too small for your kids and grab something new. Because let’s face it, trends aren’t that original anymore. The clothing swap runs 1 to 4 pm at First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive Street. FREE.

Sunday, Aug. 26

DPLC’s Chili Cook Off

Apparently Democrats can cook a mean chili because this is the 15th year of the Democratic Party of Lane County’s Chili Cook Off. Before November puts everyone in a political freeze, the local Democratic Party invites the public to loosen up with some chili and see who in the party can claim the best chili. My money is on state Sen. Lee Beyer —  he looks like a real chili guy. Proceeds help the DPLC hire a general election field organizer. The cook off runs noon to 3 pm at Alton Baker Park. $10.

Spend an Evening with Scientists

Our current government isn’t exactly science-friendly. In fact, it’s far from it. 500 Women Scientists Eugene Pod is hosting an evening of science, with talks focused on how scientists are engaging with environmentalism and politics. Of course, Our Children’s Trust will be there; they’re well known for the landmark case of Juliana v. U.S. The event is a fundraiser for Our Children’s Trust. So far two speakers are slated. One lecture will focus on Juliana v. U.S. and the other is titled “Clean Water and Climate Change.” The event is located at First National Taphouse, 51 West Broadway, and runs 4:30 to 6:30 pm. $5 suggested donation.