We wonder if most small cities the size of Eugene-Springfield have as many great bakeries and as much yummy local bread as we do? Probably not. We have learned about another fine bakery, Saverio’s, in the nondescript strip mall at 625 W. Centennial Boulevard in Springfield. Primarily wholesale, it’s only open to retail customers 10 am to 3 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Cash or check only, but the baker says he’ll be accepting credit cards soon. The menu changes daily and is posted on Facebook. We bought right-out-of-the-oven bread and fresh croissants.
• There are cold nights in our future, and the hardworking folks at Egan Warming Centers are gearing up to open hearts and buildings to keep our unhoused community members from freezing. Please support them by volunteering or through donations via St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, SVdP.us/get-involved/donate-funds. You can also keep dropping off warm items for White Bird Clinic’s Drive to Stay Warm here at 1251 Lincoln Street or donate at WhiteBirdClinic.org.
• Update: Event was canceled: Looking for fun holiday events for a good cause? Look no further than this fundraiser for Eugene Juneteenth! Juneteenth’s Ugly Sweater Skate Party is 2 pm Dec. 18 at the Bob Keefer Center, 250 S. 32nd Street in Springfield. A very limited number of skates and sizes are available to rent. And there will be music with DatBoi Smuve, games and raffle prizes. Pay what you can — $5-$15 — at the door, or ahead of time on Eventbrite. Search “Juneteenth’s Ugly Sweater Skate Party” to find the event. Or if you can’t make it to skate but want to support Eugene Juneteenth, reach out to EugeneJuneteenthCelebration@gmail.com.
• We are cautiously optimistic as we see EWEB commissioners heading toward decommissioning the Leaburg Dam and setting that section of the McKenzie River free. The ugly dam was built 90 years ago to provide power, but the Leaburg Canal has structural deficiencies and the dam has not generated power since 2018. EWEB can buy cheaper, climate-friendly power from the Bonneville Power Administration, so removing the dam itself — which EWEB says is at least 10 years down the road — will be good for ratepayers and good for the river, which is home to threatened Chinook salmon and bull trout, and its flow. Still to be ironed out, according to folks from McKenzie Flyfishers, are details like how will the Leaburg and McKenzie fish hatcheries function and how will hatchery fish be screened out?
• It’s time for Eugene City Club’s annual “Gifts to the City” program where 10 community members each spend three to four minutes describing — if they had a magic wand — the virtual “gift” they would give to the Eugene to make it an even better place to live, work and/or play. Retired pastor (and current Eugene Weekly columnist) Dan Bryant will host, and presenters include EW’s 2022 Best of Eugene Teacher of the Year Leah Dunbar and twin sister — and past Best of winner — Rena Dunbar; TransPonder Executive Director Kyle Rodriguez-Hudson; and Raining SLUG Queen Sativa Slugworth (aka Alyssa Buttons-Garten) to name a few. The event is noon Dec. 16 at Davis Restaurant, 94 West Broadway.
• What we’re reading: Mika In Real Life by Emiko Jean. This Pacific Northwest bestselling young adult author takes a foray into adult fiction with a book that’s a bit drama, a bit romance and a lot of lovely insights on motherhood, adoption and growing up Japanese in Portland. Eugene even makes a cameo.