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She is an emissary of the arts — a thread-spinning, yarn-whirling ambassador of costume — and a die-hard advocate for keeping Eugene wonderfully weird. Queen Sadie Slimy Stitches is Eugene’s new 2012 SLUG Queen, the official royal representative of the Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod. It’s a Eugene thing, and this queen wears it well. Continue reading
It’s almost time again to “Raise the Roof” in celebration of all things Eugene at the 30th annual Eugene Celebration. While you’re sure to be busy stuffing your face at one of the food carts, or rooting for your favorite mustachioed contestant, don’t forget to take in at least one musical performance. Continue reading
Film in Eugene is a different animal from the sleek, ultra-refined cinematic beast of Hollywood. What reigns supreme in this dank, rugged environment is something truly unique and truly Cascadian. Let’s face it; in Oregon things are just a little different — a little more grimy, a little more earthbound and a little more badass. This weekend at the Eugene Celebration, the award-winning work of local filmmakers will be screened for all to see, acquainting Eugene with varied and eccentrically diverse hometown cinema talent. Continue reading
Walking the streets of downtown Eugene can be an adventure. On any given day you might encounter a unicycle-riding cowboy, a man tattooed from head to toe, exotic animals (or at least a cat on a leash), pierced people, painted people, naked people and most definitely bearded people. Now there’s a forum for all those hairy folk to go head-to-head in a contest at the Eugene Celebration’s Beard and Mustache Competition. Continue reading
Clad in a worn tan Carhartt jacket and rubber boots as insurance against the rain threatened by a slate-gray, wind-wiped spring afternoon, Derek Brandow is in his element — multiple elements, really. Today, the former elementary school teacher’s classroom is a field of knee-high grass, his young student a potential customer for the community-supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions that Our Family Farm, his poultry operation, is selling. Continue reading
The Block Party is blasting off with nine stages this year, and each and every one of them is destined to keep you captivated, no matter how much Ninkasi you’ve managed to slide into your belly. The Ninkasi Patio Stage, on that note, is full of local icons — including Adventure Galley, Basin & Range and Marv Ellis, to name a few — but there’s a whole lot more to unearth this year in terms of novelty. Continue reading
The beauty of the Block Party fashion show is not only the stylish clothes but also how they were made, who made them and who is wearing them. It is insular in a sense, bringing together designers, models and hair and makeup professionals within and near the Whiteaker neighborhood, but it also showcases what creativity can produce with leftover material, wherever you may hail from. “We really try to have mostly Whiteaker-based models, hair and makeup and designers,” says Laura Lee Laroux, operator of The Redoux Parlour, which is producing the fashion show. Continue reading
Activity on the block — or blocks — surges with so much energy and character that it’s one of the best features of the Whiteaker Block Party. Last year saw the silk performers set up in the trees and the light-up hula-hoop dancer, among other random delights. There are many things in store for a connoisseur of street entertainment. A new addition to the Block Party will be the cycling of the Bike Brigade. These fun folks will be rolling through the Whit, so watch out! Along with the Bike Brigade you’ll see many roving street performers, from jugglers to artists to dancers. Continue reading
For six summers, volunteers of the Whiteaker Block Party have been hard at work adding the Block Party era to the neighborhood’s long and colorful history. The Whit has been home to indigenous people, farmers, families, hippies, anarchists, artists and small business owners — all folks who benefit from creative thinking. This thinking just might be the most continuous generational thread winding through this place that has seen many changes. Continue reading
When it comes to screen printing, Revaud Godwin only comes out at night. That is, unless it’s Whiteaker Block Party weekend. Then you can catch him on the street hard at work behind his press. Keep your eyes open for a man of shorter stature surrounded by T-shirts, working at a machine that looks kind of like a new-age catapult or something out of a Transformers movie. That’s Godwin. He is an old-school Whiteaker resident, enthused by the independent spirit and funky ambiance of the Block Party. Continue reading