Whats-Happening: Page 479

Holiday Treats

Local theaters hit the stage with a whirl of winter classics

Theater
A Christmas Carol at Actors Cabaret of Eugene

What is it about the encroaching cold and dark that sends us shivering out into the night in search of a collective theater experience? Local theaters can smell our desire, and like an expert patisserie, they set out the most familiar, uplifting theatrical fare to tempt us. There will be no angst-ridden, painful social statements made on stage this December. The holiday theater season is about warm, familiar classics to satisfy an audience hungry for community and tradition. Continue reading →

Arts Hound

Visual Arts

For those willing to brave the cold, First Friday ArtWalk will be brimming with holiday cheer. Courtney Stubbert, of Eugene Contemporary Art, partners with Threadbare Print House to host a pop-up print shop —  “Give Shop” — 5:30 to 9 pm Friday, Dec. 4, at 945 Olive in Broadway Alley. “Give” posters will be screenprinted on the spot. All proceeds go to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Lane County. Continue reading →

Gift Guide

Local gift ideas for everyone on your list

Culture

What’s this? Twinkly lights wrapped around trees? Christmas songs in stores? People with an inherent lack of holiday cheer raging about red coffee cups? We must be nearing December!  It’s a time of rampant commercialism, but don’t fear — by buying local, you can find one-of-a-kind gifts for loved ones while also making a contribution to Lane County’s economy. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gift ideas for all the eclectic characters in your life. Dive in and see what’s out there.     Continue reading →

Overstuffed and Flickering Out

Film

Mockingjay Part 2 has no illusions about being anything but the final movie in a series. There are no reminders, no “previously, on The Hunger Games” montages to put you back in the story; it just starts, opening on a Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who is, as we so often see her, bruised but not broken. Which, in a nutshell, is the problem with this movie: It doesn’t know how to grapple with the way that book-Katniss really is broken, traumatized and angry after all she’s been through. Continue reading →

Subscribe Me

Local tastes and experiences as gifts

Gift Guide
Red Wagon Creamery. Photo by Amanda L. Smith.

With the holidays just around the corner, finding the right gifts for family and friends can be a daunting task. But what if I told you this could be accomplished from home, in your pajamas, all while benefitting the local economy?  Shopping for experiences — through subscriptions and memberships — can be fun, and it helps support some of our community’s most important cultural and culinary institutions. Continue reading →

Festive Felt

Learn needle-felting skills with Willamalane

Gift Guide
Leslie Seese’s needle felting class is Dec. 5 at Springfield’s Dorris Ranch

Unless explicitly discussed beforehand, EW doesn’t recommend giving pets as gifts. Too often, holiday puppies and kittens grow up to become shelter dogs and cats.  We do, however, endorse checking out the cute critters made by needle-felt artist Leslie Seese or, better yet, you can learn to make them yourself at her class in December. Needle felting is a craft that involves poking wool with very sharp needles to tangle the wool fibers so that they take on a desired shape — a heart, snowflake or reindeer, for example. Continue reading →