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Although the weather can’t seem to make up its mind quite yet about whether it’s summer in Eugene, one thing is certain: The raincoat-free sun-filled weeks are just about here. And with long summer days come equally rewarding mild evenings. So what better way is there to enjoy those mild nights than to hang up a white sheet, pick up a projector and pop open a bottle of wine with friends and enjoy a movie in the comfort of your yard? Continue reading
Every summer, the Whiteaker Block Party (pictured, 8/3) seems to grow by another block. Check out our 8/1 issue for a rundown of the music, food, art and more that heat up the Whit in the dog days of summer. And don’t forget the Oregon Country Fair (7/12-7/14) and Eugene Celebration (8/23-8/25) for more awesome local culture. Continue reading
The first thing we noticed was the quiet. Even the wind seemed muted as it whipped through the tall grass. Five friends had traveled 340 miles east from Eugene to find the ghost town of Whitney, and now we stood at a dirt crossroad, reading a sign with a horse-drawn carriage painted next to a steam engine. “Rails of the Sumpter Valley R. R. reached Whitney Valley June 1, 1901,” we read, squinting in the hot July sun. “At one time 150 people called Whitney their home. When the railway was abandoned in 1947, the town closed down.” Continue reading
Outside is the place to be when summer weather is officially here to stay, and many of the options to comfortably enjoy the heat in Eugene involve water. Take a dip in swimming holes in the area, or travel to a water park and enjoy all it has to offer. Eugene and its surrounding areas have it covered, with refreshing activities that cater to both adults and children. Continue reading
Clouds made the eclipse and Venus’ transit across the sun a little hard to see, but we still know summer is under way. While the rest of the seasons morph through the different shadows of sopping wetness, the knowledge that here comes the sun, it’s all right, chills Eugene right out in the sunshine. Whether your summer is festivaling, floating or vineyarding, the fast and free or lazy and peaceful pace — you pick — of the Eugene’s other season says you have a cornucopia in front of you, so please partake. Continue reading
The scavenger hunt is an activity so egregiously underrated by the adult world as naïve or childish that it really sucks the fun out of all that nostalgia. I ask you this: What would a child’s Easter be without an egg hunt? What would playing pirate be without an “X” marking the booty spot? Continue reading
There is perhaps no better teacher than Mother Nature. Her curriculum is seasonal and her pedagogy is patience. And though we may at times ignore her lessons, her classroom remains willing to receive us. It is this truth that inspired Lydia Scott and Leela Greensberg to create the Grateful Growers Summer Camp for kids age 5-10. “Kids need to be outside more, engaging the natural world and learning about where food comes from,” Greensberg says. Continue reading
close-in Events in and around Eugene. june Thursday, 6/7 Walk with Us, weekly self-led neighborhood walking group, ages 50 & up, 9:30-10:30am every Thursday, meet at Petersen Barn Community Center, 870 Berntzen Rd. FREE. Drop-in Kayaking, bring equipment, no instruction provided, ages 12 & up, 8-10pm every Thursday, Echo Hollow Pool, 1655 Echo Hollow Rd. $5. Friday, 6/8 Continue reading
Long, five-car-caravan convoys, open air, live music, face paint, dehydration, hordes of howling drunks with beers in hand and marijuana smoke rising in plumes above their heads: These are the tropes of summer for those who love music festivals, and there’s no shortage when it comes to these monstrous gatherings. Continue reading