Mac Court concert injunction possible
An injunction may be filed soon by the City of
Eugene against future concerts in McArthur Court
because of smoking problems.
But how soon has not been determined yet.
“Certainly an injunction is a possibility,” City At
torney Art Johnson said late Tuesday afternoon, “but I
haven’t had time to consider all the alternatives. There
are many possible approaches to get compliance with
smoking rules.”
He said since the next concert in Mac Court is
scheduled for Jan 21, he doesn’t have to decide on a
course of action right away. “I don’t see a decision on
this coming out tomorrow (today),’’Johnson said. “It’s
something that we’ll pursue carefully. I feel clearly that
the Fire Marshall’s responsibility for public safety is to
Voter registration
note in progress
Registration of students which will enable them
to vote in the upcoming special election for the
cigarette tax got off to a good start yesterday, with
students lining up at several registration tables
around campus.
No final totals were available when the
Emerald went to press last night, but estimates of
the day’s total registration went as high as 500.
“From all appearances, it was going very
well,” said Dean of Student Personnel Services
Robert Bowlin. “I only wish we had had more
registrars.”
In order to be eligible to vote in the Jan. 18
special election, students must register before Dec.
18.
Registration booths will be open today and
tomorrow at: The Co-op: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; EMU
lobby: 10a.m.to5p.m.; Library: 7a.in.to 10p.m.;
180PLC: 10a.m. to 3p.m.; 150Science: 10a.m. to3
p.m.; and dorm dinner lines: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Registration booths will also be open before and
after the basketball games this weekend, and
during halftime; and at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the
EMU. when Senator Ernest Groening (D-Alas.) will
speak.
see that fire rules are enforced. And this office will see
that assistance is given as is necessary.”
Johnson had just talked with Eugene Fire Marshall
Wendell Wick, who presented Johnson with » written
report on Monday night’s Arlo Guthrie—Ry Cooder
concert.
Tlie report was written by Eugene Fire Department
Captain Neal Cannady, who attended the Guthrie con
cert.
Regulations set by Wick that smoking is prohibited
in the center area of Mac Court were “seriously
violated,” Cannady’s report said.
Warnings about smoking throughout the concert
were “largely ignored,” it said. “In fact, many
cigarettes were ignited while the announcements were
being made.”
Cannady’s report continued, “It is conservatively
estimated that at least 100 persons were smoking in the
prohibited area of the court at anytime during the
performance.
(An Emerald reporter at the concert took three five
minute counts of the number of times persons struck
matches or used lighters to begin smoking. For the first
five-minute period, 51 lit up, for the second, 32, and the
third, 43.)
“While more announcements probably should have
been made,” Cannady's report went on, “it is doubtful
that they would have been any more effective in gaining
the cooperation of the audience.”
Wick estimated that smoking at the Guthrie concert
exceeded that of the Heidelberg Blues Festival, held
Nov. 20 in Mac Court.
He explained that under the Eugene Fire Protection
Code, he, as fire marshall, is authorized to set fire
regulations at specific places—including Mac Court, a
44-year-old, all-wood facility.
Smoking is allowed in the “outer court” area, which
is equipped with ash receptacles and an automatic
sprinkling system. “But the center court has no
sprinkling system,” Wick said.
“It wouldn’t take a whole lot to start a fire in Mac
Court,” he added. “We’ve been lenient by allowing
smoking even in the outer area.”
Smoking was a problem at last month’s Heidelberg
Blues Festival, Wick said, but he decided to wait until
the Guthrie concert to report to the city attorney’s office.
“My decision then (Nov. 20) was that we can’t judge by
just one concert. But now, the matter is the respon
sibility of the city attorney.”
City attorney Johnson said he will confer with Wick
again today and also contact University officials to find
a solution to the smoking problem.
Earlier Tuesday, ASUO Cultural Forum director
Rob Gruber released a statement calling for a
moratorium on the planning of all future concerts in Mac
Court — Mose Allison-Kenny Burrell jazz concert Jan. 21,
and the Youngbloods Feb. 13—but “we will not negotiate
or commit ourselves to further McArthur Court con
certs," Gruber said.
“We will closely observe behavior at these two
remaining concerts and make a decision in late
February as to whether or not the forum will sponsor
any further concerts,” he said.
There are also problems other than smoking,
Gruber said, such as drinking, crowding of aisles, gate
crashing and damage to the building. “Each of these
problems has caused difficulty for the forum in terms of
its ability to continue to present such events," Gruber
said.
“Gate crashing has had the effect of spiralling
security costs to a point that breaking even financially is
nearly impossible. Smoking and crowding of the aisles
constitute a grave safety hazard.
“In spite of many attempts to successfully alleviate
these problems, the situation has only grown worse.
Time after time we’ve asked people to cooperate and
help us solve these problems. The response has been
generally negligible and sometimes hostile."
Smoking at Mac Court concerts has not only been a
problem this year. Last February, Fire Marshall Wick
warned the University that the City of Eugene would
seek an injunction against Mac Court concerts unless
smoking at the concerts ceased. Wick’s warning came
immediately after the Neil Diamond concert.
After his warning, smoking at concerts diminished
sharply.
Because the problem is back again this year,
University officals have considered several courses of
action among them a smoke-sensing device which
would sound an alarm when the smoke level at a concert
gets too high. Another proposal is to eject those smoking
from the concert.
For the Guthrie concert, the Cultural Forum had an
“advance warning” printed on the backs of tickets sold
for the show. The tickets read: “Friends: Smoking in
concerts endangers thousands of lives. Please do us all a
great favor and refrain. Thanks. The ASUO Cultural
Forum.”
Emerald interview
Arlo Guthrie: before the concert
By STEPHEN GOODLAD
Of the Emerald
It was around 3 p m Monday that I
called the ASUO people and was told to be
at McArthur Court at 7 p.m. and that I
might get an interview with Arlo Guthrie.
Nothing was definite, everything was
unclear. I went to the building at 7 and
shortly thereafter, Arlo, accompanied by
his back up people and Ry Cooder, walked
on stage and began tuning up and balan
cing the monitors for the concert. I took
this opportunity to pursue the interview
through the right channels by talking to
one of Arlo's people about getting an in
terview. I was told that it might be possible
and that this fellow would see what he
could do. I realized that this was not the
right approach and that I was getting
nowhere. So I sat down and watched until
Arlo decided that everything sounded all
right and got up to leave. Then I ap
proached him and asked for the interview.
He wasn't too keen on the idea at the time
but said maybe later. Again I went and sat
down and infer he came over and sat down
and said all .;ht so we did it. Here it is as
it took plat'.
SG: What are you trying to do on stage?
Are you trying to communicate anything in
particular?
AG: Well, what 1 don’t try to do is in
terpret it.
SG: How do you mean?
AG: Well, I don’t interpret what I
do...for other people, you know, I do it for
myself certainly and I think other people
should do it for other people but...
SG'- Yeah. What have you been doing
lately? 1 haven't heard an awful lot about
you.
AG: Not too much. Doin’ this kinda stuff.
SG: I see...What about uh, television?
You've done a couple of shows. What do
you think of it? Do you like television?
AG: No, I don’t really...1 don’t really
think it's great.
SG: Uh, “Highway In the Wind." you’ve
done a lot of things, uh. songs about
motorcycles and that sort of thing.
AG: 1 only wrote one song about a
motorcycle.
SG. Well. “Highway In the Wind" is that
not influenced by a motorcycle?
AG: No, I never thought of it like that.
SG: You like riding motorcycles though?
AG: I used to, I used to ride 'em a whole
bunch.
+ + + + +
SG: You did "Percy's Song" on your
Washington County album. Why did you
choose that one?
AG: . It's a good tune. Not enough
(Continued on Page 6)