COMMUNITY
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Another celebration participant. John Meiaer, volunteers his
time selling buttons and providing information at the Eugene
Peaceworks booth.
Celebration draws political views
By Rene DeCair
Emerald Reporter
A burly middle-aged man
stands under the banner of the
Vietnam Veterans of America.
One Huston, at a booth at the
Eugene Celebration, is selling
patriotic pins and bumper
stickers. One sticker reads, “If
You Bum My Flag. I'll Bum
Your (picture of a donkey's
hind end)."
On the stand in front of him
lies an open book, full of posed
pictures of men in uniform. He
calls it his ''War Yearbook."
"How have you been?" he
asks another vet in his middle
years as he saunters up to the
booth. Glad to see each other,
they laugh heartily and give
each other a few hefty slaps on
the back.
Huston, former president of
Vietnam Veterans of America,
has a purpose: he wants to pro
vide information and support
for other vets. Huston said he
wants "to let them (veterans)
know I understand. I was
there."
"We call this outreach," he
said.
While Huston attempted to
reach out to veterans, dozens of
people with other causes used
the eighth annual Eugene Cele
bration as a soapbox. With esti
mated attendance from Friday
through Sunday at 100.000 to
150.000 people, the celebration
was the place to be for anyone
wishing to get a message out.
Eighty-seven community
groups with causes and a few
political candidates worked
booths to express views and
gear up for the Nov. 6 elec
tions.
Eugene Celebration market
ing specialist Andrea Vollmer
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said the original inspiration for
the celebration came from the
desire to bring together the di
verse people in the community.
The city council wanted to
have a place where members of
the community “weren't pitted
against each other in any politi
cal way and everybody had
their spot here," she said.
That original vision held true
as the celebration hosted such
diverse groups as the Hemlock
Society, Friends of Downtown.
Oregon Rivers Council and the
National Organization for
Women.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.,
performed his annual duty of
slug slime scooper in Satur
day's parade. Democratic gu
bernatorial candidate Barbara
Roberts rode in the parade, and
both she and her Republican
contender Dave Frohnmayer
gave away buttons and stickers
at their booths.
Although some had the glam
our of wooing voters and
scooping slug slime, others
were content to do the mun
dane jobs of passing out pam
phlets and buttons.
"This is what you have to
do. This is the nuts and bolts of
politics," said George
Alvergue, as he worked at Sen.
Mark Hatfield's campaign
booth.
As for diversity, groups con
cerned with the timber issue
covered both ends of the politi
cal spectrum.
Mike McKay, chairman of the
steering committee for the Yel
low Ribbon Coalition, said the
coalition set up a booth, “to get
(the public) to realize there are
other answers (to the timber
supply problem) than shutting
the timber industry down."
Meanwhile. Bill Todd, of the
Forest Conservation Council,
said he was there to “show
people how fragmented the na
tional forests are getting."
Todd believes the celebra
tion's diversity pays off.
“That's the best type of educa
tion because you're getting
both sides." Todd said.
But not everyone was con
vinced of the usefulness of the
booths.
“I think people come here
more for the food and entertain
ment — not the politics." said
Scott Fast, who was there just
for the fun of it.
Regardless of public opinion,
those managing booths viewed
their role as educational and
felt that the celebration was a
good place to get their mes
sages out.
"This is the celebration of
the arts and caring expressions
here locally." said John Meiser.
volunteer at the Eugene
Peaceworks booth. "This is the
place to be."
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