Eugene festivals
give fair choices
Dy Tim Neff
Emerald Associate l (liter
There's a fair for just aiiout everyone thin sum
mer in Eugene.
Depending on their personal tastes, fairgoers
can chuck out a vaudeville performance ut the Or
egon Country Fair, drop in on a hockey 'oumi
muni at the Lane County Fair, or watch a parade
nt the Eugene Celebration.
But whatever draws |>eople to Eugrme-areu fes
tlvuls this summer, they're sure to get their fill ol
food tmoths, live music and other familiar fair .it
tractions,
The Oregon Country Fair, whit It runs July
10-12, packages traditional fair elements with a
Wootlstock atmosphere.
This 23-year old event offers 250 craft Ixmlhs
50 outdoor restaurants and 10 mush stages in a
wooded setting 13 miles west of Eugene near
Vonnta
At the heart of the fuir Is the Community VII
lage and Energy park. The Community Village is
the site of the demonstrations, workshops anti
music by 20 peace, justice, education and com
munlcallons-orlented non-profit organizations in
the Energy Park, fairgoers ran see alternative on
ergy displays, hear music or lake a solar shower
Tito Country Fair offers more than 100 musical
performances by u witie variety of artists Fills
year's roster includes appearances by the Cfa/.y
B‘s, Musungo. Dead Klngers and the Kon Eloytl
Band.
As ulwuys, vaudovillo performers will turn oul
en masse for the throo-day fair Fairgoers can lakt
in wat:ky. off-lwlanoo performancos by Dr. Atom
ic's Medicine Show, UMO, Annanimus and Kadai
Angnls.
Admission is S7 Fritlay, S10 Saturday unti Sf
Sunday at the gate. The fuir is wheelchair-accessi
ble and sign interpreters are available Fret
round-trip buses leave regularly from Eugene.
The Lane Country Fair. Aug 1H-23, weighs in
as Oregon's largest county fair. Located on VVesi
13th Avenue, the six-day event features agricul
lurul displays, live music, food booths anti it:*
skating shows.
The theme of this year's fuir is "Barn Appetit,'
a questionable pun that alludes to the event's ag
rlculturul focus. A livestock building will houst
barnyard animals of every Ilk, including minis
lure horses, drnft horses, pygmy goats, sheep
cows anti bunnies.
The fair will also lake full advantage of Iht
Lane County Ice Arena Performances are sched
uled by several top-notch Ice skaters, including
1992 Olympic medalists Paul Wylio, Isabellt
Brasseur and Lloyd l-Uslor.
F«i|Mo>
Th» Oregon Country Fair (top) and the Eugene Cel
ebration (above) an lust two ot aavanl local laatF
vale that add color to Lana County summers
The third annual Lane County l air Invitational
Hockey Tournament begin* Thursday. Aug 20.
with the championship game scheduled Sunday
afternoon
An outdoor stage will play host to a wide varie
ty of performances l>eginning each day at 11 a m
Live music and dancing is featured each night
from 6-10:30.
The Expo Hall will have model railroaders, an
antique car show and an artisan's studio where
artists cun lx? watched while they work on their
crafts.
The Exhibit Hall will house hundreds of con
sumer booths More booths, the midway and
more than 60 food pavilions take up the outside
grounds.
Admission for adults 16 and over is S5 eac h
day. Students ages 10-15 get in for S3. The fair is
free for children under 10. Dus transportation is
fret! to the fair.
The Eugene Celebration, which runs Sept
IB-20, ushers out the summer with a citywide
slate of activities Tho ovont turns the downtown
area into a maze of art displays, music stages,
open-air Iwzaars. athletic events and food booths.
Event organizers have given this year's celebra
Turn to FAIRS. Pago 8
Fourth in USA means time to chill
By Mike Freeman
Emerald Contributor
So hero we nre In Eugene for the
summer — anil for some of us. even
beyond those summer months School
Is out. Summer school is In It's hotter
than hell (with that slight chnnce of
rain), and the day of patriotic expres
sion and forest fires is upon us
For a relatively small city, Eugene
certainly has all kinds of fun stuff for
Lane County residents to do as they on
joy their Americanism and Henry's
Always the time to run. July 4 brings
on the annual "Dutto to Butte" 10k
run. Actually, the course of the run has
changed In the past few years, so now
It's not really "Butte to Butte."
The ram begins at ft a m sharp at
11th Avenue and I’narl Street and con
tinues in a more circular (and urban)
path, finishing at Eighth Avenue and
Oak St root
For what the nation's first commer
cial tlibort orchard (nils ns an "old
fashioned" summer. Ikirrls Ranch in
Springfield will hold nn ice cream so
cial from noon la four p in You i an
bring u picnic, listen to the fiddlin' of
the "The Best Bets" and the five-piece
brass band "Der Bohemian Brass" and
enjoy scoops of Baskin Robbins tie
cream.
General admission Is S5, seniors get
in for $:» SO and kids for a mere two
bucks.
Maude Kearns Art Gallery sponsors
Its annual"Art in the Vineyard" at Al
ton Baker Park. This event brings to
gether artists from around the state to
display their crafts. Patrons can listen
to jazz. blues and country music amid
20 or so food booths anil taste wine
from participating merchants
The event is the art center's annual
fundraiser and a donation of S2 is re
quested
As for fireworks, they've been
banned until July •», but aren't the real
ly fun ones the ones professionals do
anyway? Sparklers just don't cut it
anymore.
Autzen Stadium will have a fantastic
display beginning nl about 9:30 p in
flip gates will open nt fi and admission
is $5 a carload As always, no glass or
alcoholic beverages a re permitted
For inorn oxploslv« untorlalnmonl.
fireworks will follow Ihn Salurdav
evening Eugene Emerald's bnsohall
game at Civic Stadium
So, it's the country's birthday, and in
a time when it seems as If America is
shrouded in a rlimati of bleak situa
tions and had attitudes, take time this
weekend to chill.
Yes. we're in Eugene not exactly
the vortex of activity, but it's not exact
ly the armpit either There are lots of
fun activities around town and oppor
tunities to enjoy time with friends and
family
Perhaps the most important thing we
can rememlxT this weekend as we take
a gander up at the skv (and hope that
nothing lands in the south hills) Is that
things can really only get Iwllei from
here
Summer in Oregon means hitting the outdoors
By Tammy Batey
Emerald Associate Editor
Ah, tho joys of summer. A
chance to kick buck, relax and
souk up some rays Many students,
however, may have trouble fitting
some fun in the sun into their
busy schedules what with juggling
summer school and summer jobs.
But there is hope for harried stu
dents. A number of fun outdoor
activities rain lie fit into even the
busiest of schedules
The University's Outdoor Pro
gram gives students the chance to
participate in outdoor activities,
whether they have only a day or a
whole month, said Dan Geiger, as
sistant coordinator.
The Outdoor Program has three
weekly one-day trips: mountain
biking on Tuesdays at 9:30 a m.,
wind surfing every Thursday at
12:30 p m. and rafting trips Fri
days at 9 a m Other rafting trips
last anywhere from throe days to
throe weeks and take place all
summer long
The Outdoor Program gives stu
dents a wide range of options this
summer for ways to have fun in
the sun, Geiger said However, if
you ran t find exactly what you
wunt on the trip board, a solution
is within reach, he said
"Anybody can come in and ini
tiate a trip," he said "In fact,
that's how our program runs. It's
as easy as that — inviting other
people to go with you on your
trip.”
Students don't have to shell out
a fortune to participate in a trip
through the Outdoor Program,
Geiger said. Mountain biking costs
as little as S3 and one-day rafting
costs about $7.
Tho longer tho trip, the more
students generally get from the ex
perience, Geiger said.
"It’s h release from the weekly
routine — study, eat, go to school
— and gives you a sense of adven
ture," Geiger said "To others, it's
spiritual. It’s a way of overcoming
risks and fears.
"It’s the expedition-typo trips
that make an impact," ho said.
"The trip to the Queen Charlotte
Islands (a throe-week sailing trip
that loaves Eugene August 2B) is
the trip of a lifetime. It ran change
someone’s life.”
The Outdtxir Program can also
he used as a resource ranter for
campers who may want Informa
tion about fire hazards and camp
grounds, Geiger said.
When the sun heats up, water
always offers a refreshing dose of
relief. But for those who aren't in
the mood to get wot, canoeing and
kayaking are fun alternatives to
swimming
The EMU Waterworks Canoe
Company, hotter known as the Ca
noe House, rents out canoes and
kayaks from an hour to a week
end, said Linda Burdwoll, a canoe
attendant at the Canoe House,
which is located right by the Eu
gene Millrace at 1395 Franklin
ftlvd.
"It's nice to go around in a ca
noe with your friends," Burdwoll
said. "It's fun to figure out how to
get around in a canoe.”
Thorn is plenty of wildlife to see
along the two-and-a-half-mile-long
Millrace, Burdwoll said, adding
that ducks, goose and nutria are
among the Millrace's most com
mon inhabitants.
('.anon and kayak rentals cost
S3.65 an hour per boat and S14 a
day, Burdwoll said. People who
take the boats off tho Millrace
-- jgj
must pay a S30 refundable depos
it.
Students may cringe at tho
thought, hut one of the coolest
things to do this summer involves
learning a new skill. However, the
skills students can learn through
the hugone Parks and Recreation
Department don't include tho qua
dratic formula or tho way to ask
for directions to the bathroom in
Spanish.
Instead, the park department
gives people a chance to learn
how to mountain hike, windsurf
or a number of other grout activi
ties to do when the sun is out, said
Carrie Matsuschito, park depart*
Turn to OUTDOORS. Page 9
Ftapnou
Wit" tportt lika fitting my of ttf atmounding rivirt (top) or a van ca
noalng In tha UHIraca (abova) an popular waya to cool down during tha
torrid daya ot aumtnar.
Local vintners
give residents
something to
wine about
By Jacqueline Woge
Emerald Reporter
With mild winters, rugged slopes
and summer sun. Wustnrn Oregon is
a prime region for growing wine.
Recognizing this potential, wine
afDcinnados are planting vineyards
and curing wines throughout the
greater Wlllumotte Valley, including
Lane County.
Traditionally, where there is
wine, there are also wine apprecia
tion festivals. Honoring this sacred
tradition. Lane County vintners
sponsor numerous celebrations
throughout the year.
As a fine time for get-togethers,
picnicking and general relaxation,
summer sees a number of fine gath
erings.
One of the larger festivals of the
season, the 9th annual Art and the
Vineyard, a benefit for the nonprofit
Maude Korns Art Center, takes place
July .1.4 and S at Alton Baker Park
beneath the Ferry Street Bridge.
The festival has everything from
an artist's marketplace, a sculpture
park, a children's hands-on art are
na. food vendors, an art-for-your
garden display, an opportunity for
amateur artists to team up with pro
fessionals. an artist’s pavilion of dis
play-only works, and of course,
wine-tasting, at $.25 or $.50 per
taste*
The roster of participating all-Ore
gon vineyards and wineries in
cludes: Amity, Airlie, Hinman,
Houston. Oregon Cellars, Serendip
ity, Spring Hill, Willamette Valley,
Honeywood und Secret House.
While booth fees, etc. support the
festival itself, the suggested dona
tion. $2 for individuals and $5 for
families, directly supports a large
percent of the art ranter's budget, in
cluding exhibitions and classes.
Throe weekends later, on Satur
day, July 25, Hinman Vineyards
hosts the Summertime Celebration,
a coming out party for its newest re
leases. This year's debutantes are
the 1991 white riosling,
Ocwurztraminer anci the vinoyard's
first pinol gris
Located at 27012 Briggs Hill Rd.,
Hinman's will offer case discounts,
food tasting, places to picnic, music,
and a chance to visit with wlnomak
nr, Joe Dobbs, who will be giving
tastes of the vineyard’s newer red
wines. Admission is free.
August 1, from 1 to 10 p.m , Se
cret House Vineyard will dance to
the Hamhocks. a local hand and to
Lloyd Jonos Struggle, a blues/jazz
band from Portland
Tho Keystone Cafe, Lovln Oven,
Porter’s Woodsmoko Bar-b-que, and
L & L Mobile Foods will bo selling
food. Kids can bob for apples, dunk
as-yel-unnamed targets, cornshuck
race, bat pinatas and watch clowns
and magic.
A percentage of all wine bottles
sold, the dunk tank, and the $5 cov
er charge benefits YVomenspaco, a
local Women's sholter.
Socret Houso Vineyards sits 2.4
miles west of Venota on Highway
126, just past the Oregon Country
Fairgrounds. For more Information,
contact 935-3774.
The second August event,
Wlnotasia, lakes place August 8 at
Hinman Vineyards. Ambrosia, Hil
ton. Oregon Electric Station, Valloy
River Inn, Jazz Station Cafe, Red
Lion, Willie'* on 7th Street, and fclu
phoria Chocolate will provido up
scale eating.
Entertainment includes Don
Latarski. the Suzuki Strings and Cor
ridor School Jugglers.
Tickets, which include food and
wine tasting for $35 per person, ben
efit the mld-Orogon chapter tho
Children's Mirudo Network, a na
tional organization that aids new
borns through IB year-olds receiving
hospital care. Sacred Heart Hospital,
the region's children s care centor,
hopes to raise $10,000 from this
event.
Turn to VINEYARDS, Page 8
Rbptato
Eugana’a Cone ft* In th* Park* atria* la $ rotating way to wtiila
away your avaninga.
Music lovers should flip
over local tunes on tap
By Mindy Nix
Emerald Contributor
With tho recent heat wave,
many people arn finding
themselves braving the ele
ments. inarching for fun and
entertainment. Music and
dance arn often a part of it,
but tickets are usuully expen
sive and not all music and
danco is for everyone.
However, this summor in
Eugene, there is something for
everyone and much of It is
free.
Eugene Concerts in tho
Parks will begin July 8 and
run through August 19. The
concerts are free, outdoors
and offer great entertainment
from rock to reggae, blues to
bluegrass, folk to cijun,
acoustic to gospel.
The concerts will bo at
Westmoreland Park (1545
West 22nd Ave.) Wednesdays
8-8 p.m. July 8-29; Amazon
Park (2700 Hllyard St.) Thurs
days 8-8 p.m. July 9 - Aug. 13;
Washburn Park (Agato Street
at East 19th) Sundays 8-7
p.m.. July 12 - Aug. 18; and
Petersen Park (870 Bomtzen
Road) Wednesdays 6-8 p.m.,
Aug. 5-10.
Eugene Concerts In the
Parks have been an annual
event for about 20 years. De
pending on the weathor and
the area of town, audience
size ranges from 150 to 2,000
people. The informal park at
mosphere allows people to
get up and dance or Just loan
back nnil listen to local musi
cians. Ixith amateur ami pro
fessional.
Dance band Art Crooveaux
opens the series with vneal
harmonies, saxophone and
guitar solos and a solid
backboat Wednesday. July H
at Westmoreland I’urk. They
combine elements of rock,
Jh/.z, fusion, soul and KHli
They'll (day tunes by Chaka
Kahn, Marvin Cayo, Soul II
Soul. Joan Armllrudlng and
David Sanborn, us well as
thoir own inspiring originals.
LI'I Lynne and the Smokin'
Solos will heat up the night
with rhythm and bluos,
Thursday. July 19 from 8-B
p.m. at Amazon Park. Li’l
Lynno moves audiences with
her animated voice while
long-time veteran of the Eu
gene music scene Phil Wag
ner (Suburban Slim) blends
and highlights tho music on
his guitar. Together they’re
known for their dynamic vo
cals. showmanship, and
friendly rapport with audi
ences, backed up by tho
Smokin' Solos. They’ve
played at the WOW Hall. Har
po’s Dluenote Cafe as well as
the Rose City Blues pnstival
In Portland.
For tho classical music
lover, tho Emerald Chamber
Players and special guest art
ists will entertain Sunday pic
nickers with woodwind quln
Turn to MUSIC. Page 9