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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 23, 1994)
# I I * I * \ \ \ COMMUNITY Why go to some sunny island paradise, just go sit on your porch By Gayle Forman for ttw <>«<*»' Cw*y Emeriti<r It happens every spring, The dnys grow long, the sun pokes its head through the clouds, and Lugeneans emerge from their cozy houses and plunk themselves right down onto to their porches Now these are no ordinary porches They are outdoor living rooms complete with all the amenities big comfy coin ti es. chairs, tables, magazines, hooks and t ups of coffee that have been sitting there sinc e last summer. They are < arpeted with cigarette butts and lined with empty beer bottles. To Kugeneans, who must endure months of endless gray drizzle, pore lies serve ns a summer home, a way to drink in all of the sunshine and warmth that is available. Jonn Lunsford spends lies winters in a cold basement Come springtime, he rises above ground and onto the porch It '-, like our home on the Riviera, he said of his port-h "It's our own Club Med " Lunsford's port h is pretty typical b\ Lugene standards It sports .1 couple of 1070s cout lies, some old 1 hairs, plenty of reading materials, long-forgotten shoes and even the remnants of some pumpkins from two Halloweens ago Nicole Doran says that her porch looks like the average porch complete with cig arettes l»>er bottles and old pizza leises "There's been a lot of eating, a lot of drinking and 0 lot of living tin my (tort h." she said People migrate to porches to wallow in the warm weather, and then they are glued to their porches for the summer "After fall and winter, I gotta l>e out side every second of the day if the sun is out,” Doran said Nile weather sun may entice sun starved Kugeneans onto their port hes. hut the porch also serves as a sort of glue that holds neighborhoods together just sit on a porch any port h. and watt h the world walk down the sidewalk Porches allow timid Kugeneans, who have been hiding indoors all winter, to meet new people Lunsford savs porch-sitting gives him a Sooth Bronx feel in Kugene " When he sits on his porch, he talks with all his neighbors and t etches up with all the lat est nnightmrhood chitchat " The porch is the center of neighbor hood dixt nurse in Kugene." Lunsford said. Doran says that the porches give her neighborhood u cozy hading "Kugene [mr< lies are like a social link ing system," Doran said "You watch [>eo pie, talk to [ample and meet new people " Now Kugene is not tfie only town with great |mr< hes Yet something distinguish es the pun lies in Kugene from other Ore gon Iim ales They are furnished port,hes They ire populated porches Hut why Kugene' Whs .ire porches not so popular in Portland or Salem? Kunsford has a few theories as to w hy [lurch culture is so pervasive in Kugene People arv more trustworthy in Fugonc. he says. and arc thus less likely to steal all the goodies that are left on the port h Lunsford also feels that Eugene's col lege town atmosphere affords more at i eptam e of a messy port h than per haps a more cosmopolitan lot ale Of i nurse not everyone has a spat ions front |>ort h on whtt h to lounge Fret not It is not net essarv to have a port h ol your own to enjoy the benefits Denise Hall does not have a port h Yet she has spent countless hours lollygng gtng on friends' port lies Hall says that port h sitting is better entertainment than television She has witnessed fights, i liases and young love in bloom while sitting on porches So it you are new ill l.ugene. and you can't find any people on the streets, look awav from the sidewalk and turn your eyes toward the port lies Thor*', iniong the clutter, you w ill find Fugentmns bask ing in the glnrv of summertime C.o join them They are waiting to meet you COMMUNITY UPDATE • United Way of l,ane County is looking for volunteers to assist with gardening, help rehabilitate homes, teach sniety to kinder garten children, assist the Red Cross in marketing and work with developmentaliy disadvan taged adults. For more informa tion. call the United Way Volunteer Connection at 683 9000. • Delays are expected for dri vers between Main Street and the south entrance of the Weyer haeuser Company in Spring field The city of Springfield suggests drivers avoid the area altogether until the work is com pleted in mid-July. Free swimming is scheduled at Amazon Fool, at 26th Ave and Hilyard St., on June 24 from 1:30 to 4 p in Local businesses are also providing free soft drinks and prizes For more I .. .. information, call Amazon Pool at 687-5350 • The Eugene Celebration is looking for garage and si hool bands to < Otnpete in a "Hattie of the Hands" at the Septemlier fes tival All bands are welcome to complete, providing at least half the band members are students Entry forms and tapes must be rt*< eived by August 1 5 to f>e con sidered Eor more information, contact the Eugene Celebration office at 687-5215. • The Celebration is also seek ing proposals from organiza tions and individuals for new events The deadline for these proposals is July H, and it is re< ommended that people call the celebration office at 687-5215 for further guidelines • Dorris Ranch is looking lor volunteers for ongoing summer munis, including children's lours. ( ritfls. games and nature activities and Sunday Brunches For more information, contact (lasuy Bemis at 726-4325 • People who earn less than $23,700 and are supporting a child at home may he eligible for tint Advanced harried Income Credit, which would allow them to take home $100 more in each month's paycheck For more information, call 1 800-H20 tt>7t> and ask for a W-5 form and Publication 5'iti • The Industrial Strength Pride Dance, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, an upris ing at a Now York City gay and lesbian bar. will take place June 25 from H to p m to 1 a.m. at the Vet's Club at 1626 Willamette St LUNCH Continued from Page 1 Since I hut might muan rais ing tuition, Konsdell said, "This works out really wo!I ." The lunches are prepared at five contra! locations around tho county. Because classes are over for the sum mer, the county takes advan tage of empty st hoot kitchens, and in many cases, the meals are prepared by the some people who, at other times during the year, w ould he making regular school lunches Cunningston and Frie.stad said they were pleased to he doing something to help the community "{We’re) feeding hungry kids," Fnestad said ”1 mean, whnt could (hi moot important'" Anyone under the age of Id is invited to partake in the free lunches, or the free breakfasts that are also offered at a few of the sites The menu c hanges every day, on a two-week rotation, hut there is always a balanced offering including something from each of the four food groups. Those interested in finding out more about the program should contact the Housing Authority and Community Services Agency of Lane County nt B87-3900. Lunches will he served until August 1<< in Springfield and until August 12 at all other loca tions : We carry computers and we're on campus. Who are we? Getting through college can he hard, but a good computer can make your life a lot easier. That's why we're here. We carry computers and software at special educational prices to match everyone’s pocketbook. even yours. But what good is a computer if you can’t use it? That’s why “support” is our middle name. We’re here to support you. If you’re stumped by your system or stymied by your spreadsheet, we can help. Dying for a computer, but don’t know where to start? We’ll help you make a choice that fits your needs. Hint: We are here Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm! /Jr. LAW ( INI I H 0, ( DMW IINI, 11 VII R l 1111 I \ * X BOOKSTOKI HEWLETT PACKARD Have a question? Come on in to room 202 of the Computing Center (acroee from Rennie’s Landing), or give us a call at 346-4402. We've got a lot to show you, so come see us! v I A R I n Newton M Adobe A: The Microcomputer Support Center, ZOZ Computing Center!
