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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2004)
Closure means unhappy new year for Wild Duck Owner Bob Jensen says the costs were too high to keep the restaurant, brewery and stage open By Ryan Nyburg Senior Pulse Reporter The Wild Duck Brewery, Restaurant and Music Hall closed its doors on Jan. 1 after it was unable to keep up with costs in the poor economy. The popular venue located at 169 W. Sixth Ave, was one of Eugene's outlets for funk, reggae jazz and soul music. "We couldn't take the beating any longer," the Wild Duck's booking agent Brendan Relaford said. "It was really a cascade of things. Ihe contin uing elevation of minimum wage mixed with the size of the building. An audience that would pack most the places in Eugene would hardly fill us. We were too big." "The minimum wage increase was the cornerstone of it," Wild Duck owner Bob Jensen said. "Our insur ance has also doubled in the past few years, partly because some insur ance companies are getting rid of high risk forms of insurance like liquor liability, which we need to have. We used to have 26 possible carriers; in the end we were down to about two." Along with the rising costs of operating, the Wild Duck also faced the problem of an anemic downtown culture that had never become as thriving as local businesses had hoped. Even opening the three blocks of Broadway between Oak and Char nelton Streets in September 2002, changing them from a pedestrian walkway into an open street, did not do much to help business. "The original idea was that the Wild Duck would contribute to and feed off of the business from down town," Flying Ink Media publicist Douglas Fuchs said. "But many of the larger businesses, like Symantec and The Register-Guard, left down town. The opening of Broadway did n't seem to help." Even without any steady crowds from Eugene's downtown, the Wild Duck was still a popular night spot, especially during its first few years. "When we first opened in 1996 it was like a machine," Relaford said. "We were packed a lot." The Wild Duck hosted a number of acts that went on to become Eu gene favorites. Bands such as Left over Salmon, Spearhead, Los Lobos, Dark Star Orchestra, the String Cheese Incident, the Wailers, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, the Grey Boy Allstars and David Crosby all performed on the Duck's stage while traveling up and down the In terstate-5 corridor. Eugene locals, Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer Economic troubles forced the Wild Duck Brewery, Restaurant and Music Hall to close its doors Jan. 1. such as The Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Shelley James Musicbox, also performed at the venue. James and her band, who played on New Year's Eve, were the last performers on the Wild Duck's stage. "The diversity of the performances really fit with the Eugene communi ty," Jensen said. Despite the closing of the Wild Duck itself, its production organization, Big Green Events, will remain intart. The company has managed events as var ied as Art & die Vineyard to the Spring field Filbert Festival. Wild Duck Cater ing and the Mallard Banquet Hall will also remain in business. Jensen says the company doesn't have plans to open another club anytime soon. "I wouldn't say a comeback is im possible, but I wouldn't say it's likely either," Jensen said. As for the Wild Duck building it self, the company has received of fers for renting it as retail or office space, but as of this writing, no plans are certain. Contact the senior Pulse reporter at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. BERG’S SKI BUS to Willamette Pass & ML Bachelor! 13th & Lawrence • 683-1300 www.bergsskishop.com Student Groups Advertise in the Oregon Daily Emerald. Call 346-3712 to speak with a sales rep. We have great University rates. Visit to Israel reveals opposing images A recent trip to Israel uncovers a sense of danger that is real but distant By Steven Neuman Freelance Reporter If you could travel halfway around the globe, beyond comfortable West ern Europe — beyond Eastern Europe, beyond the Mediterranean — to spend ten days in one of the most politically volatile regions in the world, a place most Americans only see on CNN, what would you walk away with? For me, it was a totally new perspective. PART 1 OF 2 Today: The perceived danger of traveling to Israel and its cultural impact on an American traveler Next week: A look at the Israeli perspective of America I flew to New York, boarded a 747 packed with other college students and braved a 10.5-hour direct flight to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. A week and a half later, I handed my passport back to U.S. customs, along with seven rolls of undeveloped film and a notebook crammed with notes packed away in my suitcase. When I mention where I went in passing conversations, the first question I'm usually asked is: "Isn't it dangerous there?" This is something that I cannot completely explain, be cause before I had actual ly been there, I also found it nearly im possible to grasp how people could bring up children, go to work, and lead everyday lives in the face of such persist ent threats. Israel is a country at perpetual war. So obviously it can be very dangerous there. Our group had two armed guards with us at all times. But from my perspective, it is not a country that actually feels particularly dangerous. What I found amazing is that the people of Israel have not hardened REPORTER'S NEW INTOXICATING THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 8 PM Glancarlo Guerrero, Conductor Jennifer Higdon, Special Guest Jennifer Higdons new Concerto for Orchestra is a knockout. Written just last year for the Philadelphia Orchestra, this virtuosic tou r-de force delivers "ecstatic climaxes, scintillating orchestration, and wave after heartstopping wave of intoxicating color. ” Hull Center 682.5000 EMU Box Office www.eugenesymphony.org Concert Sponsor Eugene Symphony Guild im tits Steve Neuman Freelance Photographer Road signs are written in three languages: Hebrew (the national language), Arabic and English. themselves to death, warfare and de struction, as one would expea. The attitude is similar to the approach of a quintessential Manhattanite who does n't necessarily debate that New York City is dangerous (you might get mugged, shot, etc.), but chooses not to think about the danger — the possibility of a bomb exploding anywhere, or the country coming under attack, for exam ple — occurring on a day-to-day basis. In both cases, the danger is very real, but simultaneously distant. For the first five days, we saw little evidence of ter Turn to ISRAEL, page 8 VERY UTTLE THEATRE VLT CABARET The award-winning musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb Directed by Michael Watkins Saturday, Jan. 10 • Noon Sunday, Jan. 11 • 6 p.m. 2350 Hilyard St, Eugene Roles for men and women of all ages (18+); ALL ROLES AVAILABLE! Prepare a short song, and be prepared to dance at the audition. The Very Little Theatre is in its 75th SEASON of producing live theatre.
