P R O C R A S T I N A T O R S ’
G I F T
G U I D E
How Bazaar
Eugene’s Holiday Market provides last-minute gifts
any shoppers might assume that the
Holiday Market is closed the weekend
before Christmas, but luckily for the
procrastinators among us, the artists
who’ve set up shop at the Lane County Fairgrounds
want this final pre-holiday weekend to squeeze
those last few pennies from your pockets. The
market is open Dec. 22 and 23 from 10 am until 6
pm and on Christmas Eve from 10 am until 4 pm.
And good news now that your wallet is exhausted:
Admission and parking are, as always, free.
With hundreds of talented artisans ready and
willing to help you stuff those stockings, shopping
at the market keeps holiday spending invested in
local arts. And with such a wide variety of items
available, in so many categories, it’s impossible to
bah-humbug the entire selection. Penny-pinching
Scrooges can shop on a budget, and even the
dourest Grinch on your list will feel his heart
swelling two sizes larger when he unwraps a
handcrafted gift sold directly by the artist.
Shopping options skew towards the tradition-
al (for Eugene) tie-dye and terra cotta, but the
market also offers fine art favorites, including
nature photography, candles, Asian-inspired pot-
tery and more jewelry and blown glass than you
can shake a candy cane at. Of course, the Holiday
Market wouldn’t be the local institution it is with-
out a bit of the outré, including fairy crowns for
your inner princess, notebooks and handbags
constructed from the covers of vinyl albums and
even The Game of Real Life, a parody board game
M
24 DECEMBER 21, 2006
BY AARON RAGAN-FORE
for adults, which includes one square labeled
“See mother arrested on T.V. show Cops.”
Adjacent to the market’s main venue, the
Holiday Hall hosts a wide array of nonprofit and
school group booths featuring worthy causes,
giving marketgoers a chance to combine holiday
shopping with holiday giving.
... more jewelry and
blown glass than
you can shake a
candy cane at.
Market entertainment this last weekend to
keep shoppers in the holiday spirit includes
everything from jazz to juggling, klezmer to
Celtic, and even features an appearance on
Christmas Eve afternoon by Eugene’s own S.L.U.G.
Queen. Local dining favorites Ritta’s Burritos,
Dana’s Cheesecake and the ubiquitous pork on a
stick will keep shoppers fueled for this last long
slog towards the holiday finish line. And if you’ve
been on Santa’s “nice” list all year long, you can
treat yourself to a rubdown by one of the
licensed massage therapists on site as a reward
for finally wrapping up your shopping.
v