Eugene weekly., June 30, 2016, Page 13, Image 13

HIPPIEDOM
OREGON COUNTRY FAIR
The more things change, the more they stay the same — especially the
Oregon Country Fair, a three-day festival of free-spirited creativity that
seems a world unto itself. Started in 1969, the Fair takes place about 15 miles
west of Eugene in a huge wooded setting that, for one long weekend, becomes
a celebration of arts, crafts, food, fun and self-sustained communal living.
Part hippie utopia, part elfin village, the Fair is non-stop movement and
performance, from buskers and jugglers to larger acts that include live music,
dance and even a circus or two. Taking place this year July 8-10, Oregon
Country Fair is the perfect place for visitors to get a glimpse of something
unique to Oregon and the Northwest. More info at oregoncountryfair.com.
HOMEGROWN CINEMAS
Sometimes the crash and bang of a blockbuster in the monster mall Cineplex
won’t do; we want something quieter, more artsy and sophisticated, in a quirky
movie theater that offers history and local flavor. Eugene is lucky to have not one
but two independent cinemas: The newer Broadway Metro downtown (43 W.
Broadway) with its elegant marquis, comfortable small theaters and staff of hip
film nerds willing to talk everything from Kurosawa and Kubrick to Malick and
Jarmusch (on July 2 the Metro will feature a live screening of the Royal Opera
performing La Traviata); and the older Bijou Arts Cinema near the University
of Oregon (492 E. 13th Ave.), a classic art-house theater that features everything
from first run independent films to revivals of retro classics and more, all under
the roof of a beautiful, and perhaps haunted, old church.
PUTTING ON THE SCHNITZ
Eugene is lucky to have an art museum like the University of Oregon’s
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, which not infrequently brings blockbuster,
world-renowned exhibits to our small city. The Masterworks on Loan program
also makes sure the galleries are stocked with work from the likes of Peter
Paul Rubens, Joan Miró and Jean-Michel Basquiat on the regular. Escape the
heat into the museum's cool halls and check out current exhibits like Aliens,
Monsters and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics and Shaping the Collection:
50 Years of Pacific Northwest Sculpture at the JSMA. In celebration of the
Olympic trials, the Schnitz is offering free admission July 1-3 and July 6-10.
Pro-tip: Check out the museum’s peaceful inner Prince Lucien Campbell
Memorial Courtyard, complete with sculpture fountain, reflecting pool, brick
colonnades and gilded domes — one of Eugene’s top architectural gems.
WJ SK ATEPA RK + URBA N P L A Z A
eugeneweekly.com • June 30, 2016
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