3 things to do in Eugene and Lane County this weekend

Miranda Cyr, Eugene Register-Guard
Updated ·3 min read
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Queen Sativa Slugworth, aka Alyssa Buttons-Garten, center, reacts to being named the 40th Eugene S.L.U.G. Queen during the 2022 competition and coronation ceremony.
Queen Sativa Slugworth, aka Alyssa Buttons-Garten, center, reacts to being named the 40th Eugene S.L.U.G. Queen during the 2022 competition and coronation ceremony.

Here are three events happening around the Eugene area this weekend.

To submit a future event for consideration, email JCWilliams1@gannett.com with information about the event.

S.L.U.G. Queen 2023

The Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod's 41st annual S.L.U.G. Fest and S.L.U.G Queen competition and coronation will take place starting at 6 p.m. Friday in Parks Block, 126 E Eighth Ave. in downtown Eugene.

Admission is free. Attendees should bring their own chair. The competition includes music, art and other entertainment.

The S.L.U.G Queen is the "unofficial goodwill ambassador for the city." Each year, a new queen is crowned following costuming, performing, festivities and judge bribery. The crowned queen spends their “rain” participating in the Eugene community and representing the spirit of the city.

People rest under a shade structure as speakers take the stage at Eugene’s Pride in the Park Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, at Alton Baker Park.
People rest under a shade structure as speakers take the stage at Eugene’s Pride in the Park Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, at Alton Baker Park.

EugPRIDE

EugPRIDE's annual Pride in the Park celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday in Alton Baker Park, 100 Day Island Road. The focus of the event is to recognize and uplift LGBTQ+ identities.

Admission for the festival is free, but Eugene Pride is asking for donations to its Pride Youth Scholarship Fund.

A rainbow Pride flag is reflected in the sunglasses of Kyle Rodriguez-Hudson, executive director of TransPonder, during the march to the 2021 Eugene Pride in the Park on Aug. 14, 2021.
A rainbow Pride flag is reflected in the sunglasses of Kyle Rodriguez-Hudson, executive director of TransPonder, during the march to the 2021 Eugene Pride in the Park on Aug. 14, 2021.

Throughout the park, there will be live entertainment, food and drinks, community partners, local vendors and family activities. The festival will include performances from a variety of local individuals and organizations, including drag shows, the Soromundi Lesbian Chorus and the Eugene Gay Men's Chorus.

The celebration kicks off with the annual Pride rally and march at 9 a.m. at Kesey Square, 10 E Broadway.

The march is approximately 1.3 miles long. No motorized vehicles are allowed. EugPRIDE recommends attendees gather at the rally, then make their way to Alton Baker Park.

WOW Hall, 291 W Eighth Ave., will host a EugPRIDE afterparty at 8 p.m. with a DJ and a drag show. Admission is $12 at the door or $10 in advance.

For more details about EugPRIDE, visit www.eugenepride.org/.

Junction City Scandinavian Festival

Junction City's 62nd annual Scandinavian Festival highlighting the cultures of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway runs Thursday to Sunday.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Sunday's event ends at 8 p.m.

The festival kicks off with a parade on Thursday, featuring dancing and music.

Each day highlights a different nation: Thursday for Norway, Friday for Sweden, Saturday for Denmark and Sunday for Finland.

Three stages of entertainment feature choral and instrumental groups, folk dancers and informational presentations.

There will also be vendors for handmade goods and cultural food and drinks, including Swedish meat pies and Danish pancakes.

Demonstrations of blacksmithing, spinning, knitting, tatting lace, Hardanger embroidery, Scandinavian storytelling, cooking tips and Nordic dance instructions are also offered.

The festival is located at West Sixth Avenue and Greenwood Street in Junction City. Admission is free.

Parking is free anywhere on the open streets outside of the festival’s barriers. There is also paid parking in the parking lot of Bi-Mart in Junction City.

No pets are allowed.

For more information, visit https://junctioncityscandia.org/.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County events: SLUG Queen, EugPRIDE, Scandinavian Festival