Things to do: Coronate a new S.L.U.G. Queen; celebrate world’s best comics store; gaze through a telescope

Aren’t you glad all that smoke is gone (for now)? You’ll be able to breathe in the fresh air at a number of outdoor events on this week’s Things to Do roundup — and save some money, too, as four of our events this week are free.

Let’s get into it: 

S.L.U.G. queen coronation

It’s time for the Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod to be ruled by a new, slimy monarch. This year’s Eugene queen will be named at the coronation this Friday, when a group of judges (including — ack — me!) will be tasked with selecting the next queen as they start their rain. (Not a typo. They say “rain” instead of “reign.”) 

• When: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14
• Where: The Eugene Saturday Market stage at the Park Blocks downtown
• How much: Free. All you need to bring is your slimy self. 

Oregon Festival of American Music concerts 

It’s the 35th year of the Oregon Festival of American Music at The Shedd Institute, and this year’s survey of American music is Beyond the Sea, themed on convergences and cross-currents that have influenced across borders. The winter festival was centered on the connection between French and American music.

This summer run expands beyond nos amis français. One concert is focused on bossa nova, the relaxed style of samba that originated in the 1950s and 1960s in Rio de Janeiro. Another is on the influence of Eastern European music on American music. 

• When: Opening night was Wednesday, Aug. 11, but concerts are scheduled through Aug. 22.
• Where: The Shedd Institute, 868 High St., Eugene
• How much: Tickets for each individual concert start at $25, and there are subscription packages available online if you’d like to get tickets for multiple shows.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

The Days Between have officially ended, but the celebration of The Grateful Dead continues into this week with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at the Cuthbert Amphitheater, where the Brooklyn-based tribute band will play its improvisational take on entries from the Dead’s catalog.

• When: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14
• Where: Cuthbert Amphitheater, 601 Day Island Road in Alton Baker Park, Eugene
• How much: Tickets are available online: $63 in advance; $68.75 day of show.

Springfield Second Friday ArtWalk 

It’s time for the monthly walking tour of art in downtown Springfield, with highlights for this month including Marilyn Stauber’s “The Art of Lifelong Learning,” a series of the artist’s oils, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, sculptures and more; Coral Bertrand’s hand-cut collages in “Whispers of Soul Desires”; Emily Proudfoot’s flora and fauna painting collection “Summer Days”; and more. 

• When: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14
• Where: At participating venues across downtown Springfield, but centered around the Emerald Art Center, 500 Main St.
• How much: Free

Books With Pictures Eugene celebration

Off of the news of a big win last month — ICYMI: Books With Pictures Eugene won the top global prize for a comic retailer at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con — the comic shop is hosting a community celebration this weekend, with snacks, games, a photo opportunity with the prize itself, raffles and cake. The recognition is the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, the lone retail category in a competition considered the “Oscars” of the comics world.

• When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15; cake will be cut at 5 p.m.
• Where: Books With Pictures Eugene, Suite 224 in 5th Street Public Market, 296 E. Fifth Ave., Eugene
• How much: Free

Dark Sky Star Party 

When was the last time you really saw the stars? Leave your flashlights at home this weekend and head to the edge of Dexter Lake, where the Eugene Astronomical Society will be lining up telescopes to welcome people to look at a sky filled with star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and more. (Weather permitting.)

This star party is expected to be the biggest of the year, and the society will be giving away two telescopes to children between 8 and 18 years old. Free telescope or not, seeing a galaxy far, far away is thrilling.

• When: 8:30 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Attendees will gather at dusk. 
• Where: Dexter State Recreation Site, across Highway 58 from the town of Dexter
• How much: Free to attend. The state park service charges $10 for parking, but the Eugene Astronomical Society is offering to pay the parking fees for the first 50 attendees so the cost doesn’t deter participation.

What’s playing at the movies?

Eugene is packed with special screenings you’ll want to check out this week, and we have two movies coming to the box office that overall seem like a fun time. 

Special screenings

Imagine: an animated film that marries art with music in fantastical style, with plotless, wordless wonders as a classical score thunders on in the background. Wait, what? You’re telling me they already did that a while ago? Well, don’t tell the creators of “Allegro non troppo,” a 1970s Italian satire of Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940). It mixes the animated segments set to classical music with live action footage, where a director struggles to finish the film that people keep saying already has been done by some guy named “Prisney.”

Playing at the Art House Aug. 15-20

The Questlove-directed “Summer of Soul” documentary is about the Harlem Cultural Festival, which featured performances from Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone and other heavyweights of Black music history, but was less celebrated than Woodstock the same summer. It’s a celebrated, Oscar-winning documentary, combining long-forgotten concert footage with interviews taking the audience back to that summer of music.

Playing at the Art House Aug. 14-19

The crown jewel of the Art House’s French New Wave screening series, “Cléo de 5 à 7,” is playing this week. The Agnes Varda classic, about a singer in 1960s Paris who is awaiting the results of a biopsy, is a must-see, even if you’ve seen it many times before.  

Playing at the Art House Aug. 14-20

Box office 

Recently, I had been playing around with a short story idea about a family home, or maybe an apartment building, suddenly blinked into a void and what life would look like in an unreal, single building-based autarky.

Then I went to the movies and saw the trailer for “The End of Oak Street,” about a 1980s suburban street plucked out of our time and plopped into a dinosaur-filled prehistoric scene. It goes to show you: If you want to make the big bucks, you have to lean more “Tyrannosaurus rex chasing after a celebrity” and less “lingering dread and discomfort.” 

Playing at Metro Cinemas, Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene-Springfield.

Then there’s “The Wrong Girls,” which stars Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat as two best friends “living paycheck to paycheck and bong rip to bong rip” embarking on some chaotic stoner shenanigans. Stewart and Shawkat are both inspired picks for a stoner girl comedy, and I think this’ll be a fun one — the cast is stacked, including LaKeith Stanfield, Cate Blanchett, Seth Rogen, Kate McKinnon and more megawatt names.

Playing at Metro Cinemas.

That’s what I have for you this week, Lookout readers! If my picks aren’t up to your liking, check out our events calendar for more things to do. As always, if there are any events I should include here, or any feedback for this weekly list, drop me a line at annie@lookoutlocal.com.

See you at the S.L.U.G. Queen coronation! Stay slimy.