God eftermiddag, venner!

Don’t know what that means? You’ll have to attend the Scandinavian Festival this weekend to find out.

Danish lessons aside, there are many delicious and colorful reasons to attend this Junction City tradition. More on that, plus other fun stuff you can get into, below.

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YOUR WEEKEND ITINERARY

Junction City’s most anticipated event, the Scandinavian Festival, returned Thursday for its 65th year. The family-friendly festival celebrates Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway across four days (in that order) and is packed with live performances and demonstrations: Want to learn how to dance like the Finns do? Jam to some fiddlers? Speak Danish? Improve your knitting skills? Join the May Pole Performance? Attend a costume contest? ScandiFest has it all. It’s also esteemed for its food options, from æbleskivers (Danish spherical fried pancakes) to lingonberry lemonade to Swedish meatballs to smørrebrød.

Hilaria Gastrognome, crowned S.L.U.G. Queen last August, is nearing the end of her reign. Credit: Josh Daniels / For Lookout Eugene-Springfield

On Friday, this year’s S.L.U.G. Queen coronation will see a group of judges decide who takes home Eugene’s slimiest honor, including one local journalist who helps write this very newsletter. (It’s Annie!) The gastropod council meeting will start at 6 p.m at the Saturday Market Stage at the Park Blocks in downtown Eugene.

The Springfield Second Friday ArtWalk is this week, too, with art on display across downtown Springfield starting at 5 p.m. at the Emerald Art Center, 500 Main St. 

Books With Pictures Eugene, inside the 5th Street Public Market.

You remember the news that Books With Pictures Eugene won the title of the world’s best comic book store, right? Well, this weekend, they’re welcoming the community to celebrate that win with games, raffles, cake and a photo opportunity with their actual Eisner Award at their storefront in the 5th Street Public Market, from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. 

Maybe you’re interested in a low-key night under the stars? Head out to the Dexter State Recreation Site for the Eugene Astronomical Society’s Dark Sky Star Party, from 8:30 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Keep your flashlights at home, bring a jacket, and check out the society’s website for more tips on how to make the most of your dark sky experience.

one thing we loved this week

Annie went to the opening night of this year’s Oregon Festival of American Music at The Shedd Institute, which was “Águas de Março,” focused on the interplay between bossa nova and American music; it was an absolute treat to hear Chuck Redd on the vibraphone, Howard Alden on the guitar, Nicki Parrott on bass and Siri Vik singing in both Portuguese and English. (“Águas de Março” is practically a patter song, and she absolutely nailed it in a language that she doesn’t speak.)

Chuck Redd plays the vibraphone during “Águas de Março,” the opening night concert of the Oregon Festival of American Music at The Shedd Institute.

If you missed it, don’t worry — the same concert is being performed again at 1:30 p.m on Aug. 21. The festival runs through Aug. 22.

in case you missed it — food and arts news

  • Speaking of Chuck Redd and The Shedd Institute, Annie was interviewing Redd, the artistic director for OFAM, the day before the festival opened, when his phone started blowing up with notifications. That was because of major national news. Last winter, the Kennedy Center sued Redd for $1 million after he canceled a Christmas jazz concert he runs there over the planned placement of President Donald Trump’s name on the prestigious arts venue. This week, the judge who dismissed that lawsuit ruled that the Kennedy Center must now pay Redd more than $250,000 to cover legal fees since the debacle began. Redd declined to comment on the Kennedy Center news, but did speak in the interview about what makes OFAM special: “The music is the star, and it’s not about egos.”
  • Tiger Mama is making waves in the dining scene. After launching their Korean fast food spinoff, Tiger Mama Cupbap Company, last year in south Eugene, owners Sunny Moon and Preston Shin just opened a second location at Crescent Village in north Eugene. The ordering process is similar to Chipotle or Panda Express, but instead of burrito bowls and orange chicken, you build your cup-bap (rice bowl) with house-marinated beef bulgogi and other Korean-inspired proteins, a fresh assortment of banchan (small dishes such as kimchi and pickled daikon) and garnishes. Moon and Shin talked to Lookout about their pivot from a full-service restaurant to a fast-casual chain, as well as exclusive dishes at the new location.
  • Being a woman is hard. That’s not exactly news, but it’s the inspiration behind a new piece of theater in Eugene this weekend. “Women of an Uncertain Age” opens this Friday at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre, with four women performers taking to the stage to explore their lives in middle-age with laughter — there’s a domestic task-themed flamenco — and heart, taken from their daily lives. Annie spoke with the performers behind the show about how it evolved from a series of informal workshops to a stage show. 

This last news item isn’t quite “in case you missed it,” but more “so you don’t miss it:” Keep an eye out for a piece from Annie on some changes coming to a signature Eugene music venue.

Question for you

Taylor here: I’m heading to the southern coast this weekend for a story! I’ve got some places in mind, but I was wondering: 

What’s been your favorite bite on the Oregon Coast? 

Send your recs to taylor@lookoutlocal.com!

And last week, following a flurry of reactions to Eugene’s new art installation, we asked Bites & Sights readers what symbols best represent the city’s identity, and what art installation they’d design around it.

Here’s what you said:

  • “Obviously a slug, with slime green as our color.” — Vera
  • “Emerald Gem.” — Rene
  • For reader Michele, Eugene already has one: “‘The Storyteller,’ a bronze sculpture that graces Kesey Square (formerly known as Broadway Plaza) in the very heart of downtown Eugene is iconic Eugene. The art piece was created in 2003 by a friend of Kesey’s, regional sculptor, Pete Helzer.’”
  • Alice wrote, “Look for James Cloutier’s Poster Map of Eugene … He captured some of the best aspects of our city.”
  • Another reader, Ellen, felt strongly about shortening the city’s name, saying, “I was born and raised here, not a fan. We’re Eugene!”


Thanks to all for your input! We love hearing from you.

BEFORE YOU GO …

Have a good weekend, folks! One final, quick question from Annie — anyone have a large, slug-themed costume I could borrow on short notice? (It’s for a friend.) 

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Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.

Taylor Goebel covers Lane County's food and drink scene. She has nearly a decade of experience in multimedia journalism, having reported across the Mid-Atlantic on dining, food systems, education, healthcare, local elections, labor and business. She was most recently a food reporter in Washington state, where she documented a fourth-generation fishing family, covered a David vs. Goliath conflict between a national coffee chain and a small Turkish cafe, and had many culinary firsts, from ensaymadas and gilgeori (Korean street) toast to morels and black cod.