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Silva stage curtain.
<br />
<br />To top off the festival run, OBF presented Mendelssohn’s masterwork Elijah. Once again the stage was set like a
<br />five-course meal, the chorus on risers reaching up towards the orchestra shell, and a full sections of strings,
<br />woodwinds, brass and percussionists, four soloists and, of course, the master conductor, Helmuth Rilling on the
<br />podium – it was a feast for the eyes and ears. According to the Oregon Bach Festival news release, this year had
<br />the “highest-ever ticket sales of nearly $520,000, an increase of 18 percent from last summer, eclipsing by three
<br />percent its previous high from the Olympic Trials year of 2008. A total audience of more than 41,000 included
<br />ticket buyers from 32 states and five countries in Asia, Europe, and North America.”
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<br />Whether backstage, making it happen behind the scenes, in the lobby, the ticket office, the Soreng Theater, or
<br />Silva Concert Hall, there is no question it is a memorable experience to have Oregon Bach Festival “in the house.”
<br />For more information, call Karm Hagedorn at 541-682-2697.
<br />
<br />Wilderness Without & Within: Writing Workshop at Library
<br />“,”
<br />Explore landscapes interior and exterior at Wilderness Without & Within a free writing
<br />workshop for adults, led by Associate Director of the Oregon Writing Project at the
<br />University of Oregon Nan Phifer, The workshop will be held on Sunday, August 15, from
<br />10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Pre-registration is required
<br />because of limited openings.
<br />
<br />Phifer is the author of “Memoirs of the Soul: Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography.” She
<br />also teaches writing workshops locally and around the United States.
<br />
<br />Bias and Hate Response Webpage Up and Running
<br />The City of Eugene’s Equity and Human Rights Center has a new web link www.eugene-or.gov/notinourtown which
<br />provides information about hate and bias activity, how to report hate crimes, and a list of resources intended to
<br />help support victims of bias or hate activities or crimes. Equity and Human Rights staff, in partnership with the
<br />Eugene Police Department, crafted this informative and helpful site that provides educational information about
<br />hate crimes and activities, as well as encouraging people to report these crimes. The site is designed after the
<br />“Not in Our Town” model, after hate and bias activity increased in Billings, Montana.
<br />
<br />This website provides definitions to help understand the differences between hate activities and hate crimes, and
<br />offers reporting options and an explanation of how these crimes are handled, once reported. Additionally, there are
<br />many tools the site offers, from video clips from the recent Anti-Hate Forum to a Power Point presentation
<br />providing an overview of the City’s approach to hate response. The website also displays the draft Anti-Hate
<br />Resolution considered by the Eugene City Council on July 26, 2010.
<br />
<br />For more information, please contact Equity and Human Rights Center Program Coordinator Michelle Mortensen
<br />at 541-682-5177 or michelle.e.mortensen@ci.eugene.or.us.
<br />
<br />Experience on the Schooner Zodiac is “Transformational” for Students
<br />“It was amazing! It was an incredible experience!” 17-year-old Taylor Wilson said about her time on the historic
<br />Schooner Zodiac. It’s safe to say that Taylor’s response sums up the experience of all 24 local high school
<br />students who sailed June 27 to July 1, through the San Juan Islands on the Zodiac.
<br />
<br />This once in a lifetime, free, sailing opportunity for students was made
<br />possible through the Carol M. White Foundation LIFE Grant awarded
<br />to Eugene School District 4J and the City’s Recreation Services
<br />Division last year. The trip provided a safe place for the youth to be
<br />themselves, try something new, and have a peak life experience. One
<br />mom confirmed that when thanking Sandy Shaffer, Recreation’s Youth
<br />and Family Services manager, for helping to make this trip happen.
<br />She said, “The trip was transforming for my son!”
<br />
<br />The diverse students were from North and South Eugene and Churchill
<br />high schools, Network Charter School, Opportunity Center, and Lane
<br />Metro Youth Corp. The group included seven teens who had previously
<br />participated in Recreation’s high school student programs: MOHO
<br />(Multi-cultural Outdoor High School Opportunities) and YAB (Youth Action Board), who were recognized by their
<br />
<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
<br />July 22, 2010
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