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For more information and to preview tour sites, visit www.eugene-or.gov/tour. Pre-registration for this popular
<br />event is strongly encouraged at eugenesolartour@eweb.org. To volunteer for the tour or for more
<br />information, contact Jenna Garmon at jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us. For more about other tours across
<br />Oregon, visit http://solaroregon.org/workshops-and-education/tours/oregon-green-and-solar-tours-2010.
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<br />
<br />Summer in the City Downtown: It’s a Wrap
<br />The Summer in the City – Downtown series which included a movie, live concerts, a skateboard demonstration,
<br />circus acts, participatory art, dance lessons, a fashion show, live theatre and a game of dodge ball, may have
<br />seemed like a lot of fun and games, but it also accomplished some serious goals set by the City Council, Cultural
<br />Policy Review and the Community Events Program.
<br />
<br />The free events spanning nine weeks advanced the City
<br />Council’s goals of a city with accessible and thriving culture
<br />and recreation, and a community where all people are safe,
<br />valued and welcome.
<br />
<br />They also aimed to satisfy two goals of the Cultural Policy
<br />Review: to build participation in, and audiences for arts and
<br />culture in Eugene; and to integrate arts and culture into the
<br />fabric of downtown Eugene and other neighborhoods as part
<br />of a comprehensive strategy of revitalization.
<br />
<br />Beyond those overarching goals, the Community Events
<br />Program set specific goals for each event: to bring positive
<br />activity downtown, have a positive impact for downtown businesses, increase residents’ connectivity to the
<br />downtown, and be safe.
<br />
<br />By the following, most events succeeded:
<br />
<br /> Number of activities/attractions: in the nine event days, a total of 40 activities/attractions were offered (the
<br />goal was 13).
<br />
<br /> Involving community organizations: no specific number was set as a goal, but 55 community groups and
<br />25 City of Eugene departments participated in the nine event days.
<br />
<br /> Audience participation: the goal was to increase the 2009 attendance of 2,615 by 25 percent; this year
<br />4,110 attended, an increase of 57 percent.
<br />
<br /> Goal to reach 50 percent of the targeted audiences at each event: each of the nine event days was
<br />specifically programmed to bring a certain age and demographic to downtown Eugene. This minimum goal
<br />of 50 percent was met or exceeded at seven of the nine events.
<br />
<br /> Safety and security: the general feeling was that having an event footprint fenced, and suggesting a
<br />donation of one can of food, or $1 per adult, had a major impact by making the atmosphere feel safer as
<br />compared to last year. This effort raised $3,852, plus 1,429 cans of food for the Relief Nursery.
<br />
<br /> Volunteer help: the nine downtown events were made possible with 173 hours of volunteer help, primarily
<br />at the four entrance gates. In addition, the volunteer coordinator, Amber Hampton, an intern from the
<br />University of Oregon, volunteered her services - a total of 180 hours.
<br />
<br />The Community Events program also programmed 15 Summer in the City - Live Music events (formerly called
<br />Summer Concerts in the Parks). These events attracted 6,140 people. By comparison, the 18 live music events
<br />presented in 2009 were attended by 5,945 people.
<br />
<br />For more information, contact Billie Moser, 541-682-6347.
<br />
<br />Banned Books Read-Out and Talk at Eugene Public Library
<br />Join the Eugene Public Library in celebrating free speech during Banned Books Week. Start the week on
<br />Saturday, September 25, noon to 2:00 p.m., by dropping in at the Downtown Library’s Rotunda for a Banned
<br />Books Read-Out, co-sponsored by the Lane County Chapter of the American Civil
<br />Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon, and Springfield Public Library. Hear
<br />community members reading aloud passages from books that have been
<br />challenged or banned, borrow a targeted book, and get a free “I Read Banned
<br />Books” pin. (Springfield Public Library will close the week with a Banned Books
<br />
<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
<br />September 16, 2010
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