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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
November 3, 2005
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION
DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY AT ROOSEVELT MIDDLE SCHOOL
LA CASA DE ARANAS HA ENCONTRADO UN NUEVO HOGAR EN LA CASA DEL RIO
“BOO BARN” RECEIVES CHEERS
AROUND THE CITY
Dancing the Night Away at Roosevelt Middle School
What better way to have fun time than by dressing up in fantastic
Halloween costumes and playing and dancing with more than 300 of your
best friends? That is just what Roosevelt Middle Schoolers did on Friday,
October 28, when Recreation Services "RecZone" staff partnered with
the Roosevelt Parent Council and school administration to put on the
most successful Activity Night Dance ever. Out of a total school
enrollment of 673 students, 360 students participated—nearly 54 percent!
The RecZone is an after-school program for youth aged 10-14 that is
organized by LRCS's Youth Recreation Services. The program provides
a wide variety of activities from kayaking to making movies to homework assistance. RecZone staff
from Amazon Community Center worked with parents to create a safe and fun environment with
activities such as the Dance Dance Revolution, bingo, open gym, karaoke, pumpkin painting, and limbo.
Best of all, the Destination Events DJ played great music that had students and staff dancing until they
just couldn't dance any more. For more information, contact Gina Tafoya, Recreation Programmer, at
682-6304.
La Casa de Aranas Ha Eencontrado un Nuevo Hogar en la Casa del Río
On October 31, the fourth annual House of Spiders was
held for the first time at the River House Outdoor
Program in the Whiteaker neighborhood. This
community event, traditionally sponsored by the Eugene
Police Department, the Eugene Recreation Division,
and Centro LatinoAmericano, has been previously held
at the Whiteaker Neighborhood Police Substation. This
year, a shuttle bus was used to successfully connect
youth and their families from the old location to the new
one. Nearly 300 wildly-costumed revelers braved the
wind and rain to find their way to the new location where
they were greeted by a glowing “Shelob,” the eight-foot
queen of Whiteaker spiders.
This free family event offered a very safe (and dry) place for young and old alike to spend some quality
spooky time together. The volunteers and staff of the Police Department, the River House Outdoor
Program, and Centro LatinoAmericano provided face-painting, crazy hair, balloon creatures, spinning
wheel prizes, warm drinks, and of course plenty of sugary treats.
The highlight of the event was the sticky stroll through the actual Casa da Aranas. Screams of glee were
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November 4, 2005
mixed with startled gasps as children of all ages found their way though this maze of webs and gooey
surprises. When a tallow-headed youth dressed all in black with blazing eyes darted into the black abyss
of the barn, and professed, “This is my eighth time going in,” River House staff knew this event would be
back next year! For more information about this event or to volunteer for this or other community
events, contact Colette Ramirez, 682-6321, or Toni Perez, 682-6320, at the River House Outdoor
Program.
“Boo Barn” Receives Cheers
Petersen Barn Community Center was happily entertained by nearly 300
miniature costumed characters last Friday, Oct 29. Princesses, kings, turtles,
hippos, lions, tigers, and bears were there to have some fun. Dorothy and Toto
must have taken a wrong turn, but the Incredible Hulk and Spiderman had fun on
the red brick patio. A few dairy cows were also staff favorites adding to the
traditional “barn” ambience, where moooooooing is a very acceptable way of
expressing yourself.
Most participants were toddler to preschool range—they enjoyed playing games,
eating popcorn, drinking punch, and making the wacky crafts provided by Ardis
Barker, the long-standing Petersen Barn pre- school instructor. Some parents
also got into the fun by dressing up, taking some nips of candy (no wonder we
ran out), and smiling as they watched the little ones watch each other. For more information on this
event please contact Pierre the Pirate, Recreation Division, at 682-6359.
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