This Saturday at Kesey Square, young, local spray-paint artists will create a mural illustrating their view of this year’s Eugene Celebration theme, “I Dream of Eugenie.” The mural will then take a tour of the city, with its first stop at Valley River Center, to create hype for this summer’s Eugene Celebration.
The artists were invited to create the mural after submitting their interpretation of the theme. The event will begin at 10 a.m.
“It’ll be a really fun opportunity to see the artwork being created and a fun experience for the community,” said Kelly Cadigan, Eugene Celebration’s development director.
The event’s theme was generated by a community member at one of the Celebration’s board meetings. The play on the 1960’s television show stuck with the board members as they further discussed their visualization of the Celebration and where Eugene was headed.
The larger Eugene Celebration will be held September 12 through the 14. The event is being organized by the Eugene Celebration board of directors. Matt Purvis, the board’s chair, stressed the importance the Celebration has on bringing the community together.
“No matter what neighborhood you live in, everyone can get together to share their outlook on the community,” Purvis said. “That’s the sense of the theme. Who are we and where are we going?”
The event can serve as a forum for showcasing issues surrounding downtown development and the upcoming mayoral election, Purvis said.
But there’s no need to study everything about the political sphere surrounding Downtown. Purvis said he wants everyone to enjoy themselves, relax and see a few familiar faces.
He said the key to a good celebration is good weather. Between the parades and music, last year’s celebration saw roughly 60,000 visitors.
Good weather provided, this year’s Celebration may see just as many visitors. Organizers have been working on improving foot traffic and are looking for a popular band to play on Saturday night. No names have been announced yet, but the board is making sure it stays in line with the Eugene Celebration’s local feel.
The three-day event in September will cost $12, which will include entry to all entertainment, food and vendors. One-day tickets will not be available for Friday or Saturday, but Sunday’s admission cost will be $5. The Celebration Parade will be on Saturday, September 13th at 9:30 a.m.. Two additional parades, a pet parade and a bike lights parade, are in the works.
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