Eugene Celebration

This is dedicated to the friends and family who still think Eugene is just a cute, green, charming little town. It definitely is all those things, but it's also quirky beyond belief. There is a general acceptance to being whatever breed of different anyone wishes to be and it has certainly enabled me to more fully embrace my natural self. Sometimes I wish it didn't. I feel so much better when I primp a little more.

I apologize right now for the numerous pictures. I just couldn't choose what to leave out. In Jim's words "This is the strangest thing I've ever experienced."

We sat with friends since finally summer vacation is ending and the families we love are coming back again. I'm sure all the husbands are less excited for summer to end and grad school to resume, but I sure do love having friends around.

The parade had it's fair share of typical entries like this high school dance team...

 This ginormous man on stilts...

Monster trucks...

and a Chinese dragon.

Interspersed with all the "normal" offerings were things that are uniquely Eugene, like the Slug Queen (whom I didn't get a picture of) riding in her "carriage" and this giant slug being mercilessly slaughtered by some crazy salt guy. I want to know how to land that job. Seriously, how cool it is to say "I was the salt shaker in the slug parade?"

This is some serious stuff. The Slug Queen's peeps were giving out crochet slug finger puppets to kids. Seriously, who doesn't want a crochet slug finger puppet? (Or a super cute model for one.)

Then there was the appearance of the USA Communist Party, which naively I didn't even know  existed. They had hoards of people shouting (and by hoards I mean about 5) "People before profits." Yes, let's take a look at history and see just how beneficial and sustainable Communism has been.

Then I had to laugh because immediately following the Communist party was this gigantic dove advertising the International Day of Peace. What a contrast.

Um. Yeah. I confess I'm not the biggest fan of Monsanto and some of their manufacturing ethics but this is beyond anything I've ever thought.

Aeryn was super happy to have little people to dote on and play big sister with. Even better, little people that are happy to let her.

What is up with this? I thought the Occupy movement was a little crazy here, but the Octopi movement was just downright hilarious.

Don't forget the Coal Train. We're very anti-pollution here in Eugene, which honestly I can understand. There is so much green and natural beauty here that the effects of non-sustainable living are more readily visible than in communities which are more urbanized.

Tie-dyed puppeteers.

And who-knows-what these things were supposed to be.

With fairies advertising the Country Fair that I hear is not necessarily appropriate for the under 18 crowd. Ok, make that definitely not appropriate at all.

Wrapped up by the local garrison. It was like we were about to be beat into submission by stormtroopers, and if that weren't enough there was Boba Fett to finish the deal (two of him, actually). I could've taken Darth Maul easily since he came without his double ended saber. What is up with that?

After hearing the stories of last year when the nudist colony walked the streets wearing cardboard boxes I was disappointed that this year they were a no-show. In the words of the Eugene Celebration website: "The Eugene Celebration Parade represents the best of Eugene in all its diversity. Not without controversy, this irreverent collection of left and right, alternative and traditional, new age and conservative never fails to delight, entertain, stimulate and provoke the dialogue and interactions that define our community. Ever on the edge of appropriately behaved, Celebration Parade participants are eager to share their own particular ideology for the enjoyment of the community and their fellow citizens."
I'd say it lived up to it's own claims. I seem to think the extreme political bias is due to the upcoming elections but really there is no way to know, it is Eugene after all. What do you think next year will bring?