GOVERNMENT BODIES

Eugene Mayor and City Council
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon  97401
Phone:  (541) 682-5010
Email:   mayorandcc@ci.eugene.or.us

Eugene City Council 2008
• Mayor: Kitty Piercy

Lane County Government

County Commissioners:
Lane County Public Service Building
125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97401
 (541) 682-4203

Lane County Circuit Court

Lane County links page

US Senator Ron Wyden (DEM)
151 West 7th Ave
Suite 435
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 431-0229
http://wyden.senate.gov/

US Senator Gordon Smith (REP)
Federal Building
211 East 7th Avenue, Room 202
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 541.465.6750
http://gsmith.senate.gov/public/

US Representative Peter DeFazio (DEM)
Phone: (541) 465-6732 
405 East 8th Ave. #2030
Eugene, OR 97401
http://www.defazio.house.gov/

State Sen. Floyd Prozanski (DEM)
District: 004
900 Court Street NE
Suite S-319
SalemOR, 97301-0001
(503) 986-1704
sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

State Rep. Paul Holvey (DEM)
District: 008
900 Court Street NE
Suite H-475
SalemOR, 97405
(503) 986-1408
rep.paulholvey@state.or.us

US Legislative Bills page

League of Women Voters

Oregon Legislative Bills page
State of Oregon
Oregon Legislation
Office of Economic Analysis
Voter Information Links
Voter Precincts
Voter Districts
Voter Registration form
Voter Resources

Worldwide Creativity

Kinetic Sculpture races

Ferndale's - blog with photos and rules

Bog snorkling 2 3 4 5

Cheese rolling - Gloucester

Citywide Kirkwall Ba Game, Scotland

Alice Springs Regatta

Wife Carrying

Royal Shrovetide Football rules, anthem, and terms

Medieval Football

Knattleikr

Weird Maps
More weird maps

A Welsh form of "Organized Chaos" - Cnapan

Cornish Hurling - no rules

Regional Cooking from Middle-Earth: Recipes of the Third Age by Emerald Took. Available on Amazon.com

The first thing you should know is how to pronounce important words used 'round these parts.

"Willamette" rhymes with "well, DAM-it" with the emPHAsis on the middle syllable.
"Eugene" = yoo-JEEN
"Oregon" is pronounced OAR-eee-gun or OAR-uh-gun, but never, under penalty of excommunication, or-eh-GAHN or ory-GONE.
"espresso" = ess-PRESS-o (there is no X in "espresso")
Calapooia and Calapoola are pronounced the same - both as "kal-ih-POO(ee)-ya".

Others (with thanks to the Northwest Pronunciation Guide):

Champoeg = sham-POO-ee
Coquille = ko-KEEL
The Dalles = the DALZ
Gervais = JER-vis
Heceta Head lighthouse = ha-SEE-ta
Tillamook = TILL-a-mook (rhymes with "book")
Toutle = TOO-tl
Umatilla = YOO-ma-TILL-a
Yachats = YAH-hots (fondly called Yatch-its which rhymes with Snatch-its)
Yaquina Bay = ya-KWINN-a bay
Half.com/Halfway is an eastern Oregon town, population 345, with an interesting story
Ya-Po-Ah = Yah-POH-Ah
The classical music station at the University is pronounced K-WAX, but it is meant to resemble "Quacks", like a Duck.
The river southeast of Cottage Grove is the Row River and it rhymes with Frau, not Roe. It was named for a dispute or row over something or other.
Lane County is the covered bridge capital of the country.

And in Washington:
Sequim = skwim
Puyallup = pyoo-AL-up
Issaquah = ISS-uh-kwa
Deception Pass = It's neither a pass nor a smooth move in flirting.
Useless Bay on Whidbey Island = It's not the sound of an ill-trained hound.
Cape Disappointment = Actually a very satisfying place.
Suquamish=SKWA-mish
Humptulips
Cranberry bogs on the south coast of Washington (as well as the south coast or Oregon...)

Note: We're overdue for a big earthquake at some point in the next 100 years... and one of the three Sisters is bulging, probably with lava...

Remember:

If it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

Oregonians don't know how to pump our own gas and that's the way we like it.

We recycle things in Oregon - get used to it.

If you don't know what "The mountain is out" means, you are not from the Northwest.

The Oregon state flower is: mildew.

We love our latte/coffee houses.

If the temperature sinks to 50 F, we just wear warm socks with our sandals and shorts.

In Oregon, we measure distance in drive time. "Portland is 2+ hours north of Eugene."

State Name Etymologies

OK. Now we're ready for a few other links that you might like to follow to learn more about Eugene, in priority order, of course:

THINGS TO SEE and DO LOCALLY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Oregon
Oregon Country Fair
Scandinavian Festival
Very Little Theatre
Statue of Ken Kesey and his grandkids downtown
Quilt Shows in Oregon
Lord Leebrick Theater
Sisters Quilt Show
Coburg Quilt Show etc
Downtown Caberet
Coburg Antique Show
Bohemia Mining Days in Cottage Grove
The Asian Festival
Eugene Celebration (including the slug, the slug queen, parade, food, information and craft booths, and the TWO art shows - the Mayor's Art Show and the Salon De Refuses
S.L.U.G. Queen selection and role
Article on the 2006 Slug Queen
The Masonic Cemetery
Morse Ranch
Dorris Ranch
Museums of Lane County
Saturday Market
Hendricks Park (Rhododendrons)
The ceramic frogs and bronze broom and tea cups at the Hult Center
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Wigwam burners and green chain
Fern Ridge Bike Path and West Eugene Wetlands
The Men of the Long Tom Grange
King Winery / Chateau Lorane / Hinman Winery
and other wineries
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum
Museum of Natural History on the UofO campus
Lane Co Historical Museum
Eugene Public Library (new building)
Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse 1 2
Memorial to the Japanese Americans interned in WWII
Owen Rose Garden and webcam
First Friday Art Walks #16 and #17
Hult Center
West Eugene Wetlands
Fifth St Public Market (Galleria)
The Bach Festival with Helmut Rilling and Royce Salzmann
Maude Kerns Art Center
Art in the Vineyard
Ducks on Parade
Autzen Stadium
Black Sheep Gathering
Riverfront bike paths, 31 miles of city bike lanes
Shelton McMurphy Johnson House
Lane County: Covered Bridge Capital of the West 1 2
U of O buildings - Deady Hall, etc.
Function 4 Junction (City)
Junction City Pet Parade
Butte to Butte Race
Crater Lake
Mt. Bachelor and the Wednesday Hooky Bus
Oregon Gardens
Mt. Hood
Willamette and Santiam Passes - Road Conditions
Spencer's Butte Hikes and View
Skinner's Butte 1 2 3 and other city parks
Mt. St. Helens is only 2-3 hours north of here
Junction City's Daffodil Drive Celebration
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Saturday after July 4th
DaVinci Days in Corvallis
Cranberry bogs on Oregon's south coast
Florence/Sea Lion Caves/the Dunes/Heceta Head
the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland
Whale Watching
Powell's Bookstore in Portland
Oregon Coast Aquarium
Portland Japanese Gardens
Portland Chinese Gardens
the Portland Rose Garden
Windsurfing on the Columbia at Hood River
The antique carousel museum at Hood River
Yachats
Aufderheide Scenic Byway
Mo's Chowder
Oregon Barbies
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Newport
Toledo, where "Sometimes a Great Notion" was filmed
Lane Events Calendar at the Fairgrounds by month
Saturday Market, The oldest, continuously held outdoor market in the country: eugenesaturdaymarket.org/

Bald Eagle Nest - webcam at Odell Lake

DESSERTS
~Euphoria Chocolate Company (not a restaurant, but THE place to get mouth-watering chocolate truffles), 6 W. 17th and others www.euphoriachocolate.com
~Lee Chocolatiers (watch them hand-dip the chocolate here), 8th and Willamette
~Café Zenon, 898 Pearl Street, (541) 343-3005
~Prince Puckler's Ice Cream Shop at 19th and Agate
and -- Sweet Life, Eugene City Bakery, Metropol, Great Harvest, Hideway Bakery out by Mazzi's, etc...

COFFEEHOUSES
~Allann Bros. Beanery, on Fifth, across the street from the jail, (541) 344-0221, also at 2450 Hilyard in the Amazon Neighborhood
~Perugino, 767 Willamette
~Full City, 845 Pearl
~ Wandering Goat, 253 Madison
~Zenon (restaurant), 890 Pearl
~Barry's, 28th and Oak in Southtowne Shops
~Fifth Street Market's Marche Cafe (upstairs)
~Starbucks - there are about seven
~Meridian at 18th and Willamette
~Borders Books in Oakway Mall
~Barnes and Noble in Valley River Center Annex

SPRINGFIELD, Oregon (right next door, well, across the river)
ci.springfield.or.us/

SCHOOLS
Eugene and Springfield elementary, middle and high schools - start here for statistics (# students, per pupil expenditures, etc), but I wish I could find a site for you that talks about the ambiance and focus of each school. Note that we have Charter Schools and Magnet Schools, too.

University of Oregon (U of O)
also offers the glorious Knight Library!
And a tour of the Architecture

Lane Community College (LCC)

NEWSPAPERS
Register-Guard
Springfield News
The Eugene Weekly, founded decades ago as "What's Happening" - eugeneweekly.com/
EugeneWeekly Restaurant Guide
Other state newspapers

BUSINESS
Employment: eugenechamber.com/
Jobs lcog.org/jobs.html
The Department of Employment website of jobs:  WorkingInOregon.org
Business climate: ci.eugene.or.us/articles/1132.asp

HISTORY/DEMOGRAPHICS  
The first cabin in what is now known as Eugene was erected in 1846 by Eugene Franklin Skinner. It served as a general trading post and was authorized as a post office in 1850. This was the first official recognition of the community.
Eugene City was platted and recorded in 1852 by Skinner and Judge David Risdon. However, the site had its disadvantages. After heavy winter rains, it became a quagmire and earned the nickname "Skinner's Mud Hole." A revised town plat was made on higher ground in 1853.

ci.eugene.or.us/
ci.eugene.or.us/leaders.htm
Population per Census 2000 (focus on immigration)
Demographics by category
General Eugene

Lane County government
Languages Spoken in Lane County

CLIMATE
http://geography.uoregon.edu/weather/
(if you have bad allergies, this is not necessarily a good summer or fall location...)
http://geography.uoregon.edu/infographics/

Rainfall/Temp
Lowest Monthly Average: 33.2 degrees F
(usual: ~40 degrees)
Highest Monthly Average: 82 degrees F
Hottest Month: July
Coldest Month: December
Driest Month: July
Wettest Month: December

Air Quality
Volcano Preparedness - Mt. St. Helens is 3 hours to the north of us, in Washington State

RETIREMENT
Learning in Retirement (LIR) - lir.uoregon.edu/index.php
eugenechamber.com/
sdslane.org/
lcog.org/

HEALTH CARE
eugenechamber.com/
Physicians: PhysicianIndex - Eugene
Sacred Heart Hospital: peacehealth.org/
McKenzie Willamette Hospital: mckweb.com/
Med Line

SOME NICE B&Bs
There are several nice B&Bs in the southern part of Eugene (where the church is located). Here are some URLs, sorted by closest-to-farthest (list is not exhaustive):

Pookie's B&B
http://www.pookiesbandblodging.com  This site "says" it is near the U of O campus - hogwash.  It's a good two+ miles from it.  "College Hill" does not mean the U of O, rather, it refers to a women's college that burned down twice (in 1909 and 1913), after which it was never rebuilt.  The "hill" in College Hill offers a feast of charming older, well-kept homes, and the house itself is as lovely as the view.  I've heard the breakfasts are great.

C'est la Vie Inn
http://www.cestlavieinn.com  I am not yet familiar with C'est la Vie Inn, but Willamette is the east/west dividing line in Eugene, and downtown is considered to extend to 18th Ave, so this one is quite near downtown.  For perspective, the UU Church is at 40th and Donald (which runs parallel to Willamette after 32nd St), and the "end" of Eugene in that direction is at about 57th Street.

Excelsior Inn (barely west of campus)
excelsiorinn.com/inn.html

Campbell House Inn
http://www.campbellhouse.com  - lovely, historic! Just north of downtown, and they provide ear plugs so the nearby trains won't wake you too often.  Excellent breakfast on china.

RiverWalk Inn
http://www.ariverwalkinn.com  - This B&B is in the older (1920s?) Whitaker neighborhood just north and west of Eugene downtown.  Some of the houses are not as well kept, but this is one of those real neighborhoods who sort of take care of each other.  They like each other and work together to keep its character, and to protect each other against crime and drugs.  Being so near the river and the Rose Garden is wonderful.  The path along the river leads you through several parks, and you can see the amazing model of our solar system - built to scale!  (Pluto is about four miles away).

Gimpl Hill Pensione
http://www.gimplhillpensione.com - this B&B is in the country, in an area of forests, farms, and fields.  I would imagine the silence would be restful and yet you are still not far from town. Sort of southwest of Eugene by about 6 miles or so.  Wonderful local (and award-winning) wineries in that area. 

More information at 
http://www.eugene-lodging.com/

In Newport, on the coast:
the Sylvia Beach Hotel (B&B) at the Nye Beach neighborhood. No TV, no radio, four floors-no elevator, no phones, each room is lovingly decorated in honor of an author, including ALL that author's books. The blank books that guests write in, and the house cat (who lives in the T.S. Elliot Room) are real draws, as are the library, fireplace, gourmet coffee (all-day), and mulled wine (at 10pm) on the 4th floor, where you can almost see China. sylviabeachhotel.com/

OREGON BYWAYS (the non-highway roads):
byways.org/
traveloregon.com

OUTLYING TOWNS
ALL these small towns near Eugene love being small towns, love NOT being Eugene, and folks are verrry loyal to their small town. My husband and I think they are pretty special too.

Outlying areas include
Springfield, sister city across the river. Population about 50,000

Coburg - population 1000. Five miles north of Eugene by freeway or by back roads. Coburg Golden Years in July, main businesses: farming, antique shops, RE factory and sales, Cummins Diesel trucks and engines. A very nice hamlet which gets into the news for regularly firing their one policeman and trying to recall every mayor and every elected council person <grin>.

Veneta - population 3000. Veneta has its own churches, restaurants, doctors, library, grocery, winery, elementary-high school, and even a Dairy Queen. This town has lots of rural properties, from ordinary tract homes on curbed city streets to half-acre homes with a horse or two to larger family farms. Veneta hosts the famous annual OregonCountryFair. The folks in Veneta love their rural life and are very loyal to Veneta.

Junction City - population 8,000, big enough for a McDonalds, motels, restaurants, tree line streets with mostly older homes (very few tract homes). Some antique shops, farming, two huge motorhome factories, car dealerships ("cheaper in the country"). The heritage is Scandinavian, and the annual Scandinavian Festival includes crafts, art, activities, food and fun on that theme.

Cottage Grove - population 8500, 20 miles south of Eugene on I-5 or by several back roads. Motels, an antique main street where the annual Bohemia Mining Days is held, several groceries, schools, the Oregon capital of covered bridges, lots of old homes, many new homes, wonderful old churches, antique stores. Major Employers: Stronglite Massage Tables, Pacific Yurts, Kwikee Products, Poly-Craft Systems, Wright Machine Corp. a golf course and hotel/resort, and a bow and arrow business.

Corvallis - population 49,000 A full half hour (45 miles of either freeway or back roads through farming country) to the north of Eugene. College town, LIVELY, VITAL downtown streets that look like a small town (diagonal parking), city hall is in the old city hall building (classic small town city hall). Also www.visitcorvallis.com/ Major employers: OSU, Hewlett Packard, CH2M Hill, Good Samaritan Hospital, Corvallis School District 509J, City of Corvallis, Evanite Fiber Co., Siuslaw National Forest, Summit Information Systems . Philomath is the sister city to the west - population about 4000.

Even smaller nearby towns
Marcola (15 miles northeast of Springfield - remember Diane Downs?
Brownsville (<1/2 hr north) pop: 1400
Drain (southwest of Cottage Grove-very rural) pop: 1000
Lorane (one general store/hamburger joint/video rental at the crossroads, plus a bunch of wonderful wineries and lots of family farms, K-12
Aerial view of Lorane vineyards:
Creswell - population 3000, K-12,
Lebanon (>1/2 hour north) pop: 13000
Harrisburg, 10 minutes north of Junction City, pop: 3000.

Aerial views of different sites in the area

CENSUS/DEMOGRAPHICS - Eugene
As of the census of 2000, there are 137,893 people, 58,110 households, and 31,321 families residing in the city.

The population density is ~1,313.9/km? (~3,403.2/mi?).

There are 61,444 housing units at an average density of 585.5/km (1,516.4/mi).
The racial makeup of the city is 88.15% White, 3.57% Asian, 1.25% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.18% from other races, and 3.72% from two or more races. 4.96% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 58,110 households out of which 25.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.
The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.87.

In the city the population is spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older.
The median age is 33 years.
For every 100 females there are 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $35,850, and the median income for a family is $48,527. Males have a median income of $35,549 versus $26,721 for females.
The per capita income for the city is $21,315. 17.1% of the population and 8.7% of families are below the poverty line.

Out of the total population, 14.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_County%2C_Oregon
www.el.com/elinks
Planet Eugene
Lane County
WebCams Of the area
libweb.uoregon.edu/dlc/ (especially bottom of the first page)
marysadventures.com/Cityinfo.htm

Visitlanecounty.org
Oregonlodging.com
Chamberhub.com/
thecityofeugene.com
cvalco.org/
Oregon Profiles
cbs.state.or.us/

WINERIES
The southern Willamette Valley’s climate is perfect for producing some of the best wines in the country, if not in the world. The wines in this area consistently win awards for their taste and quality. These wineries are open for tours and tastings; call for hours:
~Chateau Lorane, 27415 Siuslaw River Road, Lorane, (541) 942-8028,
~Hinman Vineyards/Sylvan Ridge, 27012 Briggs Hill Road, Eugene, (541) 345-1945,
~King Estate, 80854 Territorial Road, Eugene, (541) 942-9874 or toll-free (800) 884-4441,
~LaVelle Vineyards, 89697 Sheffler Road, Elmira, (541) 935-9406
~RainSong Vineyards Winery, 92989 Goldson/Templeton Road, Cheshire, (541) 998-1786
~Secret House Winery, 88324 Vineyard Lane, Veneta, (541) 935-3774 or toll-free (800) 497-1574,

More information about Willamette Valley wineries can be found at http://www.winesnw.com/will.html

PARKS  ci.eugene.or.us/PW/PARKS/
Oregon has 238 parks, waysides, and recreation areas totalling more than 95320 acres.

Obsidians is a local outdoor group, offering XC ski outings, rock and alpine climbing, backpacking, day hikes, bicycle rides, canoe or kayak outings, and an annual week-long summer camp that is very popular.
The Outdoor Program at the U of O is open to community members as well as faculty, staff, and students.

The entire Oregon coast has been designated a state highway and so cannot be fenced off and access cannot be denied. A possible exception is a mile or so in Curry county near the California border. Governor Oswald West about 1912 is our hero for setting aside all beaches as public beaches.

Birding Resources:
www.VisitLaneCounty.org/birdinghotspots

Subscribe to Oregon Birders Online (OBOL) or the UU Morning Doves

TRANSPORTATION
Maps:  http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/maps.htm
- the UU church is at 40th and Donald in south Eugene
Bikes:  ci.eugene.or.us/pw/bike/default.htm
Bike Paths - Eugene has a network of 28 miles of off-street paths, 78 miles of on-street bicycle lanes, and five bicycle-pedestrian bridges. You can also take your bike on the city buses. http://www.bardsmaid.org/foto/bikepath1.htm
Bus system: ltd.org/
Airport:   ci.eugene.or.us/Airport/index.htm
Train: the Amtrak train station is right downtown - Very Easy to use

COMMUNITY
Fire Department
Police Department
Crime Stats by Neighborhood  
Neighborhood Groups
City Emergency Response Plans  
Human Rights Commission
Lane County government

CULTURE
Hult Center, a world class performing arts center
Eugene Library (brand new downtown state-of-the-art library)
Ferret Agility Trials at Richardson Park, 10am-4pm,September 16 $3.00 parking fee.
Symphony
Opera
Ballet

FAMOUS PEOPLE IN OR FROM EUGENE
Jan Eliot writes/draws the Stone Soup comic strip
Ken Kesey, until he died
Mason Williams of  Classical Jazz fame
Damon Knight until he died - and his wife: author Kate Wilhelm
Ursula LeGuin in Portland
Mary Decker, runner
Bill Dellinger, running coach
Bill Bowerman, coach
Joey Harrington, football
Steve Prefontaine, died 1975
Marla Runyan, distance runner
Richard Brautigan, author
The site of the original Animal House (with John Belushi)
Danny Ainge, basketball (Boston Celtic fame)
Toni Pimble's Ballet
Giancarlo Guerrero is the symphony conductor.
Joaquin Miller, the poet of the Sierras lived here.
Major Winchester of M.A.S.H. was played by David Ogden Stiers from Eugene.
The actor, Howard Hesseman, best known as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati was born in Lebanon and attended the U of O.
The actor, Edgar Buchanan, best known for Petticoat Junction, was a dentist and actor in the Very Little Theater before moving to Hollywood.

Notable movie scenes include
• the food fight and the toga party in Animal House filmed in the EMU

• the chicken salad sandwich scene with Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces, filmed in the Denny's at the Glenwood exit of I-5.

• the spectacular locomotive crash from Buster Keaton's The General

• parts of the film Stand By Me were filmed in Cottage Grove

ARTS AND LEISURE  
ci.eugene.or.us/arts.htm and
eugenechamber.com/
lanearts.org/firstfriday.htm
eugenearts.net
Birding: birding.com/wheretobird/

The Eugene Celebration (third weekend in September, mark your calendars!) check out the tradition of the Slug Queen (as in: banana slug)
The Oregon Country Fair - second weekend in JulyLane County Fair in August

On the first Friday of every month, Eugene's many art galleries host wine-and-cheese receptions for the public.

~ Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (aka University of Oregon Museum of Art) (east of 14th Avenue and Kincaid Street, kitty-corner from the Knight Library)—This museum has just reopened after an extensive renovation. In addition to American, European, Chinese and Japanese art, the museum is home to the only Korean art gallery at a university art museum in the U.S. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students; free to children 13 and under, and UO students/staff. t http://uoma.uoregon.edu/

~ Hult Center for the Performing Arts (One Eugene Center, at 6th Avenue and Willamette Street)—September 24, 2002 marked the twentieth anniversary of this center that features top performing artists nationwide and around the world. It’s also the home of the internationally renowned Oregon Bach Festival. Not only is the architecture of the Hult Center a work of art, but inside and outside you’ll also find other works that were integrated into the building’s design, such as clay and bronze tiles, sculptures, and paintings. Outside on the 6th Avenue side of the Silva Concert Hall are more than 600 clay tiles that extend in a straight line into the lobby. For event information or to order tickets, call (541) 682-5000. More details are also on the center’s Web site at http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/Hult/default.htm

~ Museum of Natural History (1680 East Fifteenth Ave., UO campus near 15th and Agate Street)—This museum features a variety of exhibits focusing on the archaeology, geology, and plant and animal life of the Pacific Northwest. http://natural-history.uoregon.edu/Pages/home.html.

~ Lane County Historical Museum—This museum next to the Lane County Fairgrounds focuses on the history and development of Lane County. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $2. For more information, call the museum’s 24-hour line at (541) 682-4239, or go to http://www.lchmuseum.org/.

Camping
For campsites in the covered-bridge country above Cottage Grove, try Baker Bay, which has 54 sites at $10 per night. Sailboards and small boats are for rent. Located approximately 18 miles from Eugene; get here by I-5 south to Mosby Creek Rd. (take the Cottage Grove Exit), turn left, then left again on Row River Rd., and then take the right fork. You can get more information by calling 541-942-7669.

Near the quaint town of Coburg north of Eugene is a KOA Kampground, tel. 541-343-4832. Take the Coburg exit off I-5, head west, and you’ll find the KOA a mile or so down the road. Eugene Kamping World RV Park. Exit 199 I-5 90932 South Stuart Way, Eugene 97408 +1 (541) 343 4832. This RV and camping park is open all year long. Its many amenities include: full hook-ups, clean restrooms and showers, cable TV, groceries, game rooms, laundry, miniature golf and fishing at the nearby McKenzie River. Twelve bucks a night buys a tent site for two people, $14.50 for a vehicle hookup.

Between the coast and the Oregon Country Fair grounds, Triangle Lake Park, tel. 541-927-6189, has three sites for $5 a night. Proceed 25 miles west from the fairgrounds on ORE 126. Take a right onto Poodle Creek Rd., then a left on ORE 36 to Triangle Lake. You’ll find the campsites just after the lake.

Close to the Oregon Country Fair is Fern Ridge Shores located in a quiet family park 12 miles west of Eugene. Take Jeans Rd. off ORE 126 near Veneta. No reservations. Campsites go for $12 per night; hookups are $14. Fern Ridge Shores RV Park & Marina, 29652 Jeans Rd, Veneta, +1 (541) 935 2335

RVers, Oregon Country Fair-goers, rock concert attendees, and Scandinavian Fair visitors have been taking advantage of a new county park on the shores of Fern Ridge Reservoir six miles northwest of Eugene (near Veneta); contact Lane County Parks, 3040 N. Delta Hwy., Eugene 97401, tel. 541-341-6940. The 50 sites with hookups and water can be accessed by taking Clear Lake Road off of ORE 99 to its intersection with Territorial Road. Space availability is on a first-come first-served basis in this shaded campground rich in amenities and recreation. It’s open April 15-Oct. 15 and costs $14 per night.

Sherwood Forest KOA
298 E. Oregon Avenue, Creswell, +1 (541) 895 4110
This RV park offers a seasonal pool, laundry room, hot showers and a convenient store.

Coburg Hills RV Park
I-5 Exit 199 at Coburg, +1 (541) 686 3152

Wal-Mart
1040 Green Acres Road, +1 (541) 343 6977
In case you didn't know, Wal-Mart stores allow RVs to park overnight in their parking lots for up to two days.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (55+)

We have neighborhoods in Eugene which are for over-55 only. These are usually manufactured home neighborhoods, but sometimes quite nice apartment complexes. I googled this phrase "55+Eugene+Oregon" and got some hits. Try: http://tinyurl.com/7p7xp
Also try: http://tinyurl.com/aggly
and http://tinyurl.com/bz5yt
EXAMPLES:
Songbrook (lovely neighborhood, gated at night. I have friends here.) 4055 Royal Ave, Eugene 97402 541-461-4000
Camelot Manufactured Home Village (gated, 5 star, lovely, NW Eugene) 541-343-4366 or 503-635-8760   (owned and run by Unitarians!)
Daneland Mobile Home Park (very nice, I have friends here.) 1199 N Terry St Eugene 97402 541-688-6699
Fairview Mobile Home Park 1120 Fairview, Springfield 97477 541-726-6803
Farmview (this really is farm country, so the name actually may be descriptive) 145 River Road, Junction City 97448 541-345-1505
Lakeridge of Eugene - gated, very very nice. 3355 N Delta Hwy Eugene 97408 541-342-5851