Call to artists: The SLUG Queen Salon 2009!

2009 is just around he corner and that means creative royal gastropod watchers are on notice! You are hereby challenged by your Queen to pull out the stops and let your imagination guide you to create an image of the SLUG Queen to amaze and confound the world. Now that the Slug Queen has international press, a Wall Street Journal front page story and a website with thousands of viewers--we SLUG Queens feel it is more important than ever to be immortalized in fine (not necessarily refined) art. Last year's entries set the bar high as you can see at www.slugqueeneugene.com art gallery


Last year put the SLUG Queen Art Salon Competition on the map--this year we want to cement Eugene's art community's reputation as progressive, inventive and fearless. Art may be 2D or 3D, abstract, literal or figurative. We are interested in fabric art (quilts, wearable art, etc...), recycled works, photography, video pieces, and even performance art as well as traditional sculpture, drawings and paintings. There are "no rules" (as is the way of the SLUG Queen) except of course that the work must in some way be slug Queen related to be accepted in the show. Please contact us early if you are planning a performance or are planning to create an oversized work. Please see THE RULES
for more information. Dates will be posted in January--most likely August 2009--so stay tuned.
Now get that creative slime juice flowing!

The Gift of ART in Eugene

Add a little local color to your life--literally. Eugene's blooming artist district, the 2nd and Blair Street Artists, are having an open house & Studio Sale just in time for gift giving season. I can not think of a better way to support local arts and give the gift of art/culture. Even if you are not planning on making a big art purchase at the moment, take a little time out to discover this unique spot on the downtown Eugene map. Be inspired. Take the kids.
Open House: Friday, December 12, 5 to 9 pm
Saturday, December 13, 11am to 5 pm: Sunday 12 to 4
See works like that of produce portrait artist John Holdway
www.johnholdway.com
No self respecting SLUG can resist these scrumptious garden paintings!

SLUG Queens Love Kitsch

That irrepressible Mitra Chester has done it again! As if the hipster hangout DELUXE located on Willamette near 13th, or her uber groovy annual Fashion Show extraordinaire were not enough, Mitra has opened Kitsch--right next to the McDonald Theater in downtown Eugene. Lots of pre-cool selected resale, lots or Mitra original designs, lots of plain old fashionista fun.

A season OOzing with Joy!

Yes Eugene, there is a SLUG Queen.
Although she has, of late, been as elusive as Santa Clause, Marie Slugtoinette is planning to join that jolly old elf at Eugene's fierce Holiday Market www.holidaymarket.org where the SLUG Queen isn't the only fabulous local commodity. This is an annual Eugene HOT spot that gets cooler (and bigger) every year. There is music, dancing, shopping, flirting, photos with Santa (and the SLUG Queen herself if you can catch her Saturday Dec. 6th), and an overall spirit of giving and joy.
There is no better place to see the beating heart of Eugene.

Be sure to see Queen Accordionna on stage at the Holiday market...Check the link for times and schedules.

Ready for a big party? Don your finery and come to Lane Arts Council's December First Friday Art Walk. Fenerio Gallery will be revealing the Artist Trading Cards Exhibition! Many downtown shops will have their doors open late for their seasonal Open House Parties including the SLUG Queen Favorite PASSION FLOWER. Come see Marie Slugtoinette Friday, December 5, 7:30 pm and at Passion Flower and stay for the tea, cookies and beautiful home and personal goods that will make excellent gifts. It will be a glitzy affair.

The next Meet Your Maker show is that Friday, Dec. 5th from 5-8pm at Broadway Wine Bar (200 W Broadway in Eugene). There will be free wine tasting awesome gifts (esp for yourself) by local cutting edge designers a great raffle of their ultra cool crafts. This is a do not miss event if you are on the Art Walk.

There is nothing slimy about giving food, clothes and love to those in need. This year, Lori Smith, President of www.savethepets.net has created a super smart donation center at Johnson Brother's Nursery This is a one stop donation center for Food for Lane County, CASA, Relief Nursery, Birth to 3, Toys for Tots and MORE!!...see the link for details. The donation tables will be available every weekend in December.

ENJOY!!!

Congratulations Kitty Piercy, Jeff Merkley and Barack Obama from the SLUG Queen

The royal "WE" extend congratulations to our newly elected Eugene Mayor, Kitty Piercy, Oregon U.S. Senator Elect Jeff Merkley and President Elect of the United States--Barack Obama!

We have to say we are shocked (SHOCKED!) by the lack of use of slime in your campaigns! We SLUG Queens tend to be very "liberal" with the slime. Nevertheless, we are thrilled to support you all in your efforts to improve Eugene, Oregon, and the country in these sluggish economic times.

As you know, SLUG Queens relish long, drawn out trails...and we admired each of yours during the campaign. We encourage you all to continue to be trail blazers by working hard to find common ground in this time of deep political division and to seek out new paths to progress and prosperity for all. Like us slugs, we hope that you will be thinking outside the shell.

Congratulations! Now let's get together and work to make this the best, greenest, most diverse garden ever!

HRH Marie Slugtoinette

Slugtoinette proud to be an American Gastropod!

As many of you know I, your Queen Marie Slugtoinette, am temporarily out of the country spreading the slime abroad and promoting the allure of gastropods and the wonders of Oregon! As SLUG Queen, I am sensitive to the importance of every single vote and was dutiful in casting my ballot a la absentee. I am very proud to be an American Slug.
I have posted a photo here of myself with the US Ambassor to Barbados, Mary Ourisman, on election night at her home . You may not know that our very first American President, George Washington, may owe his presidency and perhaps his life to Barbados. At the age of 18 George came to Barbados to live for a short time (just like your SLUG Queen), and he caught small pox. Luckliy it was mild and he recovered well in the sea air...but he retained a crucial immunity to the disease. When he returned an eventually took his post as general, many of his troops died horrifically of small pox at Valley Forge--but George was immune thanks to Barbados. Just a thought "Slug Queen for President 2012"?
Slugs and Kisses
Marie Slugtoinette

S.L.U.G. acrynom Contest

A game, a game! The SLUG Queens have a game for you!

As you well know "S.L.U.G." officially stands for Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod-- but what else could our royal society acronym could stand for? Slugs Love Urban Gardens? Stealthy Leopards Upset Gnus? Sneaky Leprechans Undermine Gnomes?
Common...show us your funny bone!

The Eugene Weekly has been on top of getting public submissions.
"Dave Taube of Eugene offers these in response: Slugs Like Ugly Guys. Shellless Legless Underfoot Grassdweller. Slimy Loathsome Ugly Gastropods. Slimy Loathsome Uber Gross. Slippery Lipless Underfoot Gastropods.

Writer Rick Levin came up with a bunch: Salt Leaves Us Gooey. Shapeless Legless Ubiquitous Goop. Showers Leave Us Gay. Somewhat Lascivious Urban Grime. Should Live Under Ground. Semi-Literate Uber-Goober. Sounds Like “UG.” Some Like Us Gastronomically. Stupid Libertarians Underestimate Greed. Shitty Legislation Undermines Geopolitics. Should Legalize Using Ganja. State Lottery Underscores Graft. Spineless Legless Undulate Gastropod. Sidney Lumet Understands Guilt.

Some anonymous entries that slipped under the Eugene Weekly door include: Sexy Little Under Garments. Sizemore Lurks Under Ground. Santa Loves Underage Gnomes. Senate Lacks Understanding of Greed. Sarah Lavishes Uninformed Generalizations. Sarah Lacks Understanding in General. Smith Lies Ubout Greencards.

Send your submissions to the Eugene Weekly Editor at editor@eugeneweekly.com to be entered to win a SlugsAway Electronic Slug and Snail garden fence by Rittenhouse, a $50 value, and have their entry published on the Here on the SLUG Queen Society pages website. Deadline for entries has been extended to November 7.

Here are the links to the Eugene Weekly Stories:
www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/10/09/news.html
www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/09/18/news.html#7

Meet "Meet Your Maker"

First thank you to Queen Scarlett who contributed this fabulous MC Yogi video/song that I can not get out of my head (and don't want too). Please pass it on...it's just to good to keep to yourself.

Now a little focus on the budding hipness blossoming in the heart of Eugene (that's hip without the hippie)...
Sure the Saturday Market has it's steadfast place in the hearts and minds of Old Eugene, but where do the ultra cool and creative go to sell and buy their uber cutting edge wares? Do they set up shop next to the dream catchers? Mais non! Meet "Meet Your Maker"--a roving indie craft show and marketplace with "Etsy" edge and ironic groove. Check out thier website at: http://meetyourmaker.wordpress.com/ or drop by their next show on Friday, November 7th at Broadway Wine Bar at 200 W. Broadway from 5-8pm. They'll be part of the First Friday Artwalk and there will be free wine tasting!

We hold these truths...

In all fairness I have decided to let the Eugene Public know that SLUG Queens are in the bag for Obama. Come on...what did you expect?
True--recent political turns have shown McCain/Palin to be running a far slimier campaign...full of slippery rhetoric and slick talk. But Obama has sweet talked us with his respect for the constitution and his quiet slug like demeanor. So we are very proud to have teamed with the Obama campaign for our SLUG Queens get out the vote drive last Saturday! Together we added more than enough voters to have tipped the scales and won the last presidential election...
If you missed the party please take a look at this video mcyogi.com/voteforhope
and don't be sluggish about filling out that ballot!

A SLUG Queen named Desire (or Blanche DuBois anyway)

What a wonderful week in store for the County of Lane!

Not only can the citizens of Eugene meet the SLUG Queens in person at Cozmic Pizza this Saturday (October 11, 2-5pm) for our Voter Registration funfest...(see last post)
but now you can catch Star Powered Old Queen Frank (aka Shandi Sinnamon) in the Tennessee Williams classic "A Street Car Named Desire" (playing in Cottage Grove) this weekend or next.

The Register Guard says, "Shandi Sinnamon may be the perfect Blanche DuBois". MAY be? Is there any question? Anyone who has seen Queen Frank play Patsy Cline in Willamette Repertory Theatre’s “Always”, or sing like a cowgirl in the Rep’s “Chaps”, knows she was born to play Blanche.
“Everybody wants to be Blanche,” she says. “Even men. Blanche is the Hamlet of beyond-Shakespeare roles. It’s pure poetry — Tennessee Williams poetry.

“The role has a range of every possible emotion, including insanity.”

“I am perfect for Blanche,” she says. “I am 56 years old. I am single. And I have had disappointments in love.”

In Williams’ play, which took the Pulitzer Prize in 1948, Blanche comes to visit her pregnant sister Stella in a seedy section of New Orleans. She’s trying to forget her past and start a new life.

The Eugene Weekly raves: "...both Sinnamon and Hawkins perform with impressive skill. They aren’t overly indebted to Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando from the iconic 1951 movie, and they turn overquoted lines into believable moments in the lives of their characters. Sinnamon, in what could easily be a scene-chewing role, shows Blanche’s vulnerability and strength as well as her frantic attempts to cover her tracks."

Tony Rust directs the Cottage Theatre production.

The cast also features Mike Hawkins as Stanley Kowalski, Caroline Cramer as Stella Kowalski and Phil Dempsey as Mitch, along with Marian Dempsey, Carmen Eberle, Dale Flynn, Dan French, Max Maltz, Jennifer Mandeville-Schulz, Frank Schulz and Ruth Townsend.

“Streetcar” runs weekends through Oct. 19. Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. The show contains themes that may not be appropriate for all ages.

Tickets are $13 at www .cottagetheatre.org or 942-8001.

SLUG Queens get out the VOTE!

The SLUG Queens are ever so sorry that you, the huddled masses, can not vote to elect the next SLUG Queen...that is simply the rule (the official rules state that only the Old Queens can elect the new Slug Queen--although, also officially, there are NO RULES!)

But lucky for you we have used our collective royal power to pull together an election you can participate in beyond wolf whistles and cheering--it's for a figurehead character called a "President".

Yes, yes, we know, darlings--it's just not the same. But voting for royalty is reserved for royalty and this should be just as much fun. In fact it's surprisingly similar!

There will be many of the same elements as a SLUG Queen coronation: Contestants are judged on costumes (are they wearing American Flag pins?), talent (how did they handle the media, Pick a VP, dance around the real issues?), and the ability to answer a question (some of which might be "Gotcha" questions but you still have to answer coherently in a proper sentence).

Lastly, there is some unofficial bribery permitted and encouraged which might come in the form of promised tax cuts or 8 trillion dollar bailouts. And this time YOU get to VOTE!

The SLUG Queens want you to enjoy the entire experience from registration to coronation--Whoops, I mean "election" of course!
Come join The Famous Eugene SLUG Queens at the fabulous Cozmic Pizza on Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 from 2-5pm for a good old-fashioned SLUG Queens GET OUT THE VOTE party!

Help keep the Slime in Eugene and out of Washington, DC!
Grab a little pizza and a real good slime...there will be prizes, photo ops, goodies, and more.

Already registered to vote? Bring a friend who hasn't. No, make that two. This is an amazing opportunity to experience both voting and how it feels to be an Old Queen!
For more info see www.slugqueeneugene.com/news/default.shtml

Welcome to the Society Pages

Bonjour Eugene.
Make that Bonjour world!
Since making the Wall Street Journal front page, SLUG Queens have a world wide audience. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122203411663760967.html
But we feel most comfortable right here in Eugene, Oregon where the gardens are greenest and the Mayor is Purrr-fect.
Hello Kitty! We're talking about you.

Now that you've found our society pages, please subscribe at the top of the page and we'll let you know when to check in to see who's who in Eugene. SLUG Queens will show you when and where we rub our slimy shoulders with Eugene luminaries--business owners, political types, community leaders and do gooders in general. If you've ever wondered what exactly a SLUG does after hours you'll see we leave a sparkling trail of slime whereever we go.

See you in the Slimelight!

Queen Slugtoinette

SLUG Queens front page news in The Wall Street Journal!

Quelle Surprise!
I woke up this morning to find financial ruin and fame for the SLUG Queens both on the same bold front page of New York's finest financial institution--The Wall Street Journal. Should I be happy or sad?

But perhaps it was a fait accomplis, non? After all wasn't Marie Antoinette beheaded to appease to masses as her beloved country teetered on the edge of financial collapse due to copious spending and borrowing of the rich elite? I should not have been surprised to find myself, Queen Marie Slugtoinette, similarly decapitated as a "hed cut" drawing (really-that's the popular name for those distinctive dot sketch portraits of celebrities unique to the WSJ)!

But I am grateful we, the SLUG Queens, and Eugene, Oregon too, have provided comic relief to the nation in these tough times. Now, perhaps, we can proceed with our national regime change without a bloody revolution. Now that you have my head, the country is bound to rebound...as long as we keep the slime in Eugene.

Marie Slugtoinette September 21, 2008
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122203411663760967.html
www.slugqueeneugene.com