Assistant Professor Gabriela Martinez and Professor Lynn Stephen Lane County has quite a rich history that many residents are unaware of. More specifically, Lane County’s racial and ethnic past. Lane County has not always been the home to European settlers, other ethnic groups made Lane County their homes far before that. To help celebrate Oregon’s 150th birthday, Assistant Professor Gabriela Martinez and Professor Lynn Stephen of the UO’s anthropology department partnered with the Lane County Historical Museum to create an exhibit and documentary featuring the underrepresented Latino...

September 12, 5-11 p.m. September 13, 11a.m.- 11 p.m. Celebrate the food, music, art and lifestyle of the Latino culture at the annual Fiesta Latina at Island Park in Springfield. Admission is just $5 and children 10 and under get in free.

September 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Brownsville Scrapbook Show & Sale will take place at the Brownsville Rec Center, located behind City Hall on Park Street. The winner of the Best in Show category will win a basket of scrapbooking supplies. Admission charge is $1 and proceeds benefit Brownsville Senior Center. Participants can enter here, or email marshamorrill@yahoo.com.

September 7, 8 a.m.-4p.m., Coburg City Blocks Over 350 antique dealers from around the country gather in the tiny town of Coburg each year for the Coburg Antique Fair. A variety of food booths and great musical entertainment make this a wonderful event for the whole family! Admission and parking are free.

August 30-31, September 1 If ever there was a time to visit Lane County’s wineries, Labor Day weekend would be it. Start off at Lavelle Vineyards with the Great American Picnic and enjoy food, wine and live music with your friends and family. August 30, 31 and September 1, from noon-6p.m. Sweet Cheeks Winery will host its annual Labor Day Open House. The celebration will feature daily music by Paul Blondi. During the holiday, King Estate’s Market place will be open to the public for dining and wine tasting.

Saturday, August 23, 2008 Excited to kick-off the football season? Then head to the Masonic Lodge this Saturday for ShelterCare’s first annual Chilli and Quackers Kick-off Cook-off chilli competition. Chili chefs will be able to enter in one of four categories, including a sanctioned CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) entry that will allow the winning contestant to advance to a regional competition. For those not wanting to adhere to the strict rules of the CASI division, other categories will include: sustainable or organic chili; vegetarian; and freestyle, in which contestants...

June 18 – August 31, 2008 Faster, Higher, Farther:  The Spirit of Track & Field Sports is an exhibit of photography by David Burnett, Kenneth Jarecke, Dilip Mehta, and Annie Leibovitz that captures the speed, power, endurance of Olympic class athletes past and present.  The exhibit, prepared by Contact Press Images, New York, features arguably the most famous images of past Olympic games, trials and relays of these extraordinary athletes including Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, and Mary Decker Slaney. June 26 – September 7, 2008 The Thinking Body exhibition examines new ways of understanding...

We’re lucky to live in such a bountiful area of the world! Fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies are available with just a trip to local farmer’s markets. Now, find fresh produce in Springfield on Fridays! “It’ll Grow on You!” 9 am – 3 pm Fridays from July 11 – October. Downtown Springfield, off Main between 5th and 6th. Admission is free! The market is supported by the Neighborhood Economic Development Council (NEDCO).

The Olympic Team Trials for Track and Field are underway (in case you hadn’t heard), but that’s not the only game in town in the next week or two. Art & the Vinyard (July 4 – 6): Art and the Vineyard is the Northwest’s top art, wine, and music festival, staged along the banks of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon’s scenic Alton Baker Park. This year marks the 25th Annual Art and the Vineyard Festival on July 4, 5, and 6, 2008. Tickets available at the festival gate...

For a relatively small community, we really know how to celebrate Independence Day! Here’s a listing of all the local area fireworks displays. Eugene Emeralds Baseball Game & Fireworks Display, July 2 Civic Stadium: Enjoy an evening of baseball and fireworks at this summer tradition since 1955. Visit www.go-ems.com Eugene Pro Rodeo and Firecracker Bull Ride, Oregon Horse Center: Horse and bull riding action, a dance and nightly fireworks July 3, 4 and 5. Firecracker Bull Ride on July 6. Visit www.oregonhorsecenter.com Creswell July 4 Celebration, Holt Park in Creswell: Activities all...