Theaters, galleries, ballet, dancing, concerts, karaoke and dive bars: the arts and entertainment scene in Lane County is bursting at the seams with options for a night out, no matter what you’re into. (We’re a multifaceted kind of place; you can be just as into the fine arts as you are into belting out “Blister in the Sun” at karaoke.)
For our Lookout List: Arts & Entertainment category, we asked you for the staples of culture in Eugene, Springfield and beyond. Find more Lookout List winners here.
Best Local Theater Company
Winner: The Very Little Theatre
2350 Hilyard St., Eugene 97405
The Very Little Theatre, founded 97 years ago, has a history of creating community through decades of volunteer-run productions. During its first season in 1929, the theater profited $4.51; it’s come a long way since, putting on plays and musicals in its two theater spaces in a multi-colored home.
Runner-up: Oregon Contemporary Theatre
194 W. Broadway, Eugene, 97401
This theater in downtown Eugene is a home for top-notch local talent taking on heartfelt plays, splashy musicals, an annual 10-minute playwriting festival and West Coast premieres of new works.
Best Tattoo Artist or Body Art Studio
Winner: Queen Bee Tattoo & Salon
226 Main St., Springfield 97477
Are you buzzing to get some new ink? This Springfield tattoo studio and salon has a team of nine different artists with a range of styles who can work on your next tattoo, as well as custom-fit pieces of permanent jewelry.
Runner-up: Whiteaker Tattoo Collective
995 W 7th Ave., Eugene 97402
Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo from Suzen Tattoozen (what a name!), look no further. Located in Eugene’s artsiest neighborhood, this tattoo collective, with many other local artists, is sure to help you accomplish your inky dreams.
Best Dance Venue
Winner: WOW Hall
291 W 8th Ave., Eugene 97401
Depending on the night, you may shout, stomp, mosh, even slow dance at the WOW Hall, which has been holding it down for decades as one of Eugene’s go-to music venues to get your groove on. It’s known for its “floating” dancefloor, one of three in the state of Oregon that’s designed to move with the crowd. It’s like the venue is dancing right along with you.
Runner-up: Blairally Vintage Arcade
245 Blair Blvd, Eugene 97402
Come for the 1980s nights, dance till you can’t any more and take a break while indulging in vintage pinball machine goodness. The local music is a definite plus.
Best Place to Karaoke
Winner: The Monkey’s Paw
420 Main St., Springfield, OR 97477
There aren’t many places where you can order a cocktail served on fire, but The Monkey’s Paw in downtown Springfield is known for its unique menu, including its infamous Scorpion Bowl. Sip a beverage in the purple glow of this eclectic, tiki-inspired bar while enjoying karaoke, trivia, or live music.
Runner-up: The Barn Light Bar
924 Willamette St., Eugene 97401
At any given time you can find someone sipping a coffee and working on their laptop, while another orders an espresso martini and adds their name to the karaoke list. There’s something for everyone.
Lookout Staff Pick: Slice in the Whit
Nestled in the Whitaker Neighborhood in Eugene, Slice Pizza hosts karaoke on its backyard stage every Thursday and Sunday, from 6-10pm. You can dance beneath the grapevine-trellis lights in the summer, and gather around the fire pit come winter; year-round it’s a cozy spot to eat good pizza and sing your favorite karaoke songs––mine is “Say it Ain’t So” by Weezer. And Lou and Keith are the coolest bartenders in town!
– Olivia DesgrangeCommunity and Student Engagement Manager
Best Trivia Night
Winner: PublicHouse
418 A Street, Springfield 97477
Grab up to seven of your nerdiest friends and head over to PublicHouse on Monday evenings for trivia with Geovany ‘Geo’ Carcamo — it’s free to join, and all ages are welcome.
Runner-up: beergarden.
777 W 6th Ave., Eugene 97401
beergarden. combines beer and gardens with trivia on Tuesdays, also hosted by Geovany ‘Geo’ Carcamo with the same rules as the PublicHouse trivia.
Best Late Night Dive Bar
Winner: The Jackalope Lounge
453 Willamette St., Eugene 97401
Affectionately called “Jackie’s” or “the ‘Lope” by some, The Jackalope Lounge serves food and drinks alongside a staff remarkably skilled at remembering their regulars’ names. Just steps from the Eugene Amtrak Station, its cozy upstairs lounge features pool tables, dart boards and arcade games, making it a beloved hangout for locals and travelers alike. They celebrated 20 years of business in August, a testament to their patronage.
Runner-up: John Henry’s
881 Willamette St., Eugene 97401
John Henry’s unofficial tagline is “music you can smell,” immersing you into the experience of seeing a show at this downtown venue. From touring bands to local musicians, dance nights and burlesque shows, John Henry’s is the spot to catch the best live punk, metal, emo, alt-rock, and everything in between.
Best Creative Class or Workshop
Winner: Maude Kerns Art Center
1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene 97403
For over 75 years, Maude Kerns Art Center has embodied the spirit of art for everyone, providing youth and adults alike with access to art education in multiple mediums. Try your hand at oil painting, botanical illustration, figure drawing, ceramics, watercolors — if it’s an artistic medium, the instructors at Maude Kerns can probably teach everything you need to know.
Runner-up: Clay Space Eugene
222 Polk St., Eugene 97402
Clay Space Eugene is a nonprofit, member-supported ceramics studio offering classes, workshops and studio access for artists of all skill levels. From wheel-throwing and hand-building classes to memberships, Clay Space is a delightful and welcoming space for local creatives.
Best Local Band
Winner: The Sugar Beets
Talk about a Eugene institution. This Americana act has endured going on 40 years, with most of the same core of musicians who started it back in 1990 in the dorms at University of Oregon. They’ve been a staple at Oregon Country Fair, Eugene Celebration — and probably anywhere else there’s a stage in town.
Runner-up: Hank Shreve Band
A high-energy blues and funk band at heart, Hank Shreve picked up a harmonica at age 8. He’s blown away the Eugene music crowd ever since.
Best Art Gallery or Studio
Winner: New Zone Gallery
110 E 11th Ave., Eugene 97401
The local gallery has given local artists a space to share and sell their art since the 1980s, and has survived nine moves! Giving emerging artists a home is what they do best.
Runner-up: The Hybrid Gallery
941 W 3rd Ave., Eugene 97402
The Hybrid Gallery is an art gallery, yes. But it’s also a concert venue, a comedy club, an art class studio, a center of local drag performance, home to a coffee roaster, a record shop, and somehow, even more.
Best Performance Troupe
Winner: Eugene Ballet
One of the top 50 ballet companies in the United States, the Eugene Ballet performs both the staple classics of the art form and choreography from their striking, decades-long catalog of original dance from Toni Pimble (who helmed the organization for decades) and from the current associate artistic director and resident choreographer Suzanne Haag.
Runner-up: Ballet Fantastique
This family-run troupe puts on showy, jukebox ballet versions of beloved stories, with the Bontragers taking on choreography, costumes and more out of their downtown studio. Shows have included an 1980s themed “Little Mermaid” and a country-western themed “As You Like It.”
Best Local Artist or Maker
Winner: Jud Turner
Local sculptor Jud Turner has been incorporating random found objects into his work for more than three decades out of The Oblivion Gallery in Eugene’s warehouse district. He welds steel and salvaged items into pieces that feel like they’re both from the future and the past, and are frequently spotted around the city.
Runner-up: Gloria Udosenata
Painter Gloria Udosenata is a staple of the art scene in Eugene, with gorgeous, layered pieces frequently featuring female figures, flowers, hearts and other pieces of the natural world, in colorful, contemplative pieces.
Best Live Music Venue
Winner: Cuthbert Amphitheater
601 Day Island Rd, Eugene 97401
A warm summer evening on the grass with a picnic and a fading (but still pretty cool) old rock star — you know, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan. What could possibly go wrong? Even if you forget your picnic blanket, someone will invariably offer you a corner on theirs.
Runner-up: WOW Hall
291 W 8th Ave., Eugene 97401
Taking a spin through the variety of acts booked at the WOW Hall, from metal to punk to pop to indie to emo and everything in between, does make one go “Wow.”
Lookout Staff Pick: Cuthbert Amphitheater
There’s a specific kind of nervous system reset that happens at the Cuthbert around golden hour, right as the trees go backlit and the first notes hit. I’ve stood on that grass barefoot, slightly transcendent, watching a jam stretch out like it’s looking for something. The place doesn’t discriminate — the dirt at the Cuthbert has held space for Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir — all different frequencies, same beautiful trees soaking it all in.
– Dustin CrowtherAccount Executive
Source: lookouteugene-springfield.com
