Downtown Eugene came alive on Saturday, Sept. 19, as the city marked the 20th anniversary of Park(ing) Day. The worldwide event encourages neighborhoods to temporarily convert public parking spaces into small parks, art installations, and gathering places. Eugene’s transportation department offered several curbside spots, and local volunteers brought tables, chairs, easels, and a piano to create a vibrant, family‑friendly atmosphere.
Artists and families lead the transformation
Lexi Peters, a 50‑year‑old Eugene resident, stopped by the Perugino coffee shop and set up an easel in a parking space. “I’m an artist, and I decided, you know, I haven’t had a brush in my hands in a long time, and it just seemed like a really fun thing to do,” she said while painting on a canvas.
Local artist Erick “Wonderly” Varela invited “children and children at heart” to join a paint‑by‑numbers project featuring a frog and a raccoon—characters from his earlier Walktober walking‑event series. “Art is a great way to connect with folks in the community,” Varela explained, noting that participants often feel a stronger sense of belonging after taking part.
Community members enjoy food, music and crafts
Tables and chairs were arranged in the parking spaces, allowing visitors to sample food and drinks from Perugino. Eugene resident Rachel Anne Collins provided live piano music, adding a festive soundtrack to the outdoor gathering.
Two blocks away, the space in front of Portal Tea hosted a craft circle. Anchen Texter taught participants how to weave small cardboard looms into mandala‑style designs. “It often sparks something in people seeing something like this,” Texter said, recalling comments from neighbors who recalled similar crafts from their grandparents.
City officials praise the event’s impact
Caswell Attegrene, a transportation‑department representative, highlighted the creativity of Eugene’s residents. “We here in Eugene, as a community, just have so much creativity, and this is a fun way to highlight what people are doing and the talents they have,” Attegrene said.
Attegrene added that the temporary parks create “instant community” moments as passersby stop to watch the transformation. “What I love about it is that it is taking a space that we pass by every day, or maybe we park our car in, and watching it become a place where people gather, chat, and connect,” she noted.
Park(ing) Day’s roots and future in Eugene
The original Park(ing) Day began in San Francisco when design firm Rebar turned a single parking spot into a miniature park. Eugene has participated intermittently since about 2014, and the city continues to support the event as a low‑cost, high‑impact way to showcase local art, foster neighborly interaction, and reimagine public space.
Organizers hope the event will inspire longer‑term discussions about how the city can use underutilized curbside areas for community benefit, whether as pop‑up gardens, outdoor seating, or permanent parklets.
Original reporting: Homepage – Lookout Eugene-Springfield — read the source article.
