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Good morning. It's Friday, April 3, 2026. The city is in full spring calibration: sneakers by the door, baskets at the ready, and a suspicious amount of optimism in the air. Between family-friendly festivities and fresh reasons to head outdoors, this weekend is basically a permission slip. Alright, here's today's edition of your Eugene Lowdown:
📰 LOCAL NEWS LOWDOWN
Springfield Goes Full Egg Mode
Springfield is about to sprint politely through springtime chaos. Willamalane's 71st annual Megga Hunt lands at Lively Park on Saturday, April 4, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon, with more than 48,000 eggs. Expect competitive, toddler, inclusive, and adaptive hunts, plus crafts, balloon animals, train rides, music, photo booths, and community exhibitors.
The McKenzie Is Ready for You
Dust off the camp chairs: recreation areas near the Carmen-Smith Hydropower Project in the Willamette National Forest reopen May 1 after a nine-year overhaul. Eugene Water & Electric Board invested $10.8 million in the powerhouse, substation, and upgraded campgrounds, day-use spots, and trails, with better accessibility and clearer signage. Trail Bridge Campground reservations just opened up, so grab one now!.
Eugene Builds a Bigger Memory
This is not just public art, its public remembrance. Eugene leaders and community members previewed "Crossing the Bridge," a monument honoring five of Eugene's founding Black families connected to Ferry Street Village. The monument is planned for installation in Alton Baker Park this fall, where residents were displaced in 1949. Organizers include Talicia Brown and artist Percy Appau.
📆 EVENTS LOWDOWN
Friday, 4/3
Baseball
Spectator Sports
Eugene Emeralds Opening Day
Dust off the foam finger and practice your rally clap as a fresh season of Emeralds baseball starts with hot dogs, fly balls, and the eternal question: is it too early to start the wave?Friday
Stand-Up Comedy
Pauly Shore
Get ready for punchlines, not push notifications, as a legendary comic turns late-night stories into live laughs in a room full of grown-ups, drinks, and unapologetically silly fun.Friday
Blues
Anni Piper West Coast Tour
Leave the playlist at home and let a real bass guitar shake the room instead. Anni Piper is serving three hours of blues so tasty you might forget you ever liked going to bed early.Friday
Art Walk
First Friday Artwalk
Swap the couch for canvases and cozy shoes as you stroll a downtown packed with art, music, and makers all showing off their good side under the streetlights.Friday
Electronic
Nightlife
Soul Sessions With Bizio and Bee Stee
Bring your best dance moves and maybe your comfiest shoes - four hours of house, breaks, and bass are on deck, the cover is zero dollars, and the only curfew is how long your legs can keep up.Friday
Live Music
Performing Arts
Friday Night Laser Shows: Metallica & Foo Fighters & Britney & NSYNC
Swap the living-room playlist for booming speakers, dancing lasers, and a dome full of fans rocking out under the stars indoors.Friday
Museum Exhibit
Free First Friday
Give your wallet a day off while your curiosity clocks in with hands-on exhibits, ancient fossils, and big stories from Oregons deep past to its vibrant present.Friday
Saturday, 4/4
Kids Activities
Easter
Megga Hunt
Bring your best egg hunting skills and your biggest basket for rolling hunts, golden egg prizes, silly train rides, and enough candy-fueled fun to power the whole family till nap time.Saturday
Rock
Scott Pemberton
Prepare for riffs so funky you might forget about the pinball machines. Expect face-melting solos, danceable grooves, and at least one moment where you wonder if guitars are even supposed to do that.Saturday
Art Walk
Warehouse District Art Hop
Swap scrolling for strolling and cruise the Warehouse District instead. Expect paint, pints, maybe puppets, and plenty of surprises as warehouses turn into a neighborhood-wide art party into the night.Saturday
Blues
Skip Jones & the Spirit of New Orleans
Leave the bayou boots at home but bring your best chair-dancing moves as sizzling keys and big rhythms turn a laid-back brewery night into a mini Bourbon Street.Saturday
Story Time
Baby & Toddler Storytime
Tiny humans, big fun: expect wiggles, giggles, short stories, and easy songs that make early learning feel like playtime. Grown-ups get social time too, and the price tag could not be better: free.Saturday
Jazz
Blessed Relief Jazz Trio
Bring your appetite for pizza, pints, and plush jazz chords as a guitar-led trio turns familiar standards into toe-tapping, head-nodding proof that evenings are better with swing.Saturday
Dance
Nightlife
Free Swing Dance Party and Open House
Step away from the couch and into a four count of pure joy. Friendly instructors, a Portland DJ, and a room full of twirling people might just convince your feet they have been dancers all along.Saturday
Sunday, 4/5
Puzzle
Speed Puzzling Showdown
Grab a partner, stretch those puzzle-solving muscles, and see how fast you can tame 500 tiny cardboard mysteries before someone else claims the glory and the goodies.Sunday
Indigenous Hist
Markets & Shopping
Native American Arts & Crafts Market
Stroll through rows of dazzling beadwork, jewelry, and art, chat with the makers themselves, and discover that the hardest part of the day might be choosing which beautiful piece has to come home with you.Sunday
Jazz
Dmitri Matheny Quintet
Bring your best swing-era swagger and a favorite dish to share as top-tier jazz pros cut loose on Louis classics in a living room big-band vibe, no tuxedo or music degree required.Sunday
Craft & Workshop
Tea Tasting
Cozy Crafting
Bring your yarn, sketchbook, or notebook and let your to-do list unravel while your project finally comes together. Quiet chatter, warm drinks, and cozy creativity are very much encouraged.Sunday
Film Screening
Ghost Town Outfitters Present: SLC Punk! (1998)
Rip those safety pins out of retirement and dust off your studded jacket for a punk-fueled movie night where the outfits are nearly as loud as the soundtrack.Sunday
Monday, 4/6
Bluegrass
Board Game Night
Bluegrass Jam & Game Night
Bring a banjo, grab some dice, or just nurse a pint while others pick and grin. Between lively bluegrass jams and towering board games, Mondays suddenly stop feeling like the worst day of the week.Monday
Running Event
ERC Monday Night Run
Lace up, jog a relaxed 3-5 miles, and let the miles stack toward a shiny 100-mile milestone T-shirt. It is like a frequent-flyer program, but for your running shoes.Monday
Live Music
Performing Arts
Open Mic
Bring your bravest song, your almost-tuned guitar, and your best stage banter for a quick-fire rotation of performers, surprise covers, and the kind of crowd that actually listens.Monday
Charity
Restaurant Week
Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser
Skip cooking and let tasty bowls do double duty as comfort food for you and support for families finding comfort near the hospital at the same time.Monday
Jazz
First Monday Night Big Band
Bring your best jazz face and your loudest applause as a full big band packs the room with brass, reeds, and rhythm, then throws the doors open for brave locals to jump in on the second set.Monday
 | This week in 1872Eugene's first fire department, the Eugene Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, was formally organized on April 3, 1872. |
That wraps it for today - go enjoy the good kind of busy. If you end up at a park, on a trail, or just cheering on your neighbors, consider that your civic workout. Thanks for reading, and if this made your morning easier, funnier, or both, please share the Eugene Lowdown with a friend.
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