The S.L.U.G. Queen (an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for the "Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous

Gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

"), is a humorous character concept considered to be the unofficial goodwill ambassador of the City Of

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The SLUG Queen presided over events in Eugene, including the now-defunct Eugene Celebration and EUG Parade. The S.L.U.G. Queen has never been the domain of the Eugene Celebration despite their origin connection. In fact, the S.L.U.G. Queen concept was born as a direct response in opposition to the conventional nature of the name "Eugene Celebration". A new S.L.U.G. Queen is crowned on the second Friday in August after a public competition. The queen is named "S.L.U.G." as a rebellious nod to the more common tradition of crowning agricultural queens, often selected for beauty, as opposed to wit and audacity. Slugs were selected to celebrate because they are ubiquitous in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

, they are antithetical to traditional or stereotypical mascots, and they symbolize creativity and unbridled good-natured humor. The newly crowned S.L.U.G. Queen is referred to as the "Raining" S.L.U.G. Queen. After a year of "rain", the S.L.U.G. Queen is promoted to Old Queen (never former or past).

Coronation

The annual coronation process somewhat resembles a formal

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

, but with a

campy Camp is an aesthetic and sensibility that regards something as appealing or amusing because of its heightened level of artifice, affectation and exaggeration, especially when there is also a playful or ironic element. ''Camp'' is historically ...

spin. The

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

-themed pageant started in 1983, and Eugene celebrated the S.L.U.G. Queen coronation's 25th year with a Silver Jubilee in August 2007. The Silver Jubilee Queen was Old Queen Glorious Gastropause, also known as comedian Leigh Anne Jasheway. Slugs are gender neutral, therefore S.L.U.G. Queens may identify as any gender.

History

The S.L.U.G. Queen was first conceived in 1983 as a backlash to the Eugene City Council choosing the characterless name "Eugene Celebration" for a citywide festival. After the successful opening of the

Hult Center for the Performing Arts The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue in Eugene, Oregon. The Hult Center is located downtown on Willamette Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, adjacent to the Graduate Eugene (previously Hilton Eugene) and Conference ...

in 1982, the city council determined that an annual celebration of art, culture, and commerce in Eugene would be advantageous. Cynthia Wooten, a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

woman, was discussing the idea of a uniquely Eugene festival and parade with then-City Manager Mike Gleason. Gleason purportedly wanted to name the city festival simply the "Eugene Celebration" according to Wooten. Wooten, along with Karl Eysenbach and Paul Ollswang, argued for the name "Slugfest," but this was turned down by the rest of the city council. Alana Probst organized the first Slugfest as an alternative to (and parody of) other cities'

s in her own backyard where the first S.L.U.G. Queen was elected. The rebel group then entered a parade float shaped like a giant slug in the first Eugene Celebration Parade, with the first S.L.U.G. Queen, a man named Bruce Gordon, riding in drag on it. This movement was in direct opposition to the wishes of the rest of the city council but was instantly popular with the crowds. The S.L.U.G. Queen Competition and Coronation grew to be an annual event. Rather than perpetuating typical

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes so ...

standards, the originators chose as their emblem a life form more in keeping with the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

's soggy climate and Eugene's iconoclastic spirit: the humble slug. Since 1991, the S.L.U.G. Queen coronation has been organized by Kim Still, who was the manager of the

Eugene Saturday Market The Eugene Saturday Market is an outdoor craft market in Eugene, Oregon. It is the oldest weekly open-air crafts market in the United States. It has a festival atmosphere that includes live performers as well as art and crafts displays and sales, ...

Selection criteria

The new S.L.U.G. Queen is selected annually on the second Friday evening in August in a three part competition that involves

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...

judging (based on campy appeal and overall sluggishness), a three-minute on-stage talent performance, and a single question designed to test the quick wit of each contestant.Slug Queen, "The History of Slug Queens"
/ref> The S.L.U.G. Queen is chosen by a collection of past queens officially referred to as "old," not "former" queens, as one of their mottoes is "once a Queen--always a Queen." The judges base their assessments on three factors: originality, creativity, and a flamboyant outgoing personality. One important aspect that sets the S.L.U.G. Queen pageant apart from others is that

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

is accepted and encouraged and the judging is done by a panel of Old Queens. The moment a new queen is crowned, the old queens are open to bribery. Creative bribes curry the most favor with the old queens. They annually remind budding hopefuls to "Bribe early and bribe often." Since S.L.U.G. Queens retain the title of queen for life, and the power to crown new queens, they remain a vibrant, visible and vocal part of the community in their royal character. They use this visibility to raise awareness and funds for local causes and charities and host events in character.

SLUG Queen duties

The new S.L.U.G. Queen formerly presided over the parade at the Eugene Celebration, where the queen met the public for her first official duty. In the past she has opened the Mayor's Art Show, the New Zone Gallery's

Salon des Refusés The Salon des Refusés, French for "exhibition of rejects" (), is generally known as an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, but the term is most famously used to refer to the Salon des Refusés of 1863. Today, ...

(a display of art that was not selected for the Mayor's Art Show), delivers a benediction at the Maude Kerns Art Center Jello Art Show, holds a charitable ball for the charity of her choice, and "rains" over the coronation for the following year's S.L.U.G. Queen. She may choose to make other appearances throughout the year including the Oregon Country Fair, ribbon cuttings and openings, fashion shows, and

Art and the Vineyard Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, among others. The S.L.U.G. Queens pride themselves on representing the diversity of the City of Eugene. Anyone over the age of 21 is electable, provided they are able to impress the Old Queens. S.L.U.G. queens never lose their prestigious titles. After their "raining" year they are promoted to "Old Queen" for the next decade, then "Very Old Queen", "Very, Very Old Queen" and "Exquisitely Old Queen" at each subsequent decade.

References

External links

S.L.U.G. Queen Eugene Site
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slug Queen 1983 establishments in Oregon Annual events in Eugene, Oregon Beauty pageants in the United States Festivals in Eugene, Oregon History of women in Oregon People from Eugene, Oregon