Everyone Welcome lawn signs available at Wildflower Celebration this Saturday

There will be a limited number of Everyone Welcome signs at the 14th Annual Wildflower Celebration this Saturday. Please drop by, pick one up and make Santa Clara an even more welcoming part of Eugene. The signs are FREE—one per person. There is a limited quantity of 20.

Everyone Welcome Spanish

14th Annual Wildflower Celebration
River Road and Spring Creek Drive
Saturday, May 3
11 am – 2 pm

We have added food trucks this year. Calle Steelo Taco truck will be serving up tacos and King Whippy has soft ice cream with a gazillion colors of sprinkles.

Don’t forget our most popular event, the Treasure Hunt. Take a guided tour or explore on your own with a self-guided tour. Bright yellow trail markers will lead you to many of the park’s native plants. If you find 12 of 15 plants, you can take home a native plant for your garden while supply lasts.

The bird walk is just a little after 11 am.

Posted in Diversity, Gardening, General Interest, Parks - Dog Parks | Leave a comment

Reminder – Update on a YMCA at the LTD property on Hunsaker -this Thursday’s SCCO meeting

The YMCA is looking into building another facility in Eugene. The Y is now in talks to purchase a nearly five-acre property from the Lane Transit District.

There will be a shared presentation about plans for the rest of the old Santa Clara Elementary school site at Hunsaker and River Road. Jameson Auten, CEO of the Lane Transit District, and Brian Steffen, CEO of Eugene YMCA.

Thursday, May 1
7:00 PM
3280 River Road (Messiah Lutheran Church)

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ziv-aqxs-vee
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 570-599-8633‬ PIN: ‪129 374 121‬#

Posted in LTD Mass Transit, Parks - Dog Parks, SCCO Meetings | 3 Comments

Wildflower Celebration This Saturday – New this year: Birdwalk and Food Trucks

The 14th Annual Awbrey Park Wildflower Celebration is this Saturday, May 3, from 11 am until 2 pm. Awbrey Park is located at the corner of River Road and Spring Creek Drive in Eugene.

Our most popular event is the Treasure Hunt. Take a guided tour or explore on your own with a self-guided tour. Bright yellow trail markers will lead you to many of the parks native plants. If you find 12 of 15 plants, you can take home a native plant for your garden.

We are adding a new event this year that may become even more popular than the Treasure Hunt. Katie McMinnis. a veterinarian at the Cascade Raptor Center, will be leading a birdwalk around 11 am. Katie knows her birds by ear, which is ideal for the forest in the back part of the park.

But wait, there’s more! We have added food trucks this year. Calle Steelo Taco truck will be serving up tacos and King Whippy has soft ice cream with a gazillion colors of sprinkles.

The Friends of Awbrey Park will be stationed throughout the park to help you find trillium, lupine, red Columbine, bleeding heart, violets, fairy bells, false Solomon’s Seal, Oregon myrtle, and much, much more. Other items to look forward to:

  • Live Music from Santa Clara musicians– Crowd favorite The Nostalgics will open and be followed by singer and songwriter Tim Foelker
  • Rock Painting with Darcy – Rocks and paint provided. You make up your design.
  • Kids games on the lawn plus three play areas for toddlers through age 12
  • Several groups that support us year round will be present including:
    The Santa Clara Community Organization – Find out the work that the SCCO does for the Santa Clara community.
    The Santa Clara Community Foundation – The SCCF is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports several projects including renovating the old (1901) schoolhouse on River Loop 2
    Lane County Master Gardeners mobile plant clinic will be available to answer questions.
    Lane County Audubon Society and Habitat Haven – learn how to certify your back yard as friendly to birds and pollinators
    The Irving Grange will surprise you with all of the activities that they put on
    Boy Scout Troop 182 – Thank the young men who have helped chip our trails for many years and been responsible for the flourishing natives on ‘Boy Scout Bank’
    Learn about the River Road – Santa Clara Volunteer Library. They have over 13,000 items, including fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, audiobooks, and DVDs.
    Meet The Friends of Awbrey Park. The Friends just completed their 17th year of improving the park.

    If you haven’t been to the park since late 2015, it is time to visit the park again. The City put in a new bridge to replace a slippery log. The bridge makes it safe to walk to the small forest in the east part of the park.
Posted in Events, Gardening, Parks - Dog Parks | Leave a comment

SCCO meeting, Thursday, May 1. Update on a new YMCA in Santa Clara

There will be a shared presentation about plans for the rest of the old Santa Clara Elementary school site at Hunsaker and River Road. Jameson Auten, CEO of the Lane Transit District, and Brian Steffen, CEO of Eugene YMCA. The YMCA is looking into building another facility in Eugene. The Y is now in talks to purchase a nearly five-acre property from the Lane Transit District.

Thursday, May 1
7:00 PM
3280 River Road (Messiah Lutheran Church)

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ziv-aqxs-vee
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 570-599-8633‬ PIN: ‪129 374 121‬#

Posted in Beaver-Hunsaker & Multi Use Path, Land Use Planning, LTD Transit Station, SCCO Meetings, Transportation | 1 Comment

SCCO meeting this Thusday – Topics: Eugene Parks Foundation & Housing project

Screenshot

Thursday, April 3
7:00 PM
3280 River Road (Messiah Lutheran Church)

Also via Google Meets:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/krt-opve-tjr
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 304-908-9087‬ PIN: ‪125 325 621‬#

AGENDA:

• Eugene Parks Foundation:

        Ariel Lissman, executive Director, will explain the mission of the Eugene Parks Foundation and how they can collaborate with Santa Clara to help our parks thrive

• A Transitional Housing Project:

        Matt Irvin of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church will tell us about their transitional housing project

Learn about upcoming events:

April 5 Awbrey Park Work Party
April 12 Wendover Park Work Party
April 19 Plastics Collection
April 26 Hileman Park Work Party
May 1 SCCO Meeting – LTD’s plans for Santa Clara Station site
May 3 14th Annual Awbrey Park Wildflower Celebration
May 24-26 Luper Pioneer Cemetery Historic Site Open House

Summer 2025 – Do you want to teach in a Santa Clara park?  Zumba yoga, martial arts, singing painting, etc.?  We’re looking to create park activities this summer.  Contact us at contact@santaclaracommunity.org. Include activity in the subject line.

Posted in Affordable Housing, Events, Houseless & Rest Stops, Luper Cemetery, Parks - Dog Parks, Parks and Natural Resources, SCCO Meetings, Social Justice | Leave a comment