Eugene Weekly : Calendar : 04.20.06

Who is that guy at right, and what's he doing with that chicken? Well, do you read the funny pages? That's Dan Piraro, the award-winning creator of Bizarro, and he's coming to town with "The Bizarro Baloney Show: Comedy for a Cause." The one-man variety show, which The New York Times called a "shrewd tour of an artist's imagination," includes stand-up comedy, songs, puppets, cartoons, animation, audience participation, video and improv drawings. It's not the first time Piraro has taken his show on the road — in the months leading up to the 2004 election, he put on "Politicomedy-A-Go-Go," a left-wing Bushbashing comedy show, 36 times in 29 cities. As for the "for a cause" part, Piraro is funding the tour himself (it's in conjunction with the release of his new book) and all proceeds will benefit his favorite animal welfare organizations. Maybe that chicken is thanking him? See Monday Calendar.

A host of local conservation groups are working together to present the Forever Wild—2006 tour's stop in Eugene. The tour is stopping in all 50 states over the course of the year, playing more than 100 shows intended to drawing attention to what their website calls "the three pillars of our wilderness heritage — wild lands, wild waters and wild lives." A variety of musicians, poets, authors and speakers appear at each stop, but the central performer is Walkin' Jim Stoltz, who gets his name from the more than 26,000 miles he's walked through North American wild country. Stoltz's performances celebrate the natural world through a combination of music, poetry, and multi-image photos taken on his walks. Impressively, this is Walkin' Jim's 20th year of touring across the country with Forever Wild. See Friday Calendar.

For 30 years the Banff Festival of Mountain Films has made audiences laugh, shudder, cringe, ooh and aah with some of the most intensely beautiful footage, harrowing stories and humanizing, funky takes on outdoor sports you've ever seen. A totally different experience than the traditional action sports films geared toward getting your adrenaline flowing, the Banff films are more about the heart and soul of the wilds and the people who spend their time out there. This year's two-day show features eight short films a night, ranging from three to 50 minutes. Hosted by the UO's Outdoor Program, last year's festival packed the campus auditorium with almost 1,200 people. This year they've moved to the McDonald Theatre to accommodate the ever-growing audience. From an epic hatch of creepy, crawly bugs that brings out trout and anglers, to a 10-year-old rock climbing phenom, to homemade skis in Nepal, both nights feature great, adventure-inspiring line-ups. See Friday and Saturday Calendar.

Just in time for Earth Day, local filmmaker S. Michael Phillips premieres his feature film Hippies at the McDonald Theatre. Hippies was filmed in Eugene with local actors and crew, so expect to see familiar people and places in this story of five friends from Berkeley who head north to Eugene for "Preservation Week," a festival that aims to save Mother Earth and all her creatures. But Californians aren't welcome at the festival. Whatever will the hippies do? In a press release, Phillips says, "Whether you love or hate hippies, you should see this movie." Find out for yourself this weekend. See Thursday, April 20 Calendar.