Eugene Weekly : Calendar : 09.14.06

It must be a sign when a leaf embarks on its moribund path of color change and descends to a clogged gutter — a sign, of course, that the fall movie season is upon us! We don't need to gush about all the Oscar-baited movies (Hollywoodland, anyone?), nor the ones that make us check the calendar every five minutes (oh when, oh when will The Science of Sleep open at the Bijou … October? December? March?), but we would like to point you to some films off the cinema grid. Films like City of God (pictured) playing Friday at Unity of the Valley, an unlikely venue for this ultra-violent gangland epic set in the dusty barrios of Rio de Janeiro. Or there's the second part of the Gandhi-inspired documentary A Force More Powerful: The Salt March, playing Friday at the Pacifica Forum on the UO campus. A discussion follows the end credits of these two films, so be prepared to think while you watch. For the Indiana Joneses among us, check out The Secrets of Karakoum and Queen of the Mountain, the final selections from the ArchaelogyFest Film Series, playing Friday at DIVA. Or, if you just want to relive your childhood days in front of the tube (or introduce your own kids to some wholesome, witty toons), get to Mr. Sean's Cartoon Club every Sunday at noon, playing everything from the classics to the absurd. See Calendar.

How do you say "Mexican Independence Day and Heritage Celebration" in Spanish? Fiesta Latina will do. Marking the anniversary of the start of the Mexican war for independence, Fiesta Latina has evolved into an all-out celebration of traditional Hispanic crafts, music, dancing and big gobs of mouthwatering food, all of it starting Friday evening and spilling over into Saturday. ÐVaya! See Friday Calendar.

They say just about anything can be grown in the Willamette Valley — everything from sweet potatoes to rhubarb to peaches to kiwi to corn to millet and, of course, nearly every variety of grape (where else would we get our award-winning pinot noir or Chardonnay). But enough talk about wine-this or wine-that. Wine had more than its fair share of festivals this summer. Now it's time for the Gathering of Gardeners Festival & Symposium this Saturday and Sunday, where the big celebration is … well … us! Gardeners! Wannabe gardeners! People who use their two foot by six foot plot of land between the sidewalk and street to grow onions and oregano, rosemary and raspberries. Events include an "Art from Anything" contest, a Great Northwest Tomato Taste Off, hands-on gardening projects and tons of vendors selling fresh-from-the-garden food and beverages. Live music (including the Subterranean Blackjacks), guest speakers and demos round out this earthy event. See Saturday Calendar.