Eugene Weekly : Calendar : 10.05.06

We like events that aim to please an ever diverse population. Take Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy, for example. This one-day event features juggling acrobats for circus-lovers, opulent costuming for thespians, clowning strongmen for weight-lifters, faeries for forest-dwellers and spine-bending contortionists for chiropractors. It's described as a "nonstop, action-packed two hour adventure … that stretches the imagination beyond the realm of possibilities, and brings seemingly impossible feats to the stage." Did we forget the fungi-loving populace? Nah. See Thursday, Oct. 12 Calendar.

It's not every month that gastropods take charge of the Lane Arts Council First Friday ARTWalk. But this month? This month, just as the rain returns for a short pre-winter visit, the wondrous Slugretha Latifah Uleafa Gastropodia Jackson takes us on a tiny but powerful tour. First stop is the Mayor's Art Show, where — sound of trumpet fanfare here — Beverly Soasey, the multi-talented director of the Jacobs Gallery, will unveil the winner of the Viewer's Choice competition. We would like to be mysterious and claim that Soasey told us who won, but it's too super-secret for media people to know. Stop #2 (of 2) is the hodgepodge (some might call it a snarl or a dérangement, says thesaurus.com) of the 16th Annual Le Salon des Refusés, this year located at 164 W. Broadway. So many other downtown galleries, stores and restaurants like to party in conjuction with the ARTWalk, we can't even list 'em all here (but be sure to check out work by Anne Teige at Opus6ix, pictured). See Friday Calendar.

You know how scary that fifth-grade square dance lesson was? Think square dancing is, well, for squares? Ha! How wrong you are, sweet patooties! The Scare Dance Square Dance, featuring Seattle's old-time string band The Tallboys (Charlie and Charmaine pictured here), is here to prove you wrong. From clogging lessons at 4 in the afternoon to an old-time jam (bring your fiddle! Pretend you're at Perugino in the halcyon days when you could drink a mocha and play banjo at the same time!) to the square dance with famous Portland caller Bill Martin, organizer Rebecca Rutzick says it's all the best fun out there. Beginners will love Martin's super calling, Rutzick says, and she should know: She's an experienced square dancer who learned to live it up with all-ages dances in the hotbed of old-time music that is Seattle and then experienced Portland's Old-Time Music Gathering. "It's a place for people to get to know those outside of their usual circles," she says, where "you can be dancing with an 8-year-old, and then you're dancing with a 65-year-old." Bring yer checkered shirts and a willingness to get down in all kinds of new ways! See Saturday Calendar.