Eugene’s “raining” SLUG Queen
Mugzy W. Slugzy (known to the human world as Margarita O’Brien) balances on a tightrope between consummate professional and absolute silly goose. She is keen to cheerlead the community in the county’s two most spoken languages and loves helping other people see their value, as it allows her to remember her own.
Mugzy is joined in her “rain” by the best tiny rescue slug-pup, Princess Pickles, who comes with delightful tricks.
Mugzy’s creative endeavors lend themselves to unexpected and often hilarious consequences. She is on the constant lookout for new ways to grow and bring more delight and whimsy to a world with too little of it. She loves co-creating with community and does her best to always use her powers for awesome!
In a developing style she likes to call quirk-folk, Mugzy loves to sing and play her ukulele, writing the songs of her life, stories for which you may have been an unwitting muse, encouraging words, and the saddest happy songs she can muster. You can join her each month at the Ukulaneys meetup.
In her more pragmatic life, you can find her teaching Spanish to high schoolers and tutoring college students, dancing almost any and every social dance in town, biking by the river and to markets, painting and occasionally metalsmithing in the world’s tiniest studio.
The S.L.U.G. Queen (Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod) is the unofficial goodwill ambassador for the city of Eugene, Oregon. Each year a new Queen is crowned following costuming, performing, judge bribery, and jolly festivities. The crowned queen spends their “rain” participating in the Eugene community and representing the spirit of Eugene.
The word unique barely scratches the surface of the S.L.U.G. Queen’s hometown, Eugene, Oregon. Instead of a traditional agricultural Harvest Queen, Eugenians celebrate their creativity, humor, and long standing connection to counter culture, by lifting the ubiquitous NW gastropod (a.k.a. the slug) to royal status. Every summer, since 1983, a new Slug Queen emerges from Eugene’s endless pool of local characters to be crowned. A Slug Queen has “rained” over Eugene since 1983.
Help us power a new SLUG!
Contribute to our new Slug fund so this glorious project will be ready to inspire and awe Eugene.
The S.L.U.G. Queen, as a concept, is a symbol of respect for nature, independence, free thought, and elevating the voices of those most vulnerable in our community.
The “Raining” Queen acts as an ambassador to the City of Eugene by providing support to local non-profit organizations, business, arts and culture. The Eugene S.L.U.G. Queen has a long standing friendship with the University of Oregon’s duck as together they represent the excellent relationship between the City and the University.
Judges comprise Old Queens and a local celebrity guest. It is essential to never address an Old Slug Queen as “former” or “past” or “retired” as the title “Slug Queen” is retained for life once earned.
The winning contestant becomes the “Raining” queen immediately post-coronation. The previous year’s queen then becomes an “Old Queen” and assumes the privileges of Old Queens, such as voted rights. Every ten years Old Queens are promoted during the coronation festivities. After one decade the title “Very Old Queen” is bestowed. On a queen’s twenty-year anniversary the title “Very, Very Old Queen” is gifted. Three-decade queens are honored as an “Extremely Old Queen”.
Once a Queen, always a Queen.