In 2019, the titular parade slug that belonged to Eugene’s S.L.U.G Queens died. Kind of. A huge papier-mâché slug carried by 20 to 30 people each year in the Eugene Parade, she tragically fell to her death on Beltline Road while being transported back to the secret lair where she spends her days.
“She crashed and burned,” former S.L.U.G. Queen Jenette Kime said. “We thought she went to slug heaven.”
Eugenians loved the papier-mâché slug, and terrible months of mourning ensued. Think of people breaking down in the streets, looking for a grave to throw themselves onto but unable to find one. Because, in reality, the slug lived on!
“Peter Defazio is a judge at the BRiGHT PARADE this year, and he said he’d like to get the slug out,” Kime said. “I said she’s dead and has been disposed of, burned in a ritual. But he said no, she’s in a warehouse, so call this guy.”
A wild goose chase ensued. Kime called one guy, who told her to call another, which went on and on until eventually she recovered the slug head in a warehouse on Fifth Street. Kime and her fellow former S.L.U.G. Queens are parading the head on an E-Trike this year, aiming to raise money to build a new slug.