Eugene’s longest-running alternative pageant returns Friday, as the Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod prepares to crown its next SLUG Queen.
Now in its 42nd year, the SLUG Queen competition continues to blend satire with piles of costume jewelry and a healthy dose of community spirit. Event producer Kim Still, also known as the Lady in Waiting, described it as part pageant, part talent show, and completely unique to Eugene.
“It’s an alternative beauty pageant. The show is different every year because it’s a talent show, basically,” Still said. “This year we have seven contestants, and everyone is really enthusiastic to take part.”
SLUG Queens aren’t chosen by traditional pageant metrics. Contestants are encouraged to let their inner slug slime free, be as silly as they like, and even bribe the panel of judges, made up of former queens and other community figures.
The event's longtime emcee and 1993 queen, The Forgetfully Old Bananita Sluginsky—or Sarah Ulerik, depending on the setting—said that bribery isn’t quite what it used to be.
“I sang Friends in Low Places, with slug lyrics of course, and I also had Track Town Pizza deliver a pizza during my act as a bribe to the queens,” Bananita said. “Bribery was a bigger deal then, mostly because now there’s too many of us and too many of them.”
The competition began in 1983 as a satirical response to traditional beauty pageants, and as a jab at the Eugene Celebration for taking itself too seriously. Over time, it has become a beloved civic tradition that embraces absurdity, creativity, and inclusion.
“There’s definitely a continuity in the sense of being a counter to straight pageant culture,” Still said. “It’s just a very Eugene thing to do something a little different with tradition and set it on its ear.”
This year’s event includes two returning contestants, one debuting a new talent, the other reemerging in an entirely new persona. Reigning royalty Queen Markolo Parkolo will also be in attendance to receive his 10-year anniversary pin.
Audience participation is always encouraged, with plenty of moments to sing and dance. It’s also a chance to finally wear that wild outfit buried in the back of the closet. In past years, attendees have come dressed as salt shakers, fairies, and other offbeat characters.
“People need places to be goofy and carefree, even just for a little while,” Still said. “It’s such a fun, weird, dumb, serious and not serious, everything-at-once event.”
The SLUG Queen Coronation takes place Friday, Aug. 8th, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Eugene Saturday Market Stage.
