Football season is here and the UO is joining Travel Lane County, the Lane Transit District, Amtrak and merchants in Eugene and Springfield to make both cities’ downtowns a destination for Duck fans decked out in their best Duck gear.
Known as Duck Downtown, the group’s new effort will kick off Friday, Aug. 29, on the eve of the university’s home opener against South Dakota. The idea is to give football fans a wider field for celebrating the home team by making downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield part of the pre-game huddle.
Participating businesses in Eugene and Springfield will offer Duck fans and game-day ticket holders live music, food and drink specials, door prizes and free bus rides between both downtowns. And Amtrak will offer fans coming from Seattle and points south a discount to take the train to Eugene.
Duck Downtown events will be held every Friday before UO home games beginning Aug. 29 and continuing Sept. 5 and 12, Oct. 17 and 31 and Nov. 12.
Kari Westlund, director of Travel Lane County, said the hope is that the combination of a festive atmosphere and special promotions will give people a reason to spend more time in both downtowns.
“Home football weekends run pretty full, so the games are always sold out,” she said. “What we’re doing is adding some extra fun for residents and visiting fans whether they are going to the game on Saturday or not.”
Matt Roberts, the UO’s senior director of community relations, said the idea for Duck Downtown has been floating around for some time, but he credited Westlund with the concept for the event. They wanted to create an environment that brings both visitors and the community together to celebrate as one big family, Roberts said.
Westlund said LTD will offer free rides on all buses after 5 p.m. on Duck Downtown Fridays “so people can get from neighborhoods or hotels into both downtown areas and back without needing to bring their cars.”
Another Duck Downtown perk offers Duck football ticket holders traveling to Eugene along the Interstate 5 corridor the opportunity to leave their cars at home and ride the Amtrak Cascades instead. Amtrak is offering a 25 percent discount to people traveling from Seattle, Portland or other points north of Eugene.
“We’re excited about that because we’d love to get some people off I-5 and onto the train and kind of start their weekend right away,” Westlund said.
Also, the UO Duck Truck is scheduled to take a cruise through both downtowns. The Duck Truck is a specially outfitted spirit rig that carries the cheerleading squad and possibly some band members to welcome visitors and fans, Roberts said.
Before Duck Downtown, Westlund said there was no coordinated look or feel centered around Duck football outside of Autzen Stadium. The new promotion is an opportunity to showcase both academics and athletics as well as build a stronger connection with both downtowns, Roberts said.
“The UO is a good neighbor and a good community participant,” he said.
Both downtowns have experienced revitalization in recent years and now have brewpubs and craft beer “growler stations,” new restaurants and other businesses. So even if Duck fans aren’t attending the games, Duck Downtown is a way to bring fans together and give Ducks “a place to go and just have a good time as well as drive business into downtown,” Westlund said.
According to the Duck Downtown website, fans should plan ahead because of the limited number of hotel rooms and the popularity of UO games. Businesses can participate for free, but they need to have a promotional idea to encourage people to visit. Live music, door prizes and special menu items are some of the suggestions from Travel Lane County.
For more information about Duck Downtown, including a list of participating businesses and discounts, visit the website here.
―By Corinne Boyer, Public Affairs Communications intern