SLUG Queen

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The S.L.U.G. Queen (an acronym for the "Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod"), is a humorous character concept considered to be the unofficial goodwill ambassador of the City Of Eugene, Oregon, United States.^[1] The SLUG Queen presided over events in Eugene, including the now-defunct Eugene Celebration and EUG Parade. The S.L.U.G. Queen has never been the domain of the Eugene Celebration despite their origin connection. In fact, the S.L.U.G. Queen concept was born as a direct response in opposition to the conventional nature of the name "Eugene Celebration". A new S.L.U.G. Queen is crowned on the second Friday in August after a public competition. The queen is named "S.L.U.G." as a rebellious nod to the more common tradition of crowning agricultural queens, often selected for beauty, as opposed to wit and audacity. Slugs were selected to celebrate because they are ubiquitous in the Willamette Valley, they are antithetical to traditional or stereotypical mascots, and they symbolize creativity and unbridled good-natured humor. The newly crowned S.L.U.G. Queen is referred to as the "Raining" S.L.U.G. Queen. After a year of "rain", the S.L.U.G. Queen is promoted to Old Queen (never former or past).