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How to put an exclamation point on '08.

Article Excerpt
Byline: NEW YEAR'S EVE PREVIEW By Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

It was more of a social question than a journalistic one, but I recently asked a waitress at the Country Side in Springfield whether she was looking forward to the new statewide smoking ban.

She answered by grabbing a handful of her long, sandy-blond hair and saying she could not wait until she could wake up the morning after her shift and not smell cigarette smoke.

Whether you see the ban as a healthy development or a governmental intrusion, this is the last New Year's Eve that you can smoke indoors at Oregon taverns and cocktail lounges without fear of a citation. The ban starts, in theory if not practice, at midnight Jan. 1.

Eugene has had a smoking ban of its own since summer 2001, and most of the affected businesses have adjusted and stayed afloat. Change is hard, but it's often worth it.

And is that not what the new year is all about? A chance to reinvent ourselves, start anew?

But first, we feast and dance and, in many cases, drink excessively. Here's your guide to doing so.

All events are for those 21 and older unless specified:

Get a room

Satin Love Orchestra only does big events these days, and the funk and disco band has been a steady source of New Year's Eve entertainment around here for many years.

This year, the group has moved away from the massive ballroom at the Hilton Eugene to a more intimate setting at the Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River Way. The venue's Web site says it will transform its ballroom into a swanky Hollywood-style party complete with paparazzi and a red carpet.

The hotel is offering overnight packages for the New Year's...

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