Dave Knows Portland

Archives for August 2010

Tuesday Timbers Tidbits (08/10/2010)

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TimbersThe 2010 Portland Timbers U-23 team completed the perfect (20-0-0) season Saturday, defeating the Thunder Bay Chill 4-1 in the PDL championship game at PGE Park. Congrats to the (mostly) youngsters!

Meanwhile the older version of the Portland Timbers has returned from a long road trip, and will play at PGE Park Wednesday, August 11th at 7pm. The opponent is the NSC Minnesota Stars. In their last matchup the Timbers won 2-0 in Minnesota, but that was two days after Minnesota beat Portland 1-0 at PGE Park. But that all took place in June. The Timbers’ recent form is mediocre at best, drawing once and losing three times on this most recent road trip. Minnesota, on the other hand, has earned draws against their last four opponents, including Vancouver and Puerto Rico. Wednesday’s match is the annual Bark in the Park, so please don’t bring your dog if you sit anywhere near me. Thanks!

Kip Kesgard has added a few more chapters to his posts on Building an MLS team at OregonLive. Part 3: Player development and the many challenges, and Part 4: MLS designated players: lots of risk with potential rewards.

All rumors point to an MLS coach announcement this week . . . stay tuned. [Update: It’s official: Timbers select John Spencer to coach MLS team in 2011]

And in vaguely Timbers-related news, Michael Charles, son of Timbers and Portland soccer legend Clive Charles, has chosen a career in golf.

August 14: PDX Adult Soapbox Derby 2010

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Soapbox Derby 2010The 2010 PDX Adult Soapbox Derby takes place Saturday, August 14 at Mount Tabor.

The 2010 roster includes 42 teams, divided into two categories: art, and science.

The races begin at 10am, and should complete around 4pm. Watch from one of the designated viewing areas (see map – pdf), one option is the BYOB beer garden.

In the evening participants and fans are invited to the Tonic Lounge (3100 NE Sandy) for the after party. Awards will be handed out at 8pm, and at 9pm the music starts. The lineup: Muddy River Nightmare Band, Punk Rock Collective, Hogwild, and Pistol Killers.

Visit SoapboxRacer.com for more details, including FAQs, how you can volunteer, and galleries of past events and winners.

The video below will give you an idea of the sense of humor and surprising artistry and craftsmanship of the entries:

August 15: Hawthorne Street Fair 2010

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Hawthorne Street Fair 2010The 2010 Hawthorne Street Fair takes place Sunday, August 15 from 11am until 5pm.

Again this year the fair coincides with the Southeast Portland Sunday Parkways, which crosses Hawthorne at 34th and 41st.

Fair activities can be found all along Hawthorne, but especially between 30th and 43rd.

The main music stage is at 34th. Acts include the Freak Mountain Ramblers at 1pm. The acoustic stage is at 42nd, and there’s another stage at 20th.

Hawthorne businesses are of course getting into the act too. The Portland Hawthorne Hostel is offering eco-tours of their facilities all day, the Bagdad Theater is showing the movie Labyrinth for free at 1:30pm, Joe Bike is offering free bike repairs, and there’s a secured bike corral at 41st.

Visit ThinkHawthorne.com for more details, including the full music schedule and more activities, and read my post covering last year’s Sunday Parkways and Hawthorne Street Fair for a taste of what to expect.

August 14: Central Library Block Party 2010

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2010 Central Library Block PartyThe 2010 Central Library Block Party takes place Saturday, August 14 from noon until 3pm on SW Taylor between 10th and 11th Avenues.

This event is primarily for the kids. The Lions of Batucada will be on hand to provide some samba-style percussion, and activities include henna craft with Silk and Stone, bug petting with the Oregon Zoo, circus skills with W.E. C.A.R.E., and Seussical bouquets with artist Kathy Karbo.

Art Media will be on hand orchestrating a communal art project, and kids can play with LEGOs, alter their t-shirts, and have their faces painted. There’s even going to be AM Pro 300 bowling (though I don’t know exactly how they’re doing this one).

Visit the event page for more info, or download the PDF flyer.

August 13: 2010 Twilight Criterium

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Twilight Criterium 2010The 2010 Portland Twilight Criterium takes place Friday, August 13 in the North Park Blocks (near NW 9th and Couch).

I recommend watching from the Widmer beer garden. The event opens at 4pm, and racing begins at 6:30pm.

A criterium is a bicycle street race where racers compete to complete the most number of laps within a set time period. My first exposure to criterium racing took place three years ago, and I became a fan instantly. when the Twilight Criterium was held in the South Park Blocks near the Art Museum, the hilly course made the race particularly fun to watch. Racers whipped down Broadway, turning left up Madison. Some of them ended up in the hay bales, as their wheels literally crumpled at the high speed 90 degree turn. I saw one racer gather himself up after a particularly nasty spill, throw his bike on his shoulder, run up the hill to repair his bike. Then he jumped right back into the course, bloody knees be damned. Impressive stuff.

The event also includes a hand built bike show, free bike parking, and food carts! Visit PortlandTwilight.com for more details.