Archives for January 2011

Fertile Ground, Tonya Jone Miller’s Threads, and a Ticket Giveaway!

January 10, 2011 by Dave Knows 2 Comments

Fertile Ground, A City-Wide Festival of New Works features dozens of world premiere projects, staged readings and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. The 2011 festival runs from January 20th through 30th, with events at venues across the city.

One such premiere project is the play Threads: The True Story of an Indiana Farm Girl in Viet Nam, written and performed by Portland actress, writer, foodie, and aural courtesan, Tonya Jone Miller.

In August of 1968, a farm girl from rural Indiana stepped off a plane in Saigon, Viet Nam. The people and events that led her there and her subsequent adventures make for an extraordinary tale that is truly stranger than fiction. Based on the life of the playwright’s mother, Threads is a one-woman show illustrating and illuminating how interconnected we human beings are, how we never know the influence a seemingly small action might have, and how in the span of an instant some people can change our lives forever.

Threads runs from January 27 to February 12, 2011 (8pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 6pm Sundays) at The Headwaters Theatre (55 NE Farragut Street #9). Tickets are $15 at the door or online at Hula Hub (Consider a $50 Fertile Ground festival pass if you plan to see two or more shows, but bear in mind he festival pass is valid only for Threads performances 1/27-2/6).

Photo Credit: Larissa Kama

J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Bash (15-January-2011)

January 9, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien‘s birthday was actually January 3rd, but the McMenamins’ 2011 J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Celebration takes place this Saturday, January 15th at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd).

Elves, wizards, ents, orcs and all others are welcome to join us for this celebration of one of the 20th century’s most influential authors. We’ll have kids’ fun, live music, performances by Willamette Radio Workshop, the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the Theater, Hobbit-inspired food specials and more! Come in costume to compete for prizes.

The celebration begins at 11am and the live music starts at 7pm. It’s free to get in, but organizers ask you to bring a canned food donation for the Oregon Food Bank.

Find more information, including the film schedule, visit the event page.

January 9, 1950: Three Snow Storms

January 9, 2011 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Snow fall was heavier in Oregon in January 1950 than ever before recorded (record keeping began in 1890).

Three snow storms came through the state that month, but most of that snow began falling on January 9.

Accompanied by wind on the 13th, snow drifts covered, and closed, all the highways west of the Cascades and in the Gorge. An ice storm followed on the 18th, downing trees and power lines and covering roads.

Portland saw 32.9 inches of snow fall that month, Astoria 39.4 inches, Timberline Lodge 224 inches, and even normally balmy (relatively speaking) Brookings garnered 6.0 inches of snow in January, 1950.

January 8, 1961: Memorial Coliseum Dedicated

January 8, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Portland’s Memorial Coliseum opened on November 3, 1960. But it was on January 8, 1961 that it was formally dedicated to the memory of Portland’s war dead.

An Oregonian article on January 9, 1961 describes how the event’s master of ceremony, Edwin H. Norene, said the dedication marked the

realization of a plan to put here something of enduring nature in memory of Portlanders who fought in World War I, World War II, Korea and the Spanish-American War.

Mayor Terry D. Schrunk, also speaking at the dedication, hoped

there would never be another world war and that no names would have to be added to those of the more than 1,600 men and women who died in military service and are listed in the honor roll book in the Memorial Chapel of the coliseum.

On January 5, 2011 the city council re-christened the Memorial Coliseum the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, to recognize more fully that the Coliseum was built to honor veterans in the Portland area.

Portland Timbers Roundup (7-January-2011)

January 7, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Let’s start our weekly Timbers news roundup with . . .

Kenny Cooper Rumors

MLS expansion Portland Timbers interested in former FC Dallas star Kenny Cooper by Steve Goff at Soccer Insider at the Washington Post

The Portland Timbers have taken interest in American forward Kenny Cooper, a former FC Dallas star seeking to return to MLS from Germany this winter, two sources familiar with the situation told the Insider. [more]

Portland Timbers interested in Kenny Cooper by Dan at Dropping Timber

Update: Former Timber Ian Joy found this article on kicker.de (translated from German) which seems to indicate that this deal may actually happen. [more]

The Super Draft and MLS Combine

DT 2011 Mock SuperDraft (Version 1.0) by Kevin at Dropping Timber

With the MLS Superdraft less than a week away and the combine set for this weekend, draft coverage is going to really start flying. [more]

MLS Player Combine Rosters Announced by paulsepp at Dropping Timber

The future of MLS is headed to Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. this weekend for the 2011 MLS Combine. [more]

My SBNation Mock SuperDraft Picks…. Discuss! by Geoff Gibson at Stumptown Footy

For my first SuperDraft pick I chose: Perry Kitchen. [more]

Supporter News

The Saw Has Been Shipped! by Timber Joey at The Official Timber Joey Blog

Yesterday “Maddy,” the Shindaiwa 757 carried at PGE Park, was shipped to Baltimore in order to be the loudest part of the 2011 Super Draft! The draft is said to be picked up by ESPN on the 13th of January at 12:00 pm (EST). [more]

PGE Park Updates

PGE Park Renovation Update — 1.5.11 at The Nerd is the Word

Happy New Year! It’s been an extra week between updates, what with the holiday season, and I’m sure you’re as eager to see the stadium as I was this morning. [more, including lots of photos!]

Club News

Spencer on an MLS mission at Evening Times

The likes of Maurice Edu, Andy Dorman and now Freddie Ljungberg have proved in recent years that the MLS can be a happy hunting ground for SPL clubs.

However, there are a handful of Scots, with former Rangers star John Spencer the most prominent among them, who have shown that the flow of talent across the Atlantic is not simply one-directional. [more]

New Timbers goalkeeper receives second chance by Geoffrey C. Arnold at The Oregonian

Troy Perkins welcomes an opportunity to reboot his Major League Soccer career. [more]

Kerrea Gilbert’s Road to Portland by Joseph Gallivan at PortlandTimbers.com

Right back Kerrea (pronounced Kerry) Gilbert comes to the Timbers via a circuitous route, one that has seen him touch the heights of club football—appearing in the Champions League for English club Arsenal—and some of the lows—getting relegated from the English Football League Championship to League 1, which is two divisions below the English Premier League. [more]

Former Timbers

The Portland Boys of Bo’ness at FC Media Field Notes

Of all the towns and cities in the world, Bo’ness happens to be the hometown of two very important members of the Portland Timbers Football Club family: Stewart Scullion and Ian Joy. [more]

Report: Josh Wicks Signs For Finnish Club IFK Mariehamn by Zac Lee Rigg at Goal.com

Former D.C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy [and Portland Timbers!] goalkeeper Josh Wicks will continue the next portion of his career with IFK Mariehamn in Finland. [more]

« Previous Page