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Archives for August 2011

August 30, 2009: MAX Light Rail Debuts on the Portland Transit Mall

August 30, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

The newly renovated Portland Transit Mall, serving as the downtown bus hub since 1978, saw the introduction of MAX light rail trains on August 30, 2009 when the Yellow Line began serving passengers along Fifth and Sixth downtown.

The brand new Green Line debuted on the mall on September 12, 2009.

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2011

August 29, 2011 by Dave 2 Comments

2012 Vaux’s Swift Watch details here!

The 2011 Swift Watch takes place on the lawn of Chapman School (1445 NW 26th) through the month of September.

Swirling Swifts

So here’s the deal. Every September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts come to Portland. They spend their days eating lots of bugs. In the late afternoon the Swifts begin flying in a giant undulating swirl in the sky about the school. Around sunset they swirl more tightly, like a ground pepper tornado, and begin disappearing, measure by measure, down the chimney. On the lawn below, hundreds of Portlanders gather on lawn chairs and blankets to stare at the sky, mesmerized. Boos erupt when opportunistic Peregrine falcons occasionally get lucky. The crowd cheers, however, when the predators are thwarted. Meanwhile unruly oblivious children scream and roll down the grassy hill.

Chapman Crowd

Seriously, though, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Read Heather’s excellent account of our first visit in 2008, and mine from 2009. Here’s a quick video Heather captured of the birds in action in 2009:

The Audobon Society of Portland maintains the Swift Watch webpage, which includes details on the best times to show up, explanations of the phenomena, and an FAQ answering all your questions on the natural history of the phenomena, the bird counts, and sundry. Oregon Field Guide did a segment on the Vaux Swifts a decade ago, and there’s even a movie, called On The Wing.

Labor Day Picnic at Oaks Park (5-September-2011)

August 29, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Union YesOregon was the first state to officially recognize the Labor Day holiday in 1887, so it’s only fitting that to this day we throw huge Labor Day picnics throughout the state.

The largest local union picnic, which an estimated 20,000 people attended last year, is the Northwest Oregon Labor Council‘s Labor Day Picnic held Monday, September 5 at Oaks Amusement Park from 10am until 5pm.

Buy scrip for hamburgers, hotdogs, soda, and beer. Play bingo, listen to speeches by elected officials, and go on the rides. The American Red Cross will be collecting blood donations at two mobile units.

Visit the Northwest Oregon Labor Council website for more information.

Cort and Fatboy’s Midnight Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (2-August-2011)

August 29, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Who Framed Roger RabbitJoin Cort and Fatboy on Friday, September 2, 2011 for a Midnight Movie:

Normally we show movies at the Bagdad Theater. Thread some film through a projector, turn a big lightbulb on – Boom. Magic. But Friday, September 2nd? That’s not what’s happening. We’re taking the contents of your childhood, and we’re tipping that on its side, spilling it into the projector, and we’re gonna splash that all over the screen in all its vivid, hand-painted, goofy glory.

We’re not just showing a movie. We’re showing “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

This is the original 35mm film, filling the Bagdad’s screen with Bob Zemeckis’ genius, Bob Hoskins’ grumpiness, Roger’s ridiculousness and Jessica’s allure, with Bugs, Mickey, Donald, Daffy, Betty Boop, Droopy Dog and about a hundred other classic cartoons sharing the screen for the first and likely only time together.

The doors of the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne) open at 10pm, pre-show entertainment starts at 10:30pm, and the film begins at 11pm. Admission is only $3, and you have to be 21 or over.

Video Interlude: A Portland Time Lapse – An Afternoon Under the Marquam Bridge

August 29, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Filmmaker Callie Schneider explains on Vimeo:

There is a new bridge being built just south of the Marquam that I’ve been wanting to shoot time lapse of for quite a while. It ended up being a perfect afternoon. Bike ride home at the end!

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