Archives for November 2011

Weekend Amusements (November 25-27, 2011)

November 23, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

There is no shortage of events and spectacles this Thanksgiving weekend, including the Macy’s parade, several tree lightings, and of course frenzied shopping. But what you’re really after is Canadian football and booze, right?! My picks are below, and make sure to visit our friends at Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, PDX Pipeline, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com for even more!

Ongoing

Pittock Mansion Holiday Season 2011

Once again Portland’s historic Pittock Mansion is going all out for the holiday season. This year, from November 21 through January 2, the theme is Christmas Around The World.
“Every year, starting more than 40 years ago, dozens of volunteer decorators, designers, and local organizations donate their time and talents to transform Pittock Mansion into a Christmas wonderland for approximately 17,000 delighted visitors during the holiday season.” [more]

Tannenbaum Madness 2011

Alberta Main Street‘s Tannenbaum Madness is a walking window tour of whimsical, wacky and artistic trees.
“Tannenbaum Madness is an event, inviting families and art lovers to bundle up and take a stroll up Alberta Street this holiday season. Businesses up and down NE Alberta Street create a walking tour of whimsical, artistic, and unique holiday trees on display it in their front windows.” [more]

ZooLights 2011

The 2011 ZooLights ignite for the first time on Friday, November 25. The sparkling lights and brilliant hues will be cast each evening (except Christmas Eve and Day) through January 1, 2012.
“More than a million lights transform the Oregon Zoo into a luminous winter wonderland filled with moving sculptures, forests of lighted trees and animal silhouettes.” [more]

Friday

Portland Art Museum Free Day

Though the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park) is closed on Thanksgiving Day, enjoy free admission on Friday, November 25, 2011 from 5pm until 8pm.
The museum offers free admission ever fourth Friday (5pm-8pm) of the month, so if you can’t make it this week, mark December 23, 2011 on your calendar! [more]

Friday-Saturday

Clear Creek Distillery Thanksgiving Weekend Open House

Portland artisan spirits pioneer, Clear Creek Distillery (2389 NW Wilson), will be hosting their annual Thanksgiving Weekend Open House this Friday and Saturday, November 25 and 26, 2011.
“We will be hosting guests in our production area, which is usually closed to the public, explaining our production process and providing tastings. Visitors can see the stills, fermentation tanks, etc., and see what we are currently making, as well as talk with the people who actually make our spirits.” [more]

Saturday

D.B. Cooper Symposium

Thanksgiving Day this year marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous D.B. Cooper hijacking, so it’s only appropriate that Portland will be playing host to a D.B. Cooper Symposium this weekend, on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at the Portland Hilton (921 SW 6th) to be exact. [more]

Sunday

Grey Cup in Portland (2011)

The 99th Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League‘s championship game, takes place this Sunday, November 27, 2011.

This year BC Place Stadium will host the game. Unfortunately the half time entertainment is provide by Nickelback. The home-town BC Lions will be facing the Winnepeg Blue Bombers! [more]

D.B. Cooper Symposium (26-November-2011)

November 23, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Day this year marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous D.B. Cooper hijacking, so it’s only appropriate that Portland will be playing host to a D.B. Cooper Symposium this weekend, on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at the Portland Hilton (921 SW 6th) to be exact.

Coordinated by Geoffrey Gray, author of Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper, the symposium will begin at 9am with lectures, presentations, and panel discussions. There’s a D.B. Cooper t-shirt contest, a poetry contest, and more. After lunch join other attendees for a trip to the world famous Ariel Tavern.

The symposium is open to the public. Donations are suggested, but nobody will be turned away. Visit the website for more details.

November 23, 1874: Elijah Jones Davidson Discovers the Oregon Caves

November 23, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Elijah Jones Davidson was born in Illinois but grew up in Williams, Oregon, where as an adult he tried his hand at hunting, farming, and gold mining. On November 23, 1874 Elijah and his dog Bruno were out hunting in the Siskiyou Mountains when they came upon a bear. Elijah followed as Bruno chased the bear, until suddenly both creatures disappeared! It was then he noticed a stream that seemed to spring from between rocks and brush, and a large dark hole. He hesitated as he heard growling and barking emanating from the hole.

His moment of indecision came to an abrupt end when he heard a loud, high pitched yelp spring from the cavern before him. He set down his rifle…too long and cumbersome in such a small place, pulled out his knife and grabbed some matches from his pouch. He broke off a few, struck them on the rocks, and lit the way ahead of him into a dark, damp underground realm. He paused for a moment just inside the hole to let his eyes adjust to the twilight. In the enclosed space, the smell of the sulfur matches stung his nostrils, but he hardly noticed, for what lay before him held his concentration. He looked down at the floor of the small room in which he crouched, and saw the telltale sign of a bear’s having slept there. Creeping onward he heard echoes of the stream inside the walls of stone, and soon came to the water’s edge. Crawling among the rocks to avoid getting his feet soaked in the cold water, he made his way, matches and knife in hand, past uneven walls of ghostly shapes. Never had he seen such a place, but the growl of the bear brought him back to the matter at hand.

His matches burned downed to his fingertips and he pulled out the block and broke off some more. Holding them up to see as well as possible, he pushed onward, listening for dog or bear, his concentration broken now and then by the odd-looking white and tan rocks that glistened in the dancing light. He continued in this manner until he realized he was down to the last of the matches, his only source of light.

He found his way back to daylight by following the stream. The next day he returned to the cave with his brother. He had stumbled upon the Marble Halls of Oregon, now known as the Oregon Caves National Monument.

ZooLights 2011

November 22, 2011 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Zoo Lights The 2011 ZooLights ignite for the first time on Friday, November 25. The sparkling lights and brilliant hues will be cast each evening (except Christmas Eve and Day) through January 1, 2012.

More than a million lights transform the Oregon Zoo into a luminous winter wonderland filled with moving sculptures, forests of lighted trees and animal silhouettes.

Cap off your visit by boarding the zoo’s light-bedecked steamer train, which provides a unique view of the ZooLights splendor.

Admission isn’t cheap, but the experience is memorable (and check out the special and discount nights!). Having grown up in Portland I visited the daytime Oregon Zoo numerous times in my childhood, but to see the place at night, with literal sheets of lights, lit up trees, and illuminated facsimiles of animals is quite the experience.

Splurge and go for a ride on the Washington Park and Zoo Railway, trains run every few minutes during ZooLights. The line may be long, but it moves swiftly, and there’s a hot cocoa purveyor serving the chilled. And really, who doesn’t like a train ride?

Heather and I visited the ZooLights display for our first time last year, and we have devised some tips for getting the most out of the experience.

ZooLights Tips

Dress extra warm (and dry if it’s a wet evening)
Arrive early (ZooLights starts at 5pm, but come early to enjoy the zoo. As it approaches darkness head to the train depot to be first in line!)
Take the MAX (It’ll save you $1.50 on admission with proof of fare, and finding a parking spot can be a pain in the ass)
Go on a weekday to avoid the longest lines and parking issues!

Visit the ZooLights website for details on pricing, entertainment, hours, specials, etc. Have fun!

November 22, 1983: The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Restored

November 22, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

With President Ronald Reagan‘s signature on Tuesday, November 22, 1983, the Grand Ronde Indians were once again recognized as a tribe by the U.S. government (The Oregonian, 23 November 1983).

The Western Oregon Termination Act had terminated 61 tribes west of the Cascades in Oregon, including the Grand Ronde, in 1954. Oregon Representative Les AuCoin sponsored the bill to restore tribal status (The Oregonian, 19 October 1983). Kenneth L. Smith, assistant Secretary for Indian affairs under President Reagan, stated in hearings that restoration would entitle 1,143 Grand Ronde Indians to about $850,000 in Bureau of Indian Affairs programs annually.

Smith called the 1954 federal congressional act terminating the Grand Ronde Indians’ tribal status “wrong” and said the situation could be rectifed by adoption of the Oregon Democrat’s bill.

The Grand Ronde Community reservation now covers just over 16 square miles in parts of southwest Yamhill and northwest Polk Counties, 18 miles east of Lincoln City.

Further reading:

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