Dave Knows Portland

Archives for March 2012

Enchanted Forest 2012

by 1 Comment

Enchanted Forest MapThe 2012 Enchanted Forest season officially begins on Friday, March 23.

Two years ago I took my wife Heather on her first visit to Storybook Lane – I hadn’t been since the early 80s. Heather had never stumbled through the crooked house nor witnessed the giant warts on the concrete witch’s nose, so as a birthday treat we spent a magical day at the happiest place on the I-5 corridor just south of Salem, Oregon. Afterward she declared:

If you live in Oregon and you haven’t been to Enchanted Forest, you need to go. If you haven’t been in a long time, go back. And if you have kids, Enchanted Forest will rock their world. You’d be a total ass not to bring your kids here as soon as possible.

The park opens at 10am, and rides and the Haunted House open at 10:30. Closing time varies, and for part of the season the park is only open on weekends, so before you jump in the car make sure to check the park schedule on the website. Ticket prices vary with age and ride options. There are food vendors but the Enchanted Forest welcomes picnics (no BBQs or alcohol though).

OMSI Science Pub: The Science and Art of Permaculture (20-March-2012)

by Leave a Comment

Omsi Science PubThe Science and Art of Permaculture is the topic of of the next Portland OMSI Science Pub on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan):

We all know that we face many environmental challenges as individuals and as a society, but coming up with ways to solve these problems can be daunting. There are so many issues – energy production, food and water resources, exposure to toxic chemicals – that one can get paralyzed by just trying to figure out where to start.

Enter permaculture. Derived from “permanent” and “agriculture”, the term is used to describe design systems that work WITH nature and the things that live there (plants, animals, and humans), rather than trying to make biological systems bend to human needs alone. It includes a combination of biological concepts such as organic farming and using native plants in our yards, to ethical considerations such as reducing waste and making sure all members of society have enough resources to thrive. Join us for a lively presentation and good conversation about the design science of permaculture, including a description of what is it, how it got started, and why we should do it.

The presenter is Deke Gunderson, PhD., professor of environmental science and former co-director of the B Street Permaculture Project at Pacific University.

The science begins at 7pm but arrive early (5pm doors open) to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $5.00 suggested donation/cover charge. Minors with adults are welcome, otherwise this event is 21 and over.

Noirville: A Classic Noir Film Festival (March 23-29, 2012)

by Leave a Comment

Noirville

A Touch of Evil, The Big Sleep, and The Maltese Falcon are three of my favorite movies* of all time (seriously, they’re in my top 20, with A Touch of Evil in the top 5), so I was rather excited when I read about Noirville: A Classic Noir Film Festival at Mad About Movies, Shawn Levy‘s OregonLive movie blog.

After its weeklong engagement of a pair of 1962 classics (“The Manchurian Candidate” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” both of which start today), Portland’s Cinema 21 goes even further back in time for a week of classically atmospheric crime and low-life films in a series called “Noirville.”

The film festival starts Friday, March 23, 2012 and runs through Thursday, March 29 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st). Tickets are $6, but only $9 for double features, and a festival pass is available for a mere $40.

* The Night of the Hunter is also a great movie, but Robert Mitchum is so goddamned creepy in it, there’s no way anyone will ever convince me to watch it a second time.

Kick Ass Oregon History Vol 4 #3: Mad Max

by Leave a Comment

Don’t forget, this Tuesday, March 20, 2012 – you won’t want to miss the Humanity On Wheels: An Evening of Mass Transit Tales!, brought to you by Kick Ass Oregon History and TriMet Diaries!

KICK ASS OREGON HISTORY VOL 4 #3: MAD MAXKick Ass Oregon History is the latest series of podcasts from the enthusiastic historians behind ORHistory.com.

And volume 4 #3 just dropped: Mad Max: Portland’s Death Trolley.

In which we learn that a ticket to ride is a ticket to doom.

The brains behind this Kick Ass project are the crack hustlers of Oregon History Doug Kenck-Crispin and Andy Lindberg. Doug is a graduate student studying Public History and Pacific Northwest History at PSU, and Andy, though a Portland native, is currently working as an actor in New York City. Doug does most of the research and writing for the podcasts with input from Andy, who voices the broadcasts with a thespian’s flair.

With the Kick Ass Oregon History podcast they plan to cover just the good stuff: Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll and Earth Shattering, Devastating Destruction.

Ultimately, our goal is to take Oregon History out of the hallowed halls of the academy, get folks excited and enthused about this shared history, and get them out into the state, digging it and experiencing it. Get them to embrace it, and get their boots muddy in the process. It’s all OUR History; nobody owns it.

Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details on specific episodes and the series. Catch up on missed episodes at the Kick Ass Oregon History archives.

National Corndog Day 2012!

by Leave a Comment

corndog150National Corndog Day was invented 20 years ago by two dudes from Corvallis when they discovered a 24 pack of corn dogs in their freezer while they were watching the first quadruple-header day of the NCAA basketball tournament.

This year National Corndog Day is March 17th, which this year joins the first Saturday of “the big men’s basketball tournament” and St. Patrick’s Day. For all you basketball mad types, this particular day is significant because it is the one day a year that a quadruple-header of tournament action is broadcast live nationally. Think about it, 7-8 hours of outstanding hoops from start to finish, without ever having to change the channel. Such an occasion deserves a unique way to celebrate. Join us and pay homage by catching up with friends, enjoying a few laughs, and most importantly, enjoying a steady diet of corndogs! Lots of corndogs….

Thanks to Governor Kitzhaber’s proclamation, National Corndog Day is an official holiday this year in Oregon, and there are several officially sanctioned public and private Corndog Day parties in the Portland area.

Read about the Oregon pedigree of the corn dog here, and for more Corndog Day history, see this 2009 Oregonian story: Corn dog lovers, it’s your day (thank two Corvallis guys).