Dave Knows Portland

Portland Mercado 1 Year Anniversary (16 April 2016)

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Portland MercadoPortland Mercado (7238 SE Foster) invites the public to a celebration of their Primer Año, on Saturday, 16 April 2016 from noon until 8 PM.

A project of Hacienda CDC, Portland Mercado has incubated over 50 businesses and helped create over 70 jobs in its first year. That’s worth celebrating.

Festivities on Saturday include live music, dance, kids activities, art, food, and the launch of the El Mercadito vendor fair, which subsequently will take place every 3rd Saturday of the month through October. Visit the event page for a full celebration schedule.

Record Store Day (16 April 2016)

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Record Store Day

The 2016 Record Store Day falls on Saturday, 16 April: support your local record store!

This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers, and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records, and on and on. In 2008 a small list of titles was released on Record Store Day and that list has grown to include artists and labels both large and small, in every genre and price point. In 2015, 60% of the Record Store Day Official Release List came from independent labels and distributors. The list continues to include a wide range of artists, covering the diverse taste of record stores and their customers.

Dozens of Oregon record stores are participating in the celebration, including Jackpot Records, Music Millennium, 2nd Avenue Records, Everyday Music, and more. Find participating venues at RecordStoreDay.com.

A Land of Milk and Honey: An Illuminated Guide to Oregon’s Bounty (12 April 2016)

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Cherry Eaters at the Cherry Fair, Salem, OR (date unknown)

Stumptown Stories and the Oregon Historical Society present A Land of Milk and Honey: An Illuminated Guide to Oregon’s Bounty on Tuesday, 12 April 2016 at the Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

Join the Oregon Historical Society for a pictorial history of food in Oregon from 1850 to 1940 with an emphasis on the agricultural bounty that makes the state one of the best places to eat in the world! Culinary historian Heather Arndt Anderson (Portland: A Food Biography) and Oregon Historical Society archivist Matthew Cowan will present a collection of historic glass lantern slides—hand colored and projected using an original 1930’s projector—depicting Oregon’s cornucopia and the stories behind them.

Stumptown Stories, batshit crazy stories from the murkiest, weirdest, and nuttiest corners of Portland history, takes place the second Tuesday of every month at the Jack London.

Admission is free. Doors open at 7:00 PM, 21 and over only.

Humanity on Wheels III (5 April 2016)

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Humanity on Wheels 3 - April 5 2016!

Humanity on Wheels 3, presented by Kick Ass Oregon History and TriMet Diaries, takes place tomorrow, 5 April 2016 at the Jack London Bar (529 SW 4th Ave – under The Rialto Poolroom).

Humanity on Wheels is a live story-telling event featuring:

  • Real Portland transit users sharing their most poignant, disgusting, delicious, and hilarious strap-hanging tales.
  • Live music by Dr. Something (whose transit-related songs include Beaverton TC, Shitsplosion at the Lloyd Center Macy’s, and my personal favorite – Foster Nitez)!
  • Strange and nostalgic Videos from TriMet‘s dusty vaults!
  • And an open mic! Share your own stories of the agony and ecstasy of riding transit in Portland!

The lineup includes the story-telling stars Dan Christensen, William Reagan, Robert Wagner, Dr. Jeff and Heather Goguen.

Doug Kenck-Crispin, resident historian at Kick Ass Oregon History, will preside over the evening’s activities, and will share some recently uncovered vintage TriMet videos and swag graciously provided by TriMet itself!

Oh yeah, and the Sprocket Podcast will be recording the whole thing for posterity.

Doors open at 7:00 PM, the show starts at 7:30 PM, and the event is FREE!

History Pub: Harry’s First Hundred Years: A Rousing Conversation with Recent Centenarian Harry Rabinowitz (28 March 2016)

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Harry’s First Hundred Years: A Rousing Conversation with Recent Centenarian Harry Rabinowitz, World-Renowned Conductor of Stage & Screen and Founding Member of Britain’s Campaign for Real Ale – a special History Pub moderated by McMenamins historian Tim Hills – takes place Monday, 28 March 2016 at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd).

From Aretha to the Beatles, RoboCop to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original London production of Cats, Chariots of Fire to Queen Elizabeth awarding him an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for outstanding service in music. Harry Rabinowitz’s remarkable musical career and love of adventure has earned him world renown, good fortune and a life that now spans the century mark. He turns 100 on March 26.

History Pub is presented by McMenamins, Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Cultural Trust, and the Holy Names Heritage Center. This event is free and open to all ages. Doors open at 6 PM, and the talk begins at 7 PM.