Dave Knows Portland

Portland Korean Food Festival (11 October 2015)

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Portland Korean Food Festival 2015

Portland’s first ever Korean Food Festival takes place Sunday, 11 October 2015, at the Ecotrust building (707 NW Irving) from 1 PM to 6 PM.

In Korean, mukja means “Let’s Eat!” Food is an integral part of Korean culture, but beyond that, it celebrates an evolving identity that we are proud to represent in Portland. Korean dining is often loud, hectic, vibrant and happy—just like the phrase that names it, this festival strives to create a joyful, exciting atmosphere for everybody to enjoy Korean cuisine.

Chefs preparing dishes for the fest include Han Ly Hwang of Kim Jong Grillin, Bo Kwon of Koi Fusion, John Gorham of Toro Bravo, PJ Yang of Bamboo Sushi, Johanna Ware of Smallwares, Rick Gencarelli of Lardo, Peter Cho of Stray Dogs and more!

Festival tickets include food samples and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (VIP tickets get you early entry and a soju cocktail). Soju cocktails, makgeolli, and beer will be available for purchase.

Visit the festival website for more details. Children under 13 are admitted free with a paying adult.

Portland Weekend Amusements (2-4 October 2015)

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Holy crap there’s lots of stuff to do this weekend: H.P. Lovecraft and the Portland Queer film festivals, Greek Festival, BikePortland’s birthday bash, Fresh Hops, cheese, and more!

All Weekend

Portland Greek Festival

Greek Festival 2015After six decades, The Greek Festival has become one of the largest festivals of its kind, sharing our Greek Orthodox faith and rich culture with over 15,000 guests annually. The festival is an iconic event in the Portland Metropolitan area and has been designated as an Oregon Heritage Tradition by the Oregon Heritage Commission. Each year a portion of proceeds from the festival go toward worthy philanthropic endeavors in the greater Portland community.

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival

"H. P. Lovecraft, June 1934" by Lucius B. TruesdellThe 20th annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival returns to Northeast Portland’s Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy) from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, 2015.

This festival of cosmic horror and unnameable fear features author readings, filmmaker discussions, a raffle, and of course lots of films – both shorts and features. The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival is the only festival that understands. Don’t miss the Arkham Bazaar for Lovecraftian Novelties to Other Weird Oddities.

Friday

BikePortland’s 10th Birthday Party

Bike PortlandCan you believe we made it this far? We have so much to celebrate.

19,600 posts, 306,000 comments, countless controversies, triumphs and tragedies, exhilarating rides and boring meetings… what a ride it has been!

Join us for our big 10th birthday bash where we’ll look back at an amazing decade and look forward to an even more amazinger decade to come.

Friday-Saturday

Portland Fresh Hops Beer Fest

Hops!12th Annual PORTLAND FRESH HOPS FEST
10.02.15 – Friday – 5:30-9:00pm
10.03.15 – Saturday – Noon-8pm
Oaks Amusement Park
7805 SE Oaks Park Way-Map
Portland, OR
Free Admission – Must purchase a glass to sample beer. #freshhops
$15/glass + 5 drink tickets.
$20/glass + 10 drink tickets
$40/two glasses + 20 drink tickets
21+ to drink – 1 person per glass – Cash only – Minors permitted on Saturday only till 5pm – Dogs on leashes as long as they behave.

Saturday

An Archives Month Celebration

Oregon Archives Month Celebration 2015Portland may be a foodie town, but it isn’t always food that feeds our hunger. If your head is hungry for some knowledge, let us fill it with Portland history! Do you have a craving to know where you can find maps of the city from the 1890s? Are you hankering to learn about the history of Portland’s Japantown? Do you have an appetite for local oral histories? Or does a sampling of strange, old medical tools interest you?

We have that and more waiting for you as we kick off Oregon Archives Month with a smorgasbord of Portland-area archives. Join us on Saturday, October 3rd from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Portland Archives and Records Center. Take a behind the scenes tour of the City’s archives and see history up close and personal.

The Wedge: Portland Celebrates Cheese

The WedgeTaste and Buy Artisan and Farmstead Cheese Direct from the Cheesemaker

The Wedge is a Farmers Market-style event, featuring cheese and foods/beverages that go well with it. Sample and purchase local, artisan cheese, specialty foods, beer, wine, and cider, take a class, snap a pic with our mascot, and try your hand at cheese wheel bowling!

Ongoing

Portland Queer Film Festival

Portland Queer Film FestivalThe 2015 Portland Queer Film Festival runs from October 2 – 8 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave). This annual festival showcases feature, documentary and short queer films from all over the world.

The opening night film is Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein in Guanajuato …

Walktober

WalktoberWalktober 2015, the greatest walking holiday of the year takes place in Portland throughout October.

“Walk anywhere, everywhere, for any reason, or for no reason at all. This is Walktober: walking fun October 6th through Halloween (the greatest walking holiday of the year).”

Inspired by Pedalpalooza, three weeks of bikey fun in Portland held every June, the Oregon Walks conceived Walktober to promote walking as a fun, healthy, ubiquitous activity in the Portland metro region.

History Pub: Portland Communists, A Longshoreman Strike, and The United States Supreme Court (28 September 2015)

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Portland Communists, A Longshoreman Strike, and The United States Supreme Court: Oregon v. DeJonge and the Right to Freedom of Assembly is the latest History Pub on Monday, 28 September 2015 at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd).

On July 27, 1934, the Portland Police “Red Squad” arrested Dirk De Jonge, a World War I veteran, longshoreman, former Portland mayoral candidate, and Portland communist. The State charged him with criminal syndicalism for speaking at a meeting sponsored by the local Communist Party. The meeting was called in response to a police crackdown on striking longshoremen, who had shut down every West Coast port from southern California to northern Washington. De Jonge’s crime was speaking about jail conditions experienced by the arrested strikers. A jury found him guilty, and the judge sentenced him to seven years in prison. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the conviction, holding that the criminal syndicalism statute, as applied to De Jonge, unconstitutionally infringed on his right to assembly as protected by the First Amendment.

Presenter Marc Brown is an appellate public defender with the Oregon Office of Public Defense Services. He has taught at Washington State University-Vancouver and is a recent recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to teach about the U.S. Constitution in Guangzhou, China.

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

Portland Weekend Amusements (25-27 September 2015)

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Oktoberfest season continues! This weekend get your bier at Oaks Park, ride your bike at the last Sunday Parkways of the year, watch a film on the river, juggle to your heart’s content, and amazingly – a lot more!

Friday – Sunday

Oaks Park Oktoberfest

Oaks Park OktoberfestThe 2015 Oaks Park Oktoberfest takes place Friday through Sunday, September 25 through 27.

Bier!Bier! Main sponsor Paulaner will be offering a festival lineup of Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, Paulaner Salvator, and their Pilsner. Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available too.

Portland Juggling Festival and Vaudeville Extravaganza

Portland Juggling FestivalThe 2015 Portland Juggling Festival takes place 25 September through 27 September at the Reed College (3203 SE Woodstock Blvd) gym. The Juggling and Vaudeville Extravaganza takes place Saturday, 26 September the Reed College Kaul Auditorium.

One of the largest regional juggling festivals in the country, the festival provides a venue for jugglers from around the world to come together to share knowledge and hone skills in workshops and juggling sessions.

Saturday

Museum Day Live

Museum Day LiveThe Museum Day Live! ticket provides free admission for two people.

In the spirit of the Smithsonian Museums, which offer free admission every day, Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket… for free.

Upriver: Outdoor screening at Sellwood Riverfront Park

Portland Ecofilm FestivalThe Portland EcoFilm Festival is proud to partner with Portland Parks and Recreation for the Portland premiere of UPRIVER, screening outdoors in the beautiful Sellwood Riverfront Park!

Home to roughly two-thirds of all Oregonians, the Willamette River system has endured a history of human use and abuse similar to most large river systems. UPRIVER, a locally-produced feature-length documentary, explores the recent movement of Oregonians from all walks of life to improve the health of the river and the diverse life it supports and provides a new look at what this river is, where it comes from, and where it’s going.

Sunday

Tilikum Crossing / Sellwood Portland Sunday Parkways

Sunday ParkwaysEnd the Sunday Parkways season big by exploring the new Tilikum Crossing Bridge of the People and the Sellwood area. This new route will include the Tilikum Crossing and circle the Sellwood area introducing participants to the Westmoreland, Sellwood Parks plus Brooklyn School Park where music, food, and fun are waiting.

Harvest Festival

OMSI Harvest Fest 2015Enjoy the bounty of Oregon while indulging in snacks, sweets, beer and music from the Pacific Northwest region! Learn about Oregon specialty crops from local farms, CSA’s, cooking demonstrations and artisan vendors. There’s fun for the whole family, including kids activities and live entertainment. Come celebrate the harvest season at OMSI!

Ongoing

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2015

Swirling SwiftsIn September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts coalesce into a giant undulating swirl in Northwest Portland near Chapman School after spending the day eating bug. Around sunset the swirl gets more compact, like a ground pepper tornado, and begins disappearing, measure by measure, down the school’s huge old chimney. On the lawn below hundreds of mesmerized and picnic-sated Portlanders stare into the sky from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets while their oblivious children roll down the grassy hill screaming. Cheers erupt from the crowd when the slippery swifts dodge the opportunistic Peregrine falcons, boos when the predators get lucky.

Oaks Park Oktoberfest (25-27 September 2015)

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Oaks Park OktoberfestThe 2015 Oaks Park Oktoberfest takes place Friday through Sunday, September 25 through 27.

Bier!Bier! Main sponsor Paulaner will be offering a festival lineup of Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, Paulaner Salvator, and their Pilsner. Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available too.

Multiple food vendors offer their take on Oktoberfest food, including Taste of Oktoberfest by Scandinavian Cafe, Schnitzel Haus, Edelweiss Deli, Urban German, Eis Hutte, Deutsche Desserts, and more – everything is reasonably priced, and two festhallen and a multitude of outdoor picnic tables means there are plenty of places to sit down with your beers and friends.

If you love accordion music you’re in for a treat (if you don’t love accordion music, I pity you). Performers include Alpine Echoes, Edelweiss Tanz Gruppe, German International School, Joe the Accordion Man, The Kleinstädtlers, Leikarringen of Portland, Polkatones, Rose City Accordion Club, and more. There are three stages – the Main Festhalle, the Family Festhalle, and the Comcast Stage. Visit the fest website for the full performance schedule.

Compete in (or, as I do, watch and guffaw at) the Main Festhalle Games like the pretzel toss, condiment art, and the chicken dance throughout the weekend.

Additionally there’s a Craft and Import Vendors village where you can buy lederhosen and dirndls, and plenty of knick knacks and stuff for the kids.

Admission is $5 for adults 16 to 61, $3 for 62 and over, and kids get in for $2. Friday the fest goes from 3 PM to midnight, Saturday, 11 AM to midnight, and Sunday 11 AM to 7 PM. (Friday from 3 PM to 6 PM is Senior Excitement Night at the fest; guests 55 and older receive FREE admission and discounts at some vendors.)

This is one of Heather‘s favorite Portland festivals, because of the weiner dog races of course.

To give you an idea of what to expect, check out our reviews from past years:

Heather’s:

Mine:

And here’s a weiner dog race video!

Weiner Dog Race! from Mile73 on Vimeo.