Dave Knows Portland

Reed College Centennial Community Day Celebration (24-September-2011)

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Reed College Centennial Community Day CelebrationThe first classes at Portland’s Reed College started 100 years ago, and to celebrate this auspicious anniversary, Reed is hosting a Centennial Community Day Celebration on Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 8am to 3pm, and 7pm to 9pm.

Things start off at 8am with the Reed College 5k Odyssey Run/Walk (7am on-site registration at Eliot Circle) and a pancake breakfast (price included with 5k registration, or $5.95/person) from 8:30am to 11am.

9:30am to 2pm enjoy games, a climbing wall, bouncy castle, juggling, and more on the Great Lawn (on the South side of campus, along Woodstock Boulevard).

Watch a Reed College rugby match in the upper playing field (off Steele on the North side of campus) at 10am, tour the research reactor at 11am, noon, and 1pm, and lots more – visit the celebration website for the full schedule of the dya’s events.

At 7pm watch a Movie in the Quad: See a clip of Harrison Ford roaming around Reed’s Eliot Hall chapel in the 1977 film The Possessed, part of which was shot at Reed, followed by the 1981 feature film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The day ends, as all great days should, with fireworks at 9pm, on the west lawn.

Portland Oktoberfest Trifecta (September 23-25, 2011)

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If you enjoy Oktoberfests (and who doesn’t?!), get ready to don your dirndl or lederhosen this weekend, September 23 through 25, 2011. You have three area Oktoberfests to choose from (not to mention the Portland Polish Fest). The truly dedicated will attend them all!

Friday – Sunday

Zenner's Oktoberfest 2011Oaks Park Oktoberfest 2011

The 2011 Zenner’s Oktoberfest at Oaks Park takes place Friday through Sunday, September 23 through 25.

The authentic German beer and food (e.g. Zenner’s sausages, chicken schnitzel, braised red cabbage, sauerkraut, German Potato Salad, and Tater Tots!) 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. [more]

Friday-Saturday

Der Rheinlander Oktoberfest 2011Der Rheinlander Oktoberfest

The Rheinlander 2011 Oktoberfest takes place Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24 at the restaurant (5035 NE Sandy).

The outdoor bier tent features beer directly from Munich, German – including Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier and Paulaner Salvator Dopple Bock. Live music in the evenings is provided by Oktoberfest band Paloma from Chicago, and participate in (or observe with a smirk) the sausage and pretzel eating contest and costume competition. [more]

Sunday

McMenamins EdgefieldOktoberfest at Edgefield

When you imagine Oktoberfest, what comes to mind? Oom-pah bands, loads of beer, bratwurst and hamburgers and more! One and all are welcome to participate in the German celebration that is Oktoberfest! Begun as a wedding party for Germany’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810, today Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world with music, singing, dancing, beer, food and revelry. [more]

Der Rheinlander Oktoberfest (September 23-24, 2011)

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Der Rheinlander Oktoberfest 2011The Rheinlander 2011 Oktoberfest takes place Friday and Saturday, September 23 and 24 at the restaurant (5035 NE Sandy).

The outdoor bier tent features beer directly from Munich, German – including Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier and Paulaner Salvator Dopple Bock. Live music in the evenings is provided by Oktoberfest band Paloma from Chicago, and participate in (or observe with a smirk) the sausage and pretzel eating contest and costume competition.

Saturday, noon to 5pm, is Family Day, and features face painters, balloon artists, and other activities for kids and parents. The Rogue Valley Alphorns and Der Liederkries will be performing.

And of course enjoy fantastic food – options include fondue, Königsberger Klopse, Hungarian goulash, eisbein, sausage, and plum and peach crisp!

Admission each day is $5 (kids 4-12 $2, 0-3 free!). A portion of which benefits the Northwest Down Syndrome Association. Visit the Oktoberfest event page for more details.

Weekend Amusements (September 16-18, 2011)

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A mighty fine weekend in Portland: beer, bikes, nature, comedy, belly dancing, Timbers, Serbian Fest, and more!

Ongoing

Swift WatchChapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2011

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. [more

Friday

Laughter is the Best MedicineLaughter Is The Best Medicine

The second annual Laughter is the Best Medicine, presented by the Vital Life Foundation, takes place Friday, September 16, 2011 at the Alberta Rose Theater (3000 NE Alberta).

Hosted by Dwight Slade, this comedy fundraiser benefits the Oregon Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. [more]

Offbeat Belly DanceOffbeat Belly Dance

Every third Friday of the month the Blue Monk (3341 SE Belmont) hosts the Offbeat Belly Dance collective, a club rocking, good timing, genre-defying gang of badass belly dancers.

This Friday, September 16, 2011, is no exception – the Offbeat Belly Dance collectives invites you to Offbeat Belly Dance! Fun! Fabulous! Freeee Show! ZOMG! [more]

Portland TimbersPortland Timbers vs. New England Revolution

A week after a hard fought draw at Philadelphia the Portland Timbers (9-12-6) return to Jeld-Wen Field today to take on the New England Revolution (5-11-12).

Portland is in relatively good form, winning the two matches previous, both at home. With a win today, the Timbers continue their fight for a playoff spot, but they’ll still need good results on the road to get there. [more]

Saturday-Sunday

Serbian Fest 2011Serbian Fest 2011

The fifth annual Serbian Fest (pdf) takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18, 2011 at St. Stephen in Milwaukie (11447 SE 27th).

“The event will offer popular Serbian fare, including chevaps, a ground meat and homemade bread dish; baklava, a nut and honey dessert; palachinke, thin filled pancakes; other desserts; and roast lamb, roast pig and vegetarian dishes.” [more]

VegFestPortland VegFest 2011

Oregon’s largest plant-based food event!
Saturday & Sunday, September 17 & 18
Oregon Convention Center

VegFest celebrates and promotes sustainable, compassionate and healthy food choices and lifestyles. This low-cost, fun and food-filled event welcomes everyone! [more]

Saturday

BikeToBeerFestBikeToBeerFest 2011

The 3rd annual BikeToBeerFest takes place Saturday, September 17, 2011 at Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell) from noon until 10pm.

The fest features the Wanderlust Circus, games and activities for the kids, breakdancers, and plenty of bike-related fun, including the Flatlanders (BMS trick riders), a Huffy Toss Competition, bike builders, and more! [more]

Sunday

Gay Fair in the SquareGay Fair on the Square

Join Portland’s Gay Men’s Choir this Sunday, September 18, 2011 for Gay Fair on the Square, an afternoon of entertainment and information as the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus puts the spotlight on area non-profit organizations serving the LGBT community.

Held at Pioneer Courthouse Square from 12:30pm to 5pm, over 60 LGBT friendly organization will be on hand at this free event, for an afternoon of music, information, and interaction. [more]

Dog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon

Beer West Magazine and Amnesia Brewing present Dog Day Afternoon, a benefit for Portland’s Pixie Project, this Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the brewpub (832 N Beech).

“The event is free to the public and all dogs and their owners are welcome (no kids under 21, please!). Events include a raffle and a “coolest dog trick” contest at 4 p.m. during which dogs can show off their best tricks to an audience of judges.” [more]

Man vs Dog 211Man vs Dog: Late-Summer Scarfing Fest

Man vs. Dog, the Original‘s 3rd annual late-summer scarfing fest, takes place Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the restaurant (300 SW 6th).

“Some of them deprive themselves of nutritious sustenance before taking their marks. Some of them use water as a lubricant to make these little torpedoes slippery enough to go down faster. Some of them simply break them in two and simultaneously inhale both halves like shameless sword-swallowing ducks.” [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, PDX Pipeline, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.

Offbeat Belly Dance (16-September-2011)

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Offbeat Belly DanceEvery third Friday of the month the Blue Monk (3341 SE Belmont) hosts the Offbeat Belly Dance collective, a club rocking, good timing, genre-defying gang of badass belly dancers.

This Friday, September 16, 2011, is no exception – the Offbeat Belly Dance collectives invites you to Offbeat Belly Dance! Fun! Fabulous! Freeee Show! ZOMG!

Yo! Noble Portlanders! Grab your party hat and head to the Blue Monk! This Friday it’s time once more for Offbeat Belly Dance!

Ah yes, the Blue Monk! Home of delicious beer! Complex and intriguing mixed drinks! Tasty food! Air conditioning!

And Offbeat Belly Dance! This month’s lineup of rock ’em sock ’em fabulous dancers is nearly too awesome to be believed! Please do join us, and feast your eyes upon…(tharr be more) the wonders of….

Vee!
Ziggy!
Jasmine!

And as if that weren’t enough –

The fantastic Jo will once again bring her sassy OG stylings to the Offbeat stage!

And this month marks the triumphant return of:

Adeylah! Yes, she of the amazing hair, mesmerizing musicality, and shiny fabulousness!

Margaret! You love zee Mandala? Yes, yes you do. Now see the captivating and charismatic Margaret tear it up solo style! She will blow your very mind!

Erika! Omg. Seriously. Whether with Deviant Dance or as a soloist, she is always a force to be reckoned with, and she always adds a bottle full of Awesomesauce to her performances at Offbeat! Come see the magic!

And of course, we will also have Karissa merrily dancing and ringleadering and serving as your humble yet knowing sherpa on this daring excursion to the top of Mount Awesome!

Join Karissa, the Ringleader of Offbeat Belly Dance (pictured to the right), and the other fabulous dancers at the show Friday night.

Individually, the members of the Offbeat Belly Dance collective perform at shows throughout the Portland area, but on the 3rd Friday of the month they come together at the Blue Monk to perform in a rollicking belly dance revue. One of the things that makes it offbeat, is that the dancers choose whatever kind of music they like. Karissa tells me this has included traditional Middle Eastern music, zydeco, AC/DC, Strauss, The Pogues, hip hop, jazz, blues, Old Crow Medicine Show, the Spice Girls, and just about everything else.

The shows are free, and go from about 7pm until 9:30pm.

Visit OffbeatBellyDance.com for more information. You can also become a fan on Facebook, and follow the genre-defying, good timing gang of belly dancers in Portland OR, w/Karissa as ringmaster/carnival barker/propagandiston on Twitter at @OffbeatBelly

Photo credit: Offbeat Belly Dance