Dave Knows Portland

PDX Baconfest 2012

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PDX BaconfestThe fourth annual Portland Baconfest takes place Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 18th and East Burnside, adjacent to the East Burn (1800 E Burnside), from noon until 9 p.m. – it’s a giant street festival celebrating bacon!

Thousands of bacon lovers attended last year’s fest, thoroughly lubricating their cardiovascular system and contributing hundreds of pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank.

Entertainment includes four live bands and a skate competition, sponsored by Bacon Skateboards.

Festival goers can compete in the Ultimate Bacon Eating Contest, the Bacon Dance Off, Greasy Slip N Slide, and the Triathlon De Pig – prizes include iPods, grills, and more!

Dozens of sponsors and vendors will be on hand offering their bacon, and non-bacon, related wares.

Admission is a mere $5 and a suggested donation of 2 canned food items for the Oregon Food Bank. Must be 21 or over to enter! For more details visit the Baconfest website or the Facebook event page. Arrive early to sign up for the contests.

Festa Italiana 2012

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Festa ItalianaThe 21st Festa Italiana turns Pioneer Courthouse Square into a piazza Thursday through Saturday, August 23 through 25, 2012.

One of my favorite Portland festivals, and not just because of the strolling accordionists, I recommend you arrive early to secure a table in the beer and wine garden! You’ll have an excellent view of the stage in the middle of the square. Wine is available by the bottle or the glass; and you’ll find the Festa Italiana drink prices to be more reasonable than at most festivals. Beer is available too.

Live entertainment, Italian opera, dancing, Italian restaurants, wine gardens, grape stomp, piazza toss, vendors, strolling musicians and puppet shows. Ray Massa’s EuroRythms will be back.

Visit the festa website for the full entertainment schedule. In addition to musical entertainment, enjoy the pizza toss, grape stomp, face painting, and The Carter Family Marionettes!

Fantastic food, mostly Italian, will be available from several local restaurants and food carts. And of course gelato, dolce and Italian ice treats will also be available.

The fest runs from 11am to 11pm each day, and entry is free! Visit the Festa Italiana website for more details.

Portland Weekend Amusements (August 17-19, 2012)

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W00t! Looks like the weekend will be 15-20 degrees cooler!

Ongoing

Movies in ParksPortland Movies in the Park

Portland Parks and Recreation has released the 2012 summer schedule of Movies in the Park. From June 29 through September 18 sprawl out at one of Portland’s fine municipal parks several times a week for an evening of free entertainment.

Friday 8/17: Hugo @ Irving Park
Saturday 8/18: Super 8 @ Alberta Park
Saturday 8/18: Akeelah & the Bee @ Warner Pacific College
Sunday, 8/19: The Karate Kid (2010) @ Lents Park [more]

Friday-Saturday

Westmoreland/Sellwood Brewfest

Kegs from 6 local neighborhood breweries on tap outside under a tent, and some of our own special aged/rare beers on tap inside at the bar as well. Our neighbors at San Felipe will be grilling outside, and there will be live music both days. Admission is $5, and tickets for 4oz. tasters are only $1 each. [more]

Friday

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, August 17, 2012 is no exception: Offbeat Belly Dance! This Friday! Awesome! Magical! Free Show! [more]

Saturday

Multnomah Days

The 104th Multnomah Days celebration takes place Saturday, August 18, 2012 between SW 33rd and 39th on Capitol Highway in Multnomah Village. The fest runs from from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. . . .

At 10 a.m. the ‘Biggest Little’ Parade begins – featuring musicians, street performers, cars, pets, and more. Timber Joey is the Grand Marshal this year! [more]

Thatcher's BrewfestThatcher’s Brewfest

The 2012 Thatcher’s Brewfest (known as the Montavilla Brewfest in years past) takes place this Saturday, August 18, from noon until 9 p.m. in the parking lot behind the bar (7906 SE Stark).

$1 get you in, and $1 gets you a sample. A full beer will set you back $4. [more]

PDX Adult Soapbox Derby 2012PDX Adult Soapbox Derby

The 16th annual PDX Adult Soap Box Derby takes place this Saturday, August 18, 2012 on Mt. Tabor.

“Flexing Portland’s creative muscle since 1997″

The roster features 42 teams, divided into two categories: art, and science. [more]

Sunday

India FestivalIndia Festival

Pioneer Courthouse Square plays host to the sights and sounds of India and the Subcontinent on Sunday, August 19 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the India Festival 2012.

“Please be there with your family and friends to get a taste of Indian culture for FREE and get a glimpse of this growing, warm and welcoming community.” [more]

Attack of the FlixAttack of the Flix #8

Attack of the Flix, presented by Microflix, is a monthly competition for Portland filmmakers held at the Curious Comedy Theatre (5225 NE MLK). This month’s show takes place Sunday, August 19, 2012.

Vote for your favorite flicks – the first place winner receives a golden trophy! [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, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.

India Festival 2012

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India FestivalPioneer Courthouse Square plays host to the sights and sounds of India and the Subcontinent on Sunday, August 19 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the India Festival 2012.

Please be there with your family and friends to get a taste of Indian culture for FREE and get a glimpse of this growing, warm and welcoming community. We are hosting India Festival on August 19th and will celebrate India’s independence and our cultural heritage with our friends in Oregon. Our festival has grown every year with record crowds and new vendors.

Don’t miss out on a memorable event that draws crowds from all over the West Coast!

There will be music and dance exhibitions, as well as food!

The event is sponsored by the India Cultural Association.

Offbeat Belly Dance (17-August-2012)

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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, August 17, 2012 is no exception: Offbeat Belly Dance! This Friday! Awesome! Magical! Free Show!

This month’s show is special – yes, I know, they’re all special, but this one’s different – ok, true, every Offbeat show’s rather different from the usual belly dance show, but this month’s show is unique – alright, yes, they’re all… look, that’s not the point. The point is:

THIS MONTH WE’RE STARTING ON TIME!!!!!

Whyfore, you ask? Well, Ringleader Karissa just had a birthday and is all fired up to embrace opportunities for self improvement, but more importantly, the Blue Monk is running two (count ’em! two!) shows this Friday!

Following Offbeat will be a series of dramatic readings hosted by:

Naked Girls Reading!

This show is not affiliated in any way with Offbeat, but the Naked Girls have been kind enough to offer Offbeat patrons a discount on their cover charge for any and all of you fine folks who want to stick around for yet further entertainment after Offbeat.

How exciting! Come for the belly dance show, stay for the dramatic readings! Or just come for the belly dance show! You are the captain of your own ship, Mighty Portlanders! May we humbly suggest you chart course for our fine and festive port?

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 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

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