Dave Knows Portland

Portland Queer Film Festival (2-8 October 2015)

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2015 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:

The venerated filmmaker Eisenstein is comparable in talent, insight and wisdom, with the likes of Shakespeare or Beethoven; there are few – if any – directors who can be elevated to such heights. On the back of his revolutionary film Battleship Potemkin, he was celebrated around the world, and invited to the US. Ultimately rejected by Hollywood and maliciously maligned by conservative Americans, Eisenstein traveled to Mexico in 1931 to consider a film privately funded by American pro-Communist sympathizers, headed by the American writer Upton Sinclair. Eisenstein’s sensual Mexican experience appears to have been pivotal in his life and film career – a significant hinge between the early successes of Strike, Battleship Potemkin, and October, which made him a world-renowned figure, and his hesitant later career with Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible and The Boyar’s Plot.

General admission to most films is $10 and a full festival pass is $100. There are special ticket prices for the Opening Night and Closing Nigh films and parties – visit PDXQueerFilm.com for a schedule of all the films and more details.

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.

Portland Weekend Amusements (11-13 September 2015)

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Oktoberfest season is officially here with Widmer’s event this Saturday. TriMet celebrates the MAX Orange line – and Tilikum bridge – opening, Belmont throws a street fair, and lots more!

Saturday

MAX Orange Line Grand Opening Celebration

Orange LineIt’s time to celebrate the opening of the new MAX Orange Line and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. Join us for a day of adventure and fun, with activities and entertainment at many of the newly opened Orange Line stations!

Come see, ride free! All rides on TriMet buses, MAX trains, Portland Streetcar and the Portland Aerial Tram are FREE all day long.

Belmont Street Fair

Belmont Street Fair 2015The 20th annual* Belmont Street Fair takes place on SE Belmont from 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, 12 September 2015.

One of my favorite Portland street fairs, Belmont will be car free between 33rd and 39th.

Aquifer Adventure

Aquifer AdventureBig and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a family festival all about groundwater! Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure – not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet! Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Cap’n might make ye walk the plank! Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids!

Widmer Brothers Brewing 11th Annual Oktoberfest

Widmer Oktoberfest 2015As we move towards the end of summer in the month of September its time to mark our calendars for the various Oktoberfest celebrations that will take place across the region. Now in its 11th year, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Oktoberfest, Portland’s largest and longest-running Oktoberfest celebration will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 3:00 to 11:00pm.

Saturday-Sunday

Serbian Fest

Serbian Fest 2015Please join us for the 9th Annual Serbian Festival on September 12th & 13th. This is a celebration of food, wine, dance and culture of the Serbian Orthodox people.

Delicious Serbian Food: BBQ, Roast Pig and Lamb, Desserts; Live Music, National Dance, Beer and Wine, Kid’s Activities…and much more.

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.

Movies in ParksMovies in the Park

Friday, September 11

Portland Labor Day Weekend Amusements (2015)

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Labor day weekend!

Saturday and Sunday

Romanian Folk and Food Festival

Romanian fest 2015ROMANIAN COMMUNITY CELEBRATES ITS HERITAGE AND CULTURE IN ITS GENUINE WAY

BBQ, traditional foods, pastries, beer, wine, live music, dance, kids activities, and much more!

The fest takes place at Saint Marys Romanian Orthodox Church (135th and SE Stark)

Labor Day (Monday 7 September 2015)

2015 Labor Day Picnics

Union YesThe largest gathering by far takes place at in Southeast Portland. Sponsored by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the picnic attracts members from multiple unions who enjoy barbecue, music, games, carnival rides, raffle drawings, vendor booths, and time to visit with local politicians. Gov. Kate Brown has confirmed that she will be in attendance.

The picnic runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Political speeches take place at 1 p.m.

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.

Portland Film Festival

Portland Film Festival 2015The festival focuses on the people, ideas, technology, skills and artistry behind filmmaking and provides both entertaining and educational opportunities to the public. The festival is anchored with outdoor screenings, offering its filmmakers one of the largest audiences available on the West Coast.

The festival is spread across seven theater and education venues including some of the oldest historic theaters in Oregon

Movies in the Park

Movies in Parks

Friday, September 4

Saturday, September 5

Sunday, September 6

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – 40th Anniversary Screening (3 September 2015)

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The Portland Film Festival presents One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – 40th Anniversary Screening Thursday, 3 September 2015, at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton).

Celebrate the 40th Film Anniversary of the Oregon classic, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” by Oregon author Ken Kesey with a special talk by resident Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin—he will introduce the film with some happy, huggy stories about the Oregon State Hospital.

The films producer gave us permission to screen a special edition of the film classic. Don’t miss this opportunity to see it on the big screen!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, and Will Sampson. The supporting cast features William Redfield, Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers.

The film was the second to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director, and Screenplay) following It Happened One Night in 1934, an accomplishment not repeated until 1991 by The Silence of the Lambs.

Now considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is No. 33 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list. In 1993, it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Presentation starts at 8 PM. Tickets start at only $10 and can be bought in advance.

The Portland Film Festival: The Storytellers’ Festival & Conference runs September 1 through 7. Portland Film Festival is a non-profit dedicated to nurturing filmmakers and audiences, and to celebrating the power of a good story. The focus of the annual festival is on the people, ideas, technology, skills and artistry behind filmmaking and provides both entertaining and educational opportunities to the public.