Dave Knows Portland

Stumptown Stories: Real Class Warfare: The Great 1934 Longshore Strike in Portland (11-October-2011)

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Real Class Warfare: The Great 1934 Longshore Strike in Portland.The Stumptown Stories series, geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

The (very topical) topic of this week’s presentation is Real Class Warfare: The Great 1934 Longshore Strike in Portland.

On May 9, 1934, thousands of longshoremen along the West Coast walked off the job, beginning an eighty-two-day standoff between the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) and company owners. In Portland, the strike split the city in two: sympathetic citizens rallied around the workers, offering food, shelter, and transportation; those opposed to the strike—including Henry Corbett, Amedee Smith, and Henry Cabell—formed the Citizens Emergency Committee and called on President Roosevelt to stop the strike with federal troops.

The presenter is Michael Munk, political scientist, local expert on radicalism in Oregon, and author of The Portland Red Guide.

Doors open at 5pm for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30pm.

Weekend Amusements (October 7-9, 2011)

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Not a bad lineup for a decidedly Fall weekend – festivals this weekend come in several varieties: literary, cheese, beer, and film. Also a free film screening for history buffs, and more!

Ongoing

Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2011Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2011 wraps up Saturday!

The 15th Annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival takes place September 30 through October 8, 2011 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st).

“This year the festival begins September 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Cinema 21 with a very special screening of local filmmaker David Weissman’s deeply moving We Were Here. The film chronicles the heavy impact the AIDS crisis had on San Francisco in the 80s through the eyes of five survivors. David Weissman will be in attendance.” [more]

WordstockWordstock 2011

Wordstock, Portland’s book and literary festival, takes over exhibit hall C at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK JR Blvd) Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9, 2011. Affiliated events are taking place sooner, including the The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience on Monday, October 3, and Portland Stories at the Multnomah County Library on Tuesday, October 4. [more]

Friday

Superdrag!Super!Drag at Darcelle XV

In observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to honor the heroism of survivors, the Bradley Angle House is teaming up with the fabulous performers of Darcelle XV (208 NW 3rd) for a special one-night only show: Super!Drag.

“It’s a drag show, superhero style!” [more]

The ThingCort and Fatboy’s Midnight Movie: The Thing

The Cort and Fatboy Midnight Movie this Friday, October 3, 2011 is the John Carpenter classic The Thing:

“Take a bunch of bearded, paranoid men (including Kurt Russell,) stick em all in Antarctica and then hide a shapeshifting alien inside of a cute little dog.” [more]

Saturday

The WedgeThe Wedge 2011

The Wedge: Portland Celebrations Cheese Festival returns to the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub (928 SE 9th) this Saturday, October 8, 2011.

This farmer’s market-style event is organized by the Oregon Cheese Guild to “showcase artisan, specialty, and farmstead cheesemakers from throughout the Northwest.” [more]

Hops!Portland Fresh Hop Tastival

Portland’s 2011 Fresh Hop Tastival takes place at Oaks Amusement Park (7805 SE Oaks Park Way) this Saturday, October 8 from noon until 8pm.

Hop heads will be in heaven – this fest features dozens of delicious locally brewed beers spiced up with freshly picked hops (scroll down on this page for the full beer list). [more]

Sunday

Riches of a CityLens on the Community: Riches of a City

Public History Graduates (PHig) debuts the Lens on the Community program with a screening of Riches of a City, at 2pm this Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 5th Avenue Cinema (510 SW Hall).

“Riches of a City (1975). . . documents the development of the Skidmore District and recounts the struggle to bring this downtown Portland neighborhood into the modern era while preserving its cultural and historical significance.” [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.

Wordstock 2011

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WordstockWordstock, Portland’s book and literary festival, takes over exhibit hall C at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK JR Blvd) Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9, 2011. Affiliated events are taking place sooner, including the The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience on Monday, October 3, and Portland Stories at the Multnomah County Library on Tuesday, October 4.

Wordstock is an annual festival of books, writers, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon. To date it has hosted over 1,000 writers, who have read and performed for nearly 80,000 people at past festivals. Wordstock features nine author stages; a book fair with over 125 exhibitors; a special children’s activity area and children’s literature stage; a series of workshops for emerging writers; over a week’s worth of special events hosted by our partner organizations throughout the region, including a special broadcast of Live Wire!, the popular public radio variety show that features writers from the festival; and more. Although it only began in 2005, Wordstock is already the largest celebration of literature and literacy in the Pacific Northwest, and is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the nation.

Scores of authors will be at the fest, and the full schedule includes readings, workshops, and book signings throughout the weekend. Admission to the weekend festivities at the Convention Center is $7 for a single day, and $10 for both days (the fest runs 10am to 6pm both days). Visit the festival website for more details, including discounted group ticket options and additional ticketed events.

The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience – Portland (3-October-2011)

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The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience PDXThe Nervous Breakdown’s Literary Experience, tagging along with Wordstock just like your younger sister, returns to Portland for an appearance at Bunk Bar (1028 SE Water Ave), this Monday, October 3, 2011.

The Nervous Breakdown is an online literary magazine featuring reviews, commentaries, fiction, poetry, and more. Described as just like A.A. but with alcohol, this Literary Experience event promises to dazzle, entertain, and read to you while libations and merrymaking abound.

Appearing Monday are Portland-area contributors Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here and All About Lulu; Sean Beaudoin, author of You Killed Wesley Payne (tentative); James Bernard Frost, author of A Very Minor Prophet, upcoming from Hawthorne books in 2012; Vanessa Veselka, author of Zazen; Quenby Moone, non-fiction editor at The Nervous Breakdown; and G. Xavier Robillard, author of Captain Freedom. Your host for the evening is the luminous Meg Worden.

Oh, and there’s a Half-time show, including potential wardrobe malfunctions with Portland’s MINTY ROSA playing their hearts out and hand drawn door prizes by TNB resident cartoonist TED MCCAGG!

The show runs from 8pm to 10pm, and there’s no cover charge!

History Pub: “A Woman Alone”: Mona Bell Hill and the Mansion on Bonneville Rock (26-September-2011)

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The History Pub topic for Monday, September 26, 2011 at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd) is “A Woman Alone”: Mona Bell Hill and the Mansion on Bonneville Rock.

Mona Bell Hill was a rodeo performer, newspaper reporter, world traveler and a mistress of Sam Hill, founder of the Maryhill Museum and one of the visionaries behind the Columbia River Highway. Mona’s impressive mansion was built in 1928 as a gift from the flamboyant, philanthropic entrepreneur Hill. Their son was born that same year. Mona later occupied a public role in Oregon history battling the federal government after the Army commandeered her mansion and surrounding riverfront acreage in the Columbia River Gorge to build Bonneville Dam. For 15 months she fought the government with the assistance of Sam’s longtime friends, including two governors of Oregon.

The presenter is John Harrison, Information Officer at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and author of A Woman Alone: Mona Bell, Sam Hill and the Mansion on Bonneville Rock.

The presentation begins at 7pm, and is free; please bring a canned good to donate to the Oregon Food Bank!