Dave Knows Portland

J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Bash (14-January-2012)

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Annual J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday BashJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien‘s birthday is actually January 3rd, but the McMenamins’ 2012 J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Celebration takes place this Saturday, January 14 at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd).

Elves, wizards, ents, orcs and all others are welcome to join us for this celebration of one of the 20th century’s most influential authors. We’ll have kids’ fun, live music, performances by Willamette Radio Workshop, the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the Theater, Hobbit-inspired food specials and more! Come in costume to compete for prizes.

The celebration begins at 11am and the live music starts at 7pm. It’s free to get in, but organizers ask you to bring a canned food donation for the Oregon Food Bank.

Find more information, including the film schedule, visit the event page.

“The Streets of Chinatown” Comic Release (12-January-2012)

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Hung Far Low illustration by Harry LauThe Dill Pickle Club, Portland’s creative cultural club, presents the release of DPC Oregon History Comics vol. 5: The Streets of Chinatown this Thursday, January 12, 2012.

Author and journalist Sarah Mirk will lead a discussion on the history and changes to the Chinatown community and will be joined by two important community leaders: Henry Sakamoto, one of the founders of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Endowment and Mary Leong, neighborhood historian.

The presentation takes place at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center (121 NW 2nd) from 5pm to 7pm. A public reception and light refreshment will follow. Guests can also view the permanent exhibit “Oregon Nikkei: Reflections of an American Community” at the center.

Visit the Dill Pickle Club website for more details on this event, including an interview with Harry Lau, the artist and illustrator of the “The Streets of Chinatown” comic.

Weekend Amusements (December 16-18, 2011)

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Ready for Festivus? This is your last weekend before the holiday, so check out some of the last minute shopping opportunities below, and have some fun: visit Peacock Lane (car free on Friday!), ZooLights, or the Pittock Mansion’s holiday display.

Ongoing

Peacock LanePortland Area Holiday Light Shows And Displays

I hope for this to be a fairly comprehensive list of the ongoing (not one-time) holiday displays. But if you know of others please comment below and I will add more!

Peacock Lane, Pittock Mansion, Christmas Ships, Zoolights, and more!

All Weekend

Plew's Winter Beer FestivalPlew’s Brews Winter Beer Festival

The North Portland Fermentation Association and Plew’s Brews proudly present the first annual Winter Beer Festival! From Friday December 16th to Sunday December 18th expect to dig deep into the bounty of Oregon’s finest breweries! Hours are 5 p.m. Friday to Midnight, Noon Saturday until Midnight, and Noon to 6p.m. on Sunday. Glass (real glass!) glasses are $6 and tickets for the beers are $1. [more]

Friday

Offbeat Belly DancingOffbeat 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, December 16, 2011, is no exception – the Offbeat Belly Dance collectives invites you to OFFBEAT!!! This Friday!!!! FREEE show!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!!! [more]

Saturday

Farmers MarketFinal Portland Farmers Market of 2011

Stock up for the holidays! The final PSU Portland Farmers Market takes place this Saturday, December 17, 2011.

But fret not, the market’s annual hiatus is much briefer than in years past – Shemanski Park will host the Winter Markets on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm from January 7 to February 25. [more]

GiftedGIFTED: A Maker’s Marketplace

Gifted: A Maker’s Marketplace takes place Saturday, December 17, 2011 at ADX (417 SE 11th Ave).

An all-inclusive, no-frills holiday event, GIFTED unites craftsmanship and local commerce . . . [more]

Sunday

Publication Fair 2011Publication Fair 2011

The 2011 Publication Fair returns to the The Cleaners at Ace Hotel (SW Stark & 10th) on Sunday, December 18, 2011.

Presented by Publication Studio and the Ace Hotel, from 11am until 7pm local publishers, printers, and producers will be on hand with all of their printed matter for sale. [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.

Book Review: Brewed Awakening

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Beer writer Joshua M. Bernstein‘s new book, Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution, which I received a copy to review, is a lively journal of contemporary craft brewing.

Each section of the book encapsulates a different theme, with explanatory sections, and a few spotlighted breweries, brewers, or beers. Illustrations and photographs spice up the presentation, which mimics a journal, featuring subsections “taped” in (sometimes on ersatz scraps of lined paper), and with snapshots attached with “paper clips.” At the end of each section and subsection a list of beers is provided that illustrates the topic just reviewed. When you sit down with this book, have a notepad and pencil nearby so you can make a list of the beers that pique your curiosity.

Beers covered include extreme beers, sessions, gose, ancient ales, barrel-aged brews, seasonal ales, and more. Topics such as gypsy brewing, collaborator brewing, nano brewing, and beer-pairing dinners, are also covered. History, ancient and contemporary, is touched on. Domestic breweries get the bulk of the mentions, with plenty of Oregon beers and brewers represented, but several international breweries are also spotlighted.

I enjoyed the book. Though encyclopedic, it’s not an encyclopedia. I read it cover to cover, gleaning (and reinforcing) knowledge along the way. I took copious notes on beers to look out for (seriously, have a notepad and pencil nearby!).

GIFTED: A Maker’s Marketplace (17-December-2011)

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GIFTED: A Maker’s MarketplaceGifted: A Maker’s Marketplace takes place Saturday, December 17, 2011 at ADX (417 SE 11th Ave).

An all-inclusive, no-frills holiday event, GIFTED unites craftsmanship and local commerce. It’s the perfect setting for completing last-minute holiday shopping while networking with and supporting local designers, fabricators, and creatives.

The curated selection of vendors come from ADX’s community of thinkers & makers and other Portland craftspeople we admire — with special care going toward offering goods at all price points.

Vendors include:

54/40
Anntorian
Appetite
Breedom
Cartopia + Local Author Station
Crank
Curious Terrain
Dolcetti Jewelry
Em Space
Florid Design
Hand Eye Supply
Hand Forge
Hankbuilt
Hi Horse Comics
Hometapes
Joy Denett
Kate Bingaman Burt
KeeganMeegan & Co.
Leap
Miss Zumstein
Newspace Center for Photography
Pine State Biscuits
PlatemarkX
Poler
Polymath Design Lab
Port Rhombus
Portland Growler Company
Red Bat Press
Salt Fire & Time
ShareBrained
Shwood
Small Comfort Chocolates
Standard Authority
Stumptown Printers
The Fantastique
Tiny Parachutes
Vanport Outfitters

Hours are from 11am to 5pm.