Dave Knows Portland

Breakfast: From Silver Screen to Small Screen (1 October 2013)

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Portland ecologist and food writer Heather Arndt Anderson presents Breakfast: From Silver Screen to Small Screen, on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at the Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder)

Why was Scarlett O’Hara depicted enjoying breakfast in bed after being subjected to marital rape? Why does Walter White make pancakes for his family? Why does Agent Dale Cooper like his coffee black?

From scruples and stability to sex and masculinity, come see how breakfast has been used as a device in film and television, from the beginning of cinema to cable TV.

Heather knows breakfast – here latest book is Breakfast: A History. The presentation begins at 6:30 PM, and it’s free. The Jack London has a full bar and menu – sorry, no one under 21 allowed.

And lucky you, it’s two-fer Tuesday – at 7:30 PM Finn John presents Mysterious Skeletons of Old Oregon: If only these bones could talk ….

Stumptown Stories: Radical Portland (24-September 2013)

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Radical PortlandThe Stumptown Stories: Free Tuesday Lecture Series, geared to anyone who is curious about the world and community in which we live and loves to learn new things, 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!

This Tuesday, September 24, 2013 history nerd/writer/factoid enthusiast Joe Streckert presents Radical Portland.

Portland was a tumultuous place in the early twentieth century. This town, built on the labor of transient workers, had more than its share of agitators, organizers, and pushback from a reactionary city government. Strikes were called, slogans were shouted, and Portland saw one of the largest labor stoppages in the history of the West Coast.

The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Always free. Always fascinating.

Sign Up Now: Old Timey Bars Kick Ass Bus Tour (14-November-2013)

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Kick Ass Oregon HistoryDon’t miss the Kick Ass Oregon History Old Timey Bars Kick Ass Bus Tour coming up on November 14, 2013.

Inspired by the recent Old Timey Bars podcast and taking a page from last summer’s Portland Bar Double Decker Bus Tour, the Old Timey Bars Kick Ass Bus Tour begins at the kick ass Jack London Bar, where after priming the Kick Ass Oregon History’s inimitable resident historian Doug Kenck-Crispin will guide us lucky ticket holders onto the Cascadia Cruiser for the tour.

Lucky tourers will:

  • Visit some famous Portland “Ghost Bars” – places that were once thriving, shit kicking palaces of drunkenness, but are no more.
  • Take a field trip to Eastside Distilling, and get a in person distiller’s tour and learn how they make Burnside Bourbon! [It’s like when your fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Snotgrass, took you to the Franz Bakery – but this place has booze!]
  • Get a chance to visit some current Old Timey Bars that just haven’t changed that much in the past few decades – and as we drink in these establishments, we will revel in our own form of “Historic Preservation.”

I’ve already signed up, $30 gets you on board too. Visit OrHistory.com, the home of Kick Ass Oregon History for more details and registration info.

The Great Flood of 1894 (18-June-2013)

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Kick Ass Oregon HistoryJoin the Kick Ass Oregon History crew on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 for their 2nd Year Anniversary Party at the Jack London Bar (529 SW 4th) – and a presentation on the Great Flood of 1894, when the Willamette reached its all time Portland high water mark.

It was two years ago that Terry, who runs the show at The JLB, approached The Resident Historian and said, “I Googled Danford Balch and your podcast came up. So, do you want to come down to my new/ old timey bar and talk about The Hanging Danford Balch?” (Cause Terry is IRL all geeked out on Danford Balch) And The Resident Historian responded with a resounding “Fuck Yeah!!” This seems like something we should celebrate, yeah?

There will be booze, and cake of course! The edification and fun begins at 7:30 p.m. Entry is free. Visit OrHistory.com for more details.

True Crime in Portland: Portland Exposé (12-June-2013)

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Portland ExposeThe first installment of True Crime in Portland, presented by the Jim Elkins Appreciation Society and McMenamins Mission Cinema Society, features a screening of the 1957 noir film Portland Exposé on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan).

Portland Exposé is a pretty mediocre B movie, but before the screening long time Portland journalist and true crime writer Phil Stanford, author and professor of history Robert Donnelly, and KBOO radio host Wade Hockett discuss the film and mid-century Portland’s reputation as a hotbed of crime and corruption.

The doors open at 6 p.m., the discussion begins at 7 p.m., and the film starts at 8 p.m. Must be 21 or over to attend. Admission is $7.00.