Dave Knows Portland

Back Fence PDX (21-July-2011)

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Back Fence PDXThe Back Fence PDX story telling show returns to the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan) this Thursday, July 21, 2011.

Story telling show? How’s that work?:

Our Back Fence Storytelling event is the kissing cousin to San Francisco’s Porchlight Storytelling Series. It is an evening with seven people telling true, unmemorized ten-minute stories based on the month’s theme. The stories must not have been performed publicly prior to their Back Fence PDX telling.

Heather and have had a great time at all the Back Fence PDX productions we’ve been to. For one thing free cupcakes from Saint Cupcake make the rounds at intermissions. The story tellers are always courageous and their stories are often amusing, always entertaining, and sometimes gut wrenching or cringe inducing – you really don’t know what to expect!

The theme of this particular show is CAMP – a portion of the proceeds will benefit Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp For Girls. The lineup includes:

DAYVID FIGLER – Occasional Consulting Lawyer on the Nancy Grace show

KERRY COHEN – Psychotherapist + Author of Loose Girl

LUCINDA JANE HOLSCHER – 12-Year-Old from Rock ‘N’ Roll Camp for Girls

JIMMY RADOSTA – Mortified Favorite + Andy Rooney Fan

BOB McCOY – Forest Park Park Ranger + Lapsed Quaker

DALE CHUMBLEY – Realtor + 3rd Generation Vancouverite

But that’s not all!

And the MOMENT IN THE SHOW you’ve come to LOVE!!!! Our super exciting LIGHTNING ROUND!! FIVE randomly drawn audience members will have a chance to strut their narrative stuff by doing their best to tell an entire CAMP story in just ONE MINUTE!

Reserve your tickets now for $15, and bring cash (for everyone’s convenience) to the show to claim them! Reserved tickets are guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show. A few non-reserved tickets will be available at the door. The show is 21 and over only. Doors will open at 6:30pm for food and drink and chair claiming, and the show starts at 7:30pm.

July 17, 1926: Hollywood Theatre Grand Opening

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Advertisement for Grand Opening of the Hollywood Theater (Morning Oregonian, 17-July-1926)Northeast Portland’s Hollywood Theatre opened with great fanfare on Saturday, July 17, 1926 (Morning Oregonian, 17-July-1926). The last venue built for both vaudeville acts and movies in Portland, the silent film More Pay-Less Work was shown on opening day, with eight piece orchestra and $40,000 Wurlitzer accompaniment.

Standing stately in a Byzantine way at the corner of NE Broadway and Sandy in the Hollywood Neighborhood (which took its name from the theater), the Hollywood Theatre today is run as a not-for-profit organization with a mission to entertain, inspire, educate and connect the community through the art of film while preserving a historic Portland landmark.

Further reading

Back Fence PDX (26-May-2011)

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Back Fence PDXThe Back Fence PDX story telling show returns to the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan) this Thursday, May 26, 2011.

Story telling show? How’s that work?:

Our Back Fence Storytelling event is the kissing cousin to San Francisco’s Porchlight Storytelling Series. It is an evening with seven people telling true, unmemorized ten-minute stories based on the month’s theme. The stories must not have been performed publicly prior to their Back Fence PDX telling.

Heather and have had a great time at all the Back Fence PDX productions we’ve been to. For one thing free cupcakes from Saint Cupcake make the rounds at intermissions. The story tellers are always courageous and their stories are often amusing, always entertaining, and sometimes gut wrenching or cringe inducing – you really don’t know what to expect!

The theme of this particular show is HOT AS SHIT or MISFIT?, and the lineup includes:

ROD ENGLERT – Blood Spatter Expert

ZACHARY SCHOMBURG – Scary, No Scary + Octopus Books

MOE BOWSTERN – Fisherwoman + Former anarcho-activist

ERIC SCHEUR – Animator for TV Commercials

APRIL WOLFE – Snap Judgment + Comedy Duo: Just Desperation

But that’s not all!

YOU can put your name in for our super exciting LIGHTNING ROUND with celebrity guest SABRINA MILLER from Cascadia FM! FIVE randomly drawn audience members will have a chance to strut their narrative stuff by doing their best to tell an entire HOT AS SHIT story in just ONE MINUTE!

And don’t miss the Popina Swimwear fashion show at 7:15!

Reserve your tickets now for $12, and bring cash (for everyone’s convenience) to the show to claim them! A few non-reserved tickets will be available at the door for $15. The show is 21 and over only. Doors will open at 6:30pm for food and drink and chair claiming, fashion show at 7:15pm, and the show starts at 7:30pm.

April 21, 1926: Ginger Rogers Dances at Hunt’s Craterian in Medford

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Ginger RogersFourteen year old Ginger Rogers, fresh off winning the Texas State Charleston Championship, toured the western United States for six months as the star of the act Ginger and the Redheads.

One stop on the tour was Medford, Oregon, where she appeared at the recently opened Hunt’s Craterian on April 21, 1926. Her performance impressed the Medford Mail Tribune: Miss Rogers is a winsome little miss with captivating mannerisms and a pair of feet that make the most intricate dances seem easy.

Of course Miss Rogers went on to great fame in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in over seventy films – particularly notably as Fred Astaire’s partner in ten films.

She also loved Oregon:

In 1940, she and her mother Lela bought a working ranch on the Rogue River near Shady Cove, where she spent many months each year. “I consider myself an Oregonian,” she said in a 1982 Mail Tribune interview. “I vote in Oregon and pay my taxes here.” When she sold the ranch in 1990, Ginger moved to a new home on Pioneer Road, Medford.

She appeared on the Craterian stage one more time, on November 21, 1993, in a benefit for the recently renovated theater. She showed one of her favorite films, Roxie Hart, and answered questions from the audience.

The theater was rechristened the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in 1997 in honor of its history, and her graciousness.

Photo credit: Ginger Rogers from danceonair1986’s Flickr photostream, used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Portlandia, Fertile Ground, Pie Day, & More! (January 21-23, 2011)

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Really you have no excuse not to eat, drink, and entertain yourself well this weekend!

Ongoing

Fertile GroundFertile Ground: A City-Wide Festival of New Works (January 20-30)

Fertile Ground 2011 is a 10-day arts festival that will be held January 20 through 30 in Portland, Oregon. This city-wide festival is focused on new work in the Arts. It will feature up to 30 world premiere projects, staged readings and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. [more]

Friday-Sunday

ChocolateFest 2011ChocolateFest

The 6th Annual ChocolateFest, a benefit for the World Forestry Center, takes place Friday through Sunday, January 21-23 at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK). . . . “The Sixth Annual ChocolateFest promises you the opportunity to sample, taste, savor, and delight in some of the finest chocolate from the Northwest and beyond. Enjoy chocolate and wine pairings and become a chocolate aficionado with presentations and demonstrations throughout the weekend.” [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.

And this third Friday, January 21, 2011 is no exception – the Offbeat Belly Dance collectives invites you to Blue Monk! This Friday! It’s time for Offbeat Belly Dance! [more]

Timbers ArmyTimbers Army/Bitter End “Beer for Gear”

Join the Timbers Army at the Bitter End Pub (1981 W Burnside) this Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7pm for the Timbers Army/Bitter End “Beer for Gear” event!

“The Bitter End has been a home to us all. We drink there. We sing there. We see friends there. Hell, some of us have our mail forwarded there. As the New Year kicks off, the time has come for us to make our home more, well, homey.” [more]

PortlandiaWhere to Watch Portlandia In Portland

Miss the big premiere event? Don’t have a TV? Don’t have the Independent Film Channel? Watch Portlandia, if you’re into that sort of thing, at the Portland venues listed below. [more]

Saturday

Bailey's TaproomCellarFest 2

CellarFest 2: Return to the Basement takes place Saturday, January 22 at the scene of the original CellarFest, Bailey’s Taproom (213 SW Broadway).

“For those who missed last year’s CellarFest, the gist is this: high octane, rare beers from the West Coast’s (and one East Coast’s) best microbreweries.” [more]

Sunday

American Pie CouncilNational Pie Day 2011!

Sunday, January 23 is National Pie Day 2011, so declares the American Pie Council.

“Created by the American Pie Council®, National Pie Day is dedicated to the celebration of pie. As part of our American heritage, this day is a perfect opportunity to pass on the love and enjoyment of pie eating and pie making to future generations.” [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!