Dave Knows Portland

OMSI After Dark: Let’s Talk About Sex (25-April-2012)

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OMSI After DarkLet’s Talk About Sex is the titillating topic of this month’s OMSI After Dark, Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

Explore the allure of pheromones, unveil the mysteries of animal dimorphism and dissect a flower to reveal a plant’s reproductive system. These activities and much more will expose the science behind sex.

Yup, a child-free night at OMSI, and there’s alcohol!

Visit the OMSI Cafe for special menu items, and bring cash (only!) for the beer and wine at the bars set up throughout the museum.

Featured science demonstrations and activities include Animal Magnetism, Smooth Operator: The Chemistry of Safer Sex, and Flower Dissection. Euphoria Studios: Belly Dancing will be on hand, and there will be lots more to watch and do.

Hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $12 for non-members, $6 for members. You can buy tickets online, or at the door (no reservations necessary). 21 and over only!

Spring Beer and Wine Fest 2012

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Spring Beer and Wine FestivalThe 18th annual Spring Beer & Wine Fest takes place this Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7, 2012, at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK).

  • Hop aboard the Tour de Cheese
  • Mingle with artisan brewers, vintners, distillers & cheese makers
  • Nibble on tasty gourmet delights
  • Get schooled at the Chefs Stage – and eat your homework
  • Groove to tunes from hot NW bands

The fest features a huge number of vendors , seminars, a Tour de Cheese and Chocolatiers, chefs on stage, and live music. Watch the Blazer game Friday night on the big screen, and the Timbers match on Saturday night.

Both days the fest runs from noon-11pm. Admission is free to the first 1000 arrivals each day, but $5 after 2pm. But there are several special ticket packages available, including exclusive online deals – visit the festival website for details.

OMSI After Dark: Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice (28-March-2012)

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OMSI After DarkOMSI After Dark presents Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (that’s what science is made of!) on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 from 6pm to 10pm.

Variety is the spice of life … and science! Get sweet and spicy with spice tasting, liquid nitrogen ice cream and candy and cakes galore! Learn how spices are used in making tea, explore sugar’s dark side – hypoglycemia and diabetes, and witness the fate of Peeps in Space! And did we mention cupcakes?

Science nerds unite for childfree, brain-building science fun at OMSI After Dark!

21 and over only. Tickets are $12 for non-members, $6 for members – pre-purchase online – and free for OMSI After Dark members. Visit OMSI.edu for more details.

OMSI After Dark: Bridgetown Baconfest (February 29, 2012)

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OMSI After Dark Bridgetown Baconfest

Bridgetown Baconfest, a very special OMSI After Dark, takes place this Wednesday, February 29, 2012.

Portland is obsessed with two things – bridges and bacon! Explore the engineering behind Portland’s newest bridge while enjoying the candy of meat!

Science nerds unite for childfree, brain-building science fun at OMSI After Dark!

Sample beer, wine, spirits, chocolate and fudge; take part in demonstrations and activities such as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, TriMet’s Real Stuff, and the Bridge-Building Challenge; enjoy performances by the Wanderlust Circus; try special menu items at the OMSI cafe grill (including Sweet Potato and Pork Butt Poutine!); and check out the wares of a multitude of vendors, many bacon-related, including Bacon Shirts, Bacon Skateboards, Olympic Provisions, Portland Creamery, and more.

21 and over only. Tickets are $12 for non-members, $6 for members – pre-purchase online – and free for OMSI After Dark members. Visit OMSI.edu for all the details.

Wurstfest 2012

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Dust off your Lederhosen, starch up your Dirndl and join the happy folk in Mount Angel for two fun days of celebration in honor of the WURST!

WurstfestWurstfest: A Mount Angel Celebration of German Sausage returns to Mount Angel for a fourth year.

Wurstfest was dreamed up in 2009 by the Bavarian-phile merrymakers in Mount Angel, Oregon, home of Oregon’s largest Oktoberfest celebration every fall. Heather and I attended the inaugural festival and enjoyed it immensely – it’s just like Oktoberfest, but in the winter.

Mount Angel area sausage makers present their best wursts at the fest, authentic German beers are on tap, and regional wines and Bavarian glühwein is available. Entertainment includes Oktoberfest-style music and dancing.

This year’s fest takes place at the brand new Mt. Angel Community Festhalle on Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18. Hours both days are 11am until 11pm. Included in the $10.00 adult admission fee is a souvenir glass Bavarian beer mug or wine glass (for first 2000 attendees). Anyone under 21 gets in free with an adult.

In 2009 we visited Wurstfest on Valentines Day, which coincidentally is Oregon’s Birthday. Read Heather’s review of the festival, I Went To A Sausage Fest, and check out the festival’s rendition of Happy Birthday Dear Oregon:

Happy Birthday Dear Oregon from Mile73 on Vimeo.