Dave Knows Portland

Holiday Cheer: A Celebration of Oregon Authors (7 December 2014)

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Holiday CheerThe 47th Annual Holiday Cheer: A Celebration of Oregon Authors takes place Sunday, December 7, 2014 from noon until 4 PM at the Oregon Historical Society (1200 SW Park).

This celebration of Oregon writers is a popular holiday tradition. Authors will be on hand displaying, autographing, and of course selling their latest works.

Attendees this year include Heather Arndt Anderson (Portland: A Food Biography), Barney Blalock (The Oregon Shanghaiers: Columbia River Crimping from Astoria to Portland), J.D. Chandler and J.B. Fisher (Portland on the Take: Mid-Century Crime Bosses, Civic Corruption and Forgotten Murders), Bart King (The Big Book of Superheroes), and dozens more.

Admission is free this year! Visit the OHS website for the full list of authors attending and special offers.

Oregon History 101: Immigration and Ethnicity (1 December 2014)

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History 101: Immigration and EthnicityOregon History 101: “Looks Like a Good Beginning”: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Exclusion in Oregon, 1850-1910. will be presented by Dr. Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave) on 1 December 2014 at 7 PM.

Oregon History 101 is a nine-month public history program series designed to give Oregonians a basic understanding of the state’s significant people, places, and events. Each month, historians will present a chapter of Oregon History, beginning with the earliest peoples and ending with the turn of the twenty-first century. The series will emphasize Oregon’s connection to historical themes in American History, including Native history, early exploration, western expansion, race, gender, and social justice, and the post-industrial economy.

The 101 series was designed by Dr. Carl Abbott and Dr. William Lang. Each presentation features images from the Oregon Historical Society archives and will be filmed and made available online (watch September’s presentation on Native Life and Pre-Contact here). The Oregon Encyclopedia and Oregon History Project are also preparing research guides and other digitized material for the project.

Presenter Dr. Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis is Emeritus Professor of History, Washington State University. This all ages event is free and open to the public.

Revolution: DB Cooper (22 November 2014)

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Revolution DB Cooper (2014)For the fourth year in a row, the geeked out history folks at Kick Ass Oregon History give us the straight shit on the NW’s most famous hijacker. Revolution: DB Cooper takes place Saturday, 22 November 2014 at Turn! Turn! Turn! (8 NE Killingsworth).

Revolution: DB Cooper is the exploration of the themes of counter-culture actions found in the DB Cooper caper, explorations conducted beyond a speaking of historical words. Ransom notes cobbled from Playboy magazines, clues in film and grooves from vinyl might be used to help shed light to this 43 year old case. Or might not in the least, either.

The evening includes a presentation by Resident Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin examining the D.B. Cooper case evidence in light of the themes of revolution, beating the system, and even Cascadia.

Film scholar Jeff Jaeckle will lead a hypothetical (and completely unsubstantiated) tour through the movies D.B. Cooper may have watched in 1971 to psych himself up for the heist of the century.

You won’t want to miss the raffle, and some Historical Interpretation. Through Vinyl.

DJs Hern Pong and Tommy Gunn have been digging through crates of crates to reconstruct possible radio sets from 1971. Cascadia Soul Alliance will be putting on their best drinking caps to sonically place you back in a time when AM was king, and 8-tracks were not a website but rather tangible objects. In doing so they are doing their part in attempting to help get inside the head of a person many fellow Cascadians desire to identify with.

Admission is only $6. Turn! Turn! Turn! is a small venue though, so buy tickets in advance if you can. Visit OrHistory.com for all the details.

Made in Oregon: 16mm Industrial Films from the Pacific Northwest (12 November 2014)

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Made in OregonThe Oregon Historical Society presents Made in Oregon, an evening of 16mm films produced by local area businesses on Wednesday 12, November 2014 at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd).

From the vaults of the Oregon Historical Society comes Primarily from the 1960s through the early 1980s, these films were created as public service announcements, training films and as plain old goofy advertisements. Learn why it might make sense to open an Organ Grinder franchise, how Son of Hibachi makes the party or why Homer Groening thinks we can make the world a better place. Some of the local institutions that will grace the big screen with their weirdness include: The Organ Grinder, The Oregon Zoo, Tektronix, Jantzen Swimwear, Blitz Beer and more.

The screening begins at 7:30 PM, admission is $8. Advance tickets are available.

Stumptown Stories Celebrates Thanksgiving (10 November 2014)

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Stumptown Stories Celebrates Thanksgiving, the latest installment of the long running Stumptown Stories series takes place on Monday, November 10, 2014 at the Sellwood Public House (8132 SE 13th).

Presenters include Finn JD John, who will tell us about how Sylvester Pennoyer, Oregon’s nuttiest governor ever, became the Father of Thanksgiving — sort of and author JB Fisher who will tell us everything we want to know about P.L. Menefee, Oregon’s Turkey King. Joe Streckert (writer, podcaster, history nerd) will MC.

Doors open at 7 PM. This event is free! The Sellwood Pub offers great beer, a full bar, and tots! Sellwood Pub is 21 and over only.