Dave Knows Portland

Stumptown Stories Presents: Bombs, Vice, and Little Beirut (14 July 2015)

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Stumptown Stories

Bombs, Vice, and Little Beirut, the latest installment of the venerable Stumptown Stories series, kicks off at 7 PM on Tuesday, July 14 at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

Join us for a night of kabooms, vice raids, and protests at the Jack London Bar. Our squad of history nerds has a full night of factoids and stories for you for July such as: . . .

–Heather Arndt Anderson (Breakfast: A History, and Portland: A Food Biography) on the Vice Clique Scandal, which rocked Portland’s gay underground.

-Host Joe Streckert (Interesting Times) on why this city was once called “Little Beirut.”

Stumptown Stories, batshit crazy stories from the murkiest, weirdest, and nuttiest corners of Portland history, takes place the second Tuesday of every month at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

Update: Heather Arndt Anderson informs me that Finn J.D. John (Offbeat Oregon History) has stepped in for J.B. Fisher, who is unable to attend this month’s Stumptown Stories.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (15 March 2015)

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Monty Python and the Holy GrailPortland Geek Council and Interesting Times present Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton) on Sunday, 15 March 2015 at 2 PM.

Revisit the classic comedy you quoted incessantly during high school! Bunnies! Coconuts! Swamp castles! Just a little bit of peril! See it all again on the big screen at the historic Clinton Street Theater.

Before the screening Interesting Times host Joe Streckert will briefly expound on King Arthur’s provenance for the amusement of the crowd.

The presentation is all ages, and advance tickets are available ($8.00 for adults, $6.00 for kids).

Things to do in Portland on Christmas Day 2014

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Christmas Day doesn’t have to be about family™

SHOPS

Powell’s Books (1005 W Burnside). The downtown Powell’s is open 10 AM to 6 PM on Christmas Day (all other locations, save the one at the airport, are closed).

ACTIVITIES

Seedy, Seamy & Sinful Portland Tour: Join Kick Ass Oregon History‘s Resident Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin for the Naughtiest Walking Tour of the Year on Christmas Day, 2014.

Movies. Catch a movie – many movie theaters are also open on the Holiday.

Notably, The Hollywood Theatre is showing The Interview on Christmas Day!

Bowling. Many (most?) bowling alleys, are open on Xmas day.

BARS, CAFES, and RESTAURANTS

Radio Room (1101 Northeast Alberta) will also be open again this year, serving a special brunch menu from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and a special dinner menu 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM And they accept reservations.

Mary’s Club (129 SW Broadway), of course, is always open.

Rialto (529 SW 4th). This downtown institution is open 365 days a year. Play some pinball or pool, while enjoying your beer. Watch basketball on the ginormous TVs.

The Beer Mongers are open all day on Christmas, and they will tap a few special kegs.

For a comprehensive list visit PortlandBarFly.com‘s Bars open in Portland 365 days a year

And Portland Food and Drink maintains a handy list of restaurants open Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

TRANSIT

TriMet’s Christmas Day schedule: TriMet buses, MAX trains, and the Streetcar will run on Sunday schedules. No WES service!

The information in this post is compiled through a combination of hearsay, website perusals, assumptions, and direct contact – please do not take it as gospel; if you don’t want to make a fruitless trip out, give the place a call first!

Old Town History: “Illumination #1” (4-7, 12-14, 19-21 December 2014)

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Illumination #1For three weekends in December the 1881 Mariner’s Building (209 NW 3rd) will be the location, and canvas, for Illuminations #1, a site-specific work by artist Rose Bond.

[E]ducator and animator Rose Bond, will use the windows of the historic building as screens for still and moving images that evoke specific gestures, story fragments, and names to explore the identities of the Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Roma, and other residents of Old Town and Chinatown.

Opening night is First Thursday, December 4, 2014. The project will be displayed from 6 PM to 8 PM on December 4-7, 12-14, and 19-21. The project is part of the “Illuminations Series” of the Old Town History Project, a community-based history, art and culture organization devoted to the preservation and revitalization of Portland’s oldest surviving historic district. Visit the Restore Oregon website for more details.

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.