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Kick Ass Oregon History Portland Bar Double Decker Bus Tour (1-August-2012)

May 29, 2012 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Doug Kenck-Crispin, Kick Ass Oregon History‘s resident historian, had an idea one night . . .

What if we did a tour of Historic Portland Bars? We could rent an eye-candy historic bus, drive to these most historic of pubs and saloons, and The Resident Historian and some of his historically informed friends would talk about historic shit that happened along the way. And then we would get out at bars, and we could talk some more about all the bad shit that went down at these rathskellers. And we would drink at them.

If you are interested in, passionate about, or geeked out on Oregon History – and beer – Doug’s inspiration is now your opportunity: Kick Ass Oregon History presents the Kick Ass Oregon History Portland Bar Double Decker Bus Tour.

On August 1st at 6:15pm, we are going to meet in The Jack London Bar, and begin our most historic of tours. The prime historic conveyance machine, Double Decker PDX Bus (and a co-sponsor of this event!) will meet us at the bar, and then take us to several undisclosed, to be revealed on the bus, historic locations. I can tell you that there WILL be adult beverages at every location, and several of them WERE whorehouses. Our last stop will be in downtown Portland, so I very much encourage everyone to take the Tri-Met to and from the tour.

Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details on the bus tour, and everything else the crack hustlers of Oregon history are up to – Catch up on the podcasts at the Kick Ass Oregon History archives.

Village Building Convergence 2012

May 22, 2012 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

The 12th annual Village Building Convergence (VBC), a ten-day placemaking festival that combines crowdsourced activism, creative community development, hands-on education and celebration, takes place in Portland from May 25 through June 3, 2012.

We will come together to create benches, community kiosks, gardens, street paintings, tile mosaics, and more! Come join your neighbors as they bring to life the natural building, permaculture, and public art projects that they’ve been planning. Learn valuable skills for urban sustainability and social regeneration while celebrating the creativity and diversity of our wonderful city!

This event is hosted by City Repair, an organized group action that educates and inspires communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live.

During the day, participants have the opportunity to participate, for free, in creative, community designed placemaking projects all over town.

Speakers, presentations, and food fill the evenings – Tickets are available at the door (the central venue is St. David’s of Wales at 2800 SE Harrison).

Download the The Village Builder event guide, and visit the Village Building Convergence website for more project and event details.

History Pub: Finding David Douglas (21-May-2012)

May 21, 2012 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Finding David Douglas, a documentary about the famous botanist, will be shown at the latest History Pub at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd), this Monday, May 21, 2012.

The compelling story of the intrepid 19th century Scots botanist David Douglas is told in this tri-national production. Finding David Douglas transports viewers to England and Scotland; treks through locations in Oregon, Washington, California and British Columbia; sweeps across the high Canadian Rockies to remote York Factory on Hudson Bay; and reaches Douglas’s mysterious final destination on the Big Island of Hawaii. The film focuses on Douglas’s groundbreaking contributions to science – the Douglas fir and many more plant and animal species are named for him. It details his relations within the multi-cultural community of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the many Indian tribes he visited.

After the screening, filmmaker Lois Leonard will host a Q&A.

Join event co-sponsors Oregon Historical Society and Holy Names Heritage Center at 7 p.m. Monday for a beer and history! Admission is free and this event is all ages.

Stumptown Stories: The History of Pinball and Gaming in Portland (8-May-2012)

May 8, 2012 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Are you fond of pinball and Portland history like I am? Then head down to the Jack London Bar (529 SW 4th Avenue – the basement of the Rialto Pool Room) tonight (Tuesday, May 8, 2012) for a free presentation on The History of Pinball and Gaming in Portland.

Learn all about the old forms of gambling like punch-cards, fan-tan, pinball, slots, and the attendant controversies and scandals that surrounded them. Hear sordid tales of Portland vice! Discover the history of pinball! Before the reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, Portland was a very different kind of town. It was more industrial, less progressive, and in the mid twentieth century, awash with gambling. Coin machines, punch cards, and games of various sorts operated all over town, and the racketeers who ran them worked hand-in-glove with a corrupt police force. In the late 1950s, though, the whole system came crashing down.

Your presenter will be writer and Portland Walking Tours guide and researcher – and native Portlander [so few of us!] – Joe Streckert.

The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m., doors at 7:00 p.m. (no cover!) – arrive early to grab a seat. The Jack London Bar features a full menu and bar – 21 and over only!

The Stumptown Stories series, geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar.

Kick Ass Oregon History Presents: The Seventh Day (11-May-2012)

May 6, 2012 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Kick Ass Oregon History presents the film The Seventh Day at 5th Avenue Cinema (510 SW Hall) on Friday, May 11, 2012.

Labeled by some in our current era as “The FIRST Occupy Portland,” The Seventh Day was made by Portland State University students, with the help and guidance of the university’s Center for the Moving Image, during the student strikes that erupted on college campuses across the nation in May of 1970. PSU’s campus became the site of a violent confrontation between the Portland police and protesters that sent over 30 to area hospitals. The events leading up to, and the melee itself are all chronicled in this important film. The Oregonian film review of June 5th, 1970 called The Seventh Day “an excellent film about a truly historic event in the history of our community.” My guess is 42 years later, this statement is even more true.

A virgin 16mm copy of the film from the Tom Taylor Collection, Gift of the Taylor Family, Special Collections, Portland State University Library, will be shown. The film’s context will be laid out by orhistory.com’s enthusiastic Resident Historian, Doug Kenck-Crispin. Witness to the 1970 riot, PSU history professor David Horowitz, will speak, and Josh Feinberg will provide live sitar music – no joke!

Admission is a mere $5, and beer and wine will be available. The show begins at 7 p.m.

Prepare yourself for the evening by listening to Park Blocks Riot, Kick Ass Oregon History podcast, Vol 4 #6! Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details on the Kick Ass Oregon History podcasts. Catch up on missed episodes at the Kick Ass Oregon History archives.

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