Dave Knows Portland

Stumptown Stories: Lewis & Clark’s 210th Anniversary Extravaganza! (10 November 2015)

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Lewis and ClarkLewis & Clark’s 210th Anniversary Extravaganza! – a special installment of the Stumptown Stories series, begins at 7 PM on Tuesday, November 10 at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

Hey Portland! Get ready for a rip-roaring good time with our favorite adventurers, Lewis and Clark! Joe Streckert will regale us with tales of the Lewis & Clark Centennital Expo, and Finn JD John will delve in deep with the story of how the Expo brought us Portland’s favorite heavy metal laxatives!

Stumptown Stories, batshit crazy stories from the murkiest, weirdest, and nuttiest corners of Portland history, takes place the second Tuesday of every month at the Jack London.

Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 PM, 21 and over only.

Portland Halloween Weekend Amusements 2015

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Halloween

I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, but I have kids now, so there you go. Lots of Halloweeny things going on this weekend – a few are highlighted below!

All Weekend

Dia De Los Muertos at Portland Mercado

Portland Mercado Dia De Los MuertosVisit Portland Mercado to experience the important and festive holiday of Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos, a holiday that originated in Mexico, is celebrated throughout Latin America to commemorate the lives of the deceased with activities we all enjoy in life: eating, drinking, music and celebrating with family and friends. We are excited to partner with community groups to honor our heritage throughout the weekend, and we hope you will join us to celebrate yours.

Friday

Squishing of the Squash

Oregon ZooThe Oregon Zoo’s annual Squishing of the Squash, in which some of the world’s largest land animals demolish some of the area’s largest pumpkins, will be held Friday, Oct. 30, at 10:30 a.m.

The Squishing of the Squash is a precursor to the zoo’s Howloween celebration on Saturday, Oct. 31. Events on Saturday include a fun scavenger hunt that directs trick-or-treaters to easily accessible activity stations throughout the zoo where they can collect candy and prizes.

Saturday

The Great Pumpkin Event

The Great Pumpkin EventJoin Portland Farmers Market for the annual Great Pumpkin Event at PSU! An all ages pumpkin carving contest will begin at 9 am, followed by a children’s costume parade starting at Noon. Goody bags will be provided to parade participants and costumes are highly encouraged!

Halloween Family Fun at the Portland Aerial Tram

Portland Aerial Tram CarDon’t be spooked by autumn! Head down to South Waterfront and enjoy some family time at the Portland Aerial Tram. There will be arts and crafts for the kids from noon to 4 pm. Our face painter will be on duty to make your little ones scary or adorable, depending on your trick-or-treat strategy.

And you won’t need a broomstick to fly above the rooftops – take a ride on the Tram and enjoy the views!

Need more Halloweeny events?

Photo credit: Tram photo by Wikipedia user Cacophony. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

Stumptown Stories: Gimme that old-time religion … on second thought, don’t. (13 April 2015)

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Stumptown Stories: Gimme that old-time religion ... on second thought, don't.

Gimme that old-time religion … on second thought, don’t. is the title of the 13 April 2015 edition of Stumptown Stories hosted by the Sellwood Public House (8132 SE 13th).

There’s some weird stuff in the back pages of Oregon’s spiritual past. On this Monday night presentation, pop historians Joe Streckert and Finn J.D. John will talk about two of the weirdest: The 1915 election in which Oregon first banned booze, and the Bride of Christ Church of Corvallis/Waldport (a.k.a. “The Naked Ladies Cult).

The show show begins at 7:30 PM.

“The Wake of Vanport” Premier Screening (15 November 2014)

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Photos from The Sunday Oregonian, 13 December 1942

The Wake of Vanport, multimedia works produced by the 2014 Vanport Multimedia Project, will be publicly screened for the first time at 2 PM Saturday, November 15, 2014 at the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church (3138 N Vancouver Ave).

“The Wake of Vanport” honors the death of a city and the viewing of its history through the collection of Vanport stories told by the voices of those who lived there. It is also a celebration of life after loss. Vanport is a lost city of Oregon with a rich history for all Oregonians.

Discussions with the survivors and producers will follow the presentation, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The Vanport Multimedia Project is a production of the North Portland Multimedia Training Center (NPMTC), which aims to to collect and archive oral history from individuals in the Portland African American community.

Stumptown Stories: When Oregon was Russian (15 October 2013)

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The Jack London BarKick Ass Oregon History‘s Ribald Resident Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin presents When Oregon Was Russian on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at the Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

Tuesday! Please join Doug Kenck-Crispin from Kick Ass Oregon History for “When Oregon was Russian” – looking at the fascinating history and influence of Russia in the exploration and exploitation of the Pacific Northwest.

And as a bonus, Doug has declared: if you’re really, really good – I’ll talk a little about the almasty – Russia’s Bigfoot! Cause why the hell not, right?

The Stumptown Stories: Free Tuesday Lecture Series, geared to anyone who is curious about the world and community in which we live and loves to learn new things, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar. Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Always free. Always fascinating.