Dave Knows Portland

Back Fence PDX (23-January-2012)

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Back Fence PDXThe first Back Fence PDX story telling show of 2012 takes place on Monday, January 23.

Story telling show? How’s that work?:

Our Back Fence Storytelling event is the kissing cousin to San Francisco’s Porchlight Storytelling Series. It is an evening with seven people telling true, unmemorized ten-minute stories based on the month’s theme. The stories must not have been performed publicly prior to their Back Fence PDX telling.

Heather and I have thoroughly enjoyed the several Back Fence PDX productions we’ve been to. For one thing free cupcakes from Saint Cupcake make the rounds at intermissions. The story tellers are always courageous and their stories are often amusing, always entertaining, and sometimes gut wrenching or cringe inducing – you really don’t know what to expect!

The theme of the January show is I Didn’t Think This Through. The lineup includes best selling author Laurie Notaro, comedianMary Van Note, photographer Carli Davidson, and more!

And, thanks to a generous grant from Portland Center Stage, admission to this installment of Back Fence PDX is FREE – tickets will become available on Tuesday, January 3 at 10am!

Stumptown Stories: The Missoula Flood, Evidence of Disaster (27-December-2011)

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Stumptown Stories: The Missoula Flood, Evidence of DisasterThe Stumptown Stories series, geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

This Tuesday, December 27, 2011 author, artist, and photographer Rick Thompson presents The Missoula Flood, Evidence of Disaster, based on his findings from 10 years of research uncovering the effects of the Missoula Flood in Oregon and Southwest Washington. With color photos, topographical maps and space photos Rick will show some of the effects still visible today.

This catastrophic ice age flood propelled over 500 cubic miles of water, ice, rock and mud across eastern Washington, further cut the Columbia River Gorge, covered the Willamette Valley with up to 400 feet of water and left gravel bars miles long and hundreds of feet high.

Doors open at 5pm for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30pm.

Portland Art Museum Free Day (23-December-2011)

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Portland Art MuseumThe Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park) is offering free admission on Friday, December 23, 2011 from 5pm until 8pm.

The museum offers free admission ever fourth Friday (5pm-8pm) of the month, so if you can’t make it this week, mark January 27, 2012 on your calendar!

Regular adult admission is $12 ($9 for seniors 55 and up and college students, 18 and up, with ID; free admission for children up to 17).

Kick Ass Oregon History Vol 3 #8: Oregon’s First Christmas

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Kick Ass Oregon History Vol 3 #8: Oregon's First ChristmasKick Ass Oregon History is the latest series of podcasts from the enthusiastic historians behind ORHistory.com.

Volume 3 #8 dropped yesterday – Oregon’s First Christmas:

In which 3 Men and A Baby (plus 28 other men, a girl and a dog) eat a lot of elk, get rained on and somehow stay cheery, despite not having the latest toys.

Featuring an interview with Tom Wilson of Fort Clatsop.

The brains behind this Kick Ass project are the crack hustlers of Oregon History Doug Kenck-Crispin and Andy Lindberg. Doug is a graduate student studying Public History and Pacific Northwest History at PSU, and Andy, though a Portland native, is currently working as an actor in New York City. Doug does most of the research and writing for the podcasts with input from Andy, who voices the broadcasts with a thespian’s flair.

With the Kick Ass Oregon History podcast they plan to cover just the good stuff: Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll and Earth Shattering, Devastating Destruction.

Ultimately, our goal is to take Oregon History out of the hallowed halls of the academy, get folks excited and enthused about this shared history, and get them out into the state, digging it and experiencing it. Get them to embrace it, and get their boots muddy in the process. It’s all OUR History; nobody owns it.

Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details on specific episodes and the series. Catch up on missed episodes at the Kick Ass Oregon History archives.

Kick Ass Oregon History Diorama Contest

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DioramaThe first annual Kick Ass Oregon History Diorama Contest has begun.

Dioramas! Die-Oh-Ram-Ahs! Those awesome little cardboard boxes detailed with globs of glue and faded construction paper that make history just jump to life!

You made them in Mrs. Dingleberry’s 5th grade American History class. You saw them at that Crappy County Historical Society your Dad drug you to on that one summer road trip. And you envied Suzie Snotgrass’s winning science faire entry of Tranquility Base (bitch!).

Here’s how it works: Create a diorama depicting a Kick Ass Oregon Historical event (check out the podcasts for inspiration), take photos of your masterpiece, and email them to oregonhistorian@gmail.com by January 15, 2012. The winners will be announced at the Stumptown Stories show at the Jack London Bar (in the basement of the Rialto at 529 SW 4th) on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Winners will Bask in fame and glory and gain a whole gang of 26 year old stripper girl friends as a result. ANNDD win some prizes!!

Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details.