Dave Knows Portland

Tuesday Night Free Lecture: Mythology of Voodoo

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The Jack London BarThe Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder) hosts a free lecture most Tuesday evenings. Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

The topic of the installment this Tuesday, September 25, 2012 is Mythology of Voodoo:

Dr. Kate Bruner will be telling us about mythology from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. How are they related? The slaves brought to the Caribbean from Africa brought their religions with them, merged them with Christianity to form, among other belief systems, voudon, AKA Voodoo.

A lot of material is going to be covered, including Muslim influence on African myth, Ethiopian myth, Placatory religion, Deism vs. animisn vs. fetichism. Placatory religion, ancestor worship and fear of ghosts. Caribbean syncretism, voudoun, image magic and curses. The truth about zombies. Santaria. Marie Laveau. And MUCH more.

Doors open around 6 p.m. for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m.

History Pub Monday at Kennedy School (24-September-2012)

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Portland Public MarketMeet the Producer: Public Markets and Progressives in Portland and Seattle is the topic of the latest History Pub at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd), on Monday, September 24, 2012.

Public markets, where consumers buy food directly from farmers, blossomed in the early 20th century, and both Seattle and Portland embraced them. They were touted for lowering food costs, increasing growers’ income, improving freshness, and contributing to public health. While Seattle’s Pike Place Market still thrives today, Portland’s Public Market died in 1942. Why the different outcomes, and is a rebirth in the offing?

The presenter is Richard H. Engeman, a Pacific Northwest archivist and historian. He is the author of The Oregon Companion: An Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious, and the Arcane; and Eating It Up in Eden: the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Cookbook..

The show begins at 7 p.m., entrance is free, and this event is all ages.

Dill Pickle Club Introduces New Walking Tours

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Dill Pickle Walking ToursPortland’s Dill Pickle Club, known for, amongst other things, its unique and one-time-only cultural and historical trips and tours, is debuting three new recurring walking tours of downtown Portland. These new tours are geared not just to tourists, but also recent transplants to Portland and long time residents – basically everyone!

This series is comprised of three distinct, Portland-centric tours led by community leaders and experts with first-hand knowledge. All include the “untold” histories of Portland with contemporary significance, and offer a fun and interactive way to learn about the city and its people.

The tours:

1) Hidden Portland: City Treasures! with Carye Bye
What if the City was a Museum? Hidden Portland: City Treasures! attempts to answer this question by allowing tour goers to discover and appreciate the often unnoticed parts of the city. Led by author, artist and self-described “Museum Lady of Portland” Carye Bye, the tour shows how public art, museums, buildings and architectural features can encourage seeing the Rose City with new eyes and experiences.

2) Old Town/ Chinatown with Reiko Hillyer
While today Portland is known as one of the whitest cities in the U.S., its multicultural and immigrant history is rich and storied. Old Town/ Chinatown shows the challenges faced by Portland’s ethnic communities, as well as their many contributions to the city’s economy, industry and culture. Hillyer is a professor of Urban History and African American History at Lewis & Clark College.

3) Seedy, Seamy & Sinful Portland with Doug Kenck-Crispin
Join resident historian of Kick Ass Oregon History Doug, as we visit sites of famous saloons and bordellos, opium dens and card rooms, some of which are still in operation today. The tour will “end” outside of Mary’s Club, one of Portland’s most venerated strip clubs. (*This tour is best suited for those 21+)

Visit the Dill Pickle Club website for more details, including how to register.

The Dill Pickle Club is a Portland creative cultural club, which organizes educational tours, lectures, and publications. For more information visit the website, and consider becoming a member.

Stumptown Stories: Oregon’s Top Five Dirtiest Elections

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Five Dirtiest ElectionsThe 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 (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, September 11, 2012 Finn John, author of the Offbeat Oregon column and recently published book, Wicked Portland: The Wild and Lusty Underworld of a Frontier Seaport Town, presents Oregon’s Top Five Dirtiest Elections: We’ve been through some crappy times before.

Join Finn J.D. John as he discusses the dirty politics of 1890s Oregon.

Including a “hold-up session” – a 40 day drunken party Jonathan Bourne threw to stop Senator Mitchell from being sent back to Washington.

Why would anybody want to prevent Senator Mitchell from going back to Washington? Find out more on Tuesday, September 11th.

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

OMSI Science Pub: How to Succeed with Physics…or at Least Look Great Trying (10-September-2012)

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Omsi Science PubHow to Succeed with Physics…or at Least Look Great Trying is the topic of the latest OMSI Science Pub on Monday, September 10, 2012 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne):

Are you an aspiring runway model or secret agent? Would you like to have the elegance and confidence of one? If so, you must become familiar with basic physics concepts. Christine McKinley will show you how a knowledge of physics is crucial in everyday situations like first dates, stage dives, and arson.

Maybe you didn’t pay attention to physics in high school because you didn’t think the subject was relevant to your life goals, but there is no escaping gravity. Whether you want to be a stunt woman, a rock drummer, or a martini critic, being on friendly terms with physics will help you get there in style. You can’t change the laws of physics and you can’t escape them. So, why not put them to work for you? Apply your knowledge of momentum, atomic bonding, and thermodynamics to ramp up the glamour factor in your life. Come and find out how.

The presenter, Christine McKinley, is a mechanical engineer, musician (formerly of Portland’s Dirty Martini), and co-host of History Channel’s Brad Meltzer’s Decoded.

This event begins at 7 p.m. but arrive early to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $5.00 suggested donation/cover charge. Minors with adults are welcome, otherwise this event is 21 and over.