Kalaisha Watrous, scooterist and friend, was in a very serious accident on her Vespa Wednesday March 22. She is currently in Intensive Care with multiple injuries: a broken left leg, shattered right knee cap, broken left arm, dislocated right elbow, and several facial fractures.

Recovery from an accident of this severity will be long, painful, and expensive. Twist & Play Scooter Club has set up a donation fund through US Bank.

If you'd like to give a donation, you can do so at any US Bank—just say you would like to make a donation to the Kalaisha Watrous fund.

more information is available at kalaisha.org

My point is to show the qualities of Portland's public artwork.

1. There's a lot of public artwork. And it's all over the place.

2. Though most of our public artwork gets inaugurated with a huzzah, much is quickly forgotten. Some of it vanishes (the "Columbia" figures which matched the doorways of the Pioneer Courthouse Post Office, the large multimedia piece which dominated the third floor of the Central Library prior to remodel).

3. Much of our public art has been acquired by corporate or governmental "welfare for the arts" programs. Some pieces clearly were bought to promote a political or aesthetic agenda.

5. On reflection, much of this art turns out to be crap: some is curious, some is incomprehensible, some is evocative, provocative, or tells a story. Some bridges the gap between art and decoration (Portlandia), some is wild seed flying (graffiti tunnel), some is profound and challenging (Coe's Lincoln in the Park Blocks – our great treasure). But as for the crap we've paid for it and often the work is heavy and public and regardless of its quality some folks would never dispose of anything. So it persists. Sometimes for decades. Then a new visitor arrives and says, "what the hell is that!" And you, as an ambassador of this great city, have some explaining to do. Start with 190 ton piece of crap in front of the Standard Insurance Building.

This piece is called Agent Mischief (of the Sprockettes, natch) and it's just one of the bike oriented pieces of art done by Tiago Denczuk (aka Tiago DeJerk) from the show "The Most Ridiculous People I know".

It's worth going out to Mt Scott to see!

This Thursday from 6pm till close, a group of artist wranglers will be here with supplies to lure as many as possible into a GROUP ART PROJECT. All participants will be responsible for a 4"x6" panel of a great collage to be displayed at Stumptown next month.

*If you can't make it on Thursday, August 23rd, you can stop by another time throughout the week, gather supplies and drop the piece off by Saturday.

here's more information on the Group Art Project http://artpdx.com/artist-calls/2007/08/13/sincerely-yours-a-call-to-artists

*Remember, the deal is that you can visit the Waypost this week to produce a submission which will almost certainly be accepted. Thursday night from 6pm 'til close is the time of the official art party for this project.

#2
You might want to be here Thursday because that's the same night as Castle Danz' LIVE JOURNALISM & EXPERTS presentation on "DIY Bookbinding"(8pm). You may just walk out of here with an empty book of your own making.

With several collections of shorts and 6 films over 40 minutes, and 8 programs, there is lots to see here. Kids on bikes, Brazil’s freestyle underground, fixed gear alleycat, Ines Brunn's Artistic Cycling, tall bikes, biking in the bible belt, messengers, freakbikes, re-enactments of 70s movies, bike thieves, donated bikes in Ghana, mountain bikes, BMX, bike cars, hillbombing, and bike factories.

The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle. We are into all styles of bikes and biking. If you can name it-Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling to Recumbents- we've probably either ridden or screened it. What better way to celebrate these lifestyles than through art, film, music and performance? We bring together all aspects of bicycling together to advocate its ability to transport us in many ways. Ultimately the Fest is about having a good time.

We have been fortunate enough to include works of established artists such as Jorgen Leth, Mike Mills, Jonas Mekas, Blonde Redhead, Swoon and Michel Gondry among others as part of our programming. Many of the artists who have participated in the Bike Film Fest such as Nick Golebiewski, the Neistat Brothers and Lucas Brunelle are gaining more and more recognition for their work.

There is so very much going on this weekend. Let's begin, shall we?

Friday-Saturday: The Bicycle Film Festival at Cinema 21
more details here or below

Friday-Sunday: Muddy Boots Organic Festival at St. Philip Neri Church (18th & Division).

Dave knows and tells all

Saturday: the KBOO book & record sale at the Musician's Union Hall, 325 NE 20th Avenue (1 block south of Sandy Blvd.) from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
KBOO has more details

Saturday: Widmer Oktoberfest from 4pm until late Saturday, September 8th on N. Russell.

Dave knows and tells all

Saturday: Belmont Street Fair (car free!), centered between 33rd and 35th, but will run from 20th-48th.

Dave knows and tells all

Saturday - Sunday: Hempstalk at Sellwood Waterfront Park
Dave knows and tells all

Saturday-Sunday: Dragon Boat Races on the Waterfront

Dave knows and tells all

Regular readers know that I don't really ever write about fashion, and people who know me know I don't have a clue about it. But I love graphic design, and I've long been a fan of the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). And I really love Queen Bee Creations. You've seen them: their stylish bags hang off the shoulders of about half of the trend-aware women around town.

So when AIGA and Queen Bee come together, what's not to love?

Here's the deal. In April, 2007, 50 local designers produced banners that hung in downtown Portland promoting the Urban Forest Project, with the goal of better awareness of green design. The banners have now been cut up and recycled as really great-looking designer handbags by local artisans at Queen Bee Creations. And Socio XV will have the bags for sale, and offer people a chance to meet the artists in person.

Mind you, I don't know what Socio XV is supposed to mean, but I gotta get my hands on one of the bags. At least one...

It's free for AIGA members, $5 for non-members. The event will include music, snacks, and a cash bar. 21+. The bag sale proceeds will benefit Portland's Friends of Trees.

As you can see, Carfree Day will be a whole weekend long this year. We'll be turning this downtown street into a car-less plaza, and will be providing entertainment and education at various points during the
weekend.

Saturday the 23rd will be the big night, featuring the 20 Foot Man (who is everything you could imagine) and other exciting, danceable local acts.

Friday night will feature food and community. Saturday and Sunday during the day, we'll provide a mellow place to hang out on pillows and chairs and listen to acoustic music and sound experiments.

This weekend will be the first step in permanently shutting that segment of SW Ankeny to car traffic!

Put this on your calendar now!

I'm always curious how Portland gets portrayed in the media, and food television tends to give us this crazy hippy vibe—more than the hippy vibe that we have really have. I mean, the Best of and Old Wives Tales? Rachel Ray and Old Town Pizza? Please.

The promo shows someone riding the Dropout Bike Club's spinner, which gives me a bit of hope. If they can show some of our bike fun culture, I think they have a half a chance to get it right.

Anyways: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation. Seattle and Portland. At least he didn't have to toss fish here.

Two great interviews are at ExtraMSG's site here and here.

Pacific NW

The Pacific Northwest is filled with everything - history, coffee, fresh produce, trees and obsession. Chef Anthony Bourdain is setting-off to visit the land introduced to us by Lewis and Clark, to rediscover it

Haunts in and around Portland, Oregon!

Beloved Portland blogger, Frykitty, has an up-to-date, no-fun-barred calendar of spooky events and the like. If you're looking for something appropriately scary (or fun), this is a great resource to check out!

I read about the Japanese Garden being free tomorrow, Friday, the observed Veterans Day, and I got all excited. I love the Japanese Garden, of course, but I thought, maybe, there was a cavalcade of free cultural events that those of us who get Veterans Day off could take advantage of.

No such luck. It appears that it's just the Japanese Garden. Still, it's the Japanese Garden!

FREE ADMISSION DAY

The Japanese Garden of Portland
Friday, November 10, 2006
10am-4pm

Come see the Japanese Garden in all its fall colors! Friday, November 10, 2006 is FREE ADMISSION DAY at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. Everyone is welcome.

• Take a free Garden tour at 10:45am, 1:00pm or 2:30pm


• See Autumn Leaves—the world-renowned Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Exhibit


• Visit the Garden Gift Store's fall sale with books, holiday gift ideas, and Japanese cultural and art pieces


• Enjoy this magical place of tranquility and beauty

Come and experience the Japanese Garden again or for the first time for free on November 10, 2006.

The Japanese Garden is located on the west side of Washington Park, directly above the International Rose Test Gardens. A free shuttle bus is available to take passengers from the Garden parking lot to the admission gate.

In June, 35-year old Chad Schild, a Portland restaurant worker, went to ER with a bunch of unusual but seemingly routine health complaints. He came out with a stunning diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, an uncommonly aggressive form of cancer.

He is currently receiving as much chemotherapy as his body will tolerate in an attempt to force this disease into remission. Chad has worked at Papa Haydn and Jo Bar on NW 23rd for the past 5 years. Anyone who lives, eats or drinks in this neighborhood would recognize Chad's sandy blonde beard and remember his never-ending wisecracks.

That is just a nightmare in and of itself, but, wait, this only gets worse.

Like 46 million other Americans, and like so many of our fellow Portland restaurant workers, Chad does not have health insurance. While the Oregon Health Plan and Medicare may step up to cover some part of his medical expenses, he is still unable to work, and his monthly bills are piling up. This combination of medical bills and debt threatens to derail Chad's life even if he does make a full recovery from his current condition.

Meanwhile, Chad's family is rearranging their lives to travel to Portland during this battle, stretching everybody's budget to the limit. Chad's story is the ultimate "what if" tale for restaurant workers. As we all know, it is not economically feasible for most restaurants to offer health insurance to all their employees. But we can band together to support a member of our service industry family during this tragedy.

So, of course, there are ways to contribute. There's a paypal general fund for Chad. You can buy a t-shirt ($20 at Jo Bar, talk to the bartender or manager on duty for details). And/or, you can go to Supportland.

This is a benefit concert organized by an amazing core group of Chad’s friends. It promises to be an evening of music, food, drink, and friends. Some big name Portland bands, like Floater, Go Fever, Caves, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, and Federale, will be playing. The space, AudioCinema, is super-cool, with good food and beer on tap. And, it's for a really good cause.

Tickets are on sale now at Trade Up Music (4701 SE Division St., 1834 NE Alberta St.), Clinton Street Video (2501 SE Clinton St), Old Town Music (40 SW 3rd Ave), and Jo Bar (715 NW 23rd Ave).

I just read about this in Metroblogging this morning. Orycon, the Portland scifi and fantasy convention, is coming right up.

Now, if you've never been to a Con before, yes, some folks dress up. Yes, there is filking. Really, there is a full spectrum of geeking. Here's what they have to say:

Orycon 28 will have strong literary and science programming in the tradition of past Orycons.

Additionally in the tradition of Orycon's past, we plan to have a lot of fun, with activities and special interest programming to reflect the diverse range of interests that are integral to or closely associated with science fiction fandom. These include media, art, anime, fanzines, writing, costuming, gaming, and filking, with a smattering of fannish panels as well. We will also have children's programming and some educators programming focused on using Science Fiction in the classroom.

What this quote from their web site don't mention is Cory Doctorow is coming. He's the Writer Guest of Honor. If you aren't familiar with him, he's an author (duh!), internet activist, and a contributor to Wired and BoingBoing. I am so there.

John writes more authoritatively about Orycon on the Events page.

Note the opening time!

Customer Appreciation Sale

• Receive 55% off all purchases!
• All merchandise on the sales floor will be discounted.

Look for treasures hidden throughout the store:

• Gift certificates
  
• Gifts
  
• Coupons for bigger discounts
  
• Limit: one treasure per customer

  Sale applies only to merchandise on hand: no additional discounts and no "rain checks."
  Friday, November 24, 5:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Just a friendly reminder that I would love to see all your beautiful faces at BikeCraft this Thursday night. I've got 20 fantastic vendors lined up...selling all sorts of wonderfully bikey arts and crafts. There will be hot cider and plenty holiday cheer for all, and live music by the Trash Mountain Boys.

Come see and be seen at City Hall (1221 SW 4th) this Thursday night from 4-8pm. We've got the entire first floor atrium all to ourselves and upstairs Commissioner Adams is having a craft fair of his own so it'll be an amazing gathering of great, locally made gifts!

Please tell your friends to join us...the more the merrier...

Support local artists and spread Portland's bike love to the friends and family on your list (or just buy cool stuff for yourself)!

Join us at SCRAP's fifth annual Holiday Bazaar and Bakesale on Saturday, December 9th from 11am to 6pm at SCRAP’s retail location. This unique and cozy holiday bazaar features 15 local artisans that transform normally unwanted materials into cool, creative gifts perfect for your friends and loved ones! All items are made from a minimum of 75% reused materials.

Meet and support local artists working with found objects and be inspired.
* April Alden - Rosewebs
* Doni Barzoloski
* Christine Claringbold - Eye Pop Art
* Ruby Colette - Second Hand Saints
* Liz Dickey
* Sarah Gilbert and Larissa Brown
* Jenn Hill - Robot Candy
* Janet Julian
* Suzannne Keolker - Mugwump
* Megan Klepp
* Sam MacKenzie
* Heather Maharry
* Adrienne McKeehan
* Beth Myrick
* Marc Wilwerth - Perfect Children

The SCRAP Bazaar is combined with a traditional Bake Sale offering homemade goodies to tempt the tummy.

Guaranteed to be more fun and cheaper than the mall!

Canby Asparagus Farm is proud to announce it's (sic) 1st Annual Tamale Festival at Clackamas County Fairgrounds December 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2006 Hours will be from 11:00 am until 8 pm.

Come sample and purchase 50 varieties of home-style tamales. Choose from basic Chicken or Pork to the more exotic Crab Tamale featuring Oregon Dungeness Crab, the Greek Tamale with Alsea Acre goat cheese and don't forget the Asparagus Tamale.

Chef Victor Martinez from Oazaca, and tamale experts Martha Avilez and Edie Guzman will be demonstrating the art of tamale making daily. Another demonstration will be the making of corn tortillas.

This will be a fun-filled 3 day event with entertainment for the whole family.

A donation of a can of food per person is requested for entry to the festival.

TONIGHT!
Don't miss the 3rd Annual OSC Holiday lights ride led by the notorious poster boy Mark Trail.

Join us for a fun-filled evening of scooter riding, light viewing and social fun!

Put on by the Oregon Scooter Club and sponsored by The Lucky Bastards Scooter Club and the Cute Bunnies And Kitties Scooter Club.

Ride leaves at 7:00pm from the Urban Grind Coffee shop at 2214 NE Oregon St. (NE 22nd Ave & NE Oregon St.)

We will head out for an urban adventure in search of the most glorious and silly holiday light displays we can find, taking in short stops on one of Portland's many volcanoes, a well-lit Victorian Mansion, and we will search for the ever popular Columbia River X-Mas Ships!

So, dress up in your warmest riding gear and come on out for the best winter ride of the season.

Late comers can still join in on the fun...
If you can't make the ride departure time, we will be meeting up at the Sextant Bar & Galley for a mid-ride warm up in hopes to see the ships. Expect to find us there around 7:45 - 8:15pm . The Sextant Bar & Galley is located at 4035 NE Marine Dr. (Just east of where NE 33rd Ave intersects with Marine Dr. next to Salty's restaurant)

If you're a scooterist or motorcyclist and you haven't been on a toy run, you really haven't lived. This is truly big fun.

from the Portland Scooter List:

It's that time of year again. There's a raffle for a new Harley at Noon and the ride generally leaves shortly thereafter.

Bring an unwrapped toy, ride with 2-3,000 bikers along a parade route that travels through downtown and put a smile on kid's face.

Hot chocolate and cookies are provided upon your arrival and you can also go up to see some of the kids if you like.

Okay, so I love me a Russian Imperial Stout, and of the Russian Imperial Stouts made locally.... oh yeah, Laurelwood's is the only one made locally, but it compares favorably to nationally known RISs. And, it's only available after Winter Solstice until it runs out. Last year that happened pretty quick. It's worth braving the children for this.

Chad at Laurelwood writes, via the Brew Crew:

Our Russian Imperial Stout will be available on Friday the 22nd not tomorrow. While Mr. Foyston is correct in his article that solstice starts on Jan 21 we're saving our celebration for the first full day of winter.

from John Foyston's Brew News in the Oregonian:

Laurelwood rolls out Moose & Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout (into the Wayback Machine, Rocky & Bullwinkle fans) on the solstice, and the pub will also serve the regular porter and stout, Old Reliable barleywine and Vinter Varmer, the pub's much loved strong ale.

Yeah, the Vinter Varmer's good. But Moose & Squirrel? Dude!

The gallery 12x16, near Genies and Modified/Motokitty at 12th & SE Division, is losing their space. The current show is Betty Dodson, and they are planning to mount a Farewell Group show and throw a big party for their last weekend... which is February 1-4 (my kind of weekend, the type that starts on Thursday!).

On Feb 15th I'm putting on a screening of movies/talkumentaries from my DVD "Cantankerous Titles & Obscure Ephemera, Vol 1" for "Thirsty Third Thursday". Many of them have not played in Portland before. They may not again. That's not a hook - merely the honest truth.

You can watch previews of them all here:
"Martinis in the Bike Lane" - fallofautumn.com/microcosm/bikelane-high.mov - about bike lane artwork in Portland.
"Last Train Out of North America" - fallofautumn.com/microcosm/lasttrainoutofnorthamerica-web.mov - about the end of passenger train era in the United States
"Of Dice and Men" - fallofautumn.com/microcosm/ofdiceandmen-rough.mov - about a group of RISK players and their human relationships and imperialism.
"Central Kansas, Canvas Central" - www.fallofautumn.com/microcosm/centralcanvas-web.mov - a doc about the best media ever - canvas patches!

FEB 15 @ 7:30 PM at 1712 SE 10th St. (just south of Hawthorne)

I think it's even FREE or donations or whatever you want to think of it as.

We'll talk about the movies and it would be kind of dope if people brought sweets to share too.

Thursday, 15 February, 7:30 pm: The Sounds of Jumptown with Robert Dietsche
Jumptown, Bob Dietsche's wonderful history of the jazz scene that flowered in North Portland 50 years ago, has been our #2 bestseller two years running! When we learned that Bob had finally assembled a companion CD for the book, we were delighted beyond words. On the eve of the Portland Jazz Festival, join us to celebrate the launch of this collection of archival performance recordings from Portland's jazz heyday. A portion of Bob's proceeds from the CD will be donated to the Leroy Vinegar Foundation's music education fund.

OH YOU ARE SO LUCKY - deadline extension

Filmed by Bike Headquarters is going on vacation until the end of the month so we've decided to extend the deadline for submissions.

You now officially have SEVEN extra days to make your superfuckingawesomemovie.

Deadline: March 8.

We can't wait to see them!

Ayleen + The Esteemed Jury

// Filmed by Bike
April 13-15, 2007
Clinton Street Theater

BIKE-THEMED FILM SUBMISSIONS WANTED

>>> ABOUT THE CALL FOR ENTRIES The Fifth Annual Filmed by Bike is open for entries of bike-themed film shorts (8 minutes or under). Deadline is March 1st, 2007. Selected films will be screened on April 2007 in Portland, Oregon.

>>> SUBMISSION DETAILS
...format: DVD only

...length: 8 minutes or under

...deadline: March 1st, 2007

...submit to: Filmed by Bike, 1158 NE Morton, Portland OR 97211 by mail only

...DVDs will not be returned

Walk Waud Bluff!

Please join us on Thursday, March 15th, at 6pm to Walk Waud Bluff!

Gather to start the walk at N Harvard and N Willamette Blvd at 6:00 pm PDT*

Walk Waud Bluff! and explore a FUNDED TRAIL LINK, to the future Willamette Greenway with members of npGREENWAY (Friends of the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail). While on the walk, explore the location of the planned bridge across the railroad tracks. This new bridge will enable people to safely traverse the bluff between the University Park Neighborhood above and Swan Island below.

Dress for the weather; wear good walking shoes; expect a steep hill down and up the bluff on an unpaved trail; children are welcome; sorry, no wheel chair or stroller accessibility at this time. If you are arriving by automobile, please be considerate of neighbors when you choose your parking spot.

Snacks will be provided for you after the climb back up the hill. ;-)

Local scooter club Twist & Play is the sponsor of this long-running (12 years!) madness. If you're a scooterist, come by for the rides or parties.

from Chad Kennedy, Laurelwood's Brewer

Christian, Paul and I will be at Concordia Ale House pouring a few special beers for your enjoyment. As it now stands they'll have our UberAltus, Cask Strong Pale (aka Bunny Hop), and the last keg of Green Elephant (this was the lineup as of this morning). The last two beers aren't even available at the brewery so I hope to see you there. I believe the festivities start at 6 or 7.

A weekend of indie movies films, all over town.

Longbaugh HQ in 2006 is the Laurelhurst Theater. We'll also have programming at Cinema 21, Clinton Street Theater, McMenamins Bagdad Theater & Pub, McMenamins Kennedy School, McMenamins Mission Theater and the Whitsell Auditorium.

• Domo and the Egg (at Lil' Longbaugh)
• Vanport: The Survivors Tale (at Lil' Longbaugh)
• Black Gold
• Closing Time
• Deadly Passion: The Timothy Treadwell Tragedy
• Edmond
• The God Who Wasn't There
• The Hole Story
• Killingsworth
• Punk Love
• 10 MPH
• Wordplay

Hmm, maybe I should just get the pass, eh?

Even as we're having gorgeous sunny weather now, nothing says Spring like a farmers market. And unless you go to Peoples Organic Market, you may well be jonesing for opening day.

Well, opening day for the Portland Farmers Market at PSU is Saturday, like two days from now!

Ah, but what's going to be at the Farmers Market? You know, other than meat, eggs, cheese, breads, plants, prepared foods, and the like?

Well, April is garden month. Every Saturday at 10am, "local gardening gurus will share tips and demonstrations. Dozens of local nursery vendors add to the inspiration with beautiful plant, herb and veggie starts, ready-made container gardens, hanging baskets and summer bulbs. Take advantage of on-site potting stations staffed by volunteers from the local gardening community ready to help shoppers transform flowers, herbs and plants purchased from market growers in container gardens to go."

And this Saturday, 4/07, Heather Flores, author of Food not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community will be sharing the tips and demos.

And should you want to buy fresh produce (and fish), here's what to expect: Abalone, arugula, asian greens, asparagus, basil, bee pollen, beeswax, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chickweed, chives, cider, cilantro, clams, collards, crab, cresses, morels, mushrooms, dill, dried fruits, endive, escarole, fava beans, fennel, nuts, flaxseed, garlic, honey, hubbards, kale, kohlrabi, lavender, leeks, lemongrass, lettuce, maches, maitake, marjoram, mesculun mix, mint, mizuna, mustard greens, oninons, oregano, oysters & oyster mushrooms, parsley, pea shoots, pears, peas, potatoes, prunes, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, romaine, rosemary, rutabagas, sage, salad mix, salmon, shallots, shell beans, shiitake, shrimp, snow peas, spinach, swiss chard, tarragon, tatsoi, thyme, tomatoes, truffles, tuna, and turnips.

And what do you do with chickweed anyways? Maybe you have to go to the market to find out?

SWAP EM IF YOU GOT EM!

NW RAGE's Annual Spring Plant and Seed Swap 2007

You are invited to Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering's annual spring Seed and Plant Swap.

Gardeners and farmers the world over have freely shared their seeds and plants since agriculture began over 12,000 years ago. In a world of genetic engineering and the corporate patenting of the commons we invite you to continue this age-old tradition by sharing your seeds, and plants with your community.

Come meet our special guest: Heather Flores, author of the recently published Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community.

Who: you, gardeners, farmers, seed savers and breeders, et, al.

What: Seed and Plant swap. Please bring empty seed packets and plastic bags or pots for plants.

When: Sunday April 8th from 1-3 pm

Location: Proper Eats Market and Café in St. Johns 8638 N. Lombard St. (phone: 503.445.2007)

Hosted by Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering
POB 15289
Portland, OR 97293
Ph. 503.239.6841
http://www.nwrage.org
info@nwrage.org

All day long on April Fools, Amnesia will donate a percentage of all sales to the Oregon chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Like you needed encouragement!

I am not sure if they are speaking, or just schmoozing. More info when I have it.

Monday night, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong (lefty mega-bloggers from DailyKos.com and MyDD.com) will be in Portland - and you're invited to join them in support of Rob Brading, the Democrat who is taking on Speaker Karen Minnis -- campaigning to defeat her in her own district.

For Oregon progressives, the most important task in 2006 is toppling the Republican majority in the Oregon Legislature. Speaker Karen Minnis and her right-wing cronies have been in control for sixteen years - and they've frustrated just about every progressive reform. They've wiped out school funding, defunded the Oregon Health Plan, destabilized our tax system, and used their power to enrich themselves, their friends, and out-of-state corporations.

The fight against Karen Minnis is critical. I hope you'll come meet these two blogfathers of the progressive blogosphere, and come join us Monday night in support of Rob Brading's campaign.

It's a $20 suggested donation -- either at the door, or online at Rob Brading for State Representative. There's more info at the Oregon House Democrats website.

ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?

Filmed by Bike is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is a fundraiser for the Multnomah County Bike Fair, Shift's all-out blowout bike fair in June.

Please note, there are no showings at 9:00 on Sat and Sun due to the theater making a last-minute schedule change.

==> SCHEDULE
Friday - OPENING NIGHT THROWDOWN - April 13, 7:00 and 9:00 pm, 21+
Saturday, April 14, 5:00 (all ages), 7:00 pm (21+)
Sunday, April 15, 7:00 pm (21+)

==> GOOD TO KNOW!
Friday will sell out. There are no advance ticket sales. The line rocks, it's filled with some of the coolest bike people in Portland. Meet a new friend, discover a riding/drinking (or riding+drinking) buddy.

==> WIN AN ELECTRA AMSTERDAM
We've got an online raffle to win an Electra Amsterdam. All raffle tickets purchased on Friday night and all raffle tickets purchased online will go into the drawing for this super hot Euro bike.

Winner will be chosen on Sunday and you don't need to even attend the festival to win.

WE CAN'T WAIT!
Ayleen + Team Filmed by Bike

We have 40 different breweries on hand for this years festival, which means over 80 different beers to sample.

This event is all about educating your taste buds by sampling and comparing a variety of drink from hand-crafted beer, wine, cider, mead, and distilled spirits.

We encourage responsible drinking by featuring live music suitable for dancing or listening, food courts with gourmet items, and from the cooking stage renowned Chefs demonstrating cuisine using the "spirits" offered at the festival.

Our venue provides areas for sitting, strolling, and purchasing unique items offered by exhibitors and arts & crafts vendors. We have an attached heated outdoor smoker's tent offering a comfortable area where a cigar vendor offers additional beer and fine tobacco items.

Today most record collectors are in their 20s or 30s. They are DJs, producers, musicians, rockers and jazz fans. They are looking for; jazz from the 50s, easy listening from the 60s, funk from the 70s, hip hop from the 80s and alternate rock from the 90s.

Their problem has been that record shows have been very unfriendly to them. The Sunday morning start time, the blaring of oldies from the sound system and the emphasis on classic rock, have left today's collectors out in the cold.

Portland's Nightowl Record Show is here to save the day! Starting in the evening, providing cheap eats and drinks, DJs and 10s of thousands of the best records in the world, the Nightowl provides what today's record collector is looking for.

$1 Admission ($15 early bird)

Portland has so many great, old theaters! For some reason, this city still has a number of cinemas and vaudeville houses from the 'classic era'--1910's to 30's--still standing, some of which still are active theaters today. This bicycle ride will explore various neighborhood theaters on the east side of the Willamette--some still standing, some only a memory. The entire ride will cover approximately 6 miles in about 3+ hours of time. After the full ride, we hope to take in a movie at one of Portland's classic movie palaces; bring appropriate cash if you would like to join us!

A week of music-oriented films, and, an appearance by cult performer Jandek. Here's the lineup:

• Monday, 4/17 - We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen.
  All Ages! Free Event! 7pm!
• Tuesday, 4/18 - Hip Hop Night
  All Ages! Free Event! 7pm!
• Wednesday, 4/19 - Psych Night
  All Ages! Free Event! 7pm!
• Thursday, 4/20 - Jandek (live performance)
  All Ages! 7pm!
• Friday, 4/21 - The Beaver Trilogy
  All Ages! 7pm!
• Saturday, 4/22 - Nut Magnet: The Slightly Messed Up World of Jeff Krulik
  All Ages! 7pm!
• Sunday, 4/23 - In the Beginning Was the End: The Music Films of Chuck Statler
  All Ages! 7pm!

This Sunday we will be featuring the Anchor Steam Brewery from San Francisco. We plan on pouring five beers, including their new Bock.

Cost of the tasting will be $6, including snacks. Time will be, as per usual, from 3 - 6pm.

labodegapdx.com/events.html

They are now doing their Sunday tastings every week, alternating between beer and wine. Pretty cool!

Pierogi Extravaganza at the Polish Hall

The "Pierogi Extravaganza" last week was a success, then we will repeat it this Sunday. Grandpa's Cafe is serving different kinds of pierogi - potato and cheese, sweet cheese, cabbage and mushrooms - this Sunday from 12PM to 2PM.

Which is your favorite? Mine are the sweet cheese pierogi.
A serving of pierogi is for $5.

More information about pierogi can be found at:

home.comcast.net/~dyrgcmn/Pierogi/pierogi.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierogi

Family Pictures at the Polish Library

Would you like a picture of your family, with your friend, or of yourself?

A professional photographer will take pictures at the Polish Library
this Sunday from 12PM to 2PM.

The photographer is Kirby Harris, (360) 574-7195, brideschoice.net

With easy access from the 4 busline (just cross the Failing Ped Bridge) and the yellow MAX, this is a no-brainer.

Join us for Portland's Annual Festival of the Book, taking place over three days April 21-23, 2006.

This year's festival will include featured readings by bestselling authors, poets and NW writing legends, panels on every conceivable subject, workshops for teachers of writing, dinners with your favorite authors, a two day book fair with hundreds of exhibitors, two days of children's readings and activities, food, music, cooking demonstrations and more!

There's a book fair. A children's festival. Over 250 authors, 11 stages, over 100 publishers, booksellers and writing organizations, a Workshop for Writers and Teachers, even Ira Glass.

I'm confused about the cooking demonstrations, though.

Saturday April 22, from 10am to 4pm, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company will be hosting their first Earth Day Sale. The postcard I received promises Blue Dot Double IPA in bottles! If that's not enough to get you there I'm sure Alan will have some other surprises up his sleeve. Last I heard, there was still some Rose Cassis, a special recipe Rose featuring black currants, which was brewed and bottled last fall.

(If you drive there, the googlemap will give you a good idea where it is, but it makes it look like SE 23rd actually goes through to Holgate. It doesn't! Hair of the Dog's How to get there will help you a lot if you are driving or bicycling.)

It's not everyday you have a potato holiday, is it?

here's what the flyer says:

$5.00 for serving of 4 potato pancakes with choice of
-applesauce
-sour cream sauce
-mushroom sauce
Come join us for this potato holiday, Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 12pm-5pm, 3832 N Interstate (at the Portland Polish Hall and Library Association)

Roux's 1st Annual
Crawfish Boil
& Street Party
Sunday, April 29th
11:30 to 5:00

All-you-can-eat boiled crawfish, andouille sausage po'boys, salads & more, with Louisiana's own Abita Turbo Dog and local micro brews on tap + classic hurricane cocktails.
(must be 21+ and carrying valid identification)

Music and dancing with zydeco band THE NEW IBERIANS and blues artists MARY FLOWER & STEVE CHEESEBOROUGH.

$25.00 Adults ($30.00 Same Day)
$12.00 Children 6 to 12
Free for Children Under 6

This is a tented event held rain or shine with partial proceeds benefiting Self Enhancement Inc., a local organization dedicated to guiding underserved youth to realize their full potential.

Advance tickets at 503.285.1200

While I feel really, really frustrated with the direction that the Cinco de Mayo fiesta is headed (very few artisans and lots of chinese-made jewelery, and a lot of corndogs, elephant ears and gyros sold outside of the rides area), it's still a great place to get a smattering of some good traditional Mexican street foods. Especially when you consider that a lot of the good stuff is unavailable at the restaurants or taco trucks themselves, and there's free entry on Friday before 2pm.

We went on Thursday, and here's what we had and liked.

I'm a big fan of La Flor de Michoacan (Hillsboro), so I always start there with a gordita filled with meat or cheese. It's like a tostada, at least toppings wise, but imminently less messy. Since you're eating a fried masa disk, there's also no crunch, but it is yummy and filling.

I saw several spits with pork al pastor, pork meat marinated and cooked with pineapple. You're looking for pork that looks cooked, but still looks like individual pieces of pork, with pineapple at the top. That can be delicious. Keep sharp for that.

Salvador's Bakery makes churros. Ask for a hot one fresh from frying.

Richi's Tacos is always a hit. Their chicken dishes are delish, and be sure to get a tamale or three - they're moist and luscious, and unavailable at Richi's taco truck.

Yesenia's Market has a number of treats. First, they have these curious fried tortilla things that are puffy and crunchy, and you can get them hot. They have mango on a stick, and they have elote, corn on the cob, Mexican style. You have to at least try it with mayonnaise and fresh Mexican cheese, a sprinkle of chili pepper, and a squeeze or two of lime. It would be even better if it were elote en vaso, elote in a glass, but hey.

Mister Taco is a consistent favorite. Yes, their sign is hand scrawled, but the food is great. Try the pupusas, masa surrounding a filling, generally beans and cheese, but sometimes also pork, from El Salvador -- it's not available at Mister Taco's carts. The huaraches look promising as well. And, they serve the best horchata that we tried... and we tried a few.

Grande Foods of Cornelius have a nice selection of pops and desserts. We tried a pudding variant of the Tres Leches Cake, which was pretty darn good.

There are really two different ways to experience the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.

First, is as just another waterfront festival that involves expensive carny food, rides, and goofy entertainment.

But I'd like to suggest if you appreciate Mexican culture, to take another tack. Seek out the good food, and the great entertainment—it's there, you just have to look. First of all, burritos are not Mexican—they're great, but they are an American intrepretation of Mexican. Don't bother with them at Cinco.

They haven't published the restaurant list yet (sigh), but we had some great grub at La Flor de Michoacan and Mr. Taco. Look for less usual foods, like homemade tortillas, sopes, elote.

The entertainment can be stellar too: lots of Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi, and the Naturalization Ceremony, where new citizens get sworn in (which is really quite touching. Really.)

Interesting bands include

• Los Enemigos Del Silencio (what a great name!!), a Woodburn based Mexican Pop band
• Los Texmaniacs from San Antonio playing Conjunto, Country-Rock & Cumbias
• Las 3 Divas (Cumbia, Tejano & Pop)
• Paco Padilla from Guadalajara
• Rogelio Martinez from California (Norteno & Banda)

DO JUMP! proudly premieres And then... a new work inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. This visually stunning work of aerial dance, circus arts, video and live music, draws inspiration from Chagall, taking the audience on a playful journey celebrating life, love, color, shape and spirit. Chagall said, "the dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world." Do Jump! concurs with this belief, striving to inspire people with pedestrian images that evoke memory, illuminate the mysterious, and breakdown barriers to time and place.

This show is the 30th new work Robin Lane has created for DO JUMP! After nearly three decades, Do Jump! remains a pioneer in aerial dance, touring throughout North America, including performances on Broadway at the New Victory, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and the Performing Arts Center in Cerritos, CA.

If you aren't familiar with Do Jump, they combine dance, acrobatics and trapeze. Cool. But even cooler that it's unpretentious and the prices for performances are affordable.

We are located on NE Hancock between 44th and 45th Avenues in Portland, Oregon and are open Saturdays from 8 AM to 1 PM.

Hope to see you at the market on our OPENING DAY - May 6!

WHAT IS BIG BREW? The Big Brew: National Home Brew Day is Saturday, May 6 th.

Each year on the first Saturday in May, homebrewers unite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate National Homebrew Day, joining with thousands of homebrewers from around the world in brewing the same recipes and sharing a simultaneous toast at noon Central Time.

Big Brew Recipes
http://www.beertown.org/events/bigbrew/recipes.html

We encourage anyone interested in homebrewing to attend.

You may be wondering, what's happening with everyone's favorite scooterist, Kalaisha.

Well, she's outta the hospital, she's recovering, and she's mad as hell, and there ain't nothing you can do about it.

Except come to her benefit which will help offset the massive medical expenses. There'll be bands (the Cha Cha Club, Straitjacket, Rezistor) and a raffle and the warm cozy feeling of knowing you're helping. While you're rockin'.

FredFest 2007 Promises Great Beer, Good Cheer

PORTLAND, Ore. - What started last year as a surprise 80th birthday party for world-renowned beer writer Fred Eckhardt is coming back around this year as a fundraiser to assist a longtime friend and supporter of the state's craft-beer community.

At least a dozen rare and unusual beers created by Oregon breweries will be featured at FredFest 2007. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 12 at Hair of the Dog Brewing, 4509 SE 23rd Avenue in Portland.

The beer menu is still being firmed up, but organizer and beer wrangler Preston Weesner says he has been asking Oregon brewers to pony up something special for the event -- and many already have answered the call.

"I've just been telling them to share something that Fred would like," Weesner says.

Attendees will be treated not only to a selection of hand-selected beers, but also light fare including barbecue and snacks -- and a birthday cake for Eckhardt. Cheeses, chocolate, and even cereal will be on hand so attendees can experience some of Eckhardt's famed beer-and-food pairings.

Cost for the event is $20 in advance or $25 at the door and includes a souvenir glass. To get on the list for advance-purchase tickets, e-mail fredfest@comcast.net.

Eckhardt requested that proceeds from the event go to help longtime craft-beer supporter Merle Gilmore, who has been battling leukemia and faces astronomical medical and prescription bills. Gilmore has been an inexhaustible volunteer at beer fests and often assisted Hair of the Dog owner Alan Sprints in bottling and other duties around the brewery. He is well known for providing his specially made hot-pepper fudge for Eckhardt's beer-and-chocolate tastings, and hopes to have a couple of batches available for FredFest 2007.

When asked to choose a charity for this year's FredFest, Eckhardt suggested that the proceeds go to Gilmore. "Let's keep it in the family," Eckhardt said.

The beers scheduled:

1- BridgePort Brewing. Cask Old Knucklehead
2- Deschutes. Coffee infused 20K Imperial Bourbon Porter
3- Full Sail TBA
4- Hair Of The Dog. Cask Fred
5- Laurelwood TBA.
6- Lucky Lab. Russian Imperial Stout
7- New Old Lompoc. Oak aged LSD
8- Max's Fanno Creek. Belgian Dubbel
9- Pelican Brewing. Gran Cru
10- Racoon Lodge. Sour Wild Blackberry aged in oak
11- Rock Bottom. Ned Flanders Red. ( the original!)
12- Rogue. Dad's Little Helper Malt liquor
13- Roots Organic. Pinot-barrel aged Epic
14- Widmer. Collaborator Continuum Brown

Celebrate your commute with breakfast in Pioneer Courthouse Square

It's all downhill to downtown!

The City of Portland Office of Transportation is hosting a Bike to Work Day party in honor of National Bike Month.

WHAT: Bike to Work Day Party
City Transportation staff will serve free breakfast and coffee for bike commuters and will provide musical entertainment.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 16, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Pioneer Courthouse Square

WHO: Bike commuters

WHY: Join other bicycle commuters to honor National Bike Month and celebrate Portland as the best bicycling city in the United States! Or try bike commuting for the first time with the support of veteran commuters.

The City of Portland Office of Transportation is urging residents to take the stress and hassle out of their commute, put some healthy fun in the mix, and join other bicycle commuters at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Wednesday, May 16, for a Bike to Work Day party.

The Bike to Work Day event, organized by the City's Transportation Options Division, will be held from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square in honor of National Bike Month and in honor of all bicyclists who have helped make Portland a top city for cycling in the United States.

(here's the info, stolen directly from the Shift website (http://www.shift2bikes.org/)

Portland Transportation Options is hosting a Bike to Work Day celebration on May 17 at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.

It should be noted, all new bicycle commuters are eligible to enter a drawing for special prizes. WooHoo! Yee-aa!

Date:
Wednesday,
May 17th, 2006

Times:
7:30am to 9:00am
8:10am guest speakers and prize drawings, plus a light continental breakfast will be served.

Group Ride Locations:

• Duniway Park in SW
  SW 6th Ave & Sheridan St
  googlemap, trimet, bike route


• Wallace Park in NW
  NW 25th Ave & Raleigh St
  googlemap, trimet, bike route


• Arbor Lodge Park in N
  N Bryant St & Delaware Ave
  googlemap, trimet, bike route


• Grant Park in NE
  NE 33rd Ave & US Grant Pl
  googlemap, trimet, bike route


• Laurelhurst Park in SE
  SE 39th Ave & Stark St
  googlemap, trimet, bike route

Group rides leave promptly at 7:10am and arrive at Pioneer Square by 8:00am for the start of the celebration.

Event Location:
Pioneer Square, 715 SW Morrison St., Portland, OR