Mt. Tabor Art Walk

Take a walk in one of Portland’s most beautiful and unique neighborhoods and view art created by its residents. The Third Annual Mt. Tabor Art Walk is held May 17 and 18, 2008 from 11 am - 5 pm. This event showcases the many artists who live in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, and promotes high quality visual art in a variety of media. This is a juried art show, and the artists will be offering their work for sale. This year will feature over 40 artists at 30 locations!

For more information and for a map to the walk, go to www.mttaborartwalk.com

Pullet Days at Pistils Nursery

Pistils Nursery presents Pullet Days, with local farmer Mike Reid and Dennis from the NW Poultry Association. On Saturday, May 17th from 10-2pm you will learn more about chickens than you ever thought possible. If you are seeking older birds to start your flock, add to your existing one or would just like to go check out a bunch of chickens, then you won’t want to miss Pullet Days. Some of the breeds available for sale are Araucanas, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Golden Sex-Links and Bantam Japanese Chickens. Both Mike and Jim are great sources of information about keeping chickens, so come on down and pick their brains. And if you are looking for a specific breed, just give Mike at Pistils a call.

Pullet Days
Pistils Nursery
3811 N. Mississippi Ave.
(503) 288-4889
www.pistilsnursey.com

9th Annual Alberta Art Hop

Portland’s Alberta Street is up to its waist in art: galleries, street performers, crazy cobbled - together six foot tall bicycles, and of course Last Thursday. So it’s no Read more

Uncorked: A Wine Auction

On Saturday, May 17th, wine lovers from around the state will gather at the beautiful new Zenith Vineyard event facility in West Salem to raise their glasses and their bids on behalf of children at risk of abuse. Uncorked! is the premier auction of its kind in the Willamette Valley, featuring sought-after wines from top producers and one-of-a-kind travel and culinary opportunities. The event includes a winemakers’ reception with many of our area’s finest producers in attendance, a gourmet multi-course dinner from Vibrant Table paired with wines from critically acclaimed St. Innocent Winery, live and silent auctions, dancing with Portland’s Swingline Cubs and much more. All funds raised will benefit Family Building Blocks’ child abuse prevention programs in Marion and Polk counties. Please call (503) 588-3788 for tickets or more information.

Zenith Vineyard
5657 Zena Rd NW
Salem, OR 97304
(503) 588-3788

http://www.uncorkedwineauction.org

Jess Oh! Fundraiser

In early April, Jessica Osborne was hit on her bicycle while riding in North Portland. The driver fled the scene, leaving her for dead. What Jessica has been through since then can safely be described as a living hell. She suffered three broken vertebrae, two collapsed lungs and a ruptured spleen. She has been forced to undergo multiple surgeries and, under strict doctor’s orders, has been unable to work. Without any health insurance, Jessica is facing serious financial problems. In response, her friends and community have gotten together to throw a fundraiser party for her this Thursday night. There will be bands, a puppet show and a raffle. All money raised will go straight to Jessica. So whether you know Jessica or not, come out to support your community and help a very unfortunate girl get back on her feet!

Jess Oh! Fundraiser
Thursday, May 15, 6pm
Liberty Hall
331 N. Ivy St.

Celebrating Werner Herzog

My Werner Herzog journey began, like so many others, with the gripping intensity of 2005’s Grizzly Man. Where I ventured from there in the Herzog cannon, however, was much trippier. I rented some of his older shorts like The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, a poetic (albeit sentimental) documentary on the psychology of a champion ski jumper-cum-carpenter, and the stoned-out The Potential, the Danger in which an impetuous (some would argue stupid) Herzog and his crew fly to the island of Guadaloupe after they hear a volcano threatens to wipe out the entire island. This month The Northwest Film Center celebrates the cinematic achievements of the legendary German filmmaker with the series A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog. This series is a strong survey of the Herzog canon, with something for everyone. From obvious selections like Grizzly Man (screens Fri May 16-Sat May 17) to lesser know works like Herzog’s 1979 remake of the seminal 1922 vampire film Nosferatu (Thurs May 29). Also included is 2006’s excellent Vietnam POW film Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale (Sat May 24) and the 1997 documentary that inspired it, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Fri May 23-Sat May 24). This is a great chance to watch some of your favorite Herzog films in all their splendor on the big screen, to catch one for the first time, or to introduce a friend to the work of a true living master.

A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog
Fri May 2-Thurs May 29
Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium
1219 SW Park Avenue

* For more info go to the festival website at nwfilm.org.

PDX Film Fest 2008!

It’s April, which means it’s time for the annual PDX Film Fest. Portland loves the avant-garde, so it’s no surprise we host one of the largest international film festivals celebrating the works of innovative, experimental directors. The Portland Documentary and Experimental (PDX) Film Festival is a labor of love from Peripheral Produce, Portland’s highly regarded experimental distribution label and screening series. This year’s fest, the 7th annual, promises to be as exciting as ever, with visiting filmmakers, thrilling events, and, of course, five days of cinematic wonderment. Below is a schedule of this year’s films and activities:

All films will be shown at the Hollywood Theater (4122 NE Sandy Blvd)

Wednesday April 30

* 7:30 - Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
* 9:30 - opening night party @ galleryHomeland

Thursday May 1

* 4:30 - Shorts Program #1 (short documentaries)
* 6:30 - Great Speeches from a Dying World
* 9:00 - Proving Ground @ galleryHomeland

Friday May 2

* 4:00 - Immokalee, USA
* 6:00 - Injury to One
* 8:00 - An evening with Shana Moulton
* 10:00 - Experimental Filmmaker Karaoke Throwdown @ galleryHomeland

Saturday May 3

* 1:00 - Shorts Program #2 (local shorts)
* 3:15 - The Wet Season/The Universal Language
* 5:30 - Films of Stephanie Barber
* 9:00 - The Peripheral Produce Invitational

Sunday May 4

* 1:00 - Cartune Xprez: Senseless
* 3:15 - Shorts Program #3 (16mm films)
* 5:30 - Shorts Program #4 (Experimental/Underground)
* 8:00 - Mock Up on Mu
* 10:00 - closing night party @ The Moon & Sixpence

Tickets

$7 General Admission
$40 Festival Pass (good for admission to all festival events, must be present at least 10 minutes before screening to insure seating)

Tickets and passes will be available at the Hollywood Theatre Box Office, which opens a half hour before the first show of the day. Tickets and passes can also be purchased by phone (1-800-494-TIXS) and online (www.filmaction.org). Advanced tickets will be available for purchase starting April 23rd. Some shows will sell out and we suggest arriving at least 15 minutes early to purchase tickets.

* For more information, check out the festival website!

Spike & Mike’s Twisted Animation

I went to Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival a few years ago. I remember taking a date and about halfway through thinking how proud I was that my date was still laughing when the baby got melted in the microwave. I remember thinking “this could be love.” Well, the years have rolled by and the girl didn’t turn out to be The One, but my urge to see a claymation baby run through a blender has not waned. Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival is a time honored tradition. Since 1990, the duo has been collecting and producing the most vile and disturbing animation shorts in the world for your viewing pleasure. So select your date wisely and head out to Cinema 21 this week for some ecstatic and confused laughs. Find out more about Spike and Mike here.

Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival
Cinema 21 : 616 NW 21st Ave : (503) 223-4515
Friday April 25-May 3

Entusiasmo! A Show About Hope

Entusiasmo!, the upcoming show from Portland’s one and only Do Jump! Theater, uses a aerial dance, breathtaking acrobatics, humor, live music, and a dramatic narrative to tell the true story of Gaviotas. Adapted from the book Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman, Entusiamso! features traditional Colombian music by Los Llaneros and live music by composer Joan Szymko. The Oregonian review speaks of the performance as “a triumph” with “tolerance, understanding, inventiveness and vision: a strong sense of community (and) a dedication to peace.”

For 30 years, Founder and Artistic Director Robin Lane has led the Do Jump “actorbats” in creating a unique blend of theatre, dance, aerial work, acrobatics, dynamic visuals and live music that defies categorization. Celebrating both individual creativity and community spirit, Do Jump has thrilled audiences throughout North America.

¡Entusiasmo! May 17 - 31
Newmark Theater at Portland Center for the Performing Arts
1111 SW Broadway - (503) 248-4335

Theater Enlists Puppets for Play

Pulitzer Prize winning author Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home is being produced by local theater company Theatre Vertigo. Director Kristan Seemal has chosen to use not only players but also puppets to portray this darkly humorous study of an American family near the edge of oblivion.

Performing April 18 - May 17, 2008
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm
$15 Fridays and Saturdays; Pay-What-You-Will Thursdays

Theater! Theatre! 3430 SE Belmont, Portland OR • (503) 306-0870 • vertigo@theatrevertigo.org

Next Page »