Portland Mercury Presents Say Nice Things About Portland

William Sutton

COVER ART

Monuments and photography: Justin “Scrappers” Morrison humanpocketknife.com

Layout/Design: Corianton Hale

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wm. Steven Humphrey

NEWS EDITOR

Courtney Vaughn

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Suzette Smith

NEWS REPORTER

Taylor Griggs

EverOut

HEAD OF CONTENT

Jamie Reed

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Janey Wong

FOOD & DRINK EDITOR

Julianne Bell

MUSIC CALENDAR EDITOR

Audrey Vann

ARTS CALENDAR EDITOR

Lindsay Costello

Advertising

SALES DIRECTOR

James Deeley

REGIONAL SALES COORDINATOR

Evanne Hall

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anna Nelson

Katie Peifer

Business

COMPTROLLER

Katie Lake

Art &

Production

Corianton Hale

Anthony Keo

Events & Media

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tracey Cataldo

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Caroline Dodge

EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Tonya Ray

DIRECTOR OF VIDEO PRODUCTION

Shane Wahlund

Technology & Development

VP OF PRODUCT

Anthony Hecht

SENIOR DEVELOPERS

Michael Crowl

Nick Nelson IT MANAGER

Grant Hendrix

Bold Type Tickets

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Diana Katz

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS MANAGER

Kevin Shurtluff

CLIENT SOLUTIONS REPRESENTATIVE

Campy Draper

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS REPRESENTATIVES

Eleanor Stavinoha

Taffy Marler

Circulation

Matt Stanger

President & Publisher

Robert Crocker

YOU CAN BE THE AMBASSADOR OUR CITY NEEDS RIGHT NOW.

BY WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

Sure, let’s chat about Portland. But first? Let’s chat about…

DETROIT. In 1974, there were 714 reported homicides in Detroit, Michigan—a shocking statistic that spawned an unwelcome nickname: “Murder capital of the world.” Despite the city’s many positive aspects, the name stuck and soon went national, frightening away potential new businesses and tourists from the downtown core. At the time, Emily Gail owned a camera and gift shop in Detroit’s downtown shopping district. She was dismayed by the lack of downtown foot traffic as well as the overriding negative perception, because Gail saw more than “murder” in Detroit. She saw a thriving, multifaceted city filled with interesting people doing interesting things. Yes, absolutely there were problems. But this “murder capital of the world” narrative was acting in direct opposition to any attempt at a solution.

Even while vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Gail was barraged with “concerned” fellow Detroiters asking her, “Aren’t you glad to be out of Detroit?” So, fed up with this negative attitude, Gail did the obvious thing: took $400 out of the bank, rented a small plane, and paid someone to fly it over Fort Lauderdale trailing a giant banner that read, “Hi Detroiters. Enjoy Florida. Say nice things about Detroit.—Emily.”

It was kind of a hit. Upon returning to her home city, Gail used her newfound media popularity to organize fun runs in the downtown core—against the wishes of cops and city government who wanted her to hold the event somewhere “safer.” Within a few years, what started as a small group turned into thousands of runners flocking downtown, most of whom wore T-shirts and pins emblazoned with the slogan Detroiters now wear and speak with pride: “Say Nice Things About Detroit.”

That’s an interesting story! Okay, now we can chat about…

PORTLAND. As Portlanders in 2023, we’ve learned the hard way how narratives can be dangerous to the health of a city. The abiding “Portland is dead” narrative was originally created by the city’s wealthy real estate developers and police union as a direct response to the racial justice protests of 2020. Despite a pandemic that emptied downtown and a homelessness crisis that unsurprisingly exploded after being ignored for decades, wealthy business owners aimed their ire at those marching in support of Black lives and against police violence—and the police union, whose sole purpose is to “protect and serve” their own, were only too happy to hop on the anti-Portland bandwagon. And so? Screeching, pearl-clutching articles were published locally and nationally that primarily benefited the wealthy, alongside damaging op-eds penned by shameless enablers and even our own chief of police. Meanwhile, back at home, slanted push polls were purchased by the Portland Business Alliance and repeatedly platformed by local media, while conservative consultants were hired to form cynical lobbying groups and sham “grassroots organizations” to plaster billboards and bombard email in-boxes with one clear message: “Portland is a shit-hole, and our local government is doing nothing about it.”

Anyway, the irony is that this carefully constructed anti-Portland narrative only partially worked—while these wealthy real estate developers and business-owners were able to trick a now-furious city to fill the mayor’s seat and city council with their nodding minions who made sure the police budget returned to its previous “un-defunded” status, there was a price to pay. Too many Portlanders bought into the lie, and are now firmly convinced that the city gov-

ernment cannot be trusted, houseless folk are demons, and they should avoid downtown like the plague. Meanwhile the rest of the nation has come to accept that the entire city of Portland—not just downtown—is an unvisitable, dangerous cesspool. And since Portland was recently identified as one of the slowest cities to recover from the pandemic, you can almost hear those same narrative-creating, wealthy hand-wringers in the Portland Business Alliance screaming, “HOW COULD THIS BE HAPPENING???”

So… yeah. They fucked up. And in the course of fucking up, they fucked the rest of us as well.

Ultimately, it doesn’t help to scream about how these opportunists tanked the city’s reputation because, as usual, it falls upon the rest of us (the much-less wealthy) to clean up after their mistakes. But let’s be super clear: It was creatives who built Portland into the bustling, world-renowned city that made these developers and opportunists so much money in the mid-2010s: the bands, the comedians, the artists, the restaurateurs, the writers, the filmmakers. It was a city that earned the loving parody known as Portlandia —the success of which opened the floodgates for incoming transplants and tourists (who brought along pockets filled with cash). And how did Portland’s increasingly rich folk repay these creatives? By replacing affordable housing with expensive mixed-use apartments (because you must have kombucha on tap and dog-washing stations!), thereby pricing the culture’s originators out of the city’s core, and into the waiting arms of communities that appreciate them. (Hello, Beaverton!)

We can’t change the past or what’s been done to us. What we can do is realize who the true enemies of Portland are, never believe a word they say, and begin counteracting their city-killing narrative. How? By

starting with something simple. Or to coin a phrase….

SAY NICE

THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND.

We can do the hard work of counteracting Portland’s terrible reputation by spreading the good word to our friends as well as out-of-town relatives. But first, this daunting task demands gaining perspective—reminding ourselves about what makes Portland so amazing and worthy, and being grateful for it. Yes, we can work on fixing the decades-long crisis of homelessness and crime, while ALSO recognizing and celebrating the creatives who made the rest of the world want to live here. And with the Mercury’s “Say Nice Things About Portland” guide to our city, we’re striving to remind you about the people, places, and things we’re collectively proud of and which continue to attract people from around the globe.

You’ll hear from the Mercury ’s resident experts (all card-carrying Portland boosters) on the artists, musicians, craft makers, oddballs, activists, chefs, queers, sports stars, comedians, performers, and countless others who are the real reason behind Portland’s past and future success. If you’re like us, you’ll be inspired to continue fighting for, and SAYING NICE THINGS ABOUT, the city we’re committed to saving. Since day one, the Mercury has been “ride or die” for Portland—so join us as we shout our love from the mountaintops.

Portland needs ambassadors. Portland needs you. So be like Emily Gail. Be the ambassador Portland needs, and say nice things about the city we love. ■

Yer pal,

Wm. Steven Humphrey

Editor-in-Chief

Portland Mercury (he/him)

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT…

PORTLAND’S AMAZING FOOD SCENE!

Food cart pods, old standbys, and eateries that support our city’s sex workers.

BY ANDREA DAMEWOOD

Portland is just about the eatingest city you’ll find, and for good reason. Our food scene is known worldwide for its accessibility, diversity, seasonality, and overall quality. Want Burmese food served by a robot? Top Burmese has got you covered. Fun natural wines served with super-inventive, hyper-seasonal plates? Head to Street Disco, Heavenly Creatures, or OK Omens.

We could fill a whole encyclopedia about Portland’s food, but here are five reasons we love eating here right now:

1. Earl Ninsom chose to make his restaurant empire here

Chances are if you’re making a must-eat list, all of Ninsom’s restaurants would make the cut. The Thai native started with his flagship Southeast 28th Avenue venture, Paadee. After building a following for the killer boat noodles and tamarind-glazed wings, he opened Hat Yai in 2016. It’s now grown to two locations, and the Southern-Thai fried chicken combo with roti and curry is on any list of iconic Portland plates.

Ninsom is also behind Langbaan, the prix fixe affair that offers a haute look into hyperlocal Thai cooking: one month it may be an homage to Bangkok’s Chinatown, another, drawing from the Northern region. Ninsom’s also one of the partners behind Eem, the ground-breaking mashup of Matt’s BBQ’s Texas-style meats with curries and fried rice, along with one of the most celebrated cocktail lists in town. And there’s more! Ninsom is also behind the new Phuket Cafe in Northwest Portland.

Sit in the converted train car outside, and have a grand time eating one of the best pork chops ever, served on the bone with laab and tomato relish.

2. Sex work and food are intertwined

It all started with the affectionately nicknamed A-Crop, AKA The Acropolis. Open for more than 40 years, it’s one of the oldest strip clubs in Portland. Its owners have long made sure you can get steak with your legs, and for a sexy price: an 8 oz sirloin special still runs under $10. Spend the savings tipping the dancers. Casa Diablo, on the opposite end, was the first vegan strip club in the country.

But more recently, the movement has been to support the sex workers themselves. In 2019, chef Nikeisah Newton

opened Meals 4 Heels, which bills itself as “the world’s only late-night meal delivery service that caters to sex workers and sex positive clientele.” I like the GTP (Gettin’ That Paper), a bowl loaded with Tom Kha roasted cauliflower, sweet potato noodles, pickled cucumbers, truffled tomatoes, herbs, honey Sambal sauce, toasted coconut, and veggie furikake.

TEXAS

MATT WONG

SUZETTE SMITH

Hat Yai

Speed-O Cappucino

And this spring, inside the Lil’ America pod on Southeast 10th and Stark, stripper Dahlia Hanson opened Speed-O Cappuccino. Staffed entirely by sex workers and dancers, you’ll get a queer, bikini barista experience, plus plenty of tasty vegan stoner food like smash burgers and corndogs.

3. Our food cart pods keep leveling up

Back in the day, the Rose City’s model for food carts were cheap and tasty clusters of vendors offering everything from gyros to pho in converted parking lots.

But today, they’re so much more than that. That Lil’ America pod we just mentioned? It’s queer and BIPOC-owned, and features carts that are owned by BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ chefs exclusively.

Hinterland Bar & Food Carts on Southeast 50th Avenue drew in huge cart names like Burger Stevens and Matt’s BBQ tacos. Built into a former acupuncture office, there’s a great bar to accompany all the food. Orders are served on metal trays or renewable bioplastic plates, and you’re gonna get a real fork and knife, which are washed onsite. It’s heated, it’s covered, and it’s wonderful. Park the Carts on Northeast MLK Jr. Boulevard has several Black-owned carts, and offers indoor and outdoor seating.

4. We’re all about the new, but old time places hold our hearts

There’s always something new opening, and we love that for us. But Portlanders also know to save room in their hearts, and stomachs, for the OG restaurants. They’ve been here for decades, but they still sling sandwiches, steaks, and Spanish coffees better than anyone.

Meaty favorites include Sayler’s Old

Country Kitchen and the RingSide. Sayler’s has been around since 1946, serving gargantuan T-bones at a manageable price (and a 72-oz ribeye challenge) out on Southeast 105th and Stark. The RingSide on West Burnside has been a premier spot to splurge since 1944, with unforgettable onion rings and an epic wine list.

There’s Taste Tickler, serving incredible teriyaki subs for more than 50 years on Northeast Broadway. Opened in 1879, Huber’s is Portland’s oldest restaurant, where waitstaff have been putting on an elaborate flaming show while crafting Spanish coffees since before you were even a thought in your parents’ mind.

5. Kristen Murray has dug in her heels and kept Maurice humming downtown

Maurice opened its sunny doors in 2013, offering a sanctuary for a cheery French-Norwegian lunch and divine fika (sweets).

Maurice was beloved from the jump, especially for its black pepper cheesecake and dreamy meyer lemon pudding cake. But the tiny space was walloped by the pandemic, and then by an increase in vandalism. For some months, Murray had to board up her huge plate glass windows following a break in.

But she persisted. Today, it’s hopping, the glass now frosted to let in the light. There’s still delicious wines by the glass, a robust tea menu, and that cheesecake. The savory lunch menu changes constantly, depending on Murray’s whims, but a recent trip offered a wonderful savory polenta clafoutis piled with dungeness crab. It’s just about the best place to start a day of downtown adventures, and I’m thrilled Murray has stuck it out. ■

PORTLAND’S SUSTAINABLE FLORIST

811EBURNSIDEST.#112,PORTLAND,OR

SUZETTE SMITH

Lil’ America food cart pod

SAY NICE THINGS

ABOUT PORTLAND’S LITTLE QUIRKS

Dildos. Notes. Gratitude. Portland’s eccentricities have made the

news—but they’re part of what makes this place so great.

BY SUZETTE SMITH

Wcles, throngs of e-boarders zooming around the Esplanade to “99 Luft ballons,” and the Unipiper—who pedals around on a unicycle play ing bagpipes. But that’s the “week end weird.” Some Portland quirks are in the streets every day. They represent a little twist on some commonly held convention, in which Portlanders thought “wait… maybe this would be better.” And guess what… it was.

1. Dildos on wires

known for its dildos—the ones hanging on its elec trical wires. Reports of someone throwing the shlong-shaped objects skyward, to dangle off of overhead wires like a pair of shoes, made

alleged tosser, who explained she and some

wire. They preferred nothing be thrown up there, but they weren’t particularly phased either. While it’s possible that those same 20-somethings are still tying two dildos together and hurling them over power lines, it seems more likely that inspiration has passed to others. Many Portlanders can wryly point to their neighborhood skyward dildo, while still more are unaware it’s a thing. It’s for sure “a thing.”

2. Leaving a note

In Portland you can really get a wide va riety of notes. Park your car weird? You’re gonna get a note. Fail to rake your leaves? That’s a note. During the pandemic, my neighbor taped a note

through the Franz Bakery is one of the few

gently rotates on a pedestal above the building. The loaf is subtle. You might not think much of it the first time, but as you pass on subsequent evenings it will continue to greet you with lowkey revolution. One day the Franz Bakery will remove the loaf, and YOU WILL LOSE YOUR GODDAMN MIND, emailing and texting every media source in your address book: “Where is the loaf?!?” Answer: Sometimes the loaf is removed for cleaning. The loaf will always return.

4. Prices at PDX

Portland has a nice airport. I honestly can’t believe we have it so good. PDX is connected to the city by a dedicated public transit light rail, TSA is generally swift, and you won’t pay more for snacks, souvenirs, or booze than you would in town. In 1988, when PDX’s “Oregon Market” opened behind the security checkpoint, the notion of “street pricing” was already in place. And in the “baggie of three ounce bottles” hellscape that is flying, it’s pretty nice to know you can count on a whiskey and a turkey sandwich for under $20, as you put your whole dang outfit back together after security.

5. Thanking the bus driver

Have you ever been on a Trimet bus when approximately seventeen teenage students exit at once, and they all—one after another—thank the bus driver? It will restore you. And when riding the bus in Portland, you’re likely to hear plenty of “thank you!” as you go. If nothing else, it’s a good way to communicate “I have stepped off the bus” to the driver. It’s the gentleperson’s “back door!”—the thing we are forced to shout when the mid-bus door won’t open. Also, it turns out drivers seem to like it. So, thank you to all the fine folks on their routes, keeping us on time for meetings, navigating streets that really shouldn’t have parking, and being a force of serene stability in Portland. ■

SUZETTE SMITH

JENNY VU

ZOË LAWRANCE ZOËLAWRANCE

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT THE PORTLAND MUSIC SCENE!

Behold! Here are five recurring music nights and events to fall in love with.

BY JENNI MOORE

Portland, consider yourself incredibly blessed: there are more music festivals and local series than you can shake a stick at, and certainly more than we have room to list here. You’ll find a wide-range of music festivals year-round, including punk and rock at Lose Yr Mind Fest in fall, loads of shows at the multi-venue Biamp Portland Jazz Festival in winter, and a bevy of classic and contemporary blues at the massive Waterfront Blues Festival in the summer. But what if you want to go out and see a great show… like, right now or in the near future? What follows are a mix of recurring, locally focused music nights, as well as the must-see music festivals that are making Portland a better place.

1. Rontoms’ Sunday Sessions

Though it’s not a traditional music venue, that’s one of the major reasons Portlanders adore attending Sunday Sessions at Rontoms, which is a genuine hipster bar—but in a good way. Sticking to no genre in particular, Rontoms’ Sunday Sessions is always free, and the series becomes extra appealing during the wet and cold months, when artists take to the center of the stylish room for more cozy, intimate sets by the fireplace, where one can eat a grilled cheese and drink mulled wine. In the summer, Sunday Sessions goes off on the expansive back patio, where there also happen to be fire pits!

Rontoms’, 600 E Burnside, every Sunday, 8 pm, free

While free music festivals aren’t as common as they used to be (sorry, Waterfront Blues Fest fans!), PDX Pop Now! continues to be a free, all-ages music festival that spans a week and is run entirely by volunteers. Designed to increase participation and inclusiveness for Portland’s self-sustained music scene, the festival uses a somewhat democratic process of having volunteers listen to track submissions and vote for the songs that appear on PDX Pop Now!’s annual compilation album. The fest used to go on at a couple stages nestled under the Morrison Bridge, but in 2022 they chose to do things a bit differently by moving to a multi-venue model with various 21+ shows and a cover charge, as well as two all-ages outdoor shows anchoring the week. This was in response to the pandemic, and to help support Portland’s independently owned venues. PDX Pop Now!, various venues, dates, and times. Stand by for their 2023 announcement, pdxpopnow.com

2. PDX Pop Now!

GZA at Pickathon.

Raquel Divar at PDX Pop Now!

MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND

MEG NANNA

Take An Art Class At Ulna Studio

Ulna Studio is a spacious, well-lit art studio in an Old Portland warehouse.

Our mission is to create a supportive creative community and foster artistic growth. We prize self expression in art making and offer classes in drawing, painting and printmaking. Our classes range from beginner to intermediate and are taught by experienced working artists. We have flexible class times, from one-day workshops to 6 week long sessions.

Come see what committing time to creativity can do for your life.

Ulna studio is a creative space located on the 7th floor of the Portland Storage Building at 215 SE Morrison St. www.ulnastudio.com

PORTLAND | BEAVERTON | VANCOUVER ADORNBODYART.COM

3. Pickathon

Launched in 1999, Pickathon music festival is known to some as the ”anti-music festival” by eliminating or greatly reducing all the things about music festivals that are so damn unpleasant: litter, waste, and price gouging concessions. While the festival’s grounds are actually located at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, about 16 miles outside the city, Pickathon has built a cult-following in Portland and beyond for its excellent lineups, gorgeous natural setting, family friendliness (hello family feeding nest!), and wellness programming. Think: mountain views while you see GZA (of Wu-Tang Clan) live, escaping the summer heat to see your favorite artist inside a cool shady forest, or a Sons of Kemet performance with special guest Esperanza Spalding on an eco-friendly art installation stage. And don’t even get us started on their pioneering no-waste model. Who knew reusable utensils, dishes, and cups at a music festival could be so delightful?

Pickathon, Happy Valley, OR, Aug 3-6, free-$410, all ages

4. A Beat Happening

A Beat Happening is a monthly hip-hop showcase/label/YouTube channel that uniquely caters to producers over emcees— and that’s the way we like it. The concert series is co-hosted and resident DJ’d by Portland-based producer Luvjones and DJ Free Tillman, who by the way, has provided yet another version of SZA’s “Kill Bill’’ that I didn’t know I needed. The duo keeps the party energized and grooving before billed beatmakers take to the decks. There’s something about going out on the town to hear well-made production, nostalgic remixes and flips of classic records, and enjoying it all in a venue that makes it all feel very art-y. Formerly held at spots like retro music/art store Future Shock, or popular inner SE bar venue Produce Row, A Beat Happening recently established its new home at Lolo

Pass, a swanky hostel on East Burnside. Recent shows have highlighted producers and DJs like VNPRT, Sxlxmxn, Surebert, Sir Nai, Hot16, NorthernDraw, and Snugsworth ABH is also known to include the occasional rapper on its lineups, like a recent appearance from [E]mpress. The showcase also works with other organizations to shine a spotlight on local producers at more stages throughout Portland; there’s a new Beats & Rhymes showcase co-presented with ABH and former series Mic Check PDX, while ABH also does all-ages events and programming with music nonprofit Friends of Noise.

A Beat Happening, Lolo Pass, 1616 E Burnside, monthly, 4 pm-7 pm, free, all ages, abeathappening.org

5. The Thesis

We are no stranger to singing the praises of The Thesis, a monthly local hip-hop concert co-founded in 2014 by Grant Stolle (AKA resident DJ Verbz), Mac Smiff of We Out Here Magazine, and Blake Hickman of Good Cheer Records. Since 2014, the Thesis has only missed a few months of shows due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and the longstanding series at Kelly’s Olympian has established itself as Portland’s premiere monthly hip-hop showcase. For the 21-and-up crowd, it’s a reliable (and much-needed) home for hip-hop music and nightlife in Portland. Though each show has an intimate, small-town feel, the monthly show continues to add to its throng of followers by way of consistent lineups that merge locals with out-of-town talent. For a very long time, The Thesis’ price of admission was just $5, but nowadays you’ll have to pay the still-affordable-but-more-respectable price of $15 in advance, $20 at the door. (Full-disclosure: I used to help out with the Thesis’ guest list in pre-COVID times.)

The Thesis, Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington, every first Thursday, 9 pm, $15 adv, $20 door ■

Blossom at The Thesis.

CHRISTOPHER GARCIA VALLE

COME AS YOU ARE

A transplant’s unexpected first year in Portland.

BY ROSE WONG

Ayear ago, I pulled up for the first time in front of a cream and forest green-colored house perched on the side of a hill in Goose Hollow.

I climbed on top of my SUV’s center console and popped through the sunroof, asking my new roommate to take a photo of me in front of my first home in Portland, in the car I had driven more than 3,000 miles from Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Portland has resemblances to St. Pete: street-side murals, tattoos, vegan options, sexy queers. A coastal city south of Tampa, “The Sunshine City” still holds a Guinness World Record for drenching Floridians in the most consecutive days of sunshine — 768 days — starting in 1967. While I delighted in the good weather and beach access, I felt stagnant at my job. I craved good Chinese food and people who looked like me. I entangled myself with someone whose presence eventually plagued the city, making anywhere else sound better.

I had resisted the idea of Portland — I hardly knew anyone on the West Coast and I hated the rain. A 2015 Quora response to “What is it like to live in Portland?” wrote: “The weather sucks. It’s not just “rainy” or “misty”; it’s a soul-killing suck. Imagine looking out your window and beholding a scene that is basically all one color; a numbing, bruised gray-blue that I can only describe as the color of wet pavement. That’s what you see. That’s all you see… The people are this color.”

I read this quote to my journalism mentor on FaceTime, expressing my qualms of living

in a city full of gray-blue-colored people or potentially becoming one myself. But I had been offered a promising job to cover early education at The Oregonian, and I was desperate for a change.

I arrived at the perfect time. Portland summer was in early bloom. Everywhere I looked, evergreen trees spiraled into an infinite cerulean blue. Yellow light rained down and filtered through tall branches of dark leaves, casting a warm glow through the early summer. On clear days, I could see Mount Rainier and St. Helen’s from my bedroom window. In traffic on Marquam Bridge, I gazed on the snow-capped summits and the light sparkling on the surface of the Willamette River. I thought about how grateful and proud I was to have taken this leap of faith and get to experience such beauty, until cars behind me honked and snapped me out of my happy trance.

I moved in with Savannah, public safety reporter at The Oregonian and Midwest transplant. We ate pancakes at the wooden dining table-and-bench-set she found on Facebook Marketplace, admiring a distant Mount Hood through our kitchen window. We shared who we missed thousands of miles away and hit our first strip club together. She joined me as I slurped down the city’s array of soup noodles and dumplings. At work, I dove into a new beat, guided by a woman editor who demanded excellence from herself and her reporters but centered compassion and humility at the most critical hour. The big newsroom window overlooked

the Willamette and Hawthorne Bridge. When the clouds parted, I marveled at a sweeping view of Mount Hood.

The rain did come. “Wet pavement” was not a bad description of the sky on most fall and winter days. I felt myself starting to drown in the downpour. I asked for advice. One piece of wisdom I held onto most: “Keep doing things.”

I watched obscure VHS films at Cinemagic and learned about black holes at the OMSI Planetarium. I stepped further into the Ghibli Universe at Empirical Theater and fell for Haley Heynderickx when she opened for Lucy Dacus at the Roseland. I competed in an adult spelling bee at Rose City Book Pub (damn you, ignominious) and attended my first porn film fest at Revolution Hall. I ate up the local arts and culture coverage. In a city that invests in its artists, I began to see myself as one.

From hours spent in a department storesized bookstore to evenings popping into indie theaters across town, Portland had been stripping me down to my most creative self. Through a Literary Arts writing course, I started to write out the words that had been clamoring in my chest. Pages poured out. When the pace eased, creative discipline kicked in. I wanted more and more time to write.

When an oncologist at OHSU told me the prognosis for metastatic synovial sarcoma, I realized I wanted to spend every day of the rest of my life making art and gazing up at tall trees.

In the week before I quit my job in January, I became catatonically consumed by what people might think. I was afraid to let my editor and mentors down. I thought my colleagues would stop taking me seriously as a person. I didn’t know who I was if I couldn’t say I was a jOuRnaLiSt.

At a Halloween party months earlier, I met a Jesus who asked if I wanted to make out in the middle of our mutual acquaintance’s living room. I thought there were a lot of people, but he was hot so I said yes.

When I shared with Tom my fears of leaving the news business, he looked at me with soft eyes and stretched his palm toward me. He told me anyone who cared about me, and therefore whose opinion mattered, wouldn’t view me differently. I am not my job title.

It’s May again. The promise of summer buoys me through the final stretch of a wet, mercurial spring. Dogwood trees, camellia bushes, and their carpet of fuchsia petals brighten neighborhood streets, as days of gray drizzle are followed by lengthening stretches of sun.

Meanwhile, I’ve been writing and devouring books. I interviewed Michelle Zauner last month about her memoir while deathly hungover from my 25th birthday party the night before. I nanny two girls in Beaverton to supplement my income. Through it all, I’m dating someone who loves me as I am, echoing the city he’s lived in for more than a decade.

I feel, finally, that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. ■

ROSE WONG

My Portland.

COMMUNITY MATTERS HERE

When you bank with Advantis, you make good things possible for the places we all call home. Together, we regularly donate our time, talent, and resources to help our local communities grow stronger. Join us for a better way to bank.

$295,300

Total Advantis charitable giving in 2022

$100,390

Corporate donations + employee donation matches to nonprofit organizations

33

Percentage of employees volunteering in the community

$60,000

Amount granted to local nonprofits through Grow: The Advantis Community Fund

$19,700

Donations from Advantis members supporting Sunshine Division

$131,500

Direct donations to organizations supporting marginalized or underrepresented communities

960

Advantis employee volunteer hours

92

Organizations served through volunteering, donations, sponsorships, employee giving, and more

Federally Insured by NCUA

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND ACTIVISM!

Here are a few local activist organizations fighting to make Portland better every single day.

BY CANDACE AVALOS

It’s been 10 years since I moved to Portland, and it’s the best decision I ever made. We’re a city full of character, depth, creativity, and despite our flaws, we have an active community of advocates fighting for change. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing obituaries of Portland’s death from grandstanding grifters. There are too many good people out here doing too many good things to keep harping on our failures—so let’s talk about a few local people and organizations who are proving that our city is worth fighting for!

1. Business for a Better Portland (BBPDX)

Our city’s economic recovery has run into a political firestorm that’s spilled over into the civic commons. Legacy power brokers, nervous about what charter reform means for them, are doubling down on soundbites lifted from Nextdoor and The Atlantic to convince you that Portland’s best days are behind it. Many of them are hoping that the city’s damaged brand can be converted into political capital at City Hall, where special interest groups can curry favors and concessions in return for magic beans over the next 18 months before a newly elected council that more strongly represents Portlanders takes office in 2025. Thankfully, we have an org like Business for a Better Portland which informs and activates business owners to engage in the public sector, such as advocating for city charter reform, participating in the city’s economic development strategy, and supporting community events. They understand that behind your favorite place to grab brunch and the startup working to make the world suck a little less, are people committed to seeing Portland achieve its massive potential. Small business owners

are rolling up their sleeves, with vision, curiosity and grit to build a Portland that a lot of us are finding it hard to see right now. Don’t let the dark money-funded “People for Portland” convince you that our city’s demise is imminent, because BBPDX members are out here proving them wrong every day. The next time you feel like you want to trade Couch Street for a new couch in Austin, join them at one of their events or visit with one of their members, and I promise you’ll be inspired to become an active part of our city’s recovery.

To find out more, go to bbpdx.org

2. Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing (PCCEP)

I know what you’re thinking: Police accountability in Portland is trash, so how could any police advisory board be doing any good? You may be right about the first part, but PCCEP is creating important community spaces for conversation that will build the foundation for how we fix the dysfunctional police accountability system. Building trust in the community and creating space for voices not often heard is an important part of the transition to the new police accountability system that voters approved by 82 percent in 2020. Alerting the community to what the city is up to—like trying to implement faulty surveillance technology that disproportionately harms communities of color—helps engage organizers and raise awareness that activates Portlanders to demand practices that will lead to actual community safety. Not all of the city’s police oversight boards are created equal (ahem, the Focused Intervention Team Oversight Group AKA FIT COG), but give credit where credit is due, because PCCEP is expertly navigating the muddy waters of police ac-

COURTESY PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE

countability, while shining a light on the ways we can all be involved in improving police oversight in the city.

To find out more, go to portland.gov/pccep.

3. League of Women Voters (LWV)

At a recent happy hour with some local change makers, someone mentioned that the League of Women Voters is like Portland’s mom: they’re kind, firm, vigilant, protective, and always coming up with new ways to innovate local politics. Whether it’s putting out comprehensive reports on government reform and police accountability, activating voters to engage with their city, or showing up to challenge our elected officials, they are fighting for Portland’s future. The League is also doing the heavy lifting of monitoring the ongoing implementation of the charter reform measure—and that is so critical at a time where the majority of the current city council is seemingly spending all their time explicitly or subtly trying to undermine the will of voters. The LWV continues to be a great example of how you use your societal and political privilege to amplify the issues important to underrepresented communities. Talk about allyship!

Find out more at lwv.org.

4. Blanchet House

If you ask any Portlander which political/social issue they care most about right now, a majority of them would say the homelessness crisis. And while everyone agrees we need solutions, we all definitely don’t agree on what is the best way to solve it. The list of amazing advocates and organizations fighting for humane, compassionate solutions is long, but Blanchet House stands out for how they put their theory of change into action. Since 1952 Blanchet House has been providing social services in Old Town through food, shelter, and aid. They provide free meals to houseless Portlanders along with other life-saving resources like Narcan and clothes, as well as operating multiple units of housing connected to services which can help get people back on their feet. But what sticks out most is the way Executive Director Scott Kerman uses Twitter to combat the current negative narrative and advocate for treating humans with dignity while providing solid solutions. It takes a huge toll to personally and professionally chal -

lenge the status quo’s narrative, so I have deep respect for leaders who aren’t afraid to speak truth to power. Keep it up, Blanchet House!

Find out more at blanchethouse.org.

5. Portland Street Response (PSR)

Two years ago Portland accomplished what, for many years, seemed like a pipe dream: We created a new first responder system. Under former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s leadership and with the guidance of fierce community advocates, a new way to interact with our community was brought to life in the Portland Street Response. The goals of this program are to assist people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises without the intervention of an armed police officer. This nationally recognized first responder system is built for contemporary times, and it’s important we continue to scale up this program as the need on our streets becomes more evident every day. Despite city wide popularity and approval from a variety of different sectors, political forces and neglectful leaders are seeking to misdirect the program and diminish its impactful mission. The incredible public servants who have brought this program to life deserve so much better and we as Portlanders need to demand its long term, citywide implementation. We’ve got your back, PSR!

Find out more at portland.gov/streetresponse

In short, there is so much to celebrate in Portland! It’s hard sometimes when doing change-making work to keep a perspective of love and hope, but it’s truly the only thing that will grow our movement. Plus, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity coming up in 2024 to elect an entirely new city council that represents our progressive interests—so don’t sleep on it! Portland may have been wounded, but it’s not dying, and thanks to the above people and organizations (and so many more), there truly is hope for our city’s future.

Candace Avalos is the executive director of Verde, chair of Portland’s Citizen Review Committee, and a former Charter Review Commissioner. Her top three favorite things to do in Portland are eat tacos at Taqueria Los Puñales, play in her kickball league in the many parks across town, and dance at Holocene! ■

COURTESY LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

PORTLAND’S POP CULTURE CULTURE

The dream of the ‘90s (and ‘80s, and early aughts) is alive in Portland

BY BEN COLEMAN

Portland isn’t fancy. It never has been and no number of Gucci storefronts or celebrity gin distilleries is going to transform this dirtbag timber town into some glossy magazine cover of a city. In our hearts we know we are dingy and dog-eared and rough around the edges, like a paperback book left in a bus terminal waiting room. And honestly? That’s pretty fucking chill. There’s no freedom like the freedom of being a slightly rumpled outlier to the crushing grind of mainstream success. Our entertainments tend to reflect that too, even after they tore down the last of the old porn theaters and all-night coffee shops. So let’s take a tour of some of our less flashy preoccupations, from rep screenings to VHS swaps to the backyard comic cons that make our city the slacker middle child of West Coast metros.

1. Old Indie Theaters

Art is art, and I’m sure you can have a perfectly enjoyable time watching Avatar on a busted Nokia if you want to, and there’s surely a case to be made for cutting-edge 4DX and laser IMAX experiences. But Portland is also home to a truly respectable number of beautiful independent theaters, some of which have weathered a century or so of changing tastes, shifting media landscapes, and a whole-ass pandemic. These theaters represent both a living connection to the history of film and the experimental frontier of indie cinema, and it’s amazing that we still have as many to choose from as we do. There’s an undeniable magic to seeing an old film in the context in which it was intended to be seen, surrounded by like-minded strangers in the flickering darkness of a big art deco cave. No one alive today could

have seen the opening weekend of Metropolis, and audiences famously slept on cult classics like The Thing and Blade Runner Queer and outsider voices were often relegated to the sidelines of a limited release, or quietly dumped on video. Getting an opportunity to see these films in a full house is a kind of cultural time travel or alternate history, a chance to claw back a unique and fleeting moment from the neverending churn of popular culture.

In particular I’d like to spotlight Cinema 21, which has been screening some absolute classics lately like Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard and Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd alongside new and emerging indie voices you’re not likely to find elsewhere on a big screen. There is simply no greater pleasure for a Portland cinephile than watching some inscrutable piece of avant garde nonsense at Cinema 21 and then going next door to Coffee Time and arguing if it made any goddamn sense over clattering cups of scalding espresso.

On the other side of town, Cinemagic has transformed in recent years into a true movie lovers clubhouse, blowing the doors off with delightfully trashy VHS and Laserdisc nights and incredibly rad one-weekend screenings of ‘80s bangers like Akira and Aliens. And no discussion of the Portland film scene would be complete without mentioning The Hollywood Theater, a non-profit institution with one of the West Coast’s most beautiful rococo marquees that is 100 percent where the ghosts of old vaudeville stars hang out and chomp cigars. You don’t have to pick a vibe with Hollywood, they screen deep cut gems like Drop Dead Gorgeous and Venus Wars in between austere 70mm prints of 2001 and Barry Lyndon

SUZETTE SMITH

Cinema 21

2. Video Stores

Maybe I’m an old media obsessive and maybe there isn’t a second part of this sentence to refute the first part—but dammit, video stores are cool too! Setting aside the inevitable ‘90s kid nostalgia and vaporwave Instagram memes, there’s just something existentially reassuring about flimsy wire shelves densely packed with the hopes and dreams of a thousand curious filmmakers. Streaming is cheap and easy and I don’t think anyone anywhere is advocating for society to un-invent it. But every movie and TV show and ill-advised holiday special took a lot of work to make, and it’s a bit depressing to see thousands of hours

physical bulletin boards in town, which gets regularly updated with flyers advertising movie clubs, tape swaps, garage sales, and rare or unusual film screenings.

3. Comics

Despite the ballooning cost of living and omnipresent pall of seasonal depression, there’s still a thriving community of comics professionals, aspiring creators, and fans here in Portland. Looking for a painterly YA graphic novel with a dry wit and a lot of heart? Allow me to direct you to Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis (who, full disclosure, I’ve collaborated with in the past) or The Ghoul Next Door , illustrated by Portland native Cat Farris. Need a magical realist queer sports webcomic? That’d be Midnight Furies by Jess Herron. High-concept espionage action? Check out Retroactive or Jager by Ibrahim Mustafa. How about hardcore sex escapades with a humanist twist? Look no further than Oh Joy Sex Toy created by locals Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. And while the industry as a whole has calcified around spandex-clad shared-universe stories from Marvel and DC, local heavyweights like Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Lieber, Jeff Parker, Joëlle Jones, and Benjamin Dewey are all doing compelling and innovative work in that space.

You can see any of these creators at any given comic con in the region, although the average big convention tends to be fairly expensive to get into and more oriented towards waiting in line to see one of the

of collective labor boiled down to the size of a commemorative postage stamp on the Netflix home screen and left to the mercy of an unfeeling algorithm.

Portland used to be home to a fair few video joints, even after the big rental chains went the way of the payphone. Now all that remains is Movie Madness, which these days exists as a community space as much as anything else. Every weekend the on-site miniplex hosts free screenings of oddball employee picks, Movie Madness University offers continuing education for aspiring cinephiles, and there’s even a li’l library of film books now for the deepest of the multimedia deep dives. It feels weird to be saying this in 2023, but they’ve even got one of the better

stars of Supernatural than anything related to comics themselves. A better bet is to check out a signing event at one of the constellation of comic shops in town, from old hands like Excalibur and Cosmic Monkey to more boutique-y places like Floating World or Rose City Comics. Shops like those, and the dozen or so more I don’t have space to mention here, are another example of Portland’s resilient physical media landscape, and a pleasant alternative to big box stores or Amazon piss jar factories. And the BWP minicon put on by Books with Pictures in July will be a free, outdoor comics event featuring many of the above creators in front of a chill, queer-friendly, and Eisner award-winning comics shop. ■

ZOË LAWRANCE

ZOË LAWRANCE

Nick Orr of Books with Pictures.

Movie Madness

Portland’s Biggest Summer Events

BY JULIANNE BELL, LINDSAY COSTELLO, AUDREY VANN, AND JANEY WONG

Pedalpalooza

Various locations (June 1–Aug 31)

This summer-long festival of bikey fun is a calendar highlight for pedalpowered Portlanders. Riders of all ages are welcome to join hundreds of events independently organized by community members like you. From themed rides to the famous World Naked Bike Ride (Aug 12), there’s plenty of opportunities to connect with like-minded bikers. JW

Portland Rose Festival

The city’s landmark festival will return to celebrate its 115-year legacy with petals, pistils, stamens, and a slew of much-loved events that “focus on fun.” The festivities include the Grand Floral Parade (a botanical spectacular on wheels) and the twinkly nighttime Starlight Parade of illuminated floats, plus the Queen’s coronation, a treasure hunt, dragon boat races (a thrilling Chinese tradition practiced in the Rose City since 1989), and a three-weekend CityFair with carnival rides. (Bring your thirst to CityFair—Oregon Brewers Festival will present a “tap takeover” with featured beers and Rose Festival mugs up for grabs.) Various locations (May 26–June 11) LC

Multnomah County Fair

Wholesome, family-friendly vibes abound at the Multnomah County Fair, where attendees can peep

a pioneer village, chow down on nachos, and enjoy amusement park rides. A car show will showcase lowriders and hot rods, and cultural performers will hit the stage throughout the weekend. Perhaps most importantly, the dachshund race is cute enough to make you forget your problems for a few blessed minutes. (Visitors can enter their own wiener pups for a chance to win prizes.) Oaks

Amusement Park (May 27–29) LC

Tigard Festival of Balloons

While a buoyant brigade of kaleidoscopic hot air balloons floats in the morning skies above Tigard, festivities will ensue below, including craft and vendor booths, classic carnival rides, a Rogue Ales beer garden, country and blues-infused tunes, tethered rides, and more. If the festival’s daytime events somehow don’t offer up enough balloon action for you, never fear: A sunset launch of even more balloons will cap off the Friday and Saturday celebrations with a luminous glow. Cook Park (June 23–25) LC

Brunch

Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade

Tom McCall Waterfront Park (July 15–16)

With a record number of states advancing bills that attack LGBTQ rights (per the ACLU), especially those of trans folks, it’s more pertinent than ever to come together in community and find pockets of queer joy and celebration. There will be rainbow paraphernalia aplenty at Portland’s annual pride festival and accompanying loud-and-proud parade through downtown streets, held for the first time in July this year to avoid overlapping with other events and extend the celebration past Pride Month. The two-day festival gathers exhibitors ranging from school gay-straight alliance groups to nonprofits and community organizations, plus lots of live music and drag performances, food, and more. JW

PDX Adult Soapbox Derby

Every summer, Portlanders trudge up the side of

and other aerodynamic (eh, questionable)

designs. While crowd favorites earn thunderous cheers, prizes are dished out for categories like best engineering, “shit talker,” and lifetime achievement. Mt. Tabor Park (Sat Aug 19) JW

CULTURE

Latino Cultural Festival

Hosted by the Hillsboro Hops, this cultural festival anticipates packed crowds (over 10,000 visitors typically attend), so you’ll be celebrating Latino heritage in good company. The festivities commence with a vivacious parade led by Hillsboro elementary students, dancers, and musicians, and performances throughout the day will spotlight talented youth. Cheer on the 200-player futsal tournament and chow down on delicious Latino cuisine. Ron Tonkin Field (Sun June 4) LC

Juneteenth Oregon

Commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, Oregon’s 51st annual Juneteenth celebration is a community event that was first started by Vanport shipyard worker Clara Peoples. Over the two-day festival, celebrants will watch a parade, peruse vendors and local

The Mercury’s Calendar Event listings by

JANEY WONG

COURTESY OF PRIDE NORTHWEST

TeaFestPDX

World Forestry Center & Discovery Museum (Sat July 15)

Channel your inner Uncle Iroh at this annual festival dedicated to tea in all of its many forms. You’ll get to connect with other connoisseurs of camellia sinensis (though you don’t have to know the technical name for tea plants to attend) and learn about tea culture, history, health benefits, varieties, brewing methods, teaware, and more. Plus, peruse booths from vendors such as Smith Teamaker, Young Mountain Tea, International Tea Sippers Society, Camellia Pistrina, Mizuba Tea Co., Tisanity, and Mamancy Tea & Chocolates. Who knows—you might just go home with a new daily ritual. JB

community organizations, and enjoy a lineup of performances. Plus, you’ll want to brush up on your steps because the Cupid Shuffler-in-chief, Cupid himself, will headline the festivities. Lillis-Albina Park (June 17–18) JW

Oregon Midsummer Festival

This Midsummer celebration is a little less “Ari Aster folk horror,” and more “Nordic summer delicacies and yard games.” But yes, you can still wear a flower crown. Warm up to the summer sun with maypole decorating, Scandinavian traditional dancing, Nordic vintage vendors, Viking history, and a gnome-themed scavenger hunt, plus the League of Swedish Societies’ 96th annual raising of the Portland Midsummer pole. You’ll find delicious unpronounceables from Broder Söder and Carina’s Bakery available for snacking, too, plus Nordic brews on tap from Ridgewalker Brewing. Skål! Nordic Northwest (June 23–24) LC

India Festival

Spearheaded by the India Cultural Association of Portland, this outdoor festival brings India’s vibrant culture to Portland’s living room with a flurry of music and dance performances, plus booths with fashion, art, and mouthwatering Indian cuisine. Now in its 29th year, the event is held in proximity to August 15 in celebration of India’s independence day. Pioneer Courthouse Square (Sun Aug 6) JW

FOOD & DRINK

The Bloody Mary Festival

With its savory vodka-spiked tomato juice base and garnishes ranging from the humble (celery) to outlandish (mini cheeseburgers), the Bloody Mary is a bona fide brunch classic. At this event, you’ll get to enjoy an unlimited supply of the umami-rich cocktail in a myriad of iterations from local bars and restaurants, not to mention coffee, food and drink samples, temporary tattoos, photo opportunities, and more. Plus, cast a vote for your favorite Bloody Mary to win the People’s Choice Award. The Redd on Salmon (Sat June 10) JB

Portland Craft Beer Festival

Unlike similar craft beer events, this annual festival focuses primarily on beers brewed within the city limits of Portland, making an excellent opportunity

ERIK SCHULTZ

COURTESY OF BLOODY MARY FESTIVAL

Cathedral Park Jazz Festival

Cathedral Park (July 14–16)

Crowds will sprawl out on Cathedral Park’s sloping lawn for the 43rd annual edition of this jazz festival presented by the Jazz Society of Oregon. Pack a picnic or enjoy food from onsite food carts as swingin’ sounds waft through the summer breeze. At press time, the lineup had yet to be announced, but considering last year’s festival included the likes of Portland jazz greats the Mel Brown Trio, Brown Calculus, and Bridge City Soul, this festival is not to be missed. Plus, admission is free, so you have no excuses! AV

to avail yourself of plenty of local suds in one place. If beer isn’t your thing, there’s also a selection of cider, wine, and mead. This year’s gathering will be held at the charming Elizabeth Caruthers Park, with food, live music, vendors, games, and other entertainment. Best of all, you can rest easy knowing your ticket supports a good cause: Together with its partner CaskAide, Inc., the festival has raised $35,000 for local non-profits. Elizabeth Caruthers Park (June 30–July 2) JB

Portland Mercury’s Burger Week

Hamburglars, it’s your time to shine. You have one week to see how many one-of-a-kind burgers you can put away at an absolute steal—$8 each! You

won’t get a trophy or anything, but you will have bragging rights among your fellow burger lovers and one very satisfied stomach. The Merc’s most popular food week event by a landslide features vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, so no growling belly is left behind. Plot your own personalized burger adventure and try as many as you like. For maximum success, we recommend wearing something with an elastic waistband—oh, and don’t forget to tip the kitchen staff and servers. Various locations (Aug 21–27) JB

MUSIC

Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn

Edgefield’s historic, 74-acre tree-framed lawn will host its annual outdoor concert series, with big names like art punk heavies Yeah Yeah Yeahs, indie rock tear-jerkers Death Cab For Cutie, reigning queen of soul Diana Ross, and pop gem Maggie Rogers. I, for one, can’t wait to see indie folk ensemble Big Thief, who will co-headline with the one and only Lucinda Williams. They are precisely the combination that will make me sob through the night (in a good way). McMenamins Edgefield (June 2–Sept 26) AV

COURTESY OF CATHEDRAL PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL

Oregon Renaissance Fair

Clackamas County Event Center (June 3–18)

Whether you’re there for the Middle Ages vibes or the unbeatable peoplewatching, the Ren Faire at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds (aka the “Vale of Dunrose”) is always a mead-guzzlin’ good time. Harkening back to when musicians, jugglers, and falconers all reveled together, this fantasy-loving festival (led by Mary, Queen of Scots) will take place for three consecutive weekends in June, celebrating fairies, pirates, Celtic culture, and everything in between. Nothing says summer like chainmail and wool tunics, so head to the fair to catch jousting knights and snag trinkets and treats from a longgone era. LC

Chamber Music Northwest: Poetry in Music

For their 53rd annual summer festival, Chamber Music Northwest will flex a wide-ranging repertoire of concerts that celebrates the confluence of poetry and chamber music. Highlights from the festival include a Baroque-era journey with the Oregon Bach Festival Period Orchestra, two final performances from the New York-based classical ensemble

SEA CHANGE

Sea Change explores how we work and live on the sea, seek passage across it, and sometimes succumb to its raw power. Featuring Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi; Euroclydon by William Billings; Sailing Away by Melissa Dunphy; The Sea Bird (world premiere) & five new sea shanty arrangments by Alexander Johnson.

JUNE 9 · 7:00PM

LUTHERAN CHURCH 2710 NE 14TH AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97212

Emerson String Quartet (who will sadly disband after the 2023 season), the West Coast debut of powerhouse composer collective umama womama, and a performance of David Ludwig’s “The Anchoress,” which features a rare combination of strings, piano, saxophones, woodwinds, and poetry. The festival will come to a close with a festival finale celebrating the vitality of American music from New England church hymns to trailblazing composer Amy Beach. Various locations (June 24–July 29) AV

Vanport Jazz Festival

Paying homage to the Black musicians and artists of Oregon’s short-lived wartime housing development (destroyed by a flood in 1948), the Vanport Jazz

Thursdays @ Three on All Classical 89.9 fm

JUNE 1 · 3:00PM

Sea Shanty Night at Steeplejack Brewery

JUNE 1 · 6:00PM

The Mercury’s Calendar Event listings by

COURTESY OF OREGON RENAISSANCE FAIRE

TOM EMERSON

COURTESY OF VANPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Pickathon

Pendarvis Farm (Aug 3–6)

Pickathon is back, baby! Beloved for their wide-ranging acts, pastoral farmyard setting, and pioneering sustainability practices, the long-running music festival will celebrate its 24th year with a plethora of talent including indie-folk duo Watchhouse, soul icon Lee Fields, indie rock trio Dehd, and Americana singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. Don’t miss the revolutionary Zamrock band W.I.T.C.H. (“We Intend To Cause Havoc”), whose fusion of psych rock, R&B, and traditional Zambian sounds are the perfect soundtrack for a warm August day. AV

invites surviving members of the Vanport community, renowned musical talent, and jazz aficionados to join together and honor this local history. This year, the festival will include performances from R&B singer-songwriter Joseph Lewis Thomas (known mononymously as Joe), world-renowned saxophonist Mike Phillips, smooth jazz legend Boney James, soul singer-songwriter Goapele, Scottish blue-eyed soul group Average White Band, and more. Colwood Golf Course (Aug 4–5) AV

PDX Live

ARTS

(At

True West and Pioneer Courthouse Square have teamed up once again, bringing live music back to downtown Portland for the second year with an outdoor music series hosting a slew of legendary performers. This year’s lineup is even more exciting than last year’s, with highlights like punk poet laureate Patti Smith, cherished sister duo Tegan and Sara, Michelle Zauner’s indie rock project Japanese Breakfast, indie folk heavyweights Fleet Foxes, and indie pop star beabadoobee. Pioneer Courthouse Square (Aug 9–24) AV

The Mercury’s Calendar Event listings by

Waterfront Blues Festival

Tom McCall Waterfront Park (July 1–4)

The Waterfront Blues Festival will celebrate its 36th year as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved and anticipated music events with over 100 diverse and multigenerational musicians that carry on the traditions and various shades of the definitive genre. This year’s headliners include Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy, Americana ensemble The Mavericks, Southern soul-rock band JJ Grey & Mofro, funk guitarist Cory Wong, and the selfidentified “Texican rock ‘n’ roll” trio Los Lonely Boys. AV

Festival, where you can get your spook on with “over 20 hours” of fresh shorts, indie haunts, and sleeper hits to die for. With in-person screenings and virtual options, it’s a lil’ like Halloween in June. Expect spooky offerings from BIPOC, women, and queer filmmakers, and pick your poison—you’ll find folk horror, masked killers, and haunted houses in the festival lineup. Hollywood Theatre & Clinton Street Theater (June 7–11) LC

Portland Sketch Comedy Festival

As the brainchild of Portland comedy mainstays Ted Douglass and Shelley McLendon, the Portland Sketch Comedy Festival set a precedent for quick-witted comedy that drew huge crowds. Then COVID-19 happened, and the fest was forced to fall off the map for a few years. But they’re back, baby! Returning for its fifth edition, the three-day festival will continue to shape the city’s vibrant sketch comedy scene with hilarious (natch) performances by buzzy local troupes and out-of-towners. Siren Theater (July 20–22) LC

Sneaker Week PDX

Portland’s sneakerhead community likes to proclaim the city the “sneaker capital of the world,” and with titans like Nike and Pensole Footwear Design Academy in town, the assertion holds up. This week-long festival celebrates the global

sneaker community and Portland’s booming footwear industry with workshops and themed festivities. Various locations (Aug 3–9) JW

Portland Fashion Week

Take a break from your leggings uniform (just us?) and feast your eyes on couture at the carbon-negative Portland Fashion Week, which will return for its 22nd year with “seven sustainable nights of styles, smiles, fashion, fun, ecology, and some frivolity.” Peep upcoming collections by buzzy footwear, swimwear, bridal, and haute couture designers; past designers have included Nike, Adidas, Project Runway winners Michael Costello and Gretchen Jones, and a slew of up-and-coming, eco-conscious creatives. Various locations (Aug 14–20) LC

That’s just a taste! Find our comprehensive guide to summer events at EverOut.com/Portland

The Fields Park

1099 NW Overton St

Portland Oregon

Pearl District

Friday June 30 th 12-10pm (21 and Over)

Saturday July 1st 12-10pm (21 and Over)

Sunday July 2nd 12-6pm (All Ages)

Tickets $40 Online & $50 @ Door

JASON QUIGLEY

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND’S KICKASS LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY!

Trans strip nights! Drag king vampires! Star Trek tea houses!

(And we’re just getting started!)

BY ANDREW JANKOWSKI

No big shock: Portland’s LGBTQ+ community is fantastically diverse and fabulous. And the people listed here are just some of the amazing folks making the city a better place to live, for everyone. From the tea house parlor to the strip club lounge, these folks are organizing, innovating and renovating the worlds they occupy. While they’re no strangers to queer scene veterans, the following people share in common a love of uniting people to bring out the best in their communities and cultures. So if you haven’t met them, now’s a great time to start!

1. Portland’s transgender strip nights are some of the best in America

Both of downtown’s current nights— Kit-N-Kaboodle at Kit Kat Club, and Penthouse at Stag—are run by queer people giving a stage to the physical beauty of transgender, nonbinary, and nonconforming bodies. These nights shake up the monotony of the cis male gaze, by attracting cus tomers who either wouldn’t feel safe or entertained in the club otherwise. Not only do audience members see a show they haven’t seen anywhere else, but dancers trade skills and even support each other’s shows during slow shifts. Kit-N-Kaboo dle is run by Nikki Lev, an emcee and event producer with over a decade’s experience in nightlife entertainment. Lev’s night features all bodies and genders on both of Kit Kat Club’s stages every Tuesday night. Penthouse is a cabaret revue (now with a brunch show!) of trans, non-

binary, and gender nonconforming performers run by Jay Colby, a member of the storied House of Colby. The Colby’s house mother, Sasha, is the reigning champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race. And while Kit Kat Club and Stag are two clubs that may be opposing sides of the same coin, Kit-N-Kaboodle and Penthouse break the binary for thrilling results.

2. Bobby Lugosi calls himself “Portland’s favorite manpyre”

He’s a barely exaggerated drag king with a long history in the circus sideshow world. Lugosi’s lore mixes a proudly generic Bela Lugosi knockoff with doses of Elvis Presley, Guillermo de la Cruz from What We Do In The Shadows, traditional Mexican vampire lore, WWE machismo, and sleazy, predatory men. Lugosi’s character splits time between the Shanghai Tunnels and an invisible castle beneath the Cathedral Bridge in St Johns with his rockabilly vampire brides, but when he’s offstage, Lugosi actually lives with his polyamorous family in a home they call Hell House. Lugosi previously performed with World of Wonders, a circus and sideshow with 70 years of tours, where he learned his work ethic and honed his craft with the extreme performance arts — just ask him how a lightbulb tastes, and see what he says. As he rises from his quarantined crypt, Lugosi wants to bring his big

top safety experience to queer artists who dabble with sideshow arts, and rally the drag “kings & things” community, who he says have the best fans he’s ever seen. Lugosi plans to marry the drag queen Valerie Deville during Pride, in a wedding straight from pulp fiction.

3. Emperor Georgiou’s Tea Room is Portland’s chicest Star Trek tea house Brendon Georgiou first opened Lovejoy’s Tea Room in March 2019 on Northeast Killingsworth. Lovejoy’s was a cozy restaurant packed with kooky grandma tea sets, nestled in between a liquor store and a dispensary. Lovejoy’s finally outgrew its location, and its branding. Brendon’s husband, Wellington, joined him as they moved the restaurant to the Kenton neighborhood’s main street in December. Emperor Georgiou’s Tea Room is only a block behind the Paul Bunyan statue, and still an easy walk to a liquor store or dispensary. The Georgiou’s amicably ended their licensing agreement with Lovejoy’s of San Francisco, citing a distaste for the global brutalities of the British empire, and embraced a utopian Star Trek motif. The tea room features a mural of the USS Discovery, the flagship of the Georgiou’s favorite series, with gray marbled cafe tables. The Picards will find their Earl Grey as fresh as if it were replicated on Ten Forward. The Janeways would enjoy the menu’s coffTEA blend of black and puerh teas with coffee beans. Even Star Wars purists can let down their lightsabers for tea sandwiches and windows overlooking downtown Kenton.

ing”—gives Outback Steakhouse a well-deserved run for their dollary-do’s. None of the menu items are priced above $15, a rare find in this economy for food of this quality. Cuisine is one of the most accessible entryways to other cultures, and finding d/Deaf culture, ASL lingo, and proud queer ownership on one tasty menu feels like hitting a goldmine.

5. Uwu Collective brings avant garde art and irrepressible joy to the dancefloor

The emoticon uwu denotes warmth, joy and happiness, feelings which Uwu Collective organizer cay horiuchi and their DJs and artists bring out of their guests every time they get together. Uwu Collective, whose members are all LGBTQ+ people of color, have thrown parties for Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s late summer TBA Festival, and a vernal equinox party in March at Jupiter Next Hotel. horiuchi meets and befriends members at different Portland parties, inviting them to collaborate, and often invites an out of town queer DJ to headline.

4. Pah! serves delicious, affordable pub food and queer d/Deaf culture

Named for the American Sign Language emphatic mouth morpheme used when signing words like “finally,” “success,” or “at last,” Pah! slings heavenly seasoned fried food and burgers from a menu named for other ASL terms. Pah! is run by deaf owner Lillouie Barrios and hearing owner Victor Covarrubias, and occupies the back left corner of Zoiglhaus Brewing’s Lents neighborhood food court, The Zed. Their combined restaurant experience includes kitchens at Mis Tacones, McMenamins, Harlowe, Oregon City’s Don Pepe, and the closed queer bar Queens Head Pub. Pei Pei, Pah!’s bacon cheeseburger, is accurately named for “talented,” “expert,” “too good at,” or “cocky.” The 258 blooming onion—named for “very interest-

horiuchi finds artists on dancefloors and in quiet corners at afterparties, learns about an artist or DJ’s given talent, and waits until they can alchemically blend. Uwu Collective’s equinox party included an ambient lounge laden with tropical flowers, medical supplies like COVID tests, and an interactive sound art installation with bowls of water wired to play music when touched. A courtyard led to a dance floor playing disco mixes of Sade songs, decorated with imaginative floral arrangements, video projections, and a silver piñata crafted in Uwu’s stylized font, that when cracked was filled with stickers, glow sticks and decorative flowers and fruit. Uwu Collective rarely seeks out night clubs or bars, preferring instead to transform unconventional spaces into incubators for experimental mergers of electronic music, visual arts, and immaculate vibes. Anyone who’s ever felt pre-judged by attendees of other gay parties can leave those worries at the door. Uwu Collective’s artists and guests convene magically, leaving no room to care about the size of your, or anyone else’s, wallet and body parts. ■

TOJO ANDRIANARIVO

SAINT SASHA

BOBBY LUGOSI

Uwu Collective

Bobby Lugosi

Emcee Nikki Lev of inclusive strip night Kit-N-Kaboodle.

BROKEN AND BELOVED

BY BLAIR STENVICK

Portland’s 82nd Avenue is a little busted, and a little brilliant. It’s a state highway and a main street. It’s a commerce epicenter more varied and useful than downtown Portland, and the site of two recently shuttered Walmarts. It’s home to some of the city’s best unpretentious cuisine, and a corporate fast food parade. It’s a noisy, deadly car traffic jam, and host to one of TriMet’s most popular and reliable bus routes. It’s a series of used car lots that gives way to patches of old farmland. It’s where Portland ends for some of the city’s residents, and where it barely begins for others.

I’ve lived half a mile off of SE 82nd Ave for the last six years. I’ve come to realize that the street is a cipher, and how it translates depends entirely on the decoder. It’s a street with big problems and big potential, big champions and big critics, and so much depends on which literal side of the street you’re looking at it from.

In other words, it’s a hell of a lot like Portland in 2023. I think that’s why I love it so much.

When I put out a call to friends recently asking what they loved about the road, answers predictably centered on the food. If tastebuds are a form of travel, then you can travel the world on 82nd.

The Jade District alone houses the city’s best Dim Sum, bibimbap, pho and more. Cartlandia has the variety and quality of an inner-Portland food cart pod, but it’s way more laid back—and the enormous veggie burrito at Taqueria Brothers Express, full of fresh ingredients that make you realize how rare fresh ingredients are in a burrito, has saved my life on more than one occasion.

CORE food hall has the trendy spots, but if it’s too crowded, run across the street to Eastport Food Carts. The borani banjan from Taste of India will make you rethink everything you ever thought you knew about eggplant.

And while I’m on the subject of Eastport: I’ve never had a bad movie-watching experience at Century 16 Eastport Plaza, where the seats recline and they take you deadly seriously when you ask for extra butter on your popcorn. Sure, Portland’s home to an abundance of indie theaters, and you certainly shouldn’t sleep on any of them. But I recently had the privilege of watching a hyperactive seven-year-old watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie on one of Eastport’s big screens, transfixed and shoveling Sour Airheads into his mouth. No one cared when he wasn’t perfectly quiet, and no one cast a judging eye when I let him get candy and an Icee. That’s the vibe of 82nd.

I’ve found that the closer you get to Portland’s city center, the more hand-wringing you’re going to encounter. Is Portland still Portland enough? Is it now too Portland? Why are all these downtown storefronts empty? Are we on our way to losing the Most Super Special City on the West Coast title?

Once you get to 82nd, and beyond that into the numbers, you can breathe a little easier. Businesses close and then other ones reopen, people move away and others move in. No one here is worried about losing some special status, because this part of the city was never listed on some goddamn New York Times travel section list anyway.

If you want to stop worrying and start loving Portland again, maybe your journey starts on 82nd. ■

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND COMEDY!

The laughs don’t stop in a city where the comedy scene punches far above its weight.

BY KATE MURPHY

Great venues, supportive audiences, and talented comedians—Portland is a comedy town. I’ve been doing stand-up comedy in Portland for eight years, and although the scene is ever changing and evolving, it has never wavered in quality and quantity. Some might even say that it’s better than ever post-pandemic. The local talent matches that of other comedy hubs like New York, Chicago, and LA, and famous touring comedians not only speak fondly of Portland, some have even made it their home base. Here are just a few reasons why Portland is a top-notch town for laugh makers and receivers.

1. I love the open mics!

Portland is known for producing excellent comedians, thanks to the abundance of open mics throughout the city. Comics can test new material or refine their favorite jokes every day of the week—sometimes up to three times a night. At some mics, you can even expect a nice-sized audience of supportive non-comedians. More importantly, it’s a place to make friends and feel a part of the community. If you’re looking for a party, favorite late night mics include Mondays at Highdive starting at 10pm, and Midnight Mic every Friday at Funhouse Lounge. If you’re a grandma like me, the Kelly’s Olympian 4 pm early mic is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

2. I love Dough!

Wednesday nights at Mississippi Pizza has been a comedy staple in Portland for

years. The show may have changed hands multiple times, but is the best it’s ever been under capable hosts Thomas Lundy, Sir Lance Edwards, and Neeraj Srinivsan. The Atlantis Lounge lends itself well to comedy, and shares the many good qualities of a classic comedy club. POC run, always

packed, and with well curated lineups of local and visiting talent, Dough might possibly be the best dang show in town!

3. I love the scene’s non-binary perspective!

Portland’s top talent also happens to be bringing the non-binary, queer, and trans experience to the forefront. Comedians like Arlo Weierhauser, Jamie Carbone, and Mx. Dahlia Belle are continuing an important conversation while simultaneously being funnier than most comedians around. I’m particularly fond of Jamie Carbone’s material scrutinizing the colors of the non-binary pride flag, comparing them to that of Planet Fitness and Wario from Super Mario.

4. I love the city’s comedy classes!

Many of the comedians you see killing it around town started by taking a standup comedy class. If you’ve ever considered giving stand-up a try, communities like Kickstand Comedy and Siren Theater help shatter gatekeeping culture, and will make you feel welcome. Beginner and intermediate standup classes can put you light-years ahead of those rawdogging open mics. Being taught what to do with your body and where to place the mic stand during your set can make all the difference with how the audience perceives you. The aforementioned Arlo Weierhauser teaches a fantastic class

at Siren Theater—and what can be better than learning from a “Portland’s Funniest Person” title holder?

5. Speaking of the Siren Theater… I love the Siren Theater!

When it comes to comedy, the Siren Theater has it all: improv, sketch, and stand-up. From fundraisers to national headliners to local showcases, there’s no shortage of quality events happening there. Siren is home to the Portland Sketch Comedy Fest, which is about to enter its fifth year, and the theater regularly brings through legendary comedians like Billy Wayne Davis, Jackie Kashian, and Lori Kilmartin. Siren also carves out stage time for headliner performances from local comedians looking to do longer sets, and beloved recurring showcases at the space include Minority Retort and Lez Standup, both of which never disappoint. I recently saw the Siren’s long running ‘80s movie parody The Lost Boys Live , and it blew my freakin’ mind. At the center of it all stands owner and comedy powerhouse Shelley McLendon (one half of the hilarious Aces sketch comedy group), whose many gifts include lifting up POC, female, queer, and non-binary comedians. The theater recently moved to Mississippi Ave, and has an incredible 2023 calendar. So if you’re in serious need of a laugh, the Siren is your one-stop-shop for quality comedy. ■

Left to right, Neeraj Srinivsan, Thomas Lundy, and Lance Edwards of Dough.

Michael Fetters and Shelley McLendon of The Aces.

RANDALL LAWRENCE

NICOLLE CLEMETSON

Photo by Elle James

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND SPORTS!

“Portland isn’t a good sports town”? We beg to differ.

BY ABE ASHER

Portland doesn’t make many lists of the best sports cities in the country… and that’s okay. If you know, you know.

The Trail Blazers have, pandemic-affected seasons notwithstanding, been in the top ten in average NBA attendance every year since 2008. The Timbers sold out every single MLS home game in their history prior to the onset of the pandemic, a streak spanning ten years. The Thorns, at one point, were believed to have the highest average attendance of any women’s soccer team in the world.

In all cities, sports teams are a point of civic pride, games a matter of cultural expression. In Portland, we tend to take that stuff seriously. Here, then, are five things to love about Portland sports.

1. The 2005 Portland Pilots are still dominating women’s soccer

During the fall of 2005, Merlo Field, of all the stadiums and arenas in town, felt like the big time—and it was. The Portland Pilots’ women’s soccer team that year was indomitable, a sight to behold week in and week out.

The Pilots went undefeated that season with a record of 23-0-2, pasting UCLA 4-0 in the national championship game and outscoring their opponents 79-9. They were one of the most dominant college soccer teams ever assembled, and very likely the best team to ever call Port land home.

Now, nearly two decades later, the two best players on that team remain international super stars. Megan Rapinoe’s im pact has transcended sport entirely, while Christine Sinclair has scored more international goals than any other person to ever play the game.

It wasn’t just Rapinoe and Sinclair. Soccer fans in Portland will remember Rachael Rapinoe, Megan’s twin sister, as one of the team’s fearsome leaders and Angie Kerr as a top scor er who would go on to represent the US national team.

But Rapinoe and Sin clair’s prominence, with their national teams, with their NWSL club teams, and in the fight for social justice in sport, has come

in an era in which the women’s game is being afforded new levels of enthusiasm, investment, and respect not just in the US but in countries across the world.

Now in their late 30s, Rapinoe and Sinclair are both icons. To the thousands who wore purple to Merlo Field in 2005, their achievements have come as no surprise at all.

2. The loyalty of Damian Lillard

Here’s something that might make you feel pretty old: With the exception of 42-year-old Udonis Haslem and Steph Curry, Damian Lillard has played the most seasons with one team of any active NBA player.

It’s been nearly 11 years since the Trail Blazers selected Lillard with the sixth pick of the 2012 NBA draft, and in the decade that followed, as Lillard established himself as one of the league’s most indomitable players, the team has won only four playoff series. Lillard is 32 now, and the Blazers have just missed the playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the first time since Lillard joined the club.

This is not, as a rule, much of an era for one-team players in the NBA. Players have more power than ever over where they play, as well they should. That makes it all the more notable when a player of Lillard’s caliber stays in a city like Portland, with no real guarantee of success or even basic competence from his superiors.

Word is Lillard’s patience is, understandably, running thin. But even if Lillard never wins a championship here, it won’t diminish his greatness or the impact he’s made in Portland simply by virtue of showing up, year after year— whether

ALBERTAABBEY.ORG

Megan Rapinoe and Christine Sinclair, circa 2005.

DARREN ABATE/ GETTY IMAGES

on the Moda Center court or marching over the Morrison Bridge during the racial justice summer of 2020. In many ways, that’s exactly what greatness is.

3. The Sports Bra is leading the way

When Jenny Nguyen opened The Sports Bra just over a year ago, she had no idea what to expect.

“I opened the doors to The Sports Bra just thinking I was opening a bar that centered on highlighting girls and womens sports,” Nguyen said. “But what ended up happening, which I’m so grateful for, is we kind of created a space where none existed before.”

For Nguyen, who grew up off NE Killingsworth and has spent her whole life in Portland watching the Power, the Fire, and especially the Thorns amass renowned support, it was clear that this was the place to take a shot at doing something different.

“When I thought of The Sports Bra, I thought, okay, if this is going to work, it has to work in Portland,” Nguyen said. “But if it doesn’t work in Portland, it will never work anywhere.”

A year-plus later, the bar isn’t just working in Portland, it may be at the forefront of an international movement. Nguyen said she has received “hundreds” of emails from people inquiring about how to create women’s sports bars in cities around the world, from Rio de Janeiro to London to Sydney to Saigon.

Still, the Northwest is leading the way. Rough and Tumble in Seattle has a goal of showing an equal amount of men’s and women’s sports, while Icarus opened in Salem earlier this month as the state capital’s first women’s sports bar.

“We support women here,” Nguyen said. “Hard core. In a lot of different ways. Especially in the sports arena. And I just think that people are very intentional about how they create space in their lives… it means a lot to people here in Portland.”

The Sports Bra, 2512 NE Broadway, thesportsbrapdx.com

4. Irving Park basketball’s democracy

When Portland Parks & Recreation announced its plan to remove 243 light poles from 12 city parks beginning in February and only replace a handful of them, a number of Portlanders responded with outrage.

Public parks are, in many ways, the best of the Portland sports landscape—home to soccer camps, kids learning to field ground balls, Underdog kickball leagues, and, of course, pickup basketball at Irving Park.

All great basketball cities have a spot where aspiring players go to prove themselves and everybody else goes to try to keep up with them—flourishing democracies in a society devoid of them.

Rucker Park in New York; the Venice Beach Courts in Los Angeles; Mosswood Park in Oakland; and, more humbly but no less meaningfully, Irving Park in Portland. Its covered courts are alive in the winter, while the rest of the year its maroon outdoor courts buzz, surrounded by verdant shades of green and soundtracked by shouts, squeaking shoes, and the hum of traffic on Fremont Street just beyond its north boundary.

Thanks to the backlash to the Parks & Recreation announcement, Commissioner Dan Ryan signed off on a plan in March to replace all the light poles which were scheduled to be taken down.

5. Timbers players come home

It’s a fairly common occurrence: Timbers players leave the club, bounce around to different North American cities, different continents, different leagues, different levels, and then, when they’ve exhausted their careers as professional soccer players, they come home.

They’re not always stars, and they’re often people without any prestanding connection to the Northwest. People like Kalif Alhassan, Fanendo Adi, Futty Danso, and Nat Borchers, back to Scot Thompson and Bernie Fagan, people who got a taste of life and soccer in Portland and decided it was where they could find their next projects and identities.

Futty, Alhassan, and Adi have suited up for PDX Football Club, rubbing shoulders on a field in Gresham with supporters who used to cheer them at Providence Park. Borchers served as a broadcaster. Vytas and Liam Ridgewell work as coaches with the Thorns and Timbers, respectively. Many others return as visitors, retaining their ties with the club.

Portland is not the only place with a community of former players. But that community here is strong. The day before the Timbers hosted MLS Cup two years ago, a group of former players delivered the trophy to the entrance of Providence Park, where they were met by supporters for what felt like a family reunion—a rainy, unlikely, very Portland celebration of soccer and life and the knowledge that we all are lucky enough to call this place home. ■

8371 N Interstate Ave Portland, Oregon 97217 503-286 - 9449 oregoncontemporary.org

Summer First Saturdays

This summer, plan to spend the first Saturday evening of every month at Oregon Contemporary. We’ll have at least five art exhibits in our building every month, talks with the curators and artists behind them, food carts, live musical performances in partnership with our neighbors Friends of Noise, and more. See oregoncontemporary.org for details.

Jenny Nguyen of The Sports Bra.

DOROTHY WANG

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT

PORTLAND’S UNSTOPPABLE MAKERS!

They’ll make an abandoned building a museum. They’ll make a scary movie gay. They’ll make your favorite restaurant vegan. Get ready to be changed by these five Portland makers!

BY SUZETTE SMITH

It’s completely fucking impossible to pick JUST five makers in Portland. When this city is shining its brightest, it’s because of something its residents made—be it actual art projects or just projects that bring us together. When people vent nostalgic about Portland, nine times out of ten they’re actually venting about something cool a Portland maker made happen. Some of those things are gone—Portland’s price-out problem is real— but makers gonna make, and these makers are maintaining.

1. Mike Bennett (painter)

If you live in Portland, you have seen something made by Mike Bennett. His colorful, painted plywood cutouts decorate our streets—from the viral standee of Homer Simpson receding into a bush, to the snail and sloth “Slow Down” signs that predated Portland’s “20 Is Plenty” campaign. Full disclosure, Bennett made 60 adorably bright burger cutouts for the Mercury ’s

Burger Week in 2019; it was one of his early forays into hiding his brilliant art in the city’s corners. During the pandemic, Bennett’s A to Zoo installation, in front of his house, became a destination, as Bennett added new animal creations for visitors to marvel at on the daily. His subsequent pop-ups—like the Crypto-Zoo he built in an abandoned bank in St Johns, and Dinolandia, a dinosaur-themed installation that spent four months in a former Banana Republic storefront downtown—were not only fun for youths and adults alike, they were themselves a sign of Portland’s regrowth from the tangles of corporate doom. Now, Bennet’s work has found a home at the North Portland Wildwood Cafe where he serves up coffee and ever-changing decor. The dude is forever a delight.

2. Fisk (design studio)

Love letter recognize love letter. In January 2020, Fisk founder Bijan Berahimi published a magazine called Joon , which

Beloved local artist Mike Bennett and just a few of his many creations.

COURTESY OF MIKE BENNETT

he described as a love letter to Portland. Thumping in at 160 pages, Joon was a hefty, brightly-colored explosion of creativity, with articles about local cultural touchstones like Brown Printing, Kee’s #Loaded Kitchen, the fantastic flower sculptures of Manu Torres— just all the good stuff that was popping off or holding it down right then. It was a terrific example of all the worlds Berahimi draws together at Fisk. Founded in 2014, the first thing you’ll generally hear about the boutique design studio are their big name clients (Nike, Alicia Keys), but we see Berahimi and co. for the way they have their hands in so many cool Portland projects, for instance: the logo in the KaytrAminé “4Eva” video, Akâdi’s marinade labels, and probably every Toro y Moi hoodie ever. Fisk, 3613 NE MLK, fiskprojects.com

3. Veganizer PDX (pop-up food night)

Waz Wu makes restaurants vegan—that’s a threat. I’m kidding; it’s a joy. Her food-consulting brand Veganizer PDX partners with omnivore restaurants like Quaintrelle and Mestizo to host pop-up tasting events where the chefs make all-vegan prix fixe courses. There you’ll find foodies and vegans sitting elbow to elbow over delicious crafted dishes, and chefs getting curious about adding king oyster mushrooms to the main menu. Though the Veganizer idea began in New York with Kiki Adami, the Portland chapter Wu founded in 2017 continues to have staying power. Now it platforms Portland’s excellent vegan restaurants and chefs as much as it challenges the meatand dairy-eating ones. Veganizer PDX is on Instagram @veganizerpdx

4)

To some, the purpose of a game is healthy competition, while to others it’s a way to

get to know people. Amy Baio’s line of Pink Tiger Games leans hard on the latter pursuit. Where some games will slyly open you

up to someone’s tells or inspire interesting conversations, Baio’s 2018 game You Think You Know Me boldly challenged players to cut the crap and get to the good stuff, asking trivia questions about the friends they were playing against. Starting in 2021, Pink Tiger branched out into trivia games about superstitions with Rabbit Rabbit and cross-language vocabulary in Lost for Words. These games are Apples to Apples for people who are tender, which is honestly the hardest look of them all. pinktigergames.com

5) Carla Rossi / Anthony Hudson (drag clown, arts historian, writer, performer, host, etc)

If it weren’t for the time-consuming work of being Portland’s premier drag clown, Anthony Hudson might be better known as one of the foremost film authorities in our Rose City. Hudson’s plate is piled high with cinema-related projects, like the ongoing, semi-monthly Queer Horror screenings at the Hollywood Theatre and similarly-themed “horror through a queer lens” podcast Gaylords of Darkness. That work is perpetually outshined by Hudson’s persona of Carla Rossi, who might be a clown or who might be a stressed-out white lady arts historian (both?). Over the years, Hudson’s personas have formed a symbiosis, with Carla Rossi narrating portions of Hudson’s autobio one-clown show, Looking for Tiger Lily, which unpacked Hudson’s identity as a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and also a pop-culture nerd and also Carla Rossi. World on the street is Hudson has been turning that script into a novel, but you can still catch Carla at any number of local arts events. thecarlarossi.com. ■

Pink Tiger Games (game design studio)

Carla Rossi (AKA Anthony Hudson).

COURTESY OF CARLA ROSSI

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT… PORTLAND’S DELIGHTFULLY WILD ARTS SCENE!

Galleries and

symphonies?

Of course. But a local cemetery and a mall as well? You better believe it.

BY MARTHA DAGHLIAN

Art can easily get away with being nothing more than pretty, or technically impressive, or just plain old expensive. But here in Portland, artists aim for more than “good enough.” Our art scene has long been known for its DIY spirit, grounded in social responsibility and political activism, while embracing experimentation—and over the past few years we’ve been doubling down on all of the above. If you really want to understand the arts in Portland, get ready to explore far beyond the walls of any art museum. From a shopping mall reborn as a creative hub, to a lightbulb supplier that promotes local artists, to a cemetery that doubles as a 150 year-old sculpture garden, art is infused into nearly every corner of our city.

1. Sunlan Lighting

Sunlan Lighting’s colorful storefront bathes passersby in glowing light throughout Portland’s notoriously dark and drizzly winter months. Inside, owner and self-proclaimed “lightbulb lady” Kay Newell presides over a kaleidoscopic collection that encompasses seemingly every niche and novelty bulb and fixture ever invented. Over the years, Sunlan has achieved neighborhood-treasure status thanks to Newell’s hand-drawn lightbulb-themed comics and the eclectic display windows that wrap around the outside of the building, full of Lego creations, rare bulbs, and pop up installations by local artists. Blacksmith and welder Carson Terry recently outfitted a window with an array of custom lamps, made with parts sourced from Sunlan. “I was thrilled,” he said, adding a note of appreciation for Newell’s “clear aim to sup port local artists” by showing their work in a primo Mississippi Ave location.

2. Church of Film

Art-haus screening series Church of Film describes its programming as “a weekly gath ering for the reverence and worship of cinema,” with twoto-three weekly showtimes at the quirky Clinton Street Theater and the mini park at North Portland’s Red Fox bar (Red Fox showings are on hia tus pending lawn re-seeding).

Movie selections lean heavily towards folk horror, psychede lia, and Soviet cinema—picks that are far outside the main stream, yet still pair well with some popcorn and a beer. Co-founder Muriel Lucas provides subtitles,

homemade trailers for upcoming flicks, and delightful introductory statements that help audiences prepare for the ensuing weirdness. The devoted crowds that have shown up every week since 2013 bring a quasi-religious fervor to the scene that could convert any Marvel Universe fan into a beret-and-turtleneck-wearing auteur.

3. Lone Fir Cemetery

Looking for a tranquil arboretum? An idiosyncratic sculpture park? A history lesson that sheds light on turn-of-the-century Portland? You can find it all at Lone Fir Cemetery. Wander around the paved routes and you’ll see a vast range of memorials—watch for realistic stone tree stumps marking the graves of timber industry workers, and check out the dilapidated Bottler Tomb, which honors the founders of one of Portland’s first breweries. And yes, the original “lone fir” tree is still there! Most poignant, however, are the histories you can’t see: More than 2,000 Chinese and Chinese American residents were buried in unmarked graves between 1860-1920, a fact that was only officially recognized in recent years due to racist exclusion in cemetery ledgers. Nearly 200 patients of the Hawthorne

Asylum are also buried at Lone Fir, just blocks away from the street named after Dr. James Hawthorne, who founded the hospital to care for those with mental illness. A memorial garden honoring both of these groups is slated for completion in 2026.

4. The Black Gallery

The small storefront space at 916 NW Flanders may look unassuming, but for years it has played host to a series of radical experiments in art, community, and

activism. Until early 2023 it was the home of Holding Contemporary, a gallery that operated on a utopian “shareholder system.” Holding’s curators collaborated frequently with local racial justice activists to produce benefit auctions, exhibitions of archival materials from protests, and installations honoring victims of police violence. Picking up where their work with Holding left off, Don’t Shoot PDX recently opened The Black Gallery, which aims to “inspire and support artists in the movement for Black lives” with regular exhibitions, space for workshops, access to printing services, and consulting. Their inaugural group show was packed to capacity on opening night, signaling an exciting start for this welcome addition to the Pearl District’s lively gallery scene.

5. Lloyd Center

Amazon and other online retailers may have crushed the once-mighty American mall, but Portland’s Lloyd Center is rising from the rubble thanks in part to the energy of local businesses and artists who have abandoned online-only and traditional retail spaces. Independent record store Musique Plastique led the migration in 2022, followed by the legendary Floating World Comics and artist-run apparel label Dreem Street. Now you can also find the wacky outpost of Pearl District gallery ILY2 next to the indoor ice rink, semi-regular events like Secret Roller Disco and Public Acts of Dance roving around the mall, and pop-up art and craft markets and experimental exhibition spaces sprinkled in amongst the empty storefronts. All of that and a Hot Topic!? Get in loser, we’re going shopping. ■

Carson Terry is only one of many artists who have displayed their work in the window at Sunlan Lighting. CARSON TERRY

Black Gallery

KATHLEEN MARIE

SAY NICE THINGS

ABOUT PORTLAND’S SEXIEST STATUES!

They’re historical, they’re artistic…and they’re HOT.

BY ELINOR JONES

Portland is known for being an arts town, as well as for being a sexy town. What’s the middle part of the Venn diagram of those two forces? That’s right: sexy statues. Now, there’s been a lot of chatter in the news of late about Portland’s toppling of some colonizer stat ues, as well as maybe scuffling up an elk a little bit, but we still have a lot of statues to celebrate, and many of them are hot as hell. So I’m turning the hubbub into hubba hubba and presenting you with this, your official list of Portland’s Sexiest Statues!

The extremely shiny and very babely statue of Joan of Arc on her horse, sword raised, sits in the middle of the gigantic roundabout at NE Glisan and Cesar Chavez. She’s got a bold attitude and battle gear that you would be a good time. I always wondered why anyone would want to riot around a dumb elk when you’ve got a warrior as fierce and DTF as Joanie here, and in such a convenient location! Ever wonder why we have a statue of Joan of Arc in the first place? This isn’t France! Well, the statue was gifted to Port land 100 years ago to honor our World War I veterans, for whom Joan of Arc served as patron saint. So now when you drive in circles trying to get in or out of Hol lywood, you can appreciate the statue’s history and sig nificance to Portland as well as her fine physique.

2. Umbrella Man

The statue of a sexy business man in Pioneer Square is officially called “Allow Me,” but everybody calls him Umbrella Man, be cause he’s holding an umbrella.

a cab, neither of which are things most of us do. As such, Umbrella Man’s appeal comes from his out-of-town-edness. Like who is this sexy stranger? Why is he in Portland? What’s he into? I wonder if he needs directions somewhere. I wonder if he needs directions to my house.

3. The Quest

Not to be confused with QUEST, the downtown Portland nightclub which also got pulses racing (RIP), “The Quest” is a statue featuring one guy, three babes (and one kid who seems pretty out of place, so for the purposes of this piece’s vibe we’re going to forget they’re there). The bods are naked and smooth, like giant white marble Barbies, and they rest atop a fountain in front of the Standard Insurance Building. Don’t you always feel like plan ning for life’s unexpected events after eyeballing some not-quite-realis tic knockers? I know I do! “The Quest” has been airing out their nether regions in downtown for over 50 years, and I hope they never find what they’re looking for, so we can keep ogling their search for decades to come.

4. Vera Katz

As you know, Vera Katz served as Portland’s mayor from 1993 to 2005, and her bronze likeness has been rest ing comfortably on a bench on

the East Bank Esplanade (which she had a major hand in developing) since 2006. The life-size statue shows Katz smiling her famous wide smile and leaning slightly forward, like you’re both on your second glass of wine and she’s enraptured by a bril liant story you’re telling. “Oh certainly are a singular wit!” Is Katz, a civil servant who fled Nazi Germany with her fam ily as a baby, appropriate to be sexualized on this list of Portland’s sexiest statues? That de pends on if you’re horny for pub lic service or not. I for and I’m the one writing this list… so, Vera Katz statue? You are a fox.

5. Paul Bunyan

The Bunyan statue in Portland’s Kenton neigh borhood has been there since Oregon’s centennial celebrations in 1959. The folk hero doesn’t have any real connection to Oregon except, presumably, that Oregon totally loves a guy with a beard and a bean ie and an ass that . Although there are statues of Paul in a lot of places, ours is ture. He just . Just as he lovingly gazed at the now-defunct strip club Dancin’ Bare for oh, so many years, Paul would for sure lovingly whisper sweet nothings into the ear of any Portland partner. (BTW, our Paul is pansexual.) Gruff, yet tender, Paul has his plaid shirt rolled up to his elbows to show off his forearms— just how we like our romance heroes. Meanwhile his upper arms are jacked for easily chopping down trees… as well as embracing you in the warmhug.

RACC RACC NOLIVER

JESÚS CORRIUS

CACOPHONY