ORAL HISTORIES 101
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 1PM | FREE
SHATTUCK HALL, ROOM 244
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
The Dill Pickle Club will facilitate a panel discussion focused on recording and preserving oral histories, including approaches and methods for documenting, as well strategies in preserving, presenting and distributing these stories. Panelists include: Marc Moscato (Dill Pickle Club), Apricot Irving (Boise Voices), Erin Yanke (Life During Wartime), Vanessa Renwick (House of Sound), Abraham Ingle (Neighborhood Diaries) and Rozzell Medina & Judy Fleming (Public Social University).
NORTHWEST PASSAGE RELEASE PARTY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27th, 7PM | FREE
READING FRENZY | 921 SW OAK ST.
Celebrate the release of the Dill Pickle Club’s latest publication, Northwest Passage: 50 Years and Independent Music from the Rose City, with a short talk by the book’s editor, Marc Moscato, and the publication’s audio editor, Erin Yanke.
Northwest Passage is a book and audio CD highlighting the history of Portland’s burgeoning independent music scene, and includes contributions from: The Dill Pickle Club, Mississippi Records, Oregon Historical Music Society, PDX Pop Now!, Joe Kregal, Ural Thomas, Valerie Brown, Fred and Toody Cole, Vanessa Renwick and Erin Yanke, Calvin Johnson and Cool Nutz.
Afterward, DJ HWY 7 spins a special set of forgotten Portland classics 1950s-present, mined from his archive of local vinyl — from punk to funk and blues and deep PDX soul. This event is free, with beer donated by Ninkasi.
DILL PICKLE CLUB 1-YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY
Thursday, August 12th, 7:30PM
The Dill Pickle Club cordially invites its members and their guests to our 1-Year Birthday Party, Thursday, August 12th! Celebrate with us on a rooftop with an amazing view of Mt. Hood (exact location to be disclosed to members), for a summer-time BBQ, replete with cheap eats and booze for all.
And there is so much to celebrate! First up, the Dill Pickle Club gets things going with the debut of a brand spankin’ new slide-show talk on the last year of events, programs and publications (read: the most exciting 15 minutes of your life!). Portland Mercury reporter Sarah Mirk follows with a brief talk about her project with the Dill Pickle, Oregon History Comics, and gives a sneak peak of what’s in store for the comics series. Last, but certainly not least, we’ll be graced with a mystery, surprise guest. No hints here, but they’ve written for The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Salon, Metropolis and Dwell, to name just a few. You’ll have to come to find out who! You won’t want to miss it.
WHERE DOES ENERGY COME FROM?
A BUS TRIP EXAMINING ENERGY IN THE COLUMBIA GORGE
THURS, JULY 29
What’s the connection between our contemporary energy crisis and our region’s history? Board the Pickle Bus for a day-long field trip and find out from the experts!
The day begins with a visit to the Dalles Dam, constructed by the federal government in 1957. Built among controversy for its destruction of an ancient native fishing and cultural hub, the dam today produces close to 1,800 megawatts of power — enough to fuel three-quarters of the state of California! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers give us a first-hand look at the dam, including the navigation lock, spillway, powerhouse and fish passage facilities.
Then it’s on to lunch at Celilo Park for a discussion with anti-nuclear and fishing activist Chief Wilbur Slockish. Slockish will talk about the profound effect of the dam on native tribes, and give an insider account of the negotiations that took place during its planning and construction. Chief Slockish served time in prison after a 1983 conviction for conscientiously objecting to federal fishing regulations. Since his release in 1989, he has returned to fishing and has worked for the Yakama Nation on issues related to water quality and salmon recovery.
The day ends with a visit to Portland General Electric’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm. Here, a plant manager shows us the inner workings of the second-largest wind energy facility in state; its 141 turbines produce 275 megawatts of power. The farm is situated in Wasco County, an area prospected for further wind development, despite growing community concern about noise and environmental impacts.
SWEET CAKES: LONG JOURNEY
A WALKING TOUR OF PORTLAND’S CHINATOWN
June 19 & 20, 2010
The Dill Pickle Club and Friends of Portland Chinatown proudly partner to present Sweet Cakes, Long Journey, two behind-the-scenes community tours of Portland’s Chinatown. The tours offer a unique opportunity to learn about the neighborhood through its architecture, oral history and little-known cultural heritage. A rare lecture by visiting scholar Dr. Marie Rose Wong offers a broader sociological and historical view of the area.
Highlighting many of Chinatown’s lesser known landmarks, the walk encompasses Yat Sing Music Club, New Market Theater, historic Chinese association buildings, as well as the original Chinatown on the south side of Burnside. Along the route, elders will meet the tour to share their memories. The walk will stop at sites more familiar to most, including Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Portland’s Chinatown gate and Lan Su Chinese Garden.
The tours conclude at University of Oregon’s White Stag Building, where Dr. Wong will give a slide lecture based on her research for her authoritative book, Sweet Cakes, Long Journey: The Chinatowns of Portland, Oregon (University of Washington, 2004). Dr. Wong will place the tour in context, detailing how discrimination and public policy have affected Chinatown, from its years as home to the second largest Chinese population in the U.S., to its present-day period of development, economic struggle and changing identity. Dr. Wong is an associate professor specializing in urban design at the Institute of Public Service, Seattle University.
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
WINTER 2010
A lecture series examining the history of Portland’s burgeoning independent music scene, with presentations by: Joe Kregal, Ural Thomas, Valerie Brown, Eric Isaacson, Fred & Toody Cole, Cool Nutz, Vanessa Renwick, Calvin Johnson and Cary Clarke.
WORK | PROGRESS
An art show, temporary bookshop & events series to benefit the Dill Pickle Club
December 3 – January 3
Eyeful Gallery | NW 6th & Everett
Participating Artists
Icky A | Brad Adkins | Moe Bowstern | Carye Bye | Bill Daniel | Dyslexxis | Harrell Fletcher | Sarah Gottesdiener | Sam Gould | Anna Gray | MK Guth | Tad Hirsch | Ariana Jacob | Kendra Larson | Ian Lynam | Eric Mast | Justin Scrappers Morrison | Michael Parich | Ryan Wilson Paulsen | Brittany Powell | Khris Soden | Bwana Spoons | Matthew Stadler | Nim Wunnan | Pete Yahnke
WORK | PROGRESS Opening
Thursday, December 3 | 6PM
Join us for the opening of the exhibition during the First Thursday art walk, with beer donated by Ninkasi and live music by Cape Perpetua and Niekrasz/ Jenkins Duet (of Why I Must Be Careful).
Red Tour of Portland
Sunday, December 13 | 1PM
Michael Munk (author of The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past) leads a two-hour walk highlighting the city’s tradition of progressive activism, class struggle and race politics — a history often taken for granted by Portlanders today.
New Economy Comedy Night
Friday, December 18 | 8PM
Jokes? In this economy?!? Distract yourself from your dwindling bank account with a dose of comedy featuring stand-up, videos and speeches all dealing with the new economy. We promise, we are not debt collectors. Programmed by Notorious M.I.K.
Dinner & Show Closing
Sunday, January 3 | 6PM
An intimate evening, with dinner prepared by Mrs. Lucy Rockwell and presentations by people who have helped the Dill Pickle, including: Vontundra, Eberhardt Press and Matthew Stadler.
WHERE DOES FOOD COME FROM?
Friday, October 16, 10AM-5PM
With nearly 40 farmers markets and over 30 local farms offering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, Portland has become internationally-recognized for its prodigious food production. Despite the region’s plentiful bounty, the public’s concern over food policy continues to rise — including food security, pesticide use, depleting honey bee population, inconsistent federal standards — and, most strikingly, hunger — which saw some sections of the city experience a 30% rise in demand for emergency relief this year.
On Friday, October 16, the Dill Pickle Club hosts our final field trip of the season, WHERE DOES FOOD COME FROM?, a bike tour to local food production sites. The tour will make stops at Bob’s Red Mill, Dave’s Killer Bread, Brentwood Community Gardens and Widmer Brewery. Steve Cohen, Chair of the Multnomah County Food Policy Council, will give a brief lecture on food policy in the region.
HOW ARE THINGS MADE?
Friday, August 28, 10AM-4PM
Located on the outskirts of town, Portland’s industrial manufacturing is often overlooked by its urban dwellers. Yet our industries provide the raw materials that make up our everyday urban experience and enable Portland’s “creative class” to exist. What things are made in Portland and how are they produced?
Board the bus and get ready to learn about numbers! While en route, Dr. Randall Bluffstone, Chair of the Department of Economics at Portland State University, will provide economic insights on the history of Portland’s development and discuss how the current recession is affecting Portland’s manufacturers. We’ll visit with several factories and associated industries, including the Port of Portland, home of the “Terminal 6″ container yard (the third largest port on the West Coast), a behind the scenes visit to Intel’s Hillsboro location (the state’s largest private employer), Pendleton Woolen Mills and even a quick stop at Oregon Soap Company.
ART FOR THE MILLIONS:
THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE WPA
Sunday, June 28, 12-5 PM
During the height of the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided economic relief to millions of idle workers by employing them in the creation of public works projects and arts education programs. Although highly controversial in its time for its leftist political leanings, the WPA is cited as a major factor for the re-stabilization of the American economy leading up to WWII. Join the Dill Pickle Society for our grand opening event, Art for the Millions: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA, as we take a leisurely bicycle field trip/ tour of WPA-sponsored projects in Portland and hear from leading authorities on the subject.
Visit and learn about WPA public works such as the Paul Grellert’s mural at the Morrison Street post office, works at the Portland Art Museum and a spooky abandoned shack in Forest Park. Along the way the ride will stop at for lunch at Westmoreland Park (itself a WPA project), where attendees will participate in a discussion on the feasibility of implementing a federally-funded WPA arts program today. Other stops include Skidmore Fountain (where David Milholland will talk about C.E.S. Wood and the history of public art in Portland), Abernathy School (where Friends of Arts in the Schools will show us their WPA conservation efforts) and Woody Guthrie Circle.