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COMEDY
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Kickstand Comedy’s hugely popular Comedy in the Park series has returned, hitting Laurelhurst Park on most Fridays through September 6. Grab your pals with a sense of humor and drop your blankets early—the free stand-up show has been known to draw crowds of 4,000 or more. The plus side of the bonkers crowd is the unmatched dog-watching; I’m a fan of Laurelhurst duck-watching, too. This Friday, a lineup of much-loved funnybones will head to the stage after local laughers Rachelle Cochran and Julia Corral get the crowd going. LC
(Laurelhurst Park, Laurelhurst, free)
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For the past month, the city’s first annual comedy pageant has created an easy way for Portlanders to familiarize themselves with dozens of regional comedians. A whopping 50 comedy acts showed up to bemuse the crowds from mid-July to early August, and panelists and audiences voted for their faves. Three funny folks have made it to this final round, where each contestant will have only five minutes to perform. Expect tight, rapid-fire funnies and a big, shiny crown to grace someone’s head at the end of the night. LC
(Curious Comedy Annex, King, $10-$12)
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If you’ve somehow gotten this far in life without knowing about Gilmore Girls, bugs, David Lynch, and the iconic film Friday, first of all: I have questions. And like, you should maybe fix that. Enter You Oughta Know, which invites comics to hop on stage and rant at us about the niche—and not-so-niche—topics nearest and dearest to their hearts. Fellow funny people will interject with comments and concerns during the spiels, so it’s bound to become the most amusing way you’ve learned something new lately. LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd’s Addition, $10)
FOOD & DRINK
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The barbecue business The Smokin’ Oak Pit, which operates a brick-and-mortar in Vancouver, debuts its first-ever food cart at the Cartside Food Carts pod this weekend. In case you had any doubts about their barbecue bona fides, co-owners and pitmasters Bryan Rogers and Erick Gill use family recipes passed down through three generations of Texans, and the new location features two massive 1000-gallon smokers designed by the duo. Help them celebrate their grand opening by digging into classics like brisket, spare ribs, house-made sausage, pulled pork, and chicken, complemented by sides such as mac and cheese, collard greens, and jalapeño pinto beans. To celebrate, the adjacent bar The Garden Tavern will offer drink specials, including $1 off whiskey shots and cocktails, and the pod will feature festive live music. JB
(Cartside Food Carts, Eliot, free)
LIVE MUSIC
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Songwriter/producer Duff Thompson will bring his “swampy blend” of folk, pop, and rock to Portland this weekend to support his dual albums Shadow People I + II. Recorded during a two-week heatwave in Montreal, the series evokes its setting with 19 dark, sweaty, garage-rock-focused tracks. He will be joined by indie folk singer-songwriter Steph Green and Will Sprott (of Shannon and the Clams). AV
(Polaris Hall, Humboldt, $15)
READINGS & TALKS
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Willy Vlautin was born in Reno, but his artistic output found its footing in the Pacific Northwest—for over 20 years, he’s been the singer-songwriter and guitarist for the Portland-grown alt-country band Richmond Fontaine. The experience still informs his writing style and character development in fiction. (His last novel, The Night Always Comes, explored gentrification, greed, and opportunism within Portland’s housing crisis, lending a needed voice to an issue that impacts us all in one way or another.) His new tome, The Horse, centers the working class again but adds in fantastical elements and dream sequences that might pique the interest of new readers. Vlautin will chat about it with Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers. LC
(Powell’s City of Books, Pearl District, free)
COMMUNITY
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At this event hosted in partnership with Portland Fruit Tree Project and Urban Gleaners, neighbors all over Portland will cut down on food waste and foster community by sharing the bounties of their gardens, including fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and eggs, for free. They’ll heap their harvests on a table or in a box, and participants can find givers’ locations on an interactive map. Grab a cute basket, plot your path, and delight in gathering an abundance of backyard produce and connecting with neighbors. JB
(Various locations, free)
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Green Muse Cannabis will honor Portland’s Black entrepreneurs and business owners at their inaugural Soul Festival Block Party. Stop by the Vernon dispensary for a lively day filled with culture, community spirit, and live music from R&B and hip-hop artists Zyah Belle, 3hreeg, Alexis, Romeo, and Imani. AV
(Green Muse Cannabis, Vernon, free)
FILM
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The Fleischer studio’s loosey-goosey, rubber-limbed character style may not have intended to look eerie and macabre, but that’s certainly the effect they achieved. Although the Fleischers produced super-recognizable characters like Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, and Popeye the Sailor, they eventually ventured into phantasmagorical tales inspired by surrealism, grimy Great Depression environments, and German Expressionism. Expect trees with eyes, moving graves, and pillowy ghosts at this screening of some of the studio’s freshly restored—and creepiest—tales. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $10-$12)
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The City of Portland’s Summer Free For All events build community with family-focused activities like outdoor screenings, concerts, and performances by local artists. The dusk film screenings, held at parks across the city, are a free, low-lift option if you’re itching to get outside in the evenings. On August 17, unleash an Egyptian curse at a screening of Night at the Museum at Rose City Park. LC
(Rose City Park, Rose City Park, free)
SHOPPING
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Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Beaverton Night Market will expand into the plaza in front of City Hall to accommodate an expanded program of performances and festivities. They’ve also added a bike valet this year, and the first 100 cyclists who take this climate-friendly transportation option will receive a gift card to Brickhaus Coffee or Clover + Booch. The west side’s summer night market includes a traditional Mexican folk dance performance from Mexican Ballet Papalotl, Latino and Afro-Latino beats from Pachanga, and more. As for the actual shopping, over 60 vendors will offer wares from Ukrainian folk art to Indigenous embroidery, and dozens of multicultural food booths will satisfy your cravings (don’t miss La Casa de Mama‘s vegan Mexican pastries or Ethiopian bites from Eleni’s Kitchen). SL
(The Round, Beaverton, free)
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The third Saturday of August means it’s time for Multnomah Days, Multnomah Village’s annual open-air, family-friendly street festival with musical acts, street entertainers, over 100 art and vendor booths, a kids’ zone, and food carts with outdoor street dining. Between two stages of performers and a community parade, there will be plenty to capture your attention along the charming neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. JW
(Multnomah Village, Multnomah, free)
SPORTS & RECREATION
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Started in the summer of 1997, the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby brings thousands of spectators to watch costumed riders zoom down an extinct volcano in homemade “cars” bedecked like beer carts, a cup of noodles, Mater from Cars, and other quirky designs. The questionably road-safe event is a hallmark of Portland summer that celebrates the intersection of engineering and art. The mid-mountain viewing alley, lovingly referred to as “Blood Alley,” is where spectators can find a BYO beer garden and concession stands with food and drink for purchase. SL
(Mt. Tabor Park, Southeast Portland, free)
LIVE MUSIC
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Originally from Hawaii, Portland-based singer-songwriter (and former high school teacher) Isabeau Waia’u Walker weaves culture, language, and identity into her soothing, powerful, and bright—but gloomy—music. She will likely perform songs from her 2022 full-length, Body, but we’re also hoping for some new material from her forthcoming album, HEAVYWEIGHT. Don’t miss an opening set from Utah-based soft-psych project Harpers. AV
(Lollipop Shoppe, Buckman, $10-$15)
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Portland-based artist Twingle (aka Anna Sabatino) crafts whimsical psychedelic pop tunes that pull lyrical inspiration from traditional folk music. She will celebrate the release of her debut album, Future Caviar, which focuses on the personal lives of female writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. If you’re a fan of Broadcast, I guarantee you’ll love Twingle, too (Sabatino sounds eerily similar to Trish Keenan’s). Local rock band the Soft Colors and groove-forward synth-pop band DMN(Default Mode Network) will open. AV
(Holocene, Buckman, $12)
SHOPPING
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North Portland’s historic Kenton neighborhood throws its annual street fair this weekend! Check out 80-plus vendors (spoon rings, anyone?) and enjoy live performances across multiple stages from the likes of local rock band Lesser Halves and genre-bending group Izy Kactus. Bring the fam and enjoy a day filled with food, music, crafts, and fun in the shadow of Paul Bunyan, who made the cut as one of Portland’s sexiest statues. SL
(Paul Bunyan Statue, Kenton, free)
SPORTS & RECREATION
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I recently attended my first marathon as a spectator—and damn those people are serious about running. Regardless of whether you identify as a runner, Portland Parks & Recreation’s annual 5K Fun Run Series works to make road running accessible to all ages and levels of athleticism. It’s free for youth under 18, and only five bucks for everyone else—bring cash if you’re planning to register day of! There will be many perks for participating: raffle prizes, crafts, tons of bananas, and a ribbon for every finisher. SL
($0-$5)
COMMUNITY
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Google doesn’t often classify movies as “family/horror,” but Coraline is one of the few flicks that fits the bill. The 2009 LAIKA film, which follows an audacious 11-year-old who finds an alternate world populated by strange characters (including a button-eyed Other Mother), is based on the creepiest, most addictive Neil Gaiman book I read as a seventh-grader. If the book/movie’s lanky black cat elicits your nostalgia, I recommend spending an afternoon with Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail, LAIKA’s path of six-foot Cat sculptures stationed throughout downtown Portland. LC
(Various locations, free, Friday–Sunday)
EXHIBIT
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The World Forestry Center is throwing open the doors to its wood-filled Discovery Museum all summer long, offering special programming—including storytimes, forest crafts, science and wildfire preparedness talks, and an art exhibition,Tree People—that’s bound to leave you more arboreally inclined than you were before. Learn about the Northwest’s forests and their role “as a habitat, a place for recreation and reflection, a critical resource, and more” through an engaging variety of events; they’re all included with the cost of admission. LC
(World Forestry Center & Discovery Museum, Washington Park, $5-$8, Friday–Sunday)
FILM
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Perhaps one of my most “well, duh” opinions is that The Shining is fucking awesome. The book, of course, but also Stanley Kubrick’s slow-burn masterpiece, even if Stephen King hates it. The flick’s spine-chilling setting, replete with lonely halls and snowy mazes, owes a hefty amount of its dramatic effect to the Pacific Northwest, too—it features the iconic exterior of the Timberline Lodge. That should help keep you cool on a hot summer’s eve. Also, if you need more convincing, the recently passed scream queen Shelley Duvall graces the screen, whether or not Nicholson and Kubrick really deserved her. All work and no play makes anyone a dull boy, so check into Room 237 (aka the Hollywood Theatre) for this 35mm print screening. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $10-$12, Saturday–Sunday)
OUTDOORS
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Grab your camera and your allergy meds and get ready to experience 40 acres of dahlias featuring over 370 varieties. Floral novices and aficionados alike can sign up for flower arranging and crafts classes, listen to flower care lectures, take a bunch of flowers home, and more. Listen to local bands perform on weekends or grab a bite to eat from a rotating selection of food carts. SL
(Swan Island Dahlias, Canby, free, Friday–Sunday)
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If you’ve never visited Leach Botanical Garden, you might’ve driven by it many times without noticing. The lush 16-acre space is tucked somewhat unexpectedly between a Franz Bakery Outlet, a Dairy Queen, and a Shell gas station off SE 112nd Ave. In effect, it’s something like an “urban oasis”—there’s a historic manor house, concerts, classes, and over 2,000 plant species on site. I like to wander among the nicely maintained pathways and murmur things like “I should have been a groundskeeper” and “Imagine being a little bird who lives here!” to myself. Anyway, you should go! This weekend-long 40th-anniversary celebration is a good opportunity, with a botanical art fundraiser, site tours, arborist talks, and live flute music on the agenda. LC
(Leach Botanical Garden, Pleasant Valley, $0-$5, Saturday–Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
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The Original Practice Shakespeare Festival brings its productionsoutdoors each summer, interpreting the Bard’s work in the classic First Folio style (that means limited rehearsal, an onstage prompter, and a fast-paced, improvisational feel). “Shakespeare should feel a little dangerous,” the fest’s promotional materials explain, and nothing sounds more dangerous to me than hopping on stage in front of a crowd to perform a barely rehearsed Elizabethan play. Check out the calendar for dates and locations of plays performed in parks across the city, including tales of heartbreak, murder, ghosts, and political intrigue this month (Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet). LC
(Washington Park Amphitheater, free, Friday–Saturday)
SPORTS & RECREATION
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This summer-long festival of bikey fun is an annual highlight for pedal-powered Portlanders. From June through August, riders of all ages are invited to join hundreds of events independently organized by community members like you. Although the famous World Naked Bike Ride is on hiatus this year, there are still plenty of opportunities to connect with like-minded bikers at events like an adoptees of color ride, a Kim Petras ride, and a Lord of the Rings ride. JW
(Various locations, free, Friday–Sunday)
SHOPPING
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Isn’t it time you were beguiled? Titillated? Hot around the collar?? If your answer falls somewhere between “Ummm, yeah, I guess,” and “PLEASE!”, I have your solution: Bookstore Romance Day, which Powell’s Books will celebrate this weekend. Explore all the hunky, sweaty, bodice-ripping tomes your heart desires, hear from over a dozen romance writers at three panels, or score tickets to the paid book lover’s brunch and romance social. The store will also display special reading recommendations, and visitors can grab “exclusive romance tote bags and stickers.” LC
(Powell’s City of Books, Pearl District, all panels free; $15-35 for special events, Saturday–Sunday)
SUMMER
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You might think a sandy beach in the middle of the Central Eastside sounds like a dream, but 13 trucks full of sand (and the efforts of the hardworking organizers behind the Portland Night Market) made it a reality. With 19,000 square feet of concrete covered with four inches of sand, Portland Plage offers a no-cover tropical hangout for you, your friends, and your kids. There are little pools to take a dip in, cabanas for rent, and food and drink for purchase to keep you hydrated as you build a sandcastle by day or vibe out to DJs at night. One guest described it as “so cute and so silly”—you have through August 25 to see for yourself. SL
(100 SE Alder, Buckman, free)
VISUAL ART
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I last wrote about Brianna Spencer’s work during her 2023 solo exhibition at Chefas Projects, Can You Get Me Something From the Store?, which expanded on her enduring interest in California culture, street art, and motherhood with confident forms and vibrant, joyful compositions. Spencer tragically passed in March, leaving her partner George, her baby daughter Ene, and a treasure trove of colorful artworks that remain true to her warm, wonder-eyed aesthetic. If you haven’t seen Spencer’s work before, I can promise that you will become a forever fan after viewing this show. And if you’re already a lover of Spencer’s work, Moon Eyes is for you—the memorial exhibition will celebrate her life through her art. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, free, Friday–Saturday; closing)
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South Korea-based artist Dongwook Lee drew the name for this solo exhibition from the German language: “Wozu” translates to “what for.” The title makes sense. Lee’s work embodies an “inner collision” we might all experience—that clamorous internal battle between ego, truth, fictions, and realities. Wozu‘s stark black-and-white compositions are painterly and gestural; nude bodies tangle, reach, resist, and collide. And while the exhibition’s promotional materials mention everything from Norse mythology to the Tower of Babel, Lee’s imagery is imbued with a mythical quality that feels totally original. LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)
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Ever think about how every person you’ve ever seen in a stock image—be it in a photo frame, a poster at the doctor’s office, or an instruction manual for a plane crash—is going to die someday? Me neither! That just occurred to me for the first time about 30 seconds ago. Eli Craven’s work seems to suggest he’s considered it at least once or twice, though. Falling somewhere between bizarre, surreal, clinical, and erotic, the artist’s photographs encapsulate the mundanity of a stock image and the persistence of underlying human emotions. Craven’s interplay of distortion and subtle censorship feels as intriguing as it is eerie. LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)
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I’m a long-time fan of Emma Gerigscott’s painting practice, which often focuses on four-legged friends (or two-legged: Her last solo exhibition at Froelick took a refreshing dip into a duck pond). The artist’s summer series of paintings on water-resistant Tyvek are glowy and contemplative, featuring horses, another duck, and elongated human forms. Yet-to-be-revealed paper compositions and plaster sculptures will supplement the works. LC
(Froelick Gallery, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)
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I’m in Georgia O’Keeffe’s camp when it comes to the summer heat, but that doesn’t mean everyone else shouldn’t enjoy the season. “Summer amplifies our sense of aliveness, of being in the world among other beings…Temperaments become whimsical yet cognizant—we are uniquely attuned to the exterior and we want to revel in it, to enjoy one another,” ILY2 posits. The gallery’s new group exhibition was designed to be viewed in the sunshine during its summer closure. Gone Fishin’ is installed in ILY2’s windows, so you can stroll by and see pieces by Emma Kohlmann, Morgan Buck, Tanner Lind, Bonnie Lucas, and many others. The show should provide more than enough artistic inspiration to tide you over before the gallery’s fall and winter exhibitions. LC
(ILY2, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)
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American artist Jennifer Levonian, who currently lives and works in Spain, presents this fresh solo exhibition at Adams and Ollman, where visitors will find her “new stop-motion animation and an installation of drawings used in the animation’s making.” Levonian’s Speed Reader is ultra-colorful, self-referential, and more than a little surreal, like an updated version of Suzan Pitt’s ’79 experimental short Asparagus. Levonian’s work also eyes American culture and class, creating absurdist hyperbole with hand-drawn backgrounds and puppets. The results feel both utterly strange and heartbreakingly familiar. LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, free, Friday–Saturday)
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Joy Feasley’s latest solo exhibition pairs an installation of sculptural candles with spare, pensive flashe and oil paintings on linen. Her Sadness Makes Her Smile reflects on the experience of shared grief; the artist’s ceramic and glass candle forms “take the form of vigil candles, symbolic holders of a memory,” and are “meant to be named and bear a memory forward.” Paired with her ethereal paintings, the effect feels dreamlike and mysterious, like a plume of smoke after a flickering flame is snuffed out. LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, free, Friday–Saturday)
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Leonora Carrington’s life is long overdue for a biopic. Born into an upper-class English family in 1917, she dodged societal expectations (boarding schools and fancy balls), linked up with Max Ernst, and fled to Mexico after being institutionalized in Spain. During the eight decades that followed, Carrington created some of the most intriguing art and literature of the 20th century. If you’re not familiar, imagine Biblical allegories and ancient fables blended with hybrid creatures, metamorphoses, and magic that probes the subconscious. This exhibition serves as a stellar introduction to her oeuvre, pulling works fromthe Mixografia Print Studio and Gallery collection. I recommend picking up Carrington’s novel The Hearing Trumpetafter viewing the show—it’s one of my favorites, and its protagonist is an eccentric nonagenarian. LC
(Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Pearl District, $0-$10, Friday–Sunday)
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Secret Room Press’ new-ish location, wedged between Bollywood Theater and Salt & Straw on SE Division in the former Little Otsu storefront, features all the DIY-happy books, zines, and prints you’re expecting, plus a rotating art gallery. The gallery’s Tokyo Zine pop-up presents dozens of zines, prints, stickers, and more trendy ephemera from artists in Tokyo, with a special emphasis on risographed pieces. Drop by to peep some art you likely won’t encounter otherwise—I’m intrigued by yukie conno’s Fox Doodles. LC
(Secret Room, Richmond, free, Friday–Sunday)
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Portland-based interdisciplinary artist Nia Musiba’s second exhibition at One Grand Gallery is a dreamy selection of works on paper, encapsulating milestone moments like her “first heartbreak, graduating, questioning the meaning of life, and finding the answers in friendships and experimentation and new love.” Musiba’s stars, flowers, and spirals are welcoming, yet imbued with subtle narrative. Unseasonably Warm also features ceramic sculptures Musiba created in collaboration with Sara Victorio of the trendy local studio Hotel Ceramics. LC
(One Grand Gallery, Buckman, free, Friday–Sunday)
EverOut Staff
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