Events & Classes > Keep Portland Weird! A Community Festival

Keep Portland Weird! A Community Festival

Saturday, November 8, 2008, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

• Central Library
• 801 S.W. 10th Ave.
• 503.988.5123

Portland is a place of passionate people pursuing interesting, and sometimes strange, pastimes. Join us for a day of discovery as a wide variety of organizations share what they do and why they do it.

Printable Keep Portland Weird flyer (pdf)

Performances

First floor, U.S. Bank Room

• Space is limited. Free tickets for seating will be available at the Keep Portland Weird Information Table (near the Welcome Desk) 30 minutes prior to each program.
• Circus Cascadia, circus skills for kids, 11 a.m.–noon
  Before you run away with the circus, you might need to be able to juggle, plate spin or perform with Chinese ribbons. Gain some circus skills in this workshop with Circus Cascadia.
• Klezmocracy, performance, 1–2 p.m.
  The freewheeling musical combo Klezmocracy leaves few musical stones unturned. This eclectic group of professionals has pooled their many years of musical experience and are cooking up an Afro-Hebrew musical stew seasoned with Latin, Jazz, Cabaret, Rock and Klezmer.
• Portland Ukulele Association, ukulele lesson, 3–4 p.m.
  PUA is dedicated to the fun and fellowship of ukulele playing. Join us for a free lesson; No ukulele? No problem! Ukulele's will be provided (while supplies last).

Lessons, demos and information tables

First floor

• Chess for Success
  Chess for success is a non-profit organization that helps economically disadvantaged children learn useful life skills through the game of chess.
• PDXSwap - childrens clothing, Story Theater, Children's Library, 12:30-4
  Recycle your still wearable clothing with PDXSwap, a group of women in the Portland Metro area who get together on a regular basis for a clothing swap! Kids clothes swaps too!
• Kumoricon, lobby
  The folks at Kumoricon run Oregon's largest anime convention and are dedicated to all things involving Japanese animation including manga, cosplay (costume play) and gaming.
• Portland Area Robotics Society, lobby
  PARTS is a nonprofit dedicated to those interested in learning about and building robots.
• Oregon Regency Society, Popular Library
  Our group embraces civil, polite society, unified by a common love; the Regency Period.We adore the worlds that Jane Austen's winding, brilliantly written tales portray, depicting a time where ladies were ladies, gentlemen were gentlemen, and good society, family connections, grace, wit and romance were treasured.
• Portland Steampunk Society, Popular Library
  Steampunk is a genre which combines elements of science fiction in a Victorian milieu. More recently art, fashion and music have been influenced by steampunk. The Portland Steampunk Society is an eclectic group of people with a focus on the aesthetic and creative aspects of this dynamic subculture. We encourage individual and group creativity and inventiveness through style, clothing, unique and whimsical accessories, art and music. By creating a pleasing environment of visual inspiration and engaging activities we hope to promote a culture of depth, decadence and possibility limited only by the participants imagination.

Second floor, lobby

• PDXSwap - women's clothing, Sterling Writers Room, 12-4
  Recycle your still wearable clothing with PDXSwap, a group of women in the Portland Metro area who get together on a regular basis for a clothing swap!
• SCRAP: School and Community Reuse Action Project
  A non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.

Third floor, Collins Gallery

• My Story, photo exhibit, 12-4 p.m. Firecracker: The hopes and fears of Portland youth in photographs and writing
  My Story offers photography workshops that inspire young people to explore their lives through the lens of a camera. We collaborate with families, schools and community organizations in developing projects that engage the imagination and creativity of young people, building confidence in their abilities, and providing opportunities for them to share their stories with the world
• Portland Sacred Harp, participatory shape note singing, noon–1 p.m.
  Sacred Harp shape note singing is a community musical & social activity, emphasizing participation, not performance. We sing in four-part, unaccompanied harmony from an early American songbook called The Sacred Harp, which has been continuously in print and in use since 1844. It is the backbone of one of this country's oldest, most vital and soul-stirring musical traditions. Everyone is invited to give it a try - no experience necessary!
• Taoist Tai Chi Society, tai chi demo, 1:30-2 p.m.
  Dedicated to this ancient Chinese exercise emphasizing relaxation, stretching, health improvement and stress reduction.
• Ignite Portland, five minute speech slam, 2:15–3 p.m.
  If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers. We're looking to bring a twist to the same old conference format that you're used to. It's cool. It's fun.
• KBOO Community Radio
  Your Volunteer-Powered, Non-Commercial, Listener-Sponsored, Full-Strength Community Radio station for Portland, Oregon, Cascadia & the World!
• Oregon Paranormal Investigations
  Oregon Paranormal Investigations is a group of experienced and sincere investigators whose primary purpose is to help those that are experiencing unexplained and unusual phenomenon.
• Tolman Guide to Green Living in Portland
  The Tolman Guide to Green Living was created to help us move away from practices that are harmful to people and the environment and towards those that accommodate natural cycles and systems; appropriately called sustainable living. Meet the authors and make a reduce, reuse, recycle craft. 

Resources and further reading

• Branches & Byways
• CascadeLink
• Welcome to Portland! and Novels Set in Portland booklists
• Metroblogging Portland
• City of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Portland by Gabriel H. Boehmer
• Fugitives & Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon by Chuck Palahniuk
• Portland Confidential: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Rose City by Phil Stanford
• Wild in the City: A Guide to Portland's Natural Areas
• Zinester's Guide to Portland