Scoop: Fire Twirlers Under Fire from Fire Bureau

Gossip that may have a sunburn.

By WW Culture Staff
  1. EXTINGUISHED, ANGUISHED: Fire dancing has been more or less banned in Portland. The art of spinning burning things in the dark while wearing skimpy clothing has a long history in town. It could flame out thanks to a new Fire Bureau rule requiring twirlers to stay 25 feet from the audience and at least 30 from a non-combustable backdrop. The huge stages required are “completely detached from any realistic possibility,” angry dancers say, beyond what’s even available at the Crystal Ballroom and Schnitz.
  1. CLINTON’S SECOND TERM: Clinton Street Theater, Southeast Portland’s nearly century-old movie house, has been sold. The new owners are Roger and Lani Jo Leigh, self-described “independent entrepreneurs” who’ve long dreamed of owning a cinema. While the couple plans to keep the theater’s long-running spirit of independent programming intact, Lani Jo says they also want to expand the scope of the building to be “more community-oriented.” As such, the Leighs will host an open house on Monday, April 16. And don’t worry, Rocky Horror Picture Show fans: The screenings—a weekly tradition at the Clinton since 1978—will continue. “It’s fun, with just a tiny touch of naughty, and I would not put a stop to that kind of legacy,” Lani Jo says.
  1. OVER-CAFFINATED: Because there just aren’t enough third-wave coffee shops downtown, Northeast Sandy Boulevard’s Case Study Coffee has announced it will open a second location on the corner of Southwest 10th Avenue and Yamhill Street. Barista is also planning a third location near Southwest 3rd Avenue and Alder Street, while North Portland’s Red E Cafe is planning a second location in the Pearl’s Ecotrust building, featuring beans from its new roastery, not far from where Sterling is expected to open its new roastery. But is the market already overcrowded? Heart, which opened a small kiosk in West End Bicycles in late 2011, appears to have already deserted the location. Meanwhile, on the east side, Trailhead Coffee Roasters quietly opened its first cafe recently at Northeast 18th Avenue and Burnside Street.
  1. TACO TIME: Beloved vegan-friendly taqueria Los Gorditos is opening a third location at 922 NW Davis St. in the Pearl, where Sweet Masterpiece used to be. How do we know? We’re too ashamed to say.
  1. EVIL OR NOT? Powell’s Books won’t be selling any more Google eBooks. Google has decided to stop selling e-books through other channels after January 2013, leaving the local company, and other indie sellers, in the lurch. Show your displeasure by using AltaVista all day today.
  1. OVERBAKED: In last week’s “How Do You Afford Your DIY Lifestyle?,” the price of a Pearl Bakery baguette was incorrect. They’re $2.75, not $2.95. Put the 20 cents toward a gibassier—they’re great.

WWeek 2015

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