WORKING ON SUNDAY:
“Working” Kirk Reeves, the 56-year-old Portland street musician known
for playing his trumpet while wearing a white tuxedo and Mickey Mouse
ears, was found dead at Bybee Lake in North Portland last week, the
apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although few knew his
name, the outpouring of grief on social media confirmed Reeves’ status
as a beloved local icon. A public vigil is planned for 4 pm Sunday, Nov. 18.
Friends of the musician will gather on the waterfront near the west end
of the Hawthorne Bridge, where Reeves often worked. According to the
Facebook page established for the memorial, Allan Kalik, Reeves’
longtime trumpet teacher, will perform one of Reeves’ favorite songs,
“Over the Rainbow.”
GROUPOFF: Servers rejoice: The probable death of the Groupon you know and loathe is looming. Disappointing profits have dragged the company’s stock down over the past year, with it plummeting to a new low of $3.76 last week.
That’s down from nearly $25 in January. The company is also moving more
toward selling goods than brokering deals for half-price enchilada
platters. As previously reported in WW, the online coupon broker
is often a bad deal for local restaurants, but especially brutal for
servers because cheapskate Grouponers are notoriously bad tippers.
FUTURE DRINKING: Art and music bar Valentine’s,
at 232 SW Ankeny St., has been bought by Metro planner Will Elder and
minority partner Estia Penelope “Opie” Papaioannou, daughter of the late
Ted Papaioannou, who was co-founder of Berbati’s restaurant and bar
across the Ankeny alleyway. No big changes are currently planned.
>> The red-barned shanty strip club Rooster’s Pub (605 N Columbia Blvd.) will now be JAG’s Clubhouse,
according to an OLCC application. Who’s JAG? Jared A. Gallop, owner of
Tennessee Red’s barbecue restaurant in Southeast Portland. Nude revues
will continue; no word on a menu revamp. >> Robo Taco (607
SE Morrison St.), darling of late-night taco lovers, has applied for a
full liquor license. >> It looks like there’s another cidery
planned in the area. Portland Cider Co. is opening in Oregon City. Apparently, Oregon City Cider Co. didn’t have the same cachet.
NEWOCEAN: The Ocean, a new micro-restaurant thingy in the old Timberline Dodge
building at Northeast Glisan Street and 24th Avenue, is hosting a
public open house this Saturday, Nov. 17, from 4 to 8 pm. The space
houses Slowburger, Basa Basa, Uno Mas, 24th & Meatballs and the Pie
Spot. “I’m going to corral some live music and basically allow folk to
roam into the project,” says developer Kevin Cavenaugh. “It’ll be
a fun and rather laissez-faire party. There won’t be any free food, but
there’ll be cheap food. And access is free, so that’s gotta be worth
something.”
VALENTINE’S - IMAGE: vivianjohnson.com
