 the dear drive-in |
BY MATT McNALLY
There's always something a little wrong about going to the movies when the sun's out--like God's doing you a favor and you spit in his big bearded face by holing up in a dark, air-conditioned room.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
FOOD & DRINK
TRAVEL
OUTDOOR
FASHION
MUSIC & ARTS
LIFE
HOME & HOOD
CONCERT and EVENTS CALENDAR
So how do you get your cinematic fix without upsetting the man upstairs? Portland isn't outdoor-movie central, but it does have a few options that only happen at night:
At the Drive-In
If you're interested in warming your hands over the dying embers of classic Americana, a trip to the drive-in is a must. Since their heyday in the '50s and '60s, Oregon's drive-ins have become a dwindling resource, but thankfully Portlanders can still find one within spitting distance. That is in Newberg. Shows run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Newberg Drive-In and often include two features. Admission fees are per person (so don't think you can spread the cost by loading up your pickup with friends) and you'll need to have a working car radio or portable "listenbox" to pick up the soundtrack broadcast on site. Newberg Drive-In, Highway 99W, just west of the Springbrook Road intersection, 538-2738, www.99w.com. Gates 6:30 pm, shows start at dusk Friday-Sunday. Ages 6-11 $3, 12 and over $6, minimum vehicle charge $9.
Free Movies in the Park (Woo-hoo!)
If you thought the only thing you could see for free in the park these days was some old crazy's wang, then you're in for a pleasant surprise. The lovely people at the Laurelhurst Theater have colluded with charitable cyclophiles Providence Rose Pedal to stage outdoor movie events in several locations. Details for these events are still somewhat embryonic, but you can keep abreast of updated information at providence.org/ rosepedal and laurelhursttheater.com. The movies shown will be decided via online voting, so start thinking about what flick might have the best ambience in a dusky park. Ooh--how about The Warriors? Movies start at dusk Wednesdays. Red Sunset Park, Gresham, July 16; Esther Short Park, Vancouver, Wash., July 23; Sellwood Riverfront Park, July 30; Laurelhurst Park, Aug. 6. www.providence.org/oregon/events/rosepedal.
Northwest Film Center
NWFC's summer event plans are also at something of a premature stage, but there will be a couple of outdoor events at which to get some arthouse-al fresco kicks. July's Waterfront Blues Festival offers a chance for a sneak preview of The Blues anthology, with segments from the seven documentaries in Martin Scorsese's upcoming series for PBS. A&E Front Porch Stage, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Naito Parkway. Two screenings: 10 pm Thursday, July 3; 10 pm Saturday, July 5. Admission to the festival $5 daily donation plus two cans of nonperishable food.
Free Movies in the 'Couv
This summer also sees the second annual Uptown Movies in Vancouver, Wash. Each Saturday from July 26 to Aug. 16, you can park your ass on the parking lot on the corner of 23rd and Main Street and watch a "family friendly" movie for free. The list of movies has yet to be completed, but information should be available soon. Bring your own cushion, blanket or lawn-chair--that concrete ain't too comfy.
23rd & Main Street, Vancouver, www.uptownmovies.com. Festivities start at 7 pm and movies will begin at about 9 pm.
Have Tux, WILL TRAVEL
Summer festival music directors' to-do lists.
BY GRANT MENZIES
It may surprise those who attend summer music festivals, listening to musicians in informal white jackets conjure the spirits of Bach, Beethoven or Duke Ellington, that pulling it together ain't so easy. Not only does your typical artistic director/conductor have to weave a seasonal orchestra into seamlessness, he also hopes that the works he's selected will transfer successfully from legal pad to concert shell. Which is why your typical summer-festival director has to occasionally savor the fruits of summer. The heads of three Oregon summer music festivals tell us what they do when they put down their batons.
SERGIU LUCA, violinist, conductor and music director of the Cascade Head Music Festival (June 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28, St. Peter the Fisherman Lutheran Church, Lincoln City)
When not teaching violin at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, running Context, his acclaimed chamber ensemble based in Houston, or performing and recording, Luca serves as music director of the Cascade Head Music Festival in Lincoln City. A summer festival he founded in 1986, it promotes not only the unheard but the unusual among masterworks of the Baroque and Classical periods. And can you think of another chamber-music festival where you can listen to an early-19th-century piano dubbed "Chickenshit" by Luca, in honor of its rescue from a chicken coop in the Czech republic?
Luca's To-Do List:
1. "I do serious research into wines, and then drink them the rest of the summer," Luca says with a chuckle. His favorite wine is the one with its cork out and contents ready to pour, but Luca judges Oregon wines superb by any standard.
2. Cooking, especially Chinese cuisine.
3. Catching up on reading and research for the next season and admiring his beach home's sweeping view of the Salmon River Estuary.
DAVID SHIFRIN, clarinetist, artistic director, Chamber Music Northwest (June 23-July 26, Reed College, Catlin Gabel School)
Normally in Oregon for the duration of CMNW's monthlong program, Shifrin will take a mini-sabbatical from CMNW duties this summer to "expand my horizons." Translated, that will mean concerts in New York with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (for which he also serves as artistic director), at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival and elsewhere. "It's good to sometimes have no other responsibility than playing the clarinet," he says.
Shifrin's To-Do List:
1. This confession had to be wrung out: He's taken up golf. Last summer, he took a course from one of the pros at Eastmoreland Golf Course in Southeast Portland, near CMNW's rehearsal space. "I hate to say anything publicly," says Shifrin, "because I'm so bad at it."
2. While in Portland for the summer, he typically accompanies his wife, a dealer in antique English transfer ware, on seek and purchase missions.
3. Spend time with his 9-year-old son, who lives with his mother on the East Coast. "He's enrolled in all kinds of sports camps in the summer, so I fly back as often as I can to watch his games."
HELMUTH RILLING, music director and conductor, Oregon Bach Festival (June 27-July 13, Eugene)
Rilling doesn't have much time during the summer for anything outside music. "Work for me never stops," Rilling says. After Eugene's two-week festival ends, he plunges into the Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart, a festival uniting 200 young people from 30 nations in one instrumental and vocal ensemble. "It's a wonderful opportunity to work with young people from many countries, who become friends through the music."
Rilling's To-Do List:
1. In prior years, Rilling enjoyed exploring Oregon's scenery while in Eugene for the Bach Festival, but lately he has taken advantage of down time to return to his country house outside Stuttgart in the scenic Schwäbische Alb mountains.
2. Studying scores, even during holidays. "But let me say that I sweeten that by smoking a good cigar," says Rilling. "It's one of my vices."
SEE BY SEA: Three Oregon Coast Galleries
BY ART CHENOWETH
Time was, we went to the Oregon beach content to fry in the sun, splash in the surf and gulp clam chowder and sea air. As we matured, so did our coastline. We became restless. We wanted more heady pleasures to accompany our sandy pleasures. Likewise, land-locked artisans began migrating to the coast not only for quietude, but also for its inspiring majesty. Galleries began opening, and we learned to enjoy artful endeavors--by walking door to door, down streets of small towns, without the hassle of city parking. These days, Oregon Coast gallery-going has taken on its own ambling tempo and enlarged our agendas of pleasure. Here are three galleries for completely different tastes, but by no means do they represent the complete sample of what's waiting on the shore.
For Beachcombers: Rockaway Beach provides a welcome retreat from the hurly-burly of more congested coastal burgs. A shirtsleeves-and-shorts kind of town, what it lacks in pretension is made up with by heart. The Art at Twin Rocks gallery sucks me in with its perfect spirit of scenic background and slight beach aroma. This gallery will suit most tastes just fine, whether you're into crafts, painting, jewelry or (even occasionally) stuff people might call knick-knacks. 19485 Highway 101, Rockaway Beach, 503-355-8508.
For Kids (and Kids in Spirit): Not all art has to be on the wall--or even the ground. Catch the Wind Kite Shop makes good use of the term "art gallery" because the "art" here is interactive. It's also easy to understand and clean of line, and it follows traditions yet explores new avenues. Besides, it's so darn colorful! Even for a non-kite-flyer, this one provides a highly sensuous experience. They have cute wind gadgets, too. 266 SE Highway 101, Lincoln City, 541-994-9500.
For Variety and Stimulation: The Gallery at Salishan is about as good as fine art gets on the coast (its resemblance to Pearl District art galleries is no accident). Almost anything Salishan-oriented casts a wide net. You're likely to find just about everything here: art you can stand on the floor, hang on the wall or wear on your body. Shows feature new artists monthly. 7755 N Highway 101, Gleneden Beach, 541-764-2318.
FIVE READS From FIVE READERS
BY JAMES WALLING
Need a good book to get you through summer? Or at least next weekend? Who better to ask than a bookseller? This selection of five new releases has something for everyone, as well as the blessings of five people who have a pretty swell idea what it takes to be great between the sheets.
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (Vintage Books, $13.95). Steve at Reading Frenzy (921 SW Oak St., 274-1449) recommends this collection of short stories, which includes such notable authors as Sherman Alexie, Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Michael Crichton and Stephen King.
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $19.95). Caroline at Murder by the Book (3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 232-9995) is pushing this next installment of "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series. Set in Botswana, this book was described as charming rather than psychological, with Dinesenesque (that's Isak, mind you) prose.
The War on Freedom by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed (Tree of Life Publishing, $16.95). Rayner at Laughing Horse Books (3652 SE Division St., 236-2893) suggested this powerful piece of investigative journalism. Ahmed looks into the attacks of 9/11 with a study supported by the Institute for Policy Research and Development.
Mandala: Journey to the Center by Bailey Cunningham (Dorling Kindersley Publishing, $15). Tammy at Indus Books (1808 NE Alberta St., 281-2476) describes this book as "a well-illustrated monograph on the history and significance of the mandala as a form in art."
The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry (Houghton-Mifflin, $15). Karin of Looking Glass Books (318 SW Taylor St., 227-4760) recommends the new book from two-time Newberry-winner Lois Lowry, primarily intended for the 10-14 age group.
Five Flicks Guaranteed to Get You in a SUMMERY MOOD...
...no matter what the weather is outside.
BY DAVID WALKER
Summer means many things to many people, from lounging on the beach to poolside parties to camping. But those people who have an aversion to extreme heat, the summer is a time to kick back and watch movies, either in an air-conditioned theater or in your living room, wearing nothing but your underwear while a fan blows cold air on your thinly veiled flesh. If that's your idea of summer fun, here are some movies that will give you your dose of required summer recreation.
1. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)--Pack your bags and hop into the family truckster with the Griswolds as they drive cross-country to spend their summer vacation at an amusement park. Anyone who's ever taken a road trip with family can appreciate this comedic nightmare.
2. Summertime (1955)--Katharine Hepburn plays a spinster who takes a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Venice, where she falls in love with Rossano Brazzi. Director David Lean's bittersweet tale captures the fairy tale-like magic of far-from-home romances.
3. One Crazy Summer (1986)--Not exactly a shining moment in cinema history, this follow-up to Better Off Dead still manages to capture the lighter side of summer fun. John Cusack leads an ensemble cast of kooky teens spending the summer on Nantucket.
4. Do the Right Thing (1989)--There are no pool parties or family barbecues in Spike Lee's brilliant treatise on race relations in America. The sweltering temperature serves as a catalyst for the sinister side of summer heat.
5. Deliverance (1972)--For some people, summer means a time to get away and enjoy a return to nature with camping and hiking. For others it means squealing like a pig while being assaulted from the rear by hillbillies.
Summer Art Camp CLASS(ICS)
BY KELLY CLARKE
A budding performance artist of any age needs a deft touch, a strong body and, well, trapeze skills never hurt anybody. Onstage or off, become your own boredom reliever with three classes that put some showtime into this summer.
Start with the classics, kids--storybook classics. Portland Dance Academy takes on the Golden Book canon with A Fairy Tale Summer, its series of three summer camps for 6- to 12-year-olds. Young ones explore dance, drama, music and craft costuming in timeless and timely stories like Cinderella, Little Red in the Hood with her Hip Hop Friends and Alice in Wonderland (one story per session). A playful way to get a foot in the performance door. Portland Dance Academy, 4620 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, 245-5269. 10 am-3 pm July 14-18, July 28-Aug. 1, Aug. 11-15. $200 per session.
Now that you've got a taste for the stage, you've got to pay your dues on the circuit. Local vaudevillian troupe Do Jump! invites children for its Circus Skills Summer Camp, one-week sessions packed with trapeze, stilt walking and physical theater. The whole clan can tumble together at a special family circus camp July 28 through Aug. 1. A seven-week beginning adult trapeze and acrobatics class is also available. Echo Theatre, 1515 SE 37th Ave., 231-1232. Beginning adult classes 6:30 pm Wednesdays, June 18-July 30. $90. Call for complete kids/family schedule and fees.
Even with stardom imminent, loft divas need to think outside the box. Let Pacific Northwest College of Art broaden your borders (and help you brush up on basics) in summer art camps for grown-ups. Learn to draw from a different perspective, take a decent photo, sculpt or blow glass in more than 30 one-day, two-day, weekend and weeklong workshops offered during PNCA's summer term. PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson St., 821-8903. $200-$300.
