The winner of Portland's adult pinewood derby had a victory speech.

"This trophy is for all the gay Boy Scouts—EVER!" Nic Peteresen said as he hoisted his award.

It was a nice way to end a long night of racing as the Stumptown 40 rolled through Spirit of '77. Miniature cars built from kits that include a block of wood, four nails and four plastic wheels race down a ramp two at a time in the race.

The derby is a Cub Scout tradition, begun by a Scoutmaster bummed his kid was too young to build and race the bigger Soapbox Derby cars adult Portlanders are very familiar with. Gays were banned from Scouting in 1991.

The Stumptown race, which benefits Southeast's arts-focused Buckman Elementary, is, of course, as much about interesting design as speed. Competitors included a Greg Oden car built so the wheels fell off as it rolled down the track, a giant clothes pin and a rocket-riding monkey. And, of course, our WW Subaru of Portland cliches, which beat local designer Sho Ito in its first race before losing by a hare to Mason West's deceptively-speedy bunnymobile.

In its third year, the race doubled competitors to 80. Some spectators were turned away at the door after '77, a sports bar across from the Rose Garden, reached capacity. Cofounder Dave Selden says the field will keep growing.

"We were prepared for mayhem— it takes a lot of time to race 80 cars when it's a double-elimination tourney. There were a few hiccups—all those damn nerds stealing our wifi connection, slowing the bracket software down—but all in all, it was a great time," he says. "The quality and creativity of the cars produced always blows my mind. I loved the DeLorean, the Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwich ... and of course the constantly breaking-down Greg Oden car. So awesome. We'll definitely do it again next year, ONLY WITH A MILLION CARS."

Look through a gallery of cars from this year at the Stumptown site.

Look down from Timberline's Stormin' Norman lift this week and you'll see future stars of Sochi spinning off jumps at the resort's terrain park. There are no medals or sponsorships on the line, though. Which is the point, says West Coast Session organizer Ethan Stone.

"All winter long they're competing, they're doing photo shoots, they're working really hard to become professional athletes. It's work, it's not always fun," he says. "When they come here, this is a chance for them to relax at the end of the season and just have a good time. They can push themselves if they want to, but no one's telling them what to do. And it turns out incredible, because when you let them have that freedom, they go nuts."

These are some of the world's best young skiers. At this year's X Games, both first and second place went to Session alum. The Session is a way for Timberline, which sits on a glaciated peak and is open all summer unlike every other North American ski resort, to kick off its busy season. In June, Portland becomes the center of the American ski world as an influx of ambitious skiers and boarders come to train while Colorado's mountains melt down to slush.

Ethan Stone rockin' neon green glacier glasses for Gaper Day 2012.

"If you just ride this lift all day you'll see things that will blow your mind, that you didn't think were possible, and that happens to me on a daily basis during the West Coast Session," Stone says.

On Sunday, the ridiculous tricks were amplified by even more ridiculous outfits as the Session kicked off on the resort's Gaper Day, which Stone says is a "time-honored mountain town tradition."

"In the spring time, everyone picks a day to dress as ridiculously as possible, possibly get very inebriated and just have a great time, celebrate the season past," he says. "But here it's celebrating the season to come." 

What better way to do that than a spirit hood or neon pink shorts?

Oh man, it looks like Shaun White even showed up! Check out more videos and photos taken by actual professional photographers here.

Portland breweries usually roll out a couple new beers every month. Some, like Cascade Barrel House, tap several kegs of new stuff every week, more than anyone not behind their bar can track. In the hype-driven craft brew market this makes sense, I guess, as there's no easier way to distinguish your product than to make hundreds of slightly different versions of it.

Logsdon Farmhouse Ales' approach is refreshingly different. The tiny brewery in the countryside near Hood River has only four products out right now. And they're all great. Willamette Week named the fresh hop seizoen Oregon's Beer of the Year for 2011. Brewvana readers said the same about its seizoen bretta. A few weeks back the brewery won the Cheers to Belgian Beers festival.

So when Logsdon roll out a new brew, like the Peche 'n' Brett dropped off at Portland stores on Thursday, it's actually kind of exciting. Having figured this out, it's nearly doubled the price on this one, charging $17.50 a bottle at BeerMongers instead of their standard $10.

I know what it looks like, but, seriously, this isn't at all unreasonable.

First, because it's an expensive product to make. Logsdon used a pound and a half of organic peaches per gallon of this stuff, which was kept in barrels after fall harvest until their once leaky bottling line could get it into glass without spilling too much.

Second, because it's really, really good beer. Like Logsdon's other bretted beers, the peche uses the special yeast that gives lambics and gueuze their distinct tart character. Working on the peaches, the result isn't as tangy as you might expect. This is a balanced beer, with less peachyness than, say, Dogfish Head's peche, but far more nuance. Think Cantillon, not Lindemans. All those additional fermentable sugars from the fruit did, however, pump the alcohol way up, to an imperil-grade 10% ABV, meaning this 750 ml has nearly as much go-go juice as a bottle of wine.

And would anyone think twice about paying $17.50 for a great bottle of Oregon wine?

Well, Archery Summit's 2009 pinot noir is $48.

Logsdon might not have reached Archery Summit yet, but they're climbing fast.

Other beer news from around Oregon...

Speaking of things vineal, the New School tells how Hop & Vine is creating its own private label collection of beer and wine. The Berliner Weisse made with Burnside seems interesting, though why would a cloudy, low-alcohol style like Berliner Weisse need wood? Woodruff syrup, yes. Aging in pinot and gin barrels? Hmmmmm.

Meanwhile, over at OregonLive, John Foyston has the scoop on Gigantic Brewing's opening in Southeast Portland. (Spoiler alert: this Wednesday.)

Oh, and in the interest of balance, since we don't want to be too pro-bretta, here's Beervana explaining how rogue yeast can cause problems for brewers.

Lake Oswego’s city council made it a crime to go from a public park to a public lake last week.

Safety, they claimed, is the issue. Yes, there are stairs leading from Millennium Park into the water of Oswego Lake, but the average Oswegan apparently can’t be trusted to safely walk down five stairs.

They could slip! They could fall!  INTO WATER!

But are there are other ways onto the 400-acre lake? Probably. Now that the stairway is off limits, amphibious aircraft are an option.

As it turns out, you could easily land a floatplane outfitted with pontoons in the middle of the public lake that’s been claimed by wealthy squatters. At least according to information from the Federal Aviation Administration and a local pilot.

There aren’t any special regulations on seaplanes, says Mike Fergus, a regional spokesman for the FAA. When they’re in the air, they’re planes, subject to FAA rules. When they’re in the air or preparing to get into the air, they’re boats, subject to the state's Marine Board rules. Neither prohibits landing on Oswego Lake so long as it's done safely.

Homeowners might complain to the FAA. If so, the government would be happy to dispatch someone to politely ask the pilot if he or she wouldn’t mind not landing on the lake.

"In some cases, with noise complaints for example, we’ll go out and talk to the owner of the plane," says. "But if it’s part of that type of aircraft, there’s nothing we can do, legally. But we always go out and talk to them, and say 'Hey, we’ve got a little community relations issue here, we can’t tell you, but we’d sure appreciate it, if you could alter your flight path.'"

Tim Wiley, who operates Wiley’s Seaplane Base in Clackamas County just outside Oswego Lake, says landing on the lake could be easily done. In fact, it recently was.

"It is physically possible and it was done, in 2007, by a red Stinson seaplane,” he says. “It was plastered all over the Lake Oswego Review."

The incident Wiley is talking about, when a plane landed on the lake and a local snapped a photo, caused a minor furor at the time, with residents complaining and the corporation's private patrol scrambling to approach the pilot before he took off. That was five years ago, though, when more people were still confused about the lake’s public status.

The story, Wiley says, is that pilot from Texas bought a used plane stored at his base and landed on the big open lake nearby on a test flight without knowing anything about the lake's long history of exclusion.

For a trained seaplane pilot, a 400 acre lake is an easy landing strip, he says. Wiley’s only concern would be Marine Board rules, which close off some other Oregon Lakes, like Waldo Lake. Unlike Waldo Lake, however, the board’s rules on Oswego Lake don’t prohibit seaplanes. Today, the lake corporation's security force knows that the sheriff could arrest them for trying to stop someone from using the public lake.

"It’s certainly big enough to do it, that’s not an issue. Physically landing a seaplane on the lake is not a problem, that lake is plenty big to land and takeoff,” Wiley said. “But if they thought it was somehow illegal, they wouldn’t do it."

Oswego Lake may only be open to the public for a few more hours.

Tonight, Lake Oswego's city council will vote tonight on a resolution which would prohibit people from entering the public lake from the city-owned public parks on its shores. If passed, the rule would be effective immediately.

This means an occupation of Oswego Lake, unlike the paddle I took last month, would involve breaking the law. An occupation of the lake had been discussed by online activists, but was ultimately abandoned until "it's sunny."

As previously reported, the lakebed of Oswego Lake, the centerpiece of Oregon's wealthiest city, is owned by a private home owner's association-type group. However, the lake was built by damming the Tualatin River, which the state says is a navigable waterway. This means the lake is open to the public under state law.

Getting from public land to public water, which is mostly surrounded by private property controlled by the Lake Oswego Corporation, is another matter. Right now, it's perfectly legal for the public to access Lake Oswego from a city park. In fact, a set of stairs makes it downright easy for the public to launch a small watercraft.

Those stairs were supposedly not designed to facilitate access, which is the crux of the city's justification for the new resolution. "None of the facilities has been designed or constructed for safe and appropriate water access," it reads. The city also claims that it lacks the resources to upgrade the facilities, that entering the water creates "safety risks" and that the landscaping around the cement walkway would be damaged "if walkway users leave the designated path."

City attorney David Powell did not return phone calls.

New Old Lompoc has signed a lease in the building replacing its current home.

One of the last great, gritty bars on NW 23rd Ave., Lompoc will close on April 28. Lompoc will then be smashed to bits so a complex of swishy LEED-certified apartments can be built where the brewpub's yellow walls and mossy roof now (somehow) stand.

The buildings next to it have already been turned into a giant hole. Now, Lompoc owner Jerry Fechter says he will reopen (Newer Old Lompoc is our suggested name) in summer 2013.

“We shall return!” exclaimed Fechter. “The pub will be built in the exact same location on the block, only in the new building that is to replace our beloved pub... We love this old building and all the character it has, but the time has come to upgrade. With the new pub, we will strive to create that great neighborhood pub vibe that we’ve been known for all these years.” 

The developer will begin erecting a four-story mixed-use building on the block in May. When finished, there will be retail on the first floor, 24 apartment units above, and a "state-of-the-art mechanized parking system."

There will not, however, be a brewery. Lompoc is moving its brewing operation to the Lompoc Brewery at 3901 N. Williams Ave. Lompoc will also lose its beloved back patio. The pain will be soothed by a large outdoor patio in the front of the building, a portion of which will covered and heated.

Originally known as the Old Lompoc Brewery, the space has been a tavern since 1993. The brewing operation began in December 1996. The New Old Lompoc opened in 2000, co-owned by Fechter and iconic local publican Don Younger of the Horse Brass.

The old location's last day, April 28, is being billed as Lompocalypse and you will find many WW staffers there.

"Hello, can I speak to App?"

"App? Who is App?"

"App, the guy that called my movie stupid. I wanna know if he ever made a movie. Has App ever made a Hollywood movie?"

"No, sir, he hasn't."

"Well then, who is App to call my movie stupid!"

It's true that App—also known as AP Kryza—has not made a full-length Hollywood movie. Over seven years of freelancing for Willamette Week, it's one of only several things our most enthusiastic embedded reporter didn't do for a story.

Andy Kryza is now going to work full time for the Portland portal of the Thrillist digifrat. Sadly, that means you'll be seeing less of him here. Though we eagerly anticipate Andy's Thrillist posts about entertainment centers and flavored lip balm, we thought we'd take some time to look back at some classics from his WW oeuvre.

Good luck, Andy. May every man's lap you sit on be soft, may every chapstick sample you write about be sweet and may no crazy old cranks find your phone number.

And now, some of Andy "App" Kryza's greatest hits...

Great Scots: "Oy, Portland! Ya call yerself Beervana? Ya might as well drink yer grandmother’s piss. India pale ales an’ high-’n’-mighty organic ales? More like fock-off ales. Ef it’s not Scottish, it’s piss."

Bottom o' the evening to ya! Happy St. Patrick's Day and welcome to the WW March Madness liveblog. I'm Martin and I like beer better than basketball, but since WW basketball writer Casey Jarman is in Tejas, I'm writing about what are almost certainly the last meaningful basketball games this city will see in 2012 from the very worst seat on press row.

We had 10 hours of liveblogging fun on Thursday. Now I'm back for the second and final round of tourney games in Portland. There are just two games here today, as Virginia Commonwealth University faces the Indiana Hoosiers at 4:10 pm and the New Mexico University Lobos plays Papa John's University and Pizzeria Louisville afterward. The winners will be in the Sweet Sixteen.

So, if you're just tuning in, here's a quick dossier on today's contestants:

• VCU has a rockin' pep band.
• Indiana has ass-ugly warm-up pants and lame coach who will never go on to star in hilarious State Farm commercials. (Or win any championships.)
• New Mexico is a totally different university from New Mexico State, our pick coming in, which was sadly eliminated by the Hoosiers.
• The University of Louisville has not done anything interesting since it invented the pap smear.

4:14 PM: Indiana has the larger crowd (like Thursday, there are a lot of empty seats, even close to the court) and the first basket. VCU has two three-pointers and lots of swagger.

4:19 PM: When I say 'the worst seat on press row' I'm not being cute. The Oregon Daily Emerald--a student newspaper affiliated with a university which is not playing in this tournament--is one seat closer than I am... Indiana has been playing with a much taller lineup than it did Thursday. VCU's squad is on the short side so they seem to be looking for favorable match-ups. So far, so good for the Hoosiers. Indiana 13-VCU 8.

4:25 PM: Rams big man Juvonte Reddic just went up for an offensive rebound he expected to get. Two Hoosiers were way above him. These big, lanky Hoosiers just got beat on a fast break and can't keep up with the speedy VCU guards as they fly around the arc and pop in threes, however, which is how VCU is now ahead by five. 

4:59 PM: The officials just spent about five minutes reviewing a flagrant foul call on Indiana. It was not a high-point of this St. Patrick's Day.

5:06 PM: Though they're up by only one point going in to the half, VCU has a huge advantage over Indiana in transition point. Also, with chants. They're like soccer fans. This page has a handy guide to the elaborate chants these VCU kids are doing, the most impressive of which is definitely the war song ("You don't want to go to war! With the RAAAAAAMS! Don't start no stuff, won't be no stuff!"). Thus far there has been a great deal of stuff, whether Indiana was wise to disregard the advice of the VCU band in this regard remains to be seen.

5:15 PM: The crowd groans every time the Gonzaga loss is announced. On Thursday, the Zags' win got the loudest cheers of any announced score. What gives? Am I missing something? A conservative college with an entitled attitude from a neighboring state is popular in Portland? Weird.

5:31 PM: Hoosier freshman Cody Zeller is having a rough start to the second half. He's been mugged twice on offense, once losing the ball and setting up another VCU fast-break. The game is tied at 48 and the tempo seems to have slowed a bit from the breakneck start of the second half. With 15:50 left on the clock, this looks like a good one.

5:34 PM: I hate these people.

5:40 PM: FACT: Referees are prohibited by NCAA rule 103.1 subsection D chapter IV from ever calling a travel on Indiana's Remy Abell.

5:44 PM: I have avoided commenting on this because I grew up in Ohio and perhaps have a bias against Hoosiers, but a nameless source who does not have any specific rooting interest but has been observing the Indiana band and student section just said, "Is it just me or are Indiana fans the most obnoxious people ever?"

6:06 PM: Up by five with just under four minutes left VCU is really taking their feet off the gas, playing a little Marty Ball and running down the shot-clock every possession. I'd say this is ill-advised, but I'm not one of the rising star coaches in college basketball.

6:14 PM: There are 46.5 seconds left and the game is tied at 61. Weeeeeee!

6:19 PM: Indiana wins after VCU kicks it out for a wide-open three which is missed. But you probably knew that already. What's up, Joseph Zucker?

6:21 PM: Best Indiana sign "Party like it's 1987."

6:24 PM: BEST MOMENT OF THE DAY: The scoreboard in the Rose Garden says "NMSTATE" which is funny because that team was eliminated Thursday. Rather, it should say "NMU," which is the team that is playing. The New Mexico State band is chanting "FIX IT!" and pointing. A woman behind me is yelling "We're the Looobooooos!" They seem genuinely hurt. Welcome to the big leagues, kids.

6:50 PM: New Mexico's chant is "Everyone's a Lobo! WOOF WOOF WOOF!" There are several problems with this. First, saying "everyone" is "you" is lame. Why not aspire for a little exclusivity? Also, a Lobo is a wolf. Wolves do not bark, they howl. We miss you, Aggies.

7:13 PM: New Mexico has a three point lead with just under 8 minutes left in the first half. So far, not much notable has happened on the court. HOWEVER: Did you know that New Mexico has attempted to use a live wolf as a mascot several times only to have the creature nip people? I suspect it would be possible to sub out the real Mexican gray wolf for a regular ol' non-nipping Huskie without anyone being the wiser. (Neither would go "woof woof woof.")

7:39 PM: Thanks to some smart end-of-half play New Mexico is only down by one point headed into half-time. Louisville's star point guard Peyton Siva, a Seattle native, has been a major factor in the game but sat out the end of the half after picking up his second foul. The Cardinals run much more smoothly on both offense and defense when he's in the game.

7:44 PM: Louisville trying to curry favor with neutral Portlanders by playing "Louie Louie"?

8:06 PM: Portland is one of eight cities hosting NCAA tournament games this season (and possibly not benefiting from it). They all look pretty much the same on TV thanks to the NCAA's required black and blue paint scheme and the mish-mash of random fans you see everywhere other than the seats behind each team. So, yeah, there's not much local flavor, and the few hints of Portlandness seem to confuse the NCAA's imported personnel and the national media. The complex series of recycling bins, for example, is still giving people pause after five and a half games. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on press row that commuted to the Rose Garden by bike. I was mistaken for "a worker" when I showed up to get my credential (and told to just walk right in) and have been incredulously asked "Did you bike here?" by at least two other people who spotted my Nutcase helmet. I think it'd be fun to see the host cities do a little more to make these events their own--and who knows, feeling a little ownership of the proceedings might help sell some of these empty seats to locals. What would that look like here? Hmmm.

8:10 PM: Two quick buckets and Louisville is up by 12. This could get ugly.

8:17 PM: The lead stands at 11 with 12:31 left in the game. Louisville just called a time out after New Mexico scored twice. What happens in the next 30 seconds could either make this a fun game to watch or a full-on beating.

8:21 PM: "Sweet Caroline." Ugh. Nine point game.

8:33 PM: New Mexico's Australian point guard Hugh Greenwood is enjoying his match-up with Siva. He seems to savor possession just a little when they're one-on-one and tries to stay on him defensively. The college game isn't really built for point guard face-offs, but when Greenwood can get Siva he takes him and uses the extra three inches of height to bully him as best he can. New Mexico is only down five with 6:20 left.

8:48 PM: Louisville 53, New Mexico 51 with 1:36 left after the Lobos forced a turnover on a five second violation and hit a huge three. Looks like another close one!

8:52: We're 2.9 seconds and three points away from the end of the last meaningful basketball game this town will see for the remainder of the year. Louisville would really have to screw up to lose this one, though.

8:56 PM: Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen, Louisville. If only New Mexico could have hit this shot.