I attended the 2011 Bite of Oregon this year and, as is the norm, I had a fabulous time.

Many of the stable restaurants were representing along with new ones and more Portland food carts than last year.

The cooking competitions on the Sysco stage were solid and exciting, with Amy Roloff from the Discovery Channel show, “Little People, Big World” making an appearance on Sunday to cook us all up a tasty fish dish. She was also manning her Amy Roloff Charity Foundation booth the rest of the day.

I took my video cameras down and got some great footage that I’ll be releasing very soon.

Ever been to the Bite Of Oregon in Portland’s Waterfront Park? Check out my video from last years:

Well, Vancouver, WA, but we all know it’s the bastard son of Portland.

So……..

I would like to see all you social media lovers show up at the Portland Mashable Social Media Day on June 30th from 6pm until we all leave.

Be sure to bring your business cards so we can all meet, greet, and network.  It’s always nice to make some new friends and contacts.

Make sure to Tweet about it and put it out on Facebook for all your friends. Hash tag is #mashmeetup.

Go to the Mashable Social Media Day page and RSVP.

Hope to see you all there!

The city of Portland just released the scheduled movies for the 2011 season of the annual Flicks on the Bricks.

This very groovy Portland event runs each July through August, playing classic and popular movies in the open-air Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Known as Portland’s Living Room, Pioneer Courthouse Square host the free event and is very popular with regulars of the city and extremely cool to visitors.

Hop over to the Flicks on the Bricks page at Uniquely Portland Oregon and find out what’s playing this time around.

See you all there!

Do I really need to say that Portland, OR is always hopping with awesome events?  I didn’t think so!

These upcoming months are really heating up with entertainment, sports events, music, and more.

Here’s a few Portland events to wet your appetite for more:

• Portland Trail Blazers take on the LA Lakers on Feb. 23 at the Rose Garden
• The Blazers get ready to work over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 25 at the Rose Garden
• Smuckers Stars On Ice come to the Rose Garden on Saturday, Feb 26
• Eric Clapton gets ready to rock the Rose Garden on Feb 28

….And all that in February!  Just wow!

For other upcoming Portland events, click over to the Uniquely Portland Oregon Events page and get your tickets for upcoming events and all the information.

Have a great time!!

How would you like to get some groovy arts and crafts for your home or business and be a part of raising money for the Oregon Food Bank at the same time?  How cool is that??

On November 28th, 2010 from 11am to 5pm, you can shop the GIVE Handmade Sale, located at the Left Bank Annex, 101 N Wiedler, in Portland, Oregon.

Vendors from all over will put their handmade goodies on display and offer them up to holiday shoppers for purchase.  This special Portland event began some five years ago and has been very successful for both the vendors themselves and the Oregon Food Bank.

Don’t miss this amazing time this year.  Making a difference in the lives of hungry families and individuals will make you feel good inside.

Click here for the entire scoop on the GIVE Handmade Sale in Portland….

This last weekend was the fabulous 2010 Coffee Fair at the World Forestry Center in Portland.

Vendors from all over the area came to show off their coffee brewing expertise to all the caffeine junkies who decided to venture up to Washington Park and pay their admission.  Demonstrations, coffee cupping, all types of coffee making gadgets from old to new, and the black stuff flowed throughout the weekend.  And there was cookies!

Wade “Mr Mancakes” Pack and I decided to make the trip to get our coffee lovin’ on. Check out the video:

I have a lot of footage from our other exploits that day at the World Forestry Center that I’m still editing on. I should have that video to you soon.

Regards,

Tony

Ready to see big, burly lumberjacks grunt and sweat, all for your entertainment?  I am!  The ESPN Stihl Timbersports Series Lumberjack Competition will be held next week, August 24th, from 3:00PM-6:00PM at the Carhartt Store at Cascade Station- 10280 NE Cascades Parkway, right here in Portland.  That’s up near the Portland Airport (PDX).

This is sure to be an exciting event and a great lead in to the big lumberjack competition to be held at the Oregon State Fair’s opening weekend, August 27-29 in Salem.

Stamina, strength and speed is the name of the game as some of the best lumberjacks and lumberjills will be in fierce competition.  This event will feature a chop-showdown by top competing lumberjacks David Moses, the Series U.S. Professional competitor and David Green, Collegiate Series competitor.

This should be a lot of fun for the entire family.  I’ll be there to shoot video of the entire event.  See you there!

When:  Saturday, September 18^th, 10AM to 10PM and Sunday, September 19^th, 10 AM to 6 PM (Talk Like a Pirate Day!)

Where: Cathedral Park, under the St John’s Bridge, Portland, OR

Information: www.portlandpiratefestival.com and (503) 853-1497

Portland PIRATE Festival is a proud sponsor of The Oregon Maritime Museum, helping them celebrate their 30^th anniversary as a non-profit organization dedicated to the maritime heritage of Oregon and the Columbia River Basin. www.oregonmaritimemuseum.org

AHOY Land-lubbers! Climb aboard as the 5th Annual Portland PIRATE Festival sets sail for two exciting days of piratical fun and family adventure under the historic St. John’s Bridge in Cathedral Park.  Featuring a whole fleet of new performers and attractions brought on-board to celebrate the 5^th anniversary.   Be sure to join in the new TAG Scavenger Hunts and try to win yourself some real pirate booty.

- On Saturday, September 18^th enter the 1st Stumptown Beard & Mustache Competition. Watch on as competitors display the fanciest facial hair in the Northwest and vie for prizes and titles in six categories. Sanctioned by Beard Team USA (www.beardteamusa.org) this event is hosted by Stumptown Stash and Beard Collective (www.stumptownsbc.com) and PDXYar (www.pdxyar.org).  Participation is open to the pubic and registration is on the festival website.

- On Sunday, September 19^th come help Portland reclaim our GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ (www.guinnessbook.com) for “THE LARGEST GATHERING of PIRATES”.  We set the record with 1,670 pirates at the 2009 festival on Sunday, September 20th.  Now the Brits in Hastings, UK have claimed the record with 6,166 at an event held on Aug 6^th, 2010 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-10897861).  In the words of the PPF organizers, “This means pirate war!” The new record attempt will occur on Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day and will be hosted by Cap’n Slappy; world famous co-creator of this international pirate holiday. The good Cap’n will autograph books and debut a new pirate song for the wee buccaneers.

In other news, Kate Larsen (aka “Margot la Mechante de Marseilles”) co-producer and co-founder of the Portland Pirate Festival and “Bilge Rats & Pyrettes” band leader, was elected this spring by Pirates magazine (www.piratesmagazine.com) as one of the first ever members of the nationally recognized “Devil’s Dozen.” Margot was sworn in as one of America’s “Pirate Lords” and a charter member of the “ORDER of the LEVIATHAN”.

For the kids, this year’s lineup includes a host of family friendly entertainment, including the giant strolling puppets of Seattle’s Zambini Brothers, Let’s Pretend’s interactive high energy children’s theater,Dragon Theater Puppet Shows, Pirate Sea Battle strategy game by PDXYar, swordplay, scavenger hunts and interactive games with The Pirates of Puget Sound,  an abundance of colorful parrots and giant inflatable rides on Scupper Monkey Island where every kid gets a free balloon and airbrush tattoo!   

History comes alive as Oberon’s Three Penny Tavern serves old world mead, cider and Nincasi brews, complete with tavern wenches & pub sings, B.O.O.M. Pirates and the King’s Navy recreate cannon and sword battles on the beach, Academia Duellatoria demonstrates and teaches traditional sword play and Jim Rich, Pirates of the Caribbean Blacksmith and other historians provide a wealth of insight into our pirate past.

Three stages will feature two full days of Music at this year’s Portland Pirate Festival.

Music Sailing in from Afar

Aloysius Macknucklepeck (aka Mister Mac) – As a seasoned and well-tarred salt who has weathered many a storm and braved the waters of many a birthday party, Mr. Mac is just the man to handle a new young crew.  In no time he will have lubbers of all ages singing & clapping along as he teaches everyone what it means to be a pirate.

Eric Herman, the internationally acclaimed kindie-rock star whose witty sea shanty style song “Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Redbeard – A Pirate Story” has been made into an animated video.  Herman is also known for his “Elephant Song,” which has had more than 15 million views on You tube. Herman will perf0rm on Saturday only.

The Dreadnoughts – Saturday Night Concert. CBC Radio describes them as “One part roaring sea shanty, one part haunting Irish melody, and a solid chaser of gut-crunching street punk. This live show is not to be missed.” This ragtag group of misfits stays true to the ancient ballads and bawlers that once drove sailors around the world, all the while smashing out modern punk with a fury and intensity that is unmatched in their home city of Vancouver, B.C.

Pirates Charles –Saturday and Sunday – Pirate rock specialists hailing from Southern California. The band combines old-world instruments with modern sounds to create music that is bold, adventurous and strong. Bilgemunkey Radio describes their show as “jovial and shameless… so wonderfully perfect that it’s hard to believe it isn’t secretly (and masterfully) contrived…That such a primitive facade can conceal music so entirely engrossing is a major feat.”

Tom Lewis, dubbed “The Springsteen of Sea Chanteys”, will share his vitally authentic stance, from traditional shanties to songs fashioned out of his own seafaring background after 24 years in the British Royal Navy. Tom accompanies himself on button accordion and ukulele, but it’s his powerful vocal style and infectious humor that keeps audiences coming back again and again!

Music from Local Shores

BilgeRats and Pyrettes –As the OFFICIAL band of the PPF, these rogues perform an acoustic collection of pirate-themed music featuring traditional sea shanties, original compositions and familiar contemporary sounds, all woven together by dramatic interludes which tell the tale of a renegade life on the sea. Their Pirate Vaudeville show delights audiences of all ages!

Chata Addy & Susuma – Professional drummer, composer, dancer, and chorographer from Ghana, West Africa, Chata is a member of the renowned Addy family of musicians in Portland.

Chervona – Mixing together taste and passion of the best Gypsy, Russian, Ukrainian, Klezmer and Balkan musical traditions, Chervona brings the fire of Eastern European carnivals to the land of America. Chervona transforms a celebration into the ultimate Russian Pirate Party! www.starbugs.com/chervona.

Other performers at the festival include: The Lost Highwaymen, Shakesprov, River City Pipe & Drum, Sam Bam Boo, Zimba Marimba, Beltaine, Charley Brown Juggling, Renegade Rose, Jake Duncan Dijeridoo, Fire & Steel, belly dancers from Belissimonde, Gypsy Caravan, Black Spot Cabaret, and wandering performers, from stilt walking pirates to sea dragons!

For more information, schedule updates, and to purchase tickets visit the web site:

WWW.PORTLANDPIRATEFESTIVAL.COM

So, who’s up for another Vampire movie?  Yeah, that’s what I thought.  I’ve been Vampired to death, too.  But, WAIT….!!

What if I told you it was actually funny!  Would you go then?  How about a special screening to sweeten the pot?  I’m so there!

This coming Tuesday, August 17th, the new movie VAMPIRES SUCK will be hitting the big screen at Regal Tigard Theaters for a special 8pm screening.  Go to www.gofobo.com/rsvp and type in the code BARXDY2 to get your screening passes.  Hurry, so you don’t miss out!

Come dressed in your best Vampire attire because, after the show, we’ll all be heading over to Gators Pub & Eatery for appetizers, prizes and all kinds of blood-sucking goodies.

Regal Tigard is located at 11626 SW Pacific Hwy, Tigard, OR.

See you there!

I really had a fun weekend at the 2010 Bite of Oregon.  The weather was totally agreeable. The Bite had a couple new additions this year: a Dessert Pavilion and the Portland Food Cart scene was represented by five local carts.

Opening day, which was on Friday, August 6, I went by myself and just did some walking around, getting acquainted with all the vendors, and shot some video.  Since it was only the first day and pretty much right when it opened, there wasn’t a huge crowd there yet.  That’s always nice for me when I’m just trying to get things started.

I talked with a few  of the food vendors on video and then went over to one of the entertainment stages and got some footage of a steel drum band called the Trinidad Vipers.  You can check them out on their Facebook page.  When I make an event video of this sort, I tend to shoot a song from a band that acts as an audio overlay when I’m in the editing stage of putting everything together.  That’s what I had in mind when I shot the Trinidad Vipers.  I spoke with them, they consented to my using them in the video, and we exchanged business cards.  That was Friday.

Saturday, I took a day of rest.  I was simply exhausted from the previous week and needed some real down time. I know I probably missed some good stuff, but, hey, I can’t do everything!

Sunday, I took my wife to the Bite.  It was her first time ever and she seemed to really enjoy herself.  By then, the crowds were in full-force, but it was fine.  I did a bunch more video, especially with the chef demos and the Wine Pavilion.  We then just made our way around and I shot things here and there that I found interesting.  Chef Brian Boitano from the Food Network did a demo of a couple really yummy looking dishes, so we both sat and enjoyed that.  I also video’d the entire demo so that my daughter-in-law could see it. We also enjoyed some great blues tunes from Atomic Gumbo.

After a full day there, we grabbed something to eat and hopped back home.  I will be working on putting together the 2010 Bite of Oregon video this week and hope to have it up on the Uniquely Portland Oregon website and my YouTube channel soon.  I’ll let you know.

Tony