In the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19 restrictions and orders, it is wise to check with the organizers before heading out for your planned entertainment. Due to increasing hospital admissions and positive tests, some events in the region have already been canceled. If your event is still ongoing, be prepared to wear masks in all public spaces as per the Oregon Mask Mandate. Many of this week’s highlights are mostly outdoors, including the Oregon State Fair, a Champoeg Heritage Festival, and Mutts on the Mountain at Mt. Hood Meadows Resort.
The Oregon State Fair is back for 2021. Oregonian File Photo. LC employees
Oregon State Fair
Oregon’s biggest show is back for 2021 and features most of the usual show attractions. Expect a center with games and rides, fair food, live music (including shows from Chicago, Jon Pardi, Pat Benatar, and Flo Rida), cattle displays, baking, craft, and art displays, and family entertainment. Due to Oregon COVID-19 protocols, masks are required for people 5 years and older in exhibition buildings, including livestock stalls. The fair is currently working with Salem Health and the Oregon Health Authority to provide COVID-19 vaccinations on-site during the fair. It’s free and attendees are given a ticket to return to the fair on another day.
Exhibition times: 10 am to 11 pm, Friday to Saturday, 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday to Thursday, August 28th to September. 6, Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE Salem; Entry $ 8 at the gate; Presale entry $ 5. Carnival rides, concerts, and a few other attractions are sold separately; oregonstatefair.org.
“Rest house”
Siren Theater is celebrating the 10th anniversary, postponed by a year, of the staged parody of the 1989 film about a mysterious beard bouncer with a past, small town politics and big hair. Only masked guests with a vaccination card are allowed in.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday through September 11th Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St .; $ 20 in advance; sirentheater.com/sirentheatershows.
Albina Soul Walk posterCourtesy Albina Music Trust
Albina transmigration of souls
Take a step back in time on a self-guided audio tour that explores Albina’s musical culture of the 1960s and 1980s. The tour is hosted by Albina Music Trust and is available via the ECHOES mobile app. Hear rare local music infused with oral lore from musicians of the era, including Marilyn Keller, Paul Knauls, Norman Sylvester, and Calvin Walker. The kick-off event is free and includes performances by local musicians and tips on using the ECHOES app. Masks are compulsory.
The kick-off event is Saturday, August 28, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at 2125 N. Vancouver Ave. Audio Tour is available anytime; albinamusictrust.com.
The Mutts on the Mountain Festival is a win for the Oregon Humane Society.Picture credits; Tammy Moody
Mutt on the mountain
Take your pup on a trip to Mount Hood for an all-day festival that will benefit the Oregon Humane Society. The event at Mt. Hood Meadows Resort features live music, food and drink, and sales booths. Take a self-guided hike on trails in the area. Dogs must always be kept on a regular leash, not extended (or flexible) leashes. For more information on pet and human safety, please visit the website. An animal portrait cabin is available. Reservations for photos are required in advance.
11:00 am-3:00pm Saturday, August 28, Mt. Hood Meadows; $ 20 upfront, $ 25 per day; oregonhumane.org/get-involved/events/mutts-mountain.
Endless Summer Cruise-In
Head to Ridgefield for the ilani Casino’s annual rooftop car show, which benefits the Northwest Battle Buddies, a group that trains veteran service dogs. The event includes about 500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and rods. You will also find dealers, live music, a food and beer garden and an auction.
8 am-2pm Saturday, August 28th, in the parking garage at ilani Casino, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield, Washington, free for spectators, $ 20 per classic car driveway; ilanresort.com.
A living history event is hosted in the park at the Champoeg State Heritage Area. Image courtesy Friends of Historic Champoeg.
Champoeg living history
Life for farmers in Oregon on the French prairie in the 19th century was not easy. See how residents spent their days during a living history event in the Champoeg State Heritage Area. Volunteers in contemporary clothing tell stories and give demonstrations in blacksmithing, woodworking and carpentry. Take a tour of the threshing house. Live music from Heart Strings.
12: 00-15: 00 Saturday, August 28, 8239 Champoeg Road NE, Saint Paul; free entry, parking is $ 5; stateparks.oregon.gov.
Julie Hammond presents “Hindsight” as a live reading.
“Review 2020”
In December 2019, Portland artist Julie Hammond emailed a group of artists in countries around the world with a simple suggestion: Every 20 days everyone would write a brief review – “a reflection, a revelation, a banality”, according to a recently published press release. The project was an attempt to collectively create a record for a single year with viewpoints from around the world. This live reading offers a curated selection of these 365 papers. The continuous reading will be held live at the Portland Playhouse and online via audio broadcast. Portland artists and artists will read the selection for four hours. The audience can come for the entire reading or parts of it.
2-6pm Saturday, August 28, Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott St .; Audio stream at juliehammond.net; for free.
Rock violinist Aaron Meyer. Oregonian file photo.
Aaron Meyer
The rock violinist gives an outdoor concert as a benefit for the music department of Linfield University. The “Sounds of Summer” show shows a collection of songs from Meyer’s latest recordings. Keyboardist Jean-Pierre Garau accompanies Meyer.
5:30 p.m. Sunday, August 29, Youngberg Hill Winery, 10660 SW Youngberg Hill Road, McMinnville; $ 25; linfield.edu/sounds-of-summer.
Abbey Road FarmPhoto by Nick Hoogendam
Silobing NW
Abbey Road Farm is hosting a family-friendly event with a maker’s market featuring more than 25 local artists and artisans. The event also features a 5K fun run, live music on the lawn, classic cars, smash burgers, other food trucks, and a craft class. The event is free, but $ 30 tickets are required for the fun run and crafting course.
11 am-5pm Sunday, August 29, Abbey Road Farm, 10501 NE Abbey Road, Carlton; abbeyroadfarm.com/silobrationnw.html.
Still from “Exploring Home” by Sara Lisa Vogl.Courtesy of the Portland Art Museum
“Venice VR expanded”
In the second year, the Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center in the USA will host the virtual reality portion of the famous La Biennale di Venezia arts festival. The guests wear virtual reality headsets for hours of sessions that put the viewer “into” VR storytelling films. The festival will also be available online, but Portland is the only US city that has personal screenings.
Ticket holders can choose between two headset options and around 35 film experiences of various lengths. Some of the projects are world premieres, including “Exploring Home” by Sara Lisa Vogl, “Spirit of Place” by Dale Deacon and “The Last Worker” by Jörg Tittel.
The festival opens Wednesday, September 1st at 10:00 AM and runs Wednesday through Sunday through September 19, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the Fields Ballroom at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave; $ 35 for a one hour time slot, tickets must be purchased in advance; portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/venice-vr-expanded-2021.
– If you have live or virtual events that you would like to see highlighted on OregonLive.com or The Oregonian’s weekly printed A&E section, please email [email protected] at least three weeks prior to the start of your event . Digital pictures or links to videos are helpful.
– Rosemarie Stein, [email protected]