Willamette Week, October 4 2023 - Volume 49, Issue 47 - "Where Are They Now?"

“THEY BURNED THEIR BRIDGE.”

P. 9

Catching up with 14 Portlanders after their 15 minutes of fame. PAGE 10

ESCAPE: Travel to the Heart of American Hop Country. P. 24

MUSIC: The Last Days of Doug Fir.

P. 26

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER

VOL. 49, ISSUE 47

Families in Medford and Happy Valley have turned down prospective tenants for their Jade District strip mall. 7

The Portland Art Museum has dropped its docent council 8

AgilityQueen edited Cylvia Hayes’ Wikipedia page. 11

Z100 once had a Jammin’ Salmon mascot. 12

Lon Mabon co-founded It’s the Famous! Salsa 13

Incorporation papers for John Gorham’s new business say “Run With the Bulls.” 15

Emilie Boyles still owes the city of Portland $283,000. 16

Craig Berkman and Gordon Sondland are now both Florida men 20

Block 15 will host a German spelling bee at its Oktoberfest. 21

When her chocolate-dipped fruits kept melting, Lorasia Tooson got into the shaved ice business. 22

You can get James Beard Award-winning tamales at a shoebox-sized storefront in Union Gap, Wash. 25 Doug Fir is dead. Long live Doug Fir! 26

The ASL vampire movie Deafula was filmed in Portland. 27

Ken Kesey once gave M&Ms to his groupies and told them they were acid. 28

ALBERTA ROSE THEATRE

The words “success story” and “Measure 110” are not typically linked in the popular imagination. Last week, WW ’s cover story went inside a Hazelwood home that’s a haven for moms coming out of addiction (“A Way Out,” Sept. 27). Recovery housing is a big need in Oregon, which is why Multnomah County commissioners cited our story while earmarking $6.5 million for it late last week. But for many readers, the most arresting part of the story was that the recovery housing got financing from the beleaguered drug decriminalization initiative. Here’s what our readers had to say:

WISER, VIA WWEEK.COM:

“Finally, a story from the WW which includes positive information about Measure 110. Thank you for writing it. The funds that are getting out into the community are making a real difference in people’s lives. To roll back the measure would leave us with a worsening opioid crisis, but with fewer services like the one described in this story. In other words, it would be a complete disaster.”

DAMON MOTZ-STOREY, VIA TWITTER: “The fentanyl crisis is horrifying, there is no doubt about it. But Oregon’s Measure 110 is making it possible for more and more people to find stable ground for recovery, like these moms who found a home.”

7 BAD WORDS, VIA WWEEK.

COM: “Nice story, happy for the moms. The M110 advocates are pulling out all the stops. The only thing missing is some sad Sara McLachlan music playing in the background...

“This would be an available option even without M110. We didn’t have to decriminalize toxic narcotics and provide addicts supplies in order to fund treatment. We already know that less than 1% of those issued citations choose voluntary treatment. We’re

wasting billions of dollars, years of time and thousands of lives.

“Repeal M110. Let Tera Hurst find another gig. Use the billions being wasted on incompetent, grifting nonprofits to accelerate development of treatment centers. Expand and train law enforcement. Make treatment mandatory.”

IFREAGANPLAYEDDISCO, VIA REDDIT: “I really wish these kind of things would have been firmly established before we decriminalized. We did it backwards.”

NO PLAN IS AN ISLAND

Willamette Riverkeeper deserves kudos for their broader vision for the future of Ross Island.

Aaron Mesh’s two pieces shine a light on the plight of one of the region’s iconic natural landscapes [“Hotseat: Willie Levenson,” Aug. 23; “Island Getaway,” Sept. 27]. Neither, however, mentions the culpability of every state, federal and local agency to hold Ross Island accountable for its restoration work. For example, the 1979 restoration plan had no restoration end date.

A 2001 advisory committee I participated on dramatically altered the 1979 plan, including establishment of a 2013 restoration end date. Owing to agency

Dr. Know

BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx

A recent article about the difficulty of tracking non-lethal drug overdoses contained this detail: “Hospital data isn’t easily acquired. The data is typically sold to private companies, which then resell it to researchers.” Sold to private companies? How is public health data a commodity to be profited from? —How Can This Be

I understand the temptation to stereotype all big corporations as rapacious money-grubbers, How, but the health care sector is different—after all, its core business is saving lives. Rather than rushing willy-nilly to profit when some morally questionable opportunity comes along, you’ll find most health care firms will pause, take a step back, and ask themselves the only question that really matters: “Can we definitely make money off this?”

It may sound gross to buy, sell or trade Grandma’s chemo records like so many Pokémon cards. But when you think about it, it’s really no more reprehensible than letting the market set the price for lifesaving drugs, spending more to cure chapped lips than malaria, or having de facto tiered care levels based on socio-economic status—in

inaction, there is still no certainty when restoration will be accomplished.

As Willamette Riverkeeper points out, there must be a holistic, ecologically based plan for Ross Island’s future.

The algal blooms are only one factor to be considered. Human Access Project’s myopic, overly simplistic “solution” of blowing out the berm between Ross Island and Hardtack Island will solve neither the algal bloom problem nor provide an ecologically sustainable future for Ross Island.

I am heartened that Metro is considering acquisition. But I also think Willamette Riverkeeper’s willingness to consider ownership is admirable. Perhaps a joint public-private partnership would be the most effective solution.

Mike Houck Director Emeritus and Founder Urban Greenspaces Institute

CORRECTIONS

A Murmur in the Sept. 27 issue incorrectly identified a man suing Popeyes for placing pickles on his chicken sandwich as a Portland resident. In fact, he is a Connecticut long-haul trucker who purchased a meal in Portland.

A Sept. 27 story on Ross Island (“Island Getaway”) incorrectly said the Port of Portland owns the island’s northern tip. The port donated the land to Portland Parks & Recreation in 2015. WW regrets the errors.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words.

Submit to: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296

Email: mzusman@wweek.com

other words, pretty goddamn reprehensible. But all those ships (and more besides) sailed long ago, when America committed to a for-profit health care system.

Once you accept that original sin, what the hospitals do with their data more or less makes sense. Hospitals run on money, and without a British-style subsidy from the government, American hospitals are left to scramble for revenue wherever they can get it. Selling it to third-party companies is just one more way to stay in the black.

“Screw that!” I hear you saying. “Public health data isn’t the hospitals’ to sell!” That’s true as far as it goes, but it’s important to remember that the hospitals aren’t selling something they could be giving away for free if only they weren’t such dirty chiselers. For a lot of reasons—most notably privacy concerns—hospitals couldn’t upload their raw, unprocessed records to the cloud for the public good even if they wanted to.

Sure, they could take the time to anonymize and organize the data to make it a useful public resource—but that’s a money loser, not a moneymaker. Better, from the hospitals’ point of view, to sell the data to a company that specializes in cleaning it up and aggregating it with data from other hospitals so it can be useful to the next Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming, or Jonas Salk (assuming they have the price of admission).

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.

TRIMET WEIGHS RAISE FOR GENERAL MAN -

AGER: The staffing crunch at Portland’s transit agency goes all the way to the top. A “silver tsunami” has accelerated during the pandemic as top transit CEOs have retired, says TriMet board president Ozzie Gonzalez. The result: “a smaller pool of experienced chief executives.” That means pressure to raise salaries. TriMet’s current general manager, Sam Desue Jr., has been in the job only two years, but he’s impressed the board, and members badly want to keep him around. He’s performed “extremely well,” Gonzalez says in a memo distributed to the board, citing Desue’s spearheading of recent fare hikes and successful recruitment of nearly 300 new bus and train operators (thanks partly to an $8-anhour increase in starting wages). According to a compensation study conducted by consulting firm Mercer and presented to the TriMet board late last month, Desue likely deserves a raise too. The firm recommended that TriMet lift Desue’s pay grade, from 30 to 31, putting his annual salary somewhere in the range of $330,000 to $494,000. That’s a hefty bump from the previous compensation study performed only a few years earlier, which set a range of $289,000 to $433,000. Desue currently earns $365,000 a year and is negotiating with Gonzalez for his next contract. TriMet ridership, a significant source of revenue for the agency, is down 30% from prior to the pandemic.

CHLOE EUDALY WON’T RUN FOR CITY

COUNCIL: Former City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who held office from 2017 to 2021, wrote last month on her Substack that she will not run for the new 12-member City Council next year.

“I’ve got other life priorities right now—family obligations, finishing up a book, going back to school, and continuing to write Street Wonk— and I’d rather devote my free time to ensuring we elect as many progressive candidates to our newly expanded Council as possible in 2024!” she wrote. Eudaly did say she hasn’t ruled out a run in the future, however. But on Street Wonk, Eudaly offered her two cents on two rumored candidates: former Portland Mayor Sam Adams and former City Commissioner Steve Novick, who Eudaly defeated in 2016. Novick, she wrote, is a “rare breed of politician who can put their ego aside for the greater good.” Adams, she wrote in contrast, is a “man who apparently has no shame and can’t take no for an answer.”

Meanwhile, another former city commissioner rumored to be mulling a return, Jo Ann Hardesty, has given no indication she plans to run in 2024. Hardesty just last week agreed to a $670,000 settlement with Portland’s police union after being wrongly implicated by several cops in a 2021

hit-and-run that she had nothing to do with.

LEGACY DOCTORS AND NURSES START

UNION DRIVE AHEAD OF MERGER: In response to an organizing push by doctors, nurses and physician assistants first reported by WW last week, Legacy Health will ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold a “secret ballot” to see if there is enough support for union representation at the hospital system. “We respect our providers’ rights to decide whether or not they want union representation,” Legacy president Don Tran and chief medical officer Lori Farrell said in a letter to employees last week. “It is important that everyone’s voices be heard— and that their views are accurately reflected.” A group of Legacy staffers working with the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, sent a demand letter last week, seeking union representation in part because of “grave concerns” about how Legacy will operate after a proposed buyout by Oregon Health & Science University. Nor are things great at Legacy as it is, they said. “Over the last few years, we have seen Legacy make unilateral decisions that affect our ability to provide safe and effective patient care,” Legacy staff wrote. “A pervasive emphasis on revenue over patient safety and staff well-being permeates our work environment.”

POTLUCK IN THE PARK DRAWS NEIGHBOR’S

IRE: For more than 23 years, volunteers for the social services organization Potluck in the Park have offered hot lunches to homeless Portlanders every Sunday. But in recent months, the event has drawn particularly vocal opposition from Sarah Clymer, who lives near the North Park Blocks, where the meals are now served. She’s reached out to the city and event organizers in recent days to tell them she believes the event is not complying with the rules of its city permit; she complained that it doesn’t provide adequate toilets and trash disposal, which she claims has resulted in “large quantities of trash, human waste, and negative interactions between the local residents and the Potluck stakeholders.”

Clymer appears intent on kicking the potluck out of her neighborhood. She wrote in an Oct. 1 email that she has been “banging on doors with the city to see about finding your event a new home better suited to your needs.” Potluck board chair Steve DeAngelo wrote to Clymer on Oct. 3 that he found a single fork left behind from Sunday’s meal, but that he was “working with the city to address your concerns.” A parks spokesperson says event organizers have “always proven to be quite responsive to any issues” but that the bureau needs to catch up on the situation.

Mr. Hollands’ Opus

The School Board chair has big dreams for an empty field.

BY ANTHONY EFFINGER aeffinger@wweek.com

A 10-acre plot of land at the northwest corner of Northeast 42nd Avenue and Killingsworth Street has sat vacant for 16 years. Now, suddenly, there’s a bidding war of sorts.

THE LAND

The property, owned by Portland Public Schools, has a tragic history. In 2001, WW revealed that Whitaker Middle School had dangerous levels of radon gas and poor ventilation, a deadly combination (“The Poisoning of Whitaker,” May 22, 2001). Whitaker closed the day after WW’s story and was torn down in 2007.

The question of what to do with the site, now a rolling field dotted with trees and a football goal post, has come up periodically since then, with no results. In 2021, City Commissioner Dan Ryan proposed putting a safe rest village on the site, an idea that was shot down by the Portland School Board, led by Chair Gary Hollands.

Now, Hollands is pushing hard for an idea of his own. At a meeting

of PPS’s facilities and operations committee on Sept. 20, Hollands introduced a resolution directing the district to negotiate a lease on the site with the Albina Sports Program,

which aims to build a $175 million complex (a pre-COVID cost estimate) with 12 basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, three soccer fields, and a 300-meter running track, all

Low Places

Land speculation in the Jade District leaves a gleaming structure empty.

ADDRESS : 2464 SE 82nd Ave.

YEAR BUILT: 2020

SQUARE FOOTAGE : 16,392

MARKET VALUE : $3.5 million

OWNER : CSS Properties LLC

HOW LONG IT’S BEEN EMPTY :

Since 2015

WHY IT’S EMPTY : Speculators

Hung Far Low and its chuckle-inducing sign were Chinatown icons for nearly a century, first in Old Town and then across the river in the Jade District. But the restaurant closed its doors for good in 2015, citing the end of its lease in a handwritten note posted on the front door.

The nondescript gray building at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Division Street was razed a few years later, and replaced with a gleaming brick-and-glass strip mall. Despite its prime location on the corner of two major thoroughfares, the $3.5 million investment has sat empty since.

The reason? Picky owners, explains real estate broker Michael Simmons.

They ’ve turned down several offers to lease parts of the 16,000-squarefoot building to smaller tenants, he says. Lacking “financial pressure,” he adds, they’re waiting for bigger fish.

of them indoors.

Hollands asked the committee to direct the superintendent to find capital for the project, too, by identifying “potential capital financial and other resources that could be used in collaboration to build the Albina Sports Complex and Learning Center,” the resolution reads.

The committee passed it. It goes to the full School Board on Oct. 10.

The proposal is curious for two reasons: Hollands himself, and the timing.

HOLLANDS

He has been interim executive director of the Albina Sports Program since 2020, which means he wants the School Board he chairs to approve a project that he runs. At the Sept. 20 meeting, Hollands said he didn’t have a conflict of interest.

“People have talked about conflict of interest, and it’s been vetted that it’s not a conflict of interest,” Hollands said. “I don’t get paid here, and I don’t get paid there, either.”

Hollands tells WW that attorneys for both PPS and Albina Sports advised him that there was no conflict of interest. A spokeswoman for the district confirms that.

THE TIMING

As of Sept. 18, the Whitaker property was on the agenda for the Sept. 20 meeting of the facilities and operations committee, but it wasn’t an action item. Then, on Sept. 19, the Whitaker site got drawn into the Grant High School field debacle.

Portland Parks & Recreation proposed three options for fixing Grant’s field, which the parks bureau owns. One of them was to have the bureau give control of Grant Bowl to PPS through a long-term lease, as a group of hard-charging Grant parents were demanding, in exchange for the bureau getting a long-term lease on Whitaker.

Grant parents mobilized in August after the parks bureau closed the field days before the fall sports season, citing studies showing that the turf had become too compacted, putting student athletes at risk for concussions. Parents faulted the parks bureau for not maintaining the field properly and have been pushing the bureau to turn it over to PPS, one way or another.

On Sept. 20, a day after PP&R proposed the lease swap that would give the city Whitaker in exchange for Grant Bowl, the agenda for the facilities meeting changed to show that Whitaker was now an “action item,” and a link to the resolution suddenly appeared.

Hollands made his pitch at the meeting, and School Board members asked for minor amendments. Board member Julia Brim-Edwards asked that she be removed from a list of names on a “working team of community, business leaders” shown by Hollands because she was not on any working team. That list comprised a who’s who of Portland elected officials, including City Commissioners Ryan, Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps and Multnomah County

There are other reasons, too, for them to be selective. Members of the ownership group, made up of families in Medford and Happy Valley, own other nearby restaurants, including Golden Dynasty on Southeast Foster Road. “To lease to their competition might not be the best business decision,” Simmons says.

But neighbors aren’t so happy to wait.

“It’s super frustrating,” says Duncan Hwang, a Metro councilor and director of community development at the nonprofit APANO, whose offices are in an affordable-housing complex across the street.

The intersection is the hub of the Jade District, which sits on one of Oregon’s most diverse census tracts and is now threatened by gentrification.

TriMet recently opened a brandnew express bus line down Division Street, and one down 82nd Avenue is currently being planned. Hwang says a half-billion dollars is expected to eventually be spent on the corridor.

All this investment has speculators

salivating. Developers have grabbed up nearby properties, built gleaming new buildings, and then demanded rent that local businesses can’t afford.

The new strip mall, for example. And the junk lot next door, which is slated for market-rate apartments, Hwang says.

That doesn’t jibe with Hwang’s plan to build what he says will be “the most transit-rich, most affordable and most sustainable district in Portland.”

So he’s launching an effort to “land bank” neighboring properties.

APANO bought up the Canton Grill building across Division Street from Hung Far Low earlier this year using largely federal stimulus funds. There were higher bids, but the building’s owners liked APANO’s mission.

The nonprofit plans to lease out the ground floor to local businesses and build affordable housing above.

“There’s a lot of speculation happening,” Hwang says, “so we’re trying to hold on to as much as we can.”

LUCAS MANFIELD.

CHASING GHOSTS

LUCAS MANFIELD

FIELD OF DREAMS: PPS Board Chair Gary Hollands wants to turn an unused middle school site into a sports complex.

Commissioner Susheela Jayapal.

A spokeswoman for Rubio says the commissioner, like Brim-Edwards, is “not on the “working team.” Mapps and Jayapal say the same thing. A spokesman says Ryan wasn’t even briefed on the project.

They said they needed guidance from the School Board on how the Albina project fit with PPS’s longrange facilities plan, which highlights the district’s dearth of playing fields. One option is to build “athletic hubs” at Whitaker, Marshall High School and Jackson Middle School. Those hubs should provide double-wide fields for football and soccer, artificial turf, field lighting, bleachers and tennis courts, the staff memo says.

CORRESPONDENCE

This Old Hall

Mayor Ted Wheeler and his City Council colleagues clash over critical parts of the government’s overhaul.

As the city of Portland approaches a massive overhaul of its structure and governance that voters approved for 2025, Mayor Ted Wheeler and his City Council colleagues are clashing over critical parts of the 15-month transition ahead—including the renovation of City Hall.

Parents of athletes are puzzled by Hollands’ plan. PPS is starved for fields, especially in the fall, when soccer and football vie for space. Teams from around the district routinely schlep to Delta Park on the Columbia River to practice and play games. Junior varsity teams play on poorly maintained grass in other city parks.

“ We desperately need fields,” says Eric Happel, a girls soccer coach at Lincoln High School. The Whitaker site is a terrific option, he says, “but if it’s run by a private nonprofit, how does PPS get access to it? That’s not at all clear to me.”

WHAT NOW?

The facilities committee voted 4-0 to send the resolution to the full PPS board, with minor amendments. Brim-Edwards also asked staff to provide feedback on the proposal, which it did on Sept. 26. In short, staffers seemed puzzled by Hollands’ plan.

“The current proposed project does not appear to align in all regards with the existing plan, and staff will need further direction on how to align them,” the memo says.

That’s contrary to what the resolution says: “The Board finds that Albina Sports Program, Albina Sports Complex aligns with the district Long Range Facilities Plan,” it reads.

As for directing the superintendent or “a designee” to find cash for the project, PPS staff seemed equally at a loss. “Staff will need additional information on the expectations for potential capital financial and other sources and any assumptions regarding cost sharing, fundraising or other sources, as well as potential partnerships,” the memo says.

Hollands says it’s high time that something be done with the Whitaker site.

“It’s been sitting there for 20 years, and it’s not doing our kids any good,” he tells WW. “I don’t care if we do it. I just want someone to do it. The goal of the resolution is to start having all those conversations.”

In an exchange of letters during the past week, Wheeler sparred with his council colleagues Carmen Rubio, Dan Ryan and Rene Gonzalez over four distinct issues relating to future City Council staffing, the scale of middle management, how the 26 city bureaus are arranged, and the physical expansion of City Hall that’s likely to cost a pretty penny.

Nearly all the sticking points boil down to two factors: money and power. The money part is obvious, since nearly every point of dispute comes with a price tag. The power struggle is more subtle: Wheeler, who isn’t seeking reelection, has made overseeing the new structure a cornerstone of his legacy, while his colleagues are all eyeing his office and expect to govern whatever he builds.

The three city commissioners’ offices—all except that of Commissioner Mingus Mapps, who says he’s provided alternative feedback— wrote in a drafted letter to the mayor, obtained by WW this week, that they felt sidelined during the reorganization process undertaken by chief administrative officer Michael Jordan, who works under Wheeler. “Simply put: how we finish the commission form of government also matters,” the three council offices wrote. “Our argument is that this should and must be a truly collective endeavor.”

In a statement to WW, Wheeler said: “This transition is not about us, this is about the community. We have an obligation to implement these changes by Jan. 1, 2025, and hope that the elected offices can lead by example in this change management process and do what is necessary to adequately pressure test the new structure prior to the start date.”

Here are the main disputes:

meantime.

What Wheeler proposed: The mayor put three options in front of his colleagues to house the current council offices while City Hall is being renovated. All three would cost money, Wheeler wrote. The first two scenarios, costing between $893,000 and $1.4 million, would require commissioners to relocate to another city-owned building nearby. A third option— one Wheeler opposes—is to delay construction until 2025, at a cost of $2.1 million. “Given the financial and future service impacts of delaying construction, the best course is to commence construction at the beginning of 2024,” Wheeler wrote in a Sept. 26 letter.

What Rubio, Gonzalez and Ryan want: To delay the City Hall renovation until 2025.

DEPUTY CITY ADMINISTRATORS

A central feature of the new government is that day-to-day city functions and all bureaus will be overseen by a professional city administrator with management expertise. To do that, however, the city administrator will need deputies.

What Wheeler proposed: Jordan proposed an assistant city administrator and five deputies who would each oversee clusters of bureaus split up into service areas, like utilities, which would include the Water, Transportation and Environmental Services bureaus.

What Rubio, Gonzalez and Ryan want: Only three deputies, because they’re worried that having five could cost over $3 million.

A SIXTH BUREAU CLUSTER

In preparation for the new government, Wheeler clustered the city bureaus at the beginning of 2023 into five distinct “service areas.” For instance, Rubio would oversee the economic development cluster, including the Housing Bureau, the permitting Bureau of Development Services, and the city’s economic development arm, Prosper Portland.

What Wheeler proposed: The city has five clusters of bureaus already in place.

What Rubio, Gonzalez and Ryan want: They’re seeking a sixth cluster that includes Portland Parks & Recreation, a future City Arts Office, a planned Natural Resources division (managing the city’s natural areas), and the Portland Children’s Levy.

CITY COUNCIL STAFF

What Wheeler proposed: According to a draft staffing model for the 12-member City Council distributed to the current commissioners, each of the 12 future councilors would have two aides as well as shared staff.

CITY HALL RENOVATION

To accommodate the new, 12-member council, City Hall must undergo a costly renovation. The city has budgeted up to $7.2 million for that revamp, but there’s tension over when to begin the renovation—and where the current commissioners’ offices should relocate in the

What Rubio, Gonzalez and Ryan want: They hope to start the 12 City Council offices with just one staffer apiece, plus administrative staff to serve all offices. “The cost difference we were presented drove this decision,” the commissioners wrote Sept. 28. “If the future council finds new revenue for larger teams, that is within their purview.” SOPHIE PEEL.

GLEAMING JADE: A brand-new strip mall on Southeast 82nd Avenue has no tenants.

BLAKE BENARD

ELBOW ROOM: A bigger City Council needs a larger chamber.

GARY HOLLANDS

Do the Docent Thing

The Portland Art Museum ditches its docents, raising questions about race, class and especially age.

BY RACHEL SASLOW rsaslow@wweek.com

After Paulla Dacklin retired from her career as an art teacher, she poured her energy into volunteering as a Portland Art Museum docent. She led 30 tours a year for students, guiding them through the museum and helping explain the works on display. Dacklin, 71, also met with fellow docents for continuing education on Mondays, and even exhibited her own art at a docent gallery show.

When the pandemic ebbed and the museum reopened, it felt strange that she never heard from the museum to set up her touring schedule—especially when Portland Public Schools was fully operational.

“It became apparent that we were kind of on hold, and we couldn’t figure out why,” Dacklin says.

The picture clarified on Aug. 22 when Dacklin and all 175 Portland Art Museum docents were, essentially, dumped via email.

The letter from museum management—subject line: “Future Directions” —explained that the museum was doing away with the

approximately 40-year-old docent council structure and bringing in paid “learning guides” recruited from local colleges. Former docents will be folded into a new museumwide volunteer program that includes educators, greeters and coat-check helpers.

“The message is really clear that the services of a group of older, retired educators are no longer needed,” Dacklin says.

The shift comes as the museum is getting a new look inside and out with its $110 million Mark Rothko Pavilion now under construction. It has also left hard feelings and highlighted a central tension facing museums across the country: Does reflecting the communities they serve mean reducing the role of senior white women, who made up a large proportion of the docent council?

Brian Ferriso, PAM’s executive director and chief curator, tells WW the docent council is not being discontinued. Rather, it is “evolving to meet the needs of the community.” Change should not have come as a surprise because the docent council has been in a constant state of evolution throughout his 17 years at the

museum, he says.

“It’s been a fluid, fluid moment,” Ferriso says. “I’m not sure what people hear, and I apologize if people heard it that way. But we had many meetings beforehand discussing this.”

PAM’s overhaul of its docent program is the latest in a national trend.

The Oakland Museum of California disbanded its program in December in order to diversify its volunteer force. Museums in Denver and Birmingham, Ala., have also moved to paid college-guide programs. When the Art Institute of Chicago dismissed its docents and replaced them with a fleet of younger, more diverse “paid educators” in fall 2021, a flurry of media coverage (including scathing missives in conservative outlets) was so intense that the museum hired extra security.

In August 2020, the website Slate ran an article titled “Museums Have a Docent Problem” that opened with the cringey scene of an older white woman guiding a group of young Black and Asian visitors through an exhibit of the works of Jamaican American artist

STATE OF THE ART: Former docent Connie Bushnell says that “even good change is difficult.”

Nari Ward at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art. (The girls asked, “What’s Black Power?” It got even more awkward from there.)

Those cultural tremors weren’t lost on PAM. Both the pandemic and construction have been opportunities for the museum to “reset and reevaluate,” says Stephanie Parrish, director of learning and community partnerships. As was an embarrassing incident in March when a museum staffer (not a docent) asked a young mother to remove her baby from its traditional basket carrier—while she toured an exhibit showcasing a Native American artist. The museum apologized, further trained its staff in cultural sensitivity, and changed its backpack policy.

The word “docent” itself is now kaput at PAM: “While we understand that the word docent has warm, positive associations for some, we have also received feedback that the term is confusing and unclear,” Ferriso and Parrish wrote in the August email to former docents.

fellow former-docent friends for lunch. Bushnell, a retired teacher with a degree in art history, served on the committee that consulted on the restructuring and the email.

“I knew it would cause some stress for people, but I think it’s important that everyone feel welcome when they walk in the doors of the museum,” says Bushnell, 66. “Even good change is difficult.”

The staff leading tours looks quite different as of last week, when the pilot group of four paid “learning guides” started their training. The museum is recruiting from Portland Community College, Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College. They will give tours of the museum to students two days a week.

Up on the walls right now is the exhibit Black Artists of Oregon, featuring work by 69 artists spanning from the 1880s to today. It is on view through March 17. Next year at this time, museum staff will be getting ready to mount Africa Fashion, an exhibit from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Former docent Michele Sabatier was sad to see the docent council structure go, but says it was time the group diversified. She made it her goal as a docent to give people the tools they need to engage with any art at any museum anywhere. (Hot tip from Sabatier: When looking at portraits, try to determine the subject’s hobbies and what they might dream about.)

PDX JAZZ THURSDAYS AT THE HOXTON

Featuring many of Portland’s exciting jazz artists in an intimate setting at

OCTOBER 12

James Powers Trio

OCTOBER 19

Tahirah Memory Trio

OCTOBER 26

Maria Wulf Trio

Doors 4:30 pm | Show 5:00 pm

Get tickets at pdxjazz.org

The Oregon Historical Society and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education have also updated their programs to move away from the traditional docent model.

One former docent, who declined to be named, didn’t feel blindsided like Dacklin did by changes to the council. Based on what happened to the docents in Chicago and all the equity consultants PAM brought in, she had felt the “foreboding” for a couple of years. She laughed at the idea of going back to PAM as a volunteer educator: “They burned their bridge.”

Dacklin feels similarly alienated. “I’m heartbroken,” she says, her voice brimming with emotion. “Will I go back to the museum and volunteer? I don’t know anyone that’s going to do it. But I don’t know everyone.”

Count Connie Bushnell in. She plans to continue volunteering at PAM and still enjoys meeting her

She misses the school tours and the Monday lectures where the docents saw sneak previews of exhibits and heard speeches by artists and curators.

“That always felt really special,” she says. “It was like being back in school.”

It was also part of the problem— docents had to devote a year to training, which was a huge barrier to entry for volunteers who don’t have that kind of time and flexibility, Sabatier says. She says when the pandemic hit, it was “a blessing in disguise” for the museum to have time to do some self-examination.

She plans to keep volunteering at the museum—and is open to any changes that will make it more welcoming.

During one of her first docent tours for students, Sabatier talked to a father who said he always felt like he wasn’t smart enough to come to a museum.

“It broke my heart when he said that,” she says. “No one should feel too intimidated to come in and look at art.”

“The message is really clear that the services of older, retired educators are no longer needed,” says Paulla Dacklin, former docent.

The mission of PDX Jazz is to evolve the art of jazz by engaging our community, celebrating live performance, and enhancing arts education.

Lovely Rita in The Hoxton.

James Powers

Tahirah Memory

Maria Wulf

Catching up with 14 Portlanders after their 15 minutes of fame.

Some nights you look up from your huckleberry-infused vodka and realize you’re the last person at the party. That’s what living in Portland feels like now.

The national media carnival has packed its tents for the next batch of suckers after gawking at our artisanal cheese shops and masked rioters. A lot of locals followed them out: If the U.S. Census Bureau is correct, 2 out of every 100 Multnomah County residents departed in the past three years. It’s a little bit lonely these days.

This week’s paper is here with a reassuring message: In Portland, no one ever really goes away.

Sure, folks might move one town over. But all the characters you loved, hated, and loved to hate? They’re still out there, plotting their comebacks.

It doesn’t matter if they flamed out, robbed the public blind, or called Portland “a collection of human turds.” People keep on living after their 15 minutes of fame—often in the same place where their glory days began.

In this issue, we decided to track down a few of the Portlanders who seared their names into our memories. Some of them rose to the heights of political power or made the best steak we’ve ever tasted. Others committed shocking crimes or became a byword for corruption. One was a child DJ who spun the “Bust a Bucket” song on Z100.

It’s been 15 years since our last “Where Are They Now?” edition—time enough that the people we’re now tracking down were making headlines when that paper hit the streets. Another edition seemed long overdue.

Many of the people you’ll encounter in the pages that follow built new lives for themselves. Some were happy to show how much they’ve grown in their time away from the spotlight. Others were annoyed to see a reporter again. (We won’t take it personally.) A few are enjoying roughly the same life they always did, but with a little less attention.

Overall, what struck us is how resilient humans are. Many of the stories that follow are unhappy, but their subjects haven’t cried uncle.

For a city that is taking its lumps these days, perhaps we can find a lesson: There’s always another chapter.

Cylvia Hayes

AGE: 56

BEST KNOWN FOR: Her involvement in the 2014 influence-peddling scandal that cost her fiancé, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, his fourth term.

The former first lady of Oregon became public enemy No. 1 in spring 2015.

The October before, WW first published a story detailing how Hayes was running a private consulting business out of the office of her fiancé, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber. The scandal picked up momentum when a Portland Tribune reporter showed Hayes had been paid $118,000 for consulting work by clients who had an interest in the governor’s energy policy. She had never disclosed those payments on her tax returns, WW noticed.

The scandal cost Kitzhaber his office (he resigned in February 2015) and a $20,000 settlement with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Hayes settled for $44,000 in 2019. An FBI investigation went nowhere, but polling showed Kitzhaber’s approval rating as the couple left office was 23%.

The two moved to a Bend home, where Hayes set about reinventing herself. She reemerged as a minister and spiritual guru, and an author and public speaker, offering advice on resilience after trauma, overcoming one’s self doubts, and learning to seek validation from within.

She wrote two books, When Life Blows Up: A Guide to Peace, Power and Reinvention and another titled simply Transcend. She was ordained as a minister in the Unity Church and started a not-for-profit organization called The ReThink Ministry. She holds virtual study groups and workshops for people looking to tap into their spirituality. One of her programs is described as being “grounded in the understanding that all Creation is sacred, and humanity only fully thrives when we are in healthy and respectful relationship with one another and all of life.”

The latest stage in Hayes’s reinvention, however, caught the attention of Wikipedia admins.

Beginning in May, a site user using the alias “AgilityQueen” began removing and editing large swaths of Hayes’ Wikipedia page about the 2014 scandal that brought down her and Kitzhaber.

An edit by AgilityQueen on May 23 reads, “Updated with the person’s new role as an ordained Unity minister. Updated the story about the federal investigation concluding with no charges filed.”

That username made similar edits— cutting out information, swapping information—more than twenty times between May and August of this year. The most recent edit by AgilityQueen, on Aug. 30, shows that the user added Hayes “is an ordained Unity minister, author and environment/economic system change speaker and consultant.” It has since been removed by a Wikipedia administrator.

The day before, a Wikipedia volunteer administrator (yes, that’s a thing) undid some of AgilityQueen’s edits and wrote in notes: “likely self-editing. Suggest edits on the talk page, DO NOT edit the article about yourself.”

On Aug. 31, Wikipedia blocked AgilityQueen indefinitely, citing “Disruptive editing at Cylvia Hayes, including edit-warring, POV-editing; personal attacks.”

Hayes, when reached by email, declined to answer WW’s questions, including whether she was affiliated with AgilityQueen.

Brandon Roy

AGE: 39

BEST KNOWN FOR: Reviving Blazermania with clutch shots.

He didn’t know it in the moment, but Brandon Roy was front and center for the end of Dame Time in Portland.

Roy, the sweet-shooting Trail Blazers guard who left town shortly before the arrival of Damian Lillard, unofficially returned to Rip City earlier this year, serving as the Blazers’ representative on the made-for-TV NBA draft lottery in May. The juju worked: Portland moved up two spots in the lottery to the No. 3 pick. They picked Scoot Henderson—and Lillard asked for a trade a week later.

Draft night was one of Roy’s first public appearances with the Blazers since sitting courtside for a game more than a decade ago. A raucous standing ovation that night, and positive response to his lottery presence this year, has made it clear Blazermaniacs would happily accept Roy’s return.

ever, hasn’t necessarily been restful for Roy. Much like his playing career, Roy’s public life since departing NBA has been tumultuous, with sky-high peaks tempered by moments of frustration and near tragedy.

Roy has been a wildly successful high school coach in Seattle in recent years. He led the Nathan Hale High School boys basketball team to a perfect 29-0 record and national championship during the 2016-17 season. He won the Naismith Boys High School Coach of the Year award too. Coach Roy then switched to his alma mater, Garfield High School, and won state championships in 2018, 2020 and 2023. Several of his protegés have gone on to the NBA, including Michael Porter Jr., who won a championship last year as a member of the Denver Nuggets.

“My ultimate goal is not to coach in the NBA but to build a real solid foundation at my alma mater,” Roy told Sports Illustrated in 2020. “I don’t feel challenged to make it to the next level. I feel challenged right here to make it at this level.”

A cloud, however, has lingered over the championship sunshine for Roy. Despite the success, Roy took leaves from his coaching position during the 2018-19, and 2021-22 seasons. Roy has publicly disclosed the personal struggles he has faced during those times. He was shot while visiting family in Compton, Calif., in 2017, started divorce proceedings during his time at Nathan Hale High School, and has undergone surgeries for back pain and a torn Achilles tendon.

Combine all that turmoil with the lingering frustration of a playing career cut short by six surgeries, and it’s easy to understand why he told The Athletic’s Jason Quick in 2020 that he had suffered recurring nightmares after the shooting and struggled to confront his own unhappiness.

“I had to first acknowledge that I wasn’t happy,” Roy told Quick. “But for me, it was hard to say I was unhappy. It was like me saying I was a loser…a failure.”

Roy’s return to the Blazers’ fold, however, seems to presage an upswing. (He didn’t return calls from WW.)

“Some of it for me is I’m getting older,’’ Roy told Quick in May. “I feel like being away was good for me, and it gave me time to refocus and reset my life. So, this is me just trying to keep up the relationship—I think not only with [general manager] Joe [Cronin], but the entire Blazers organization. This is kind of the first step at it.”

For their part, the Blazers never seemed to forget Roy’s legacy during his time away either. Carmelo Anthony was told that No. 7 was not available in 2020. A jersey retirement ceremony would make one helluva reunion for Roy and the city. ERIC GRIFFITH.

SOPHIE PEEL.

Hayes’ website bio says that she’s gotten into dog training, and features a picture of her with a dog named Olive. It says, “She has recently become a self-confessed agility-holic, having a great time winning awards with speedy Olive!”

And for good reason. He joined the team at a nadir in popularity and immediately reinvigorated the fan base. For a specific generation of fan, it felt like Roy saved the franchise entirely. Roy’s all-too-brief career (2006-2013) has taken on a mythic quality. In his absence, wistful laments about Roy’s lost All-NBA seasons have replaced what-ifs about Arvydas Sabonis and the Iron Curtain at local watering holes.

The time away from the spotlight, how-

Lon Mabon

AGE: 76

BEST KNOWN FOR: Asking Oregon voters to label being gay as “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse.”

It’s probably hard for people who weren’t there to imagine what a bogeyman Oregon Citizens Alliance leader Lon Mabon was in 1990s Portland.

“Polls suggest that 80 percent of Oregonians who know who he is would rather have a prison site in their back yard than have dinner with the director of the Oregon Citizens Alliance,” WW wrote in a 1998 cover story on Mabon, titled simply “He’s Back.”

The OCA first drew attention with an initiative called Measure 8, striking down rules against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in state government. It passed in 1988, 53% to 47%.

Emboldened by this success, the OCA began work on its doomsday weapon, 1992’s Measure 9, a ballot initiative that would have added language to the Oregon

Constitution labeling homosexuality as “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse” and required the state to actively discourage it in schools and other forums.

Measure 9 was seen, not unreasonably, as an existential threat to human rights in Oregon and beyond. Defeating it was no slam dunk at a time when both our U.S. senators (and two of five congresspersons) were Republicans.

The measure was indeed defeated, 53% to 47%, but ask LGBTQ+ people who were there: The horror of your neighbors being asked to vote yes or no on whether you are unnatural and perverse is hard to shake.

“It was not an easy time,” civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat once recalled.

Sam Rogoway (fka “Little Ricky Rocko”)

AGE: 44

BEST KNOWN FOR: Playing Top 40 hits on Z100 from 1987 to 1992 as “the world’s youngest disc jockey.”

In early ’90s Portland, Z100’s on-air team “The Morning Zoo” reigned supreme. The radio station, formally 100.3-FM KKRZ, boasted a Jammin’ Salmon mascot and the beloved novelty song “Bust a Bucket” about the Portland Trail Blazers’ ascent to the 1992 NBA Finals. (Ask any Portland child of the ’90s to rap the chorus. We’ll wait.)

The lucky kid at the center of it all was “Little Ricky Rocko,” né Sam Rogoway.

“You go to the grocery store and wonder if the person behind the counter voted against you.”

Though the OCA would continue its anti-gay crusades into the 21st century, 1992 was the beginning of the end. Not only was its Death Star destroyed at the ballot box, but its finances were decimated in court when activist Catherin Stauffer won a $30,000 judgment stemming from a physical altercation at an OCA event in 1991. Mabon and company would resort to increasingly far-fetched legal strategies to avoid paying up, eventually asserting that Oregon judges could not compel him to do anything because there was a typo in the oath of judicial office. In 2002, Mabon’s refusal to cooperate landed him in jail for 42 days on contempt of court charges.

Mabon’s last “Son of 9” initiative failed to qualify for the 2008 ballot. Since then, he appears to have dropped out of public life.

But not out of our deli sections. Today, Lon Mabon and his wife, Bonnie (the former secretary-treasurer of the OCA), are the principals of It’s The Famous LLC, purveyors of a gourmet salsa bearing that name. They founded the limited liability company in Salem in 2009, the state’s business registry shows. The salsa is a brisk seller, too; on a recent trip to the Hawthorne Fred Meyer, just two tubs of it remained on the shelves.

A recent call to It’s The Famous was answered by Bonnie Mabon herself, who agreed—perhaps a bit reluctantly—to pass our inquiry on to Lon. “We try to stay out of the news, after having been in it for so many years.” As of press deadline, Lon Mabon had not called back. MARTY SMITH.

LONG TIME LON: Lon Mabon and the Oregon Citizens Alliance appeared on WW’s cover in 1992.

The son of Dave Rogoway, former KISN radio personality and co-owner of LaRog Brothers jewelers, Rogoway began his radio career at the tender age of 8 when he submitted a tape, with his father’s help, to a Vancouver radio station.

According to news coverage at the time, the station in the ’Couv put him on the air as a gimmick, billing him as “the world’s youngest disc jockey.” Soon, Z100 snagged him to play Top 40 hits on Fridays and Saturdays. He chose the moniker “Little Ricky Rocko”— “Rick” for his uncle and “Rocko” for rock ’n’ roll (also a sly nod to his actual surname).

“I don’t want to be seen as some special type of kid,” Rogoway told The Oregonian in 1992. “It’s just a job I like to do like any type of job.”

His ascent was the stuff of kid dreams. In 1989, Rogoway served as the grand marshal of the Portland Rose Festival Junior Parade. As the Guinness Book of World Records holder for youngest DJ, he went on TV shows, such as Live With Regis and Kathie Lee and Good Morning America. He got to miss class every Friday morning from Southeast Portland’s

Duniway Elementary School to deejay. He met Jon Bon Jovi and Debbie Gibson.

It’s been 30 years and some of us (ahem) are still smarting with jealousy. Yet the no-longer-little Ricky doesn’t wish to reminisce. Through his father, Rogoway declined to be interviewed.

“

While I was on the radio, I learned a lot about working with people much older than me,” he told the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2007. “I still rely on those lessons to help me today.”

According to his résumé on LinkedIn, Rogoway attended Loyola Marymount University for his undergrad and then law school at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked a variety of tech jobs, including as the chief content and product officer at the meditation app Headspace from 2019 to 2021.

He lives in L.A. with his wife and daughter, according to Linktree, the tech company Rogoway joined as chief product officer in November 2022.

Two weeks ago, a spokesman said Rogoway is no longer with the company, but would not provide any further details.

RACHEL SASLOW.

Craig Berkman

AGE: 82

BEST KNOWN FOR: Selling fraudulent securities to some of Portland’s wealthiest people and using the money to buy nice suits and take Austrian ski vacations with former models.

Old habits die hard for Craig Berkman.

Reached at his home in Florida, the 82-year-old entrepreneur and Ponzi schemer pitched an idea for a “smart tank” that would let cars run on natural gas. Electric cars are unsafe because the batteries catch fire, he says.

He’s working on a car company called Graviton Motorworks to tap the tech-

nology and hopes to get Intel Corp. and Applied Materials involved.

“Maybe someday people will be proud to drive a GMW rather than a BMW,” Berkman says.

The pitch is classic Berkman.

After growing up poor in the Roseway neighborhood, Berkman went to Wheaton College in Illinois and then to the University of California, Berkeley. He hung around the Bay Area and helped friends raise money for a small chemical maker called Applied Materials that opened in 1967.

That company grew quickly because its chemicals were used to make computer chips. Applied Materials sold shares to the public in 1972 and later became the biggest maker of the high-dollar, almost magical machines that create semiconductors.

Berkman kept at the venture game, started medical device companies that made him a fortune. He donated thousands to Republican candidates, chaired Gerald Ford’s 1976 presidential campaign in Oregon, and ran for governor in 1994. He also lived large, buying bespoke suits on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. He and one of his wives, a former Miss New York, skied in Kitzbühel, Austria.

All along, Berkman sold investors “convertible promissory notes” that promised a healthy yield at the very least and a huge windfall if one of his companies took off like Applied Materials had. Investors handed over cash for more than a decade, but none of Berkman’s companies succeeded, and he used much of the money to pay off previous investors and fund his lifestyle.

Years later, Berkman stayed high on the hog by raising $13.2 million from investors looking for shares of Facebook, LinkedIn, Groupon and Zynga before the companies sold them in initial public offerings. Such pre-IPO shares become gold if companies succeed.

But Berkman never bought any shares. He used the money to settle old debts and pay personal expenses. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 2013 and went to prison for almost five years—at age 73.

Behind bars, a fellow inmate slipped him a Bible. He had been Christian all his life, but now the word of God left its mark. Since getting out of prison, Berkman has been hard at work on the Free at Last Coalition, a nonprofit that seeks to drop 14 words from the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, so that slavery is completely prohibited and not allowed as punishment for a crime.

“It’s not an academic discussion for me because for a period of my life I was incarcerated and was a slave myself,” Berkman says.

Amending the Constitution is tough. It takes a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. But Berkman says he’s undaunted. He hopes to raise $30 million this year to lobby for the change. “There are some large donors who have expressed interest,” he says.

Berkman visited Oreg on last year. His two daughters here won’t speak to him because of his crimes, but the trip was “mixed,” he says. “Thankfully, there are some people who haven’t painted a permanent scarlet letter on me.”

ANTHONY EFFINGER.

Nikole Hannah-Jones

AGE: 47

BEST KNOWN FOR: Spending five years at The Oregonian before rocketing into the journalism stratosphere (and ruffling some feathers) as the creator of The New York Times’ 1619 Project.

What follows is the inverse of a traditional “Remember so-and-so?” profile. Turns out some people become more famous after they leave Portland.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is one such case. With her signature cherry-colored hairdo and every major journalism award under her belt, Hannah-Jones has been hard to miss since 2019.

That’s when she launched The New York Times’ 1619 Project, a far-ranging investigation of race and civil rights in America, timed to the 400th anniversary of the first ship of enslaved Africans arriving on the shores of Virginia. The project won her the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary—as well as backlash from some historians and conservative politicians who called it historically inaccurate.

But before all that, Hannah-Jones worked at The Oregonian. She covered demographics, the census and county government from 2006 to 2011. Reached by phone at her Washington, D.C., office last week, Hannah-Jones reminisced about her time at The O

“It was a very challenging place and time in my life journalistically,” she says.

Hannah-Jones was drawn to The Oregonian, she says, because it was known as a narrative-journalism paper. She got “amazing coaching” from former managing editor Jack Hart.

“But I did often really, really struggle to write the stories that were important to me,” she says. “And that’s ultimately why I wanted to leave. But I also wanted to leave Portland, period.”

Hannah-Jones hasn’t been in Portland for about five years, but when she visits, she enjoys hiking at Multnomah Falls or going cherry picking on Hood River’s fruit loop. Her must-visit restaurants are Andina, Gravy and Screen Door. But worldclass hiking and food weren’t enough to

keep her in the Pacific Northwest.

“It will surprise no one when I say that Portland is a very difficult place to be Black,” she says. “I wanted to move somewhere that had a much more substantial Black population and culture.”

She chose Brooklyn, where she has lived since 2012 when she started at journalism nonprofit ProPublica. Her first big investigation there was about the lack of enforcement of the 1968 Fair Housing Act—a project that she says grew directly from her work reporting on housing laws at The Oregonian

In addition to being a Times staff writer, Hannah-Jones is the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The post came after a fraught back-and-forth with the University of North Carolina, where she was denied a tenure position.

She is currently working on a young readers’ adaptation of The 1619 Project, as well as a coffee table book. The sixpart documentary is available on Hulu. RACHEL SASLOW.

John Gorham

AGE: 50

BEST KNOWN FOR: The coppa steak and potatoes bravas at Toro Bravo.

John Gorham is rebuilding his empire and staying offline.

Just three years ago, the chef and serial restaurateur who started Toro Bravo and Tasty n Sons was on the short list of Portland kitchen luminaries. The fame started in 2007, when WW named Toro Bravo, a tapas joint on North Russell Street, its Restaurant of the Year. The praise was unceasing as Gorham expanded his holdings to include the Tasty brunch spots, the Israeli finger food of Shalom Y’all, and smash burgers at Bless Your Heart Burgers.

A commentator openly mocked him, and Gorham doxxed her, posting pictures of her SUV and writing “maybe something should happen to it.” His target was a transgender woman of color.

Gorham gave $5,000 to Native American Youth and Family Center, but it wasn’t enough to quell the outrage. He and his wife, Renee, ultimately sold their stake in seven restaurants and permanently closed the others. Gorham, who’d suffered from brain cancer, checked himself into a psychiatric hospital, and then decamped to Central Oregon to start a consulting company and lead tourists on “culinary journeys” through Spain.

Like a lot of people who flee Portland, they wound up in Deschutes County. The Gorhams now live in a Redmond home with sweeping views of the Cascade Range, where they’ve plotted their return to the industry.

DEATH

In 2018, when his coppa steak made WW ’s list of the 12 Wonders of Portland Food, he explained the secret: “After we cook it, we let it rest, always, for a half-hour. No matter how busy we are, we let it rest for a halfhour before we serve it.”

And then, like a lot of people in 2020, he got mad on the internet.

Gorham, irate following a series of break-ins and vandalism at his restaurants, posted an image of a paintball gun on Facebook and threatened to go “vigilante” on the culprits, whoever they were.

Gorham opened Rancher Butcher Chef in Bend in 2021, of which he remains the chef and part owner, and the couple helped open a new Spanish restaurant in Salem in 2022 (John’s the “culinary director” and Renee runs the dining rooms, the Salem Stateman Journal reported).

And, on Sept. 25, the Gorhams, joined by an RBC co-owner, filed incorporation documents for a new business at an address in downtown Bend formerly occupied by a popular cocktail bar. Gorham did not respond to WW’s calls, and the owners of the bar, the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin, declined to disclose his plans.

But the name on the incorporation papers offers a hint of a return to the Spanish theme: “Run With the Bulls.” LUCAS MANFIELD.

IN THE AFTERNOON: WW chose Toro Bravo as its 2007 Restaurant of the Year.

Emilie Boyles

AGE: 58

BEST KNOWN FOR: Setting back public campaign finance by a decade by spending the money on her teenage daughter.

Next year’s supersized race for 12 City Council seats is expected to strain Portland’s public campaign finance system, which provides candidates with up to a 9-to-1 match of tax dollars for small campaign contributions. The program, called “Small Donor Elections,” is the city’s second foray into the use of public money to fund election campaigns.

Isaac Brock

AGE: 48

BEST KNOWN FOR: The Modest Mouse single “Float On.”

It may seem strange to be doing a “Where Are They Now?” on someone who less than a month ago played two sold-out shows co-headlining with the Pixies at Edgefield. Where’s Isaac Brock now? Still famous and living the life of an international rock star, thanks. You?

We mean, sure; at this particular moment, Brock’s band Modest Mouse doesn’t have a song as huge as 2004’s “Float On” or a Billboard No. 1 album like 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. But both of their last two records (2015’s Strangers to Ourselves and 2021’s The Golden Casket) were critical successes that managed to produce at least one No. 1 on the alt-rock charts. Isaac’s career may have crested, but he hasn’t exactly gone the way of the guy from the Bloodhound Gang.

But we feel like we know what this is really about. It’s because in 2015 Brock was quoted by a Polish TV station as saying Portland was “vagrant-filled” and “a collection of human turds” (well before that opinion became mainstream). In the same interview, Brock described on two occasions chasing people with axes out of his house, which bordered Burner hangout Colonel Summers Park. “It’s a cool city,” he concluded. “But a lot of the keeping itself weird is actually just allowing people to be complete pieces of shit. And that’s exhausting.”

This disillusionment didn’t stop Brock from opening a bar with a Detroit-style pizza kitchen on Northeast 28th Avenue two years later. He dubbed the place Poison’s Rainbow and closed it in 2019.

And, in 2020, he drew schadenfreude-laden headlines around the country by putting his Buckman three-story up for sale—as if to say, “You were right, America. Portland sucks!” Ever since, the Rose City has been wondering: Did Isaac really leave? Was he right to do so? Was it something we said?

Asking “ Where’s Isaac now?” is like asking a mutual friend how your ex-girlfriend is doing: You don’t care how she’s doing; you just want to know if she regrets dumping you. Similarly, we’re sure Isaac’s career is fine (or whatever); we just want to know if he still likes us. Did he actually leave Portland?

Multnomah County property records show Brock did sell his Buckman house for $1.1 million in 2020. But he owns another, way up in the West Hills (shoutout Everclear) and, while Brock didn’t respond to attempts to reach him through his manager or his record label, a close associate tells us he’s still living in Sylvan. One of us! One of us! MARTY SMITH.

The first was called “Voter Owned Elections,” and it was torpedoed by Emilie Boyles.

In 2006, Boyles ran for Portland City Council. She received $145,000 from the Voter Owned Elections program, and promptly spent half of it on questionable expenses, including paying her then-16-year old daughter $12,500 for internet searches. She also hired a campaign consultant, Vladimir Golovan, who faked the voter signatures that qualified Boyles for the money.

Golovan was convicted of 10 felony charges for his fraud. “Golovan’s well-publicized trial, which included testimony from Boyles and other would-be candidates, essentially put voter-owned elections on trial,” writes Paul Diller, a professor at Willamette University School of Law. Indeed, voters repealed the program in 2010, and its sequel didn’t debut until 2018.

The city of Portland demanded that Boyles pay back the unspent funds and a $14,000 fine. As of 2012, she still owed the city upwards of $90,000. According to the City Attorney’s Office, Boyles now owes $283,000 (thanks to a 12% annual interest rate).

Shortly after she dropped out of the City Council race, Boyles moved to a small town in rural Montana. Boyles’ LinkedIn claims that after 2006 she worked as a news director, then as an “energy and economy examiner,” a consultant and a traveling radio host. She ran a radio station for a time called Treasure State Radio Network. It’s not entirely clear if it’s still operational.

According to its website, the station had slots for sports radio, weather, a show called the “Military Minute” and a daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance at noon. If you click the button “Listen Live,” you’ll go to a still screen of “Evening Weather by John,” but no audio plays. A post by the station’s Facebook account on March 9 said the station was temporarily moving to Augusta, Mont. “We will be building a new radio AND TV studio starting this fall,” the post reads. The website says Boyles is still CEO.

For a short time she hosted a relationship podcast, Wise Old Women. In the last episode available, dated July 2018, Boyles talks to Shawn—a 44-year-old man who wants to find a woman that will hunt, fish and camp with him. Boyles offers him sage advice: List your favorite restaurant on your online dating profile. Be clear about your wants and needs. Don’t send women money because if they ask for it, that probably means they’re looking for a sugar daddy. (Shawn had fallen for this trap once before.)

In 2020, Boyles wrote on LinkedIn that she was searching for work—but still running her radio station. The last trace of her activity on social media accounts is in a series of sporadic posts in 2021. She talks about her radio station and how big it will get; she asks to borrow food dryers over the weekend; she posts inspirational messages about avoiding criticism of others; and she posts a YouTube video demonstrating five neck and back stretches.

With that, she vanished. Messages to Boyles’ social media profiles, phone number, email addresses and radio station went unanswered. SOPHIE PEEL.

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Notice anything different about this week’s cover?

We’ve revived WW’s early nameplate, a looping script that ran on our front page from 1982 until our 15th anniversary on Nov. 2, 1989, when we debuted the first in a series of more sober-looking fonts. The WW flag you know and (perhaps) love first appeared in 2007.

1970s

John Kroger

AGE: 57

BEST KNOWN FOR: Becoming Oregon’s 16th attorney general after riding a used bike to the state from New York and falling in love with the trees.

For Oregonians watching from ground level, John Kroger was a comet. He appeared out of nowhere, burned brightly for a short time, and then vanished back into the darkness of space.

Few of Oregon’s adopted sons had a better résumé. Marine Corps (with jungle training in Panama), Yale (two degrees), Harvard Law, mob prosecutor. He rode to Oregon from New York on a used Trek bicycle, fell in love with the place, and decided to move.

He taught criminal procedure at Lewis & Clark Law School for a semester before getting tapped to join the team prosecuting energy company Enron for financial fraud. He won convictions of seven execs in the broadband unit, then came back to Oregon and won election as Oregon’s attorney general in November 2008, making it all look so easy.

Then came his time in the barrel. He alienated his staff in the Oregon Department of Justice and presided over some blunders. In April 2010, his environmental counsel, Brent Foster, resigned after

he misrepresented his role in a Hood River County water quality case. Soon after, Sean Riddell, his hand-picked criminal justice chief, deleted emails relating to a controversial investigation. Also: A triple murderer went free because his DOJ had lost evidence.

In late 2011, Kroger shocked the political class, announcing that he wouldn’t run again because of a “significant but not life-threatening medical condition.” He’s never said what it was.

Kroger’s star rose again in July 2012, when he became the 15th president of Reed College. It was an odd choice for an alternative school then known for its annual drug-fueled fest called Renn Fayre.

Kroger stayed at Reed for six years, stepping down in 2018. He has been something of a nomad since then, taking oneyear gigs as: a professor at Harvard; chief learning officer at the U.S. Navy; and vice president at the Aspen Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank. In August 2021, he became CEO of the Rodel Institute, an offshoot of Aspen that trains leaders for public service.

Kroger didn’t return emails seeking an interview, but he might not be done with Portland. He and his wife, Michele Toppe, who’s vice provost for student affairs at Portland State University, according to her LinkedIn profile, bought a house in Southwest Portland in April 2021. ANTHONY EFFINGER.

1982-1989

Diane Downs

AGE: 68

BEST KNOWN FOR: Shooting her three children on a Lane County road on May 19, 1983.

Derrick Foxworth

AGE: 64

BEST KNOWN FOR: Cop erotica.

In 2006, former Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth lost both his job and his dignity after an affair with a bureau desk clerk went sour—she accused him of sexual harassment, and disclosed his horny emails in a written threat to sue the city.

Foxworth called the affair, in public statements, “brief, but intense.” Angela Oswalt, the clerk, called his conduct “outrageous,” noting that he’d call her using bureau phones daily and sent “sexually disgusting email” on a regular basis.

The complaint was as salacious as it was disturbing. It included Foxworth’s emails, which described his “naked brown chocolate body” and made many laudatory references to the “size and feel” of, erm, what he was packing.

WW’s erotica critics found the prose underwhelming. “The letters of an obsessed man who apparently wasn’t very confident about whether the recipient of his attention wanted it,” wrote Theresa “Darklady” Reed.

Mayor Tom Potter called the emails a “serious lapse in judgment,” and demoted Foxworth, who retired two years later.

Foxworth now declines to discuss the scandal with WW, noting it had happened nearly two decades ago. “I will leave it in the past,” he says.

There was, after all, another chapter, a quieter one. Newly unemployed, he was hired by Portland Community College in 2009 and ascended the ranks to a $131,258-a-year position as public safety

director. He retired, again, last year. Foxworth hasn’t wholly retreated from the public eye, however. In 2020, he met with reporters to criticize city leaders for slashing the Portland Police Bureau’s budget. (His son is a lieutenant.) “And so now what you’re seeing is unprecedented shootings in the city of Portland,” he told KGW-TV. “And the sad fact is that many of the victims of the shootings happen to be Black.”

Foxworth’s crusade against gun violence extended beyond backing the blue. He was one of three former chiefs to endorse Measure 114, the gun control law that was passed by voters last year but stalled by court order.

In retirement, Foxworth has other things on his mind. “Currently just focusing on maintaining good health,” he texted WW LUCAS MANFIELD.

Before Casey Anthony misplaced Caylee, before Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the bathtub in a fit of (alleged) postpartum depression, even before Susan Smith blamed an imaginary (but definitely Black!) carjacker for the disappearance of the two kids she’d actually pushed into a lake, there was Diane Downs, American pop culture’s first blockbuster murder mom.

Downs moved to Springfield, Ore., in April 1983 on the rebound from a relationship in Arizona— one which ended, she believed, because her ex had no interest in being around kids. According to prosecutors, Downs was hoping to rekindle this relationship when, just a month after arriving in Oregon, she pulled off a rural road and shot each of her children— Christie, 8; Cheryl Ann, 7; and Danny, 3—multiple times with a .22-caliber pistol. She then shot herself in the arm and drove to the hospital, where she claimed her family had been attacked by a bushyhaired stranger.

The case—initially, the manhunt for the “stranger,” followed by Downs’ own arrest and trial—electrified the nation. The subsequent true-crime paperback, Ann Rule’s Small Sacrifices, was a bestseller, and the TV movie version of the book starred Farrah Fawcett—the Jessica Alba of her day—as Downs.

Unfortunately for Downs, two of her three children survived (one, Cheryl Ann, did not), and Christie was eventually well enough to ID her as the shooter. Downs was sentenced to life plus 50 years. She’s

been appearing in these WW check-ins ever since, most recently in 2007, because people wonder (or worry) when she’s getting out.

She’s still in prison today, but in the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, having been transferred to a more secure facility after briefly escaping her Oregon prison in 1987. (She climbed an 18-foot razor-wire fence and hid for 10 days in the home of a fellow inmate’s husband.) Downs continues to maintain her innocence, as does her brother, James Fredrickson. “Diane may die in prison, but I promised my dad the truth wouldn’t die with her,” Fredrickson writes on Facebook.

She has been denied parole three times, most recently in 2020.

That most recent denial shows that the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision still believes Downs suffers from narcissistic personality disorder and poses a danger to vulnerable people placed under her watch—including her elderly mother, whom Downs said she wanted to care for. “Her previous violence occurred in the context of her care of vulnerable children for some purpose that has not yet been fully understood due to her denial of responsibility,” the parole board wrote. In other words, they’re probably not letting her out until she fesses up.

The chances of that seem remote. Her request for a review of the parole board’s denial gives a pretty good flavor of what she’s been up to:

“...I didn’t make the Request [for information from the FBI] because I thought I was unique, special, or lived in a fantasy world. I made the request because: 1) In 2011, I received a 1967 book titled HAND ANALYSIS. On page 194 is the palm print of a 4-year-old girl. That palm print is mine. 2) In 2013, I received a WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA printed in 1964; FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover entered my newborn footprint on page 321 OF Volume “F.” 3) In 2018...”

There’s lots more of this at dianedowns. com—this document alone runs to 59 pages. But seriously, J. Edgar Hoover! You’ve gotta admire a paranoiac who still respects the classics. MARTY SMITH.

Mowgli Holmes

AGE: 51

BEST KNOWN FOR: Collecting cannabis DNA data of small Oregon farmers a decade ago, then telling investors in 2019 that his company would start growing plants itself.

Every Eden contains a serpent—and in 2019, Mowgli Holmes was cast as the devil in Oregon’s garden of weed.

For years, he and his company, Phylos Bioscience, had worked with small Oregon cannabis farmers to catalog the DNA of their weed strains. Then, in 2019, he was caught on camera in Florida telling investors his company would begin breeding its own cannabis plants, seemingly in competition with farmers who had entrusted him with their genetic data. (Holmes always maintained he never intended to use the data he collected from Oregon growers for his own benefit.)

The video went viral. Within weeks, the entire Oregon weed industry turned on the quiet Columbia Ph.D. scientist with salt-and-pepper hair (“Paradise Lost,” WW, May 22, 2019). Holmes stepped down from the company, then disappeared from the public eye for several years, though he continued to live in Portland with his family.

He’s now the founder and CEO of California-based Submarine, which Holmes says is a public benefit corporation that uses “supercomputer earth system modeling and AI to build the data layer for the new ocean-based carbon dioxide removal endeavor.”

Holmes further explains, in 300-word description to WW with lots of big words, that his company helps collect data for other companies that are trying to pull “hundreds of billions of tons of CO2 back out of the air.”

He adds: “We’re doing all the ocean modeling and data work to support those companies.”

Holmes says he’s no longer involved in the cannabis industry, calling the Phylos debacle a “wake-up call that it was time to start thinking about how to get work on something more critical (like the fact that the planet is getting hotter every year).”

Not all is sunny for Holmes. Court filings show he’s going through a divorce and a custody battle for his two children. He’s living in a family home in rural Colton, Ore., that lies on 6 acres of farmland.

After 2019, Phylos trudged on without Holmes. It still breeds cannabis strains and is partly led by Nishan Karassik, Holmes’ original business partner in the company.

“ We made a lot of mistakes, or I did,” Holmes says. “But things heal over.”

SOPHIE PEEL.

Gordon Sondland

AGE: 66

BEST KNOWN FOR: Deal-making for President Trump, then flipping on him.

Alt-country legend k.d. lang once described herself as “a hell of a lot more famous than I am rich.” For most of Gordon Sondland’s career he was the opposite: Never a household name, the CEO of Provenance Hotels was a pillar of Portland’s moneyed establishment behind the scenes and a major political donor. His most fateful donation, however, would be the $1 million he quietly gave to Donald Trump’s presidential inaugural committee after the 2016 election.

Shortly after receiving Sondland’s largesse, Trump realized the hotelier was in fact America’s best-qualified candidate for ambassador to the European Union. What a crazy coincidence!

Shortly after taking office in 2018, Sondland would be caught up in the military-

support-in-exchange-for-dirt-on-theBidens deal Trump and his then-chief of staff Mick Mulvaney were trying to force on Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy. (This is the plot National Security Adviser John Bolton meant when he said, “I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up.”)

A diplomatic novice, Sondland was arguably careless in allowing a phone conversation with Trump to be overheard that brought the whole scheme to light, ultimately leading to Trump Impeachment I. After a brief, seemingly half-hearted attempt at stonewalling, Sondland became a star witness for the prosecution in the impeachment inquiry, telling the committee that “yes, there was” a quid pro quo.

For reasons that now seem as ancient and frightening as a Robert Mueller votive candle, Sondland’s smirking testimony in 2019 made him a brief #Resistance star—a funny reversal of fortune from the protests that once clogged the valet parking at his Portland hotels. (The goodwill was short-lived; three weeks later, Portland Monthly and ProPublica published the accounts of three women, including the magazine’s editor, who said Sondland made unwanted sexual advances in the workplace. He denies the allegations and calls the reporting “deceitful.”)

Today, Sondland has largely receded into the diamond-encrusted shadows he occupied before his brush with fame. He has kept one souvenir from his time in the Trump administration, however: an ongoing lawsuit against former CIA director Mike Pompeo (and others) for reneging on a promise to cover his impeachment-related legal bills.

In 2022, he and his wife, Katy Durant, divorced. Sondland and Durant sold the operating division of Provenance for an undisclosed (but probably pretty large) sum. The hotel business has grown unpleasant, Sondland writes in his memoir: “It was if a massive fire, earthquake, tsunami, or tornado had struck in every city where we owned property. Simultaneously.”

He moved to Fort Lauderdale. Attempts to reach Sondland through his attorney and his hotels were unsuccessful.

But it’s possible to divine what he learned from his adventures by reading his memoir, The Envoy: Mastering the Art of Diplomacy with Trump and the World. In it, he reflects: “I usually love the limelight, but once I found myself in the press globally and relentlessly, I realized I previously had no idea of the pressure it brings. I don’t wish the experience on anyone. And yes, I brought it upon myself.”

Still, Sondland says he’ll be fine. “Life goes on,” he writes, “and so will I.”

MARTY SMITH.

GET BUSY

making new friends as adults, and insects in the house. D&D will help you laugh at each of those scary situations and more. The Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi Ave., sirentheater.com. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7 and 14. $18 in advance, $24 at the door.

GO: PDX Pop Now!

The rescheduled PDX Pop Now! three-day festival is finally here! The event, originally slated for August to coincide with the release of the all-volunteer organization’s 20th anniversary compilation album featuring 60 Portland area artists, was bumped to October. You can listen to some of those contributors at Speck’s, Red Fox and the Electric Blocks—and the best part is that all of the performances are free and open to all ages. Come be a part of local music history and see why PDX rocks! Various locations, pdxpopnow. com. Various times Friday-Sunday, Oct.68. Free.

WATCH: Swan Lake

WATCH: White Bird

Presents: Pilobolus

White Bird, the 26-year-old organization dedicated to bringing the world’s best dance companies to Portland, will honor co-founders Walter Jaffe and Paul King during its season opener, as the duo take their final bow. The two are passing their duties on to executive director Graham Cole, which means this performance by Pilobolus will be the last time Jaffe and King are scheduled to deliver pre-show remarks. The globally renowned company returns to Portland after a five-year absence and is set to present a selection of its most iconic pieces that showcase the dancers’ remarkable shape-shifting abilities. Before the presentation, you can expect a Founders Fête co-hosted by Dale Johannes and Poison Waters, as well as the return of the White Bird Awards, at the Portland Art Museum’s Fields Sunken Ballroom. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-245-1600, whitebird. org. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 4. $12-$95.

WATCH: Halloween III: Season

of the Witch

The Hollywood Theatre is bringing a horror cult classic back to the big screen: Halloween III! This 1982 addition to the Halloween franchise has become a sleeper hit upon recent reevaluation of its bonkers plot and glorified violence. Embrace the suspense as Dr. Dan Challis (genre legend Tom Atkins) tries to stop an evil warlock’s scheme to kill all the children of the world with booby-trapped Halloween masks. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 5. $10-$12.

GO: Stage Fright Festival

Spooky season has officially begun, so kick things off right with two weekends of what are billed as “horror theater shows.”

21ten Theatre will present performance rituals by two nationally touring artists as well as full-length plays by locals, a community spooky story open mic, and even a film screening. 21ten Theatre, 2210 SE 10th Ave., stagefrightfestival.com. Various times Thursday-Friday, Oct. 5-15. $25 for each show, $40 for two.

GO: 70th Annual Portland Greek Festival

What started as a bazaar to pay off the mortgage of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral has grown into a multiday celebration of Greek food, traditional dance, music and so much more. Now in its 70th year, the Portland Greek Festival is one of the largest events of its kind with Oregon Heritage Tradition status (as designated by the Oregon Heritage Commission). Fill up on souvlaki and craft beer in the Taverna, but save room for the baklava sundae at the Kafenion. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3131 NE Glisan St., 503-234-0468, portlandgreekfestival. com. 10 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday, 11 am-7 pm Sunday, Oct. 6-8. $5.

DRINK: Bloktoberfest

After a three-year hiatus, Block 15 has brought Blocktoberfest back to its historic downtown pub. For a celebration this big, the street in front of the brewery will be cordoned off and covered by a giant tent, making room for more traditional Oktoberfest activities, such as live performances of German music and stein-holding competitions; some unconventional

Oktoberfest activities, like a German spelling bee; and things that don’t have to do with Oktoberfest at all, including the screening of the Beavers game (because this is Corvallis). Pro tip: Reserve a table for up to six with a $60 deposit that can be converted to a credit you can use to purchase anything from one of the vendors. Block 15 Brewing, 300 SW Jefferson Ave., Corvallis, 541-758-2077, block15.com.

4-11 pm Friday, noon-11 pm Saturday, Oct. 6-7. $25 for a half-liter package, $35 for a full-liter package.

WATCH: Sharing Stories: Let’s Dance Again!

The kickoff to NW Dance Project’s 20th season is a triple bill of diverse world premieres. The program includes Another, Tomorrow, by founding artistic director Sarah Slipper; Activating Infinity, by celebrated international choreographer Bryan Arias; and Murmuration, from the mind of multidiscipline French Canadian artist Serge Bennathan. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 503-421-7434, nwdanceproject.org. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7. $29-$68.

WATCH: A Sketch Comedy Spooktacular in 3D

Siren Theatre will build its growing reputation as a Halloween destination (which began thanks to its creative stage adaptations of horror classics like Poltergeist and A Nightmare on Elm Street) by hosting sketch comedy duo D&D (David Burnett and David Wester), who will recount the things that actually keep us up at night. Forget masked men with knives lurking under the bed; we’re truly afraid of phenomena like unexpected phone calls,

The Oregon Ballet Theatre is launching what it describes as its “biggest season ever” with former artistic director Christopher Stowell’s Swan Lake. The production debuted in 2006, selling out the Keller Auditorium for every performance, and was last staged 10 years ago—making it more than overdue for a revival. The production that helped define our city’s art scene is returning at a time when many companies are struggling to bring back patrons following the pandemic. Stowell hopes the return of Swan Lake inspires audiences to reembrace Portland’s cultural institutions. Whether you’re revisiting the classic ballet or seeing it for the very first time, it should be a breathtaking experience. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503-248-4335, obt.org. 7:30 Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7, Oct. 13-14; 2 pm Sunday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 14. $29-$157.

EAT & DRINK: Western Whiskey & BBQ

Sometimes even city slickers want to feel like a cowboy for a day (and probably no longer than that if you’re actually mending fences and herding cattle). For the past few years, Skamania Lodge and Westward Whiskey have teamed up to provide a gather-round-the-campfire, Western-themed experience in the form of this dinner. Tom Swearingen, named Best Cowboy Poet in our most recent Best of Portland issue, will set the mood by performing his original works while you tuck into your meal. Rest assured, they aren’t serving you cans of beans at the Stevenson, Wash., golf resort. Instead, you can expect a menu that includes everything from pork belly burnt ends coated in a bourbon barbecue glaze to seared flat iron steak with skillet fingerling potatoes to chili-chocolate cream puffs encasing vanilla mascarpone. On top of all that, each ticket includes two Westward Whiskey beverages. Skamania Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson, Wash., 509-314-4177, skamania.com. 5 pm Saturday, Oct. 7. $125. 21+.

IN KNOTS: Dance company Pilobolus returns to Portland after a five-year absence.

Hot Plates

WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK.

1. PAPA HAYDN

701 NW 23rd Ave., 503-228-7317, papahaydn.com. 5829 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-232-9440. 11:30 am-10 pm

Wednesday-Sunday.

Whether you love Portland dessert institution Papa Haydn or simply great bargains on meals out, you’ll want to swing by one of the business’s two locations at some point during October. The brand turns 45 this year and is partying like it’s 1978, with throwback menu items and prices to match. Special entrees will only cost $12(!) and these are full portions of dishes like chicken Genovese, torta rustica and currywurst. Featured desserts, including sachertorte, marjolaine and chocolate marquis, are a mere seven bucks.

2. LUCKY HORSESHOE LOUNGE

2524 SE Clinton St., 503-764-9898, luckyhorseshoeportland.com. 4-11 pm

Monday-Thursday, 4 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday, 4-10 pm Sunday.

Rally Pizza owners Shan Wickham and Alan Maniscalco purchased this Clinton Street Theater-adjacent bar in spring, swapping out the venue’s quasi-Western theme and replacing it with Italian-inspired cocktail lounge vibes. The food menu reflects Maniscalco’s Italian American upbringing, and you can now get a number of those dishes for a discount thanks to a newly launched happy hour. Your best bets: an Olympia Provisions salami and provolone sandwich ($8) and a Monday-only, 10-inch Neapolitan-style pizza with rotating toppings ($12).

3. GEORGE’S CORNER TAVERN

FOOD & DRINK

Icebreakers

Rasia’s Ono Ice sells an authentic Hawaiian version of the syrupcovered frozen treat and will eventually hit the road in a newly acquired truck.

BY SHANNON DAEHNKE

Ever thought about starting a shave ice business—even just a fleeting “that looks pretty easy” kind of impulse while standing in line for a cup of frozen water covered in your choice of delicious, rainbow-colored syrups?

According to Lorasia Tooson and her partner Vance Nguyen, co-founders of Portland pop-up Rasia’s Ono Ice, a lot of folks have.

“People will hear that we have a shave ice business, and they’ll be like, ‘I always thought of that!’” Tooson says. “But for some reason, they didn’t go after it.”

Tooson and Nguyen, however…they went after it. Right after graduating high school in 2020, Tooson started a dessert business called Rasia’s Sweets, which sold chocolate-covered strawberries and other dipped assortments at farmers markets around Portland.

But in summer, those desserts would melt in the heat. And at that point, Tooson didn’t know how to keep them refrigerated, how to effectively transport the products or, really, how to operate a business all on her own.

“I was telling my dad, ‘I don’t know how to survive at a farmers market.’ And he was just like, ‘You know…no one really does Hawaiian shave ice over here,’” describes Tooson, whose family is from Waianae, Oahu, about 30 miles west of Honolulu.

5501 N Interstate Ave., 503-289-0307, georgescornertaver.wixsite.com/my-site. 10 am-2 am daily.

At the corner of North Interstate Avenue and Killingsworth Street for nearly a century, George’s is like the longtime character actor you are always happy to see. And like a good ensemble player, George’s has a little something for everyone: a solid whiskey list, a killer back patio, Jell-O and pudding shots, and super-friendly service. And perhaps George’s best (un) kept secret is its fried chicken and jojos, which give Reel M Inn a run for its money. A three-piece basket with a jojo upgrade will run you $18, and arrives hot and juicy. The proportions of potato and bird aren’t as freakishly gargantuan as those at our Southeast Portland fave, but they’ll arrive in minutes, rather than hours.

4. SMOKEHOUSE CHICKEN AND GUNS

55660 NW Wilson River Highway, Gales Creek, 503-359-9452, smokehousecng.com. 9 am-9 pm Friday-Sunday.

When a beloved food cart finally goes brick-and-mortar, the opening is usually surrounded by a great deal of fanfare and a Christmas-like countdown clock. Not so for Chicken and Guns. The Cartopia pod staple very quietly launched its first full-service restaurant this past spring, and did so in Gales Creek—miles away from any of its regulars. The trek to the roadhouse-style diner is worth it. You’ll, of course, find the cart’s famed wood-fired birds and crispy potatoes (the guns), but also an expanded menu that includes burgers, locally grown vegetable-based sides, and weekend brunch.

5. BULLARD TAVERN

813 SW Alder St., 503-222-1670, bullardpdx.com. 4-10 pm Sunday.

Given the fact that Bullard’s burger will set you back nearly 30 bucks, the Woodlark Hotel restaurant’s new $39 Sunday Supper Dinner is a bargain that shouldn’t be missed, especially since it’s a limited-time offer (albeit one that’s redundantly named). The three-course special features a mixed green salad with blue cheese crumbles and hazelnuts; a smoked half-chicken served with fresh tortillas, guac and salsa verde; and an ice cream sundae. You can add a $39 bottle of wine to that if you really feel like splurging. The best part: A portion of the proceeds raised from the dinners goes to the Maui Strong Fund to help victims of the devastating August fire.

So, Tooson decided to bring Hawaiian shaved ice to the mainland. Shortly after speaking with her dad, she was able to track down a commercial shave ice machine on Craigslist for $300. And within a few days, Tooson and Nguyen made the drive from Portland to “somewhere out past Seattle” to pick it up.

“A lot of frozen treats are packaged in bad products and, especially with how eco-friendly Hawaii’s trying to be, it just meant a lot to stop using the plastic.”

Since Tooson, just 18 years old at the time, was already a business owner with a customer following, she had connections with a few other small businesses and markets. So once the critical piece of equipment was secured for the shaved ice pivot, she was pretty much set.

Rasia’s Ono Ice made its debut at a Juneteenth market in North Portland in 2021. Ever since then, the Blackand Pasifika-owned business has been serving authentic Hawaiian shaved ice at popular Portland events like the Montavilla Street Fair, Portland Night Market, and PNW Islander Market.

Now, if you’re wondering what makes Hawaiian shave ice different from other shaved ice, let us give you the full (icy) scoop. The ice shavings are typically a little bit finer, making it softer and even a little creamy. As for syrups, most shaved ice distributors are located in the American South, according to Tooson, and the concentrates can be very artificial and generic tasting.

Rasia’s Ono Ice, on the other hand, gets its syrups straight from Hawaii. Those concentrates come in more

tropical flavors—think guava, mango and dragon fruit— and don’t leave an artificial taste in your mouth.

Tooson and Nguyen also aim to be as environmentally friendly as possible. That’s not to say there hasn’t been some trial and error in that department. When Rasia’s launched, they served shaved ice in “traditional plastic

NATHANIEL PERALES

TASTE THE RAINBOW: To track down Rasia’s Ono Ice, your best bet is to start following the business’s Instagram account.

flower cups.” Which, especially when you consider the straw and the spoon, is not the most eco-friendly option. Since then, however, even though they had pre-purchased a pretty hefty supply of plastic containers, the two decided to make the switch to paper cups.

“It didn’t feel right, or fitting, continuing to use the

[plastic cups],” she says. “A lot of frozen treats are packaged in bad products and, especially with how eco-friendly Hawaii’s trying to be, it just meant a lot to stop using the plastic.”

On the horizon for Rasia’s Ono Ice? Using the profit Tooson and Nguyen have made over the past few years, they recently acquired an old, “decent-looking” ice cream truck. Their plan is to watch a lot of YouTube videos, fix her up, and eventually take Rasia’s Ono Ice on the road.

“People think, oh, it’s just ice and syrup,” she says. “And it’s like…yeah. Things can be that easy, and you can just, you know, really build off of that if you try.”

EAT: Rasia’s Ono Ice, instagram.com/rasias.ono.ice. Follow the business’s Instagram account for pop-up locations and hours.

Top 5

Buzz List

WHERE TO DRINK THIS WEEK.

1. GREAT NOTION BREWING

Various locations, greatnotion.com. Hours vary.

Halloween has definitely evolved into a monthlong celebration, much like Christmas, so you better get your themed drinking on right out of the gate. And we’re not talking about pumpkin beers. Great Notion has produced its largest lineup of brews with spooky season names to date, including Orange Screamsicle, similar to the Creamsicle IPA only stronger and sour; Possessed, a strong tart ale with flavors of pineapple and black cherry; and Boo Berry Muffin, which tastes like the breakfast cereal its named after. You can find those beers in Great Notion’s four area taprooms, as well as unique scary-themed drops every Friday through October.

2. TAIJI TEAHOUSE & CAFE

310 NW Davis St., 503-997-3261, taijiteahouse.com.

11 am-4 pm Monday-Saturday.

There is at least one entrepreneur who believes that peace and tranquility can be found in Old Town Chinatown. In mid-August, Eric Arthur opened Taiji in the space that used to house Pearl Zhang’s Red Robe Tea House, which we long praised for serving “one of the finest Chinese pots of tea on either side of the river.” Zhang retired in 2021, but before she did, Arthur broadened his knowledge of gongfu tea through her and the shop—and he’s essentially reviving the essence that she brought to the establishment along with her exceptional and detailed tea ritual.

3. HOLMAN’S BAR & GRILL

15 SE 28th Ave., 503-231-1093, holmanspdx.com. 8 am-2:30 am daily.

Holman’s is one of those bars where everyone knows your name—not because you are a regular, but because they are all off-duty bartenders and servers from other places you frequent. During our visit just days after it reopened following a long renovation, there was a murderer’s row of alcohol distributors, brewery reps and bussers lined up on the stools like they never left, even though the place closed for more than three years, initially due to the pandemic. The remodel may have slightly elevated the aesthetics, but the drink specials are still dive-bar cheap, including $2.50 well whiskey pours and tallboys during Tightwad Tuesday and $4 tumblers of Jameson every Monday.

4. MIGRATION BREWING WELLS FARGO POP-UP

1300 SW 5th Ave., migrationbrewing.com. 2-7 pm Tuesday-Friday.

Migration Brewing has proven that it’s the master of the pop-up by opening temporary bars in places as varied as a dying mall, a bustling mall and Saturday Market. The company’s latest seasonal project has taken over the just-renovated first floor of downtown’s Wells Fargo Center. While most of that structure is home to offices, you certainly won’t feel like you’re in a cubicle farm at the taproom, which seats 40 and features black matte subway tile and a sprawling outdoor patio. There are also 10 taps for beer and wine as well as canned cocktails. Why drink in an office building? Because it’s weird and you can—for a limited time, however; the residency was recently extended through Dec. 31.

5. SANDY HUT

1430 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-235-7972. 11:30 am-2:30 am daily.

We should all aim to be this much fun when we’re 100. The Wolf’s Den, the Sandy Hut, or the Hut of Huts is an idealized version of a midcentury bar and restaurant. The restored Hirschfeld mural, cozy booths and padded bartop add vintage flair, while a slushy machine, Big Buck Hunter and pinup calendars keep things from getting too fancy. The crowd is a mix of folks who’ve managed to survive the bar’s zhuzhing up by new ownership in 2015 and whatever counts for a hipster these days. No matter the name or the state of the interior, the bartenders will not stand for any of your lip but will be generous with the pours of liquor, essential for any top-tier dive.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RASIA’S ONO ICE

ESCAPES

STEAL MY VACATION

Celebrate the Hop Harvest in Yakima, Wash.

BY EZRA JOHNSON-GREENOUGH @samuraiartist PHOTOS BY EZRA JOHNSON-GREENOUGH

If, like me, you thought Washington was all green forests, pristine blue lakes, and snow-capped mountains, where tech billionaires hide out and outdoors enthusiasts thrive, then you might be surprised to discover the state is also home to a semi-arid desert: the Yakima Valley.

This wide swath of land in Central Washington is a hidden gold mine, leading the nation in both apple and hop growing. That, combined with the area’s concentration of cannabis farms, has made it a budding agritourism destination. It’s a place that boasts both barren but beautiful rolling hills and orchards thick with foliage, top-notch Mexican food as well as some of the best beer, wine and cider in the state, making this country-western setting with 300 days of sunshine unlike any other in the Pacific Northwest. If you can, now’s the time to make your escape while fresh hop beers—often made just hours after harvest—are still on tap.

FRIDAY

A River Runs Through It

Stay somewhere downtown, which is fairly walkable. The Oxford Suites Yakima (1701 E Yakima Ave., 509-457-9000, oxfordsuitesyakima.com) has comfortable rooms for a good price, and the hotel is right off the highway, making it easy to get around. It’s also located along the Yakima River, which makes for nice strolls along the adjacent Yakima Greenway, a pleasant post-check-in experience. Pro tip: Enjoy your walk with a drink in hand that you can score for free from the hotel bar thanks to the provided vouchers that are good during Oxford’s social hours.

Walk the Strip

After your happy hour saunter, wander over to the main drag (East Yakima Avenue) to check out the boutiques and art galleries, like The Alignment Co., which sells ethically sourced treasures, including minerals, crystals and jewelry. From there, it’s just about a block to Windows Alive!, a public art project that features a constant rotation of new works to liven up empty window displays between Hotel Maison and North 3rd Street.

Hop to It

After feasting your eyes on the city’s visual arts, it’s time to refuel with beer at the hoppiest brewery in the valley. If you’re into fresh hop beers, Single Hill Brewing (102 N Naches Ave., 509-367-6756, singlehillbrewing.com) makes some of the best in the country as proven by its numerous national awards and the revolving door of great brewers lining up to collaborate. The taproom is one of the most modern spaces around and features an open layout along with a hop-lined beer garden with yard games and a rotating lineup of food partners.

Feed the Tiger

In a valley known mostly for its chain restaurants and Mexican street food, E.Z Tiger (222 E Chestnut Ave., 509-571-1977, ez-tiger.com) stands out because it’s an upscale dining experience that’s worth getting dressed up and waiting in line for. This house of Chinese noodles and dim sum sets the mood with dim lighting, snazzy glass and warm wooden accents, and a rock garden patio. Order a drink from the elevated, scratch-made cocktail menu, which also has a surprising number of N/A options. Also be sure to request a chair at the 14-seat chef’s counter, where you can watch the magic happen.

The region that grows most of the country’s little green cones also has great beer, stellar Mexican food, and a wealth of knowledge about the hop industry.

SO FRESH: Single Hill is known for producing award-winning fresh hop beers.

SATURDAY Find a Charging Station

I can’t recommend just one breakfast spot, because there are several solid options, but from the heart of downtown Yakima you can choose your own adventure. Main Stop on the Ave (32 N Front St., #102, 509-453-1247) is where locals go for a casual but satisfying selection of breakfast classics like eggs Benny and peach-slathered French toast. Want something light and easy? Check out Essencia Artisan Bakery (4 N 3rd St., 509575-5570) for croissants, galettes, savory biscuits, and fresh sandwiches and soups. More of a grab-and-go coffee person?

Check out Mak Daddy Coffee Roasters (28 N 1st St., 509-3172150, makdaddycoffee.com) for the freshest beans and snacks, or hit North Town Coffehouse (32 N Front St., 509-895-7600, northtowncoffee.com), which is located in a former Northern Pacific train depot that was built in 1909.

Go to Beer School

Yakima farmers grow 75% of the nation’s hops, an industry that dates back to 1872. Some of the old equipment is on display at the American Hop Museum (22 S B St., Toppenish, 509-865-4677, americanhopmuseum.org), and wandering through all of those rusty relics kind of feels like being in a special brewers episode of Antiques Roadshow. The experience is self-guided and ends in a gift shop selling kitschy handmade art. Beyond the rudimentary and sometimes dangerous-looking historical hop-harvesting equipment, you’ll find murals depicting some of that work on the south side of the building—a do-not-miss attraction. Toppenish is known for its large-scale paintings: There are more than 70 murals across the city, but the museum’s are some of the best.

Get Your Taco & Tamale Trail Passport Stamped

Yakima has the best Mexican food in the Pacific Northwest, but few people talk about it because it’s mostly sold out of roadside stands and patio pop-ups that are largely undiscovered. Approximately half of Yakima’s roughly 96,000 residents are Hispanic, and there are many more seasonal migrants who power the area’s agriculture industry, so naturally that’s led to a vibrant and authentic culinary scene with Latin roots. Fortunately, Yakima Valley Tourism recognized this was a hidden gem and launched a digital Taco & Tamale Passport. When completed, you’re eligible to win a VIP package to the Yakima Taco Fest in May 2024.

Farm to Glass

One of Washington’s most successful breweries just turned 10! Bale Breaker Brewing (1801 Birchfield Road, 509-424-4000, balebreaker.com) is famous not only for its beers, but also for its legacy as a family-run operation that has a hop farm now in its fourth generation of ownership. The brewery sits right next to that land, so you’re basically drinking among the bines before they’re harvested each year. Hungry? Bale Breaker almost always has killer food trucks or pop-ups from the local Mexican community that never disappoint.

SUNDAY Get Some James Beard Award-Winning Tamales for the Road

When you think of restaurants that have won prestigious James Beard Awards, most of us imagine classic fine dining or innovative celebrity chef spots. Los Hernández Tamales (3706 Main St., Union Gap, 509-457-6003, loshernandeztamales.com) is the exact opposite: This single-room tamale joint is as unpretentious as it gets. There are only two regular fillings on the menu (pork and chicken) along with an equal number of rotating specials. Los Hernández is legendary, yet there is no line out the door and most of the customers are buying in bulk. Go for the lunch special, your choice of two tamales with rice and beans served up in minutes. Then be sure to grab a bag of frozen tamales to go.

GREEN ACRES: The Yakima Valley produces 75% of the nation’s hops.

SUDS: At Bale Breaker, you’re practically drinking in the brewery’s hop farm.

HOT TAMALES: Los Hernández Tamales is an unassuming James Beard Award winner.

SHOWS OF THE WEEK

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO HEAR

BY DANIEL BROMFIELD @bromf3

FRIDAY, OCT. 6:

In certain corners of the extreme-music underground, Igorrr ’s music is exalted as an exemplar of what can happen when an artist does away entirely with genre. The music blasting out of the speakers at his shows might entail operatic vocal samples, speed-metal riffs, and beats so brain-twistingly complex Aphex Twin might find them excessive. To anyone who’s a fan of at least one of those things, Igorrr’s productions might make a screwed kind of sense. The rest of us can only revel in its impenetrability. Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside St. 6:30 pm. $22. All ages.

MONDAY, OCT. 9:

Go to a Slowdive show in 2023 and expect to see black-clad alt-rock lifers rub elbows with Gen Zers who weren’t even alive in the early ’90s, when the U.K. shoegaze titans put out a few of the most haunting and texturally expansive rock albums ever made and then disbanded. Since reuniting in 2014, Slowdive has essentially carried on as if nothing has happened, dropping a self-titled classic in 2017 and continuing to point the way for young bands interested in just how big they can make their guitars sound. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 8:30 pm. $39.50. 21+.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11:

Last Call, Last Show

Ural Thomas & The Pain performed two shows at the Doug Fir Lounge on the iconic venue’s last night in its original location.

BY ERIC ASH

Doug Fir is dead. Long live Doug Fir!

Since 2004, the Doug Fir Lounge on the Central Eastside has been one of Portland’s most popular music venues. On Sept. 30, this original location closed its doors, but fans need not fear, for there will be a revival.

Power pop is in the air in Portland right now, so it’s no surprise that Diners ’ Blue Broderick would come here to make Domino, a tribute to the genre whose definition will be debated until the end of time—but which Domino producer Mo Troper once described as “wimps with deafening guitars.” It’s a smart match for Broderick’s sensibilities. She’s a rock songwriter in the classic sense, delivering universal truths through sticky hooks and harmonies, rarely needing more than three minutes to do so. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave. 8 pm. $15. 21+.

In 2024, the Doug Fir is moving to 301 SE Morrison St. (the former site of Le Bistro Montage), and shows are already planned there, starting April 7 with French singer-songwriter Kid Francescoli.

For the final night of the original Doug Fir, a Portland legend came to close the book: Ural Thomas & The Pain, with two sold-out shows back to back.

Thomas was born in 1939 in Meraux, La., downriver from New Orleans, but his family ultimately relocated to Portland. He would play jam sessions on Sundays at his home in the Historic Mississippi District, but otherwise never performed live for many years, after enduring harsh treatment in the music industry during the first era of his career in the ’60s and ’70s. Yet thanks to Scott Magee (aka DJ Cooky Parker) finding Thomas’ old work and attending his jam sessions, Thomas has returned to the studio and stage.

His band takes its name from the old Thomas song “Pain Is the Name

of Your Game,” but at the Doug Fir, the name of the game was love instead. It was also laughter, thanks to opening act Johnny Franco, “The Professional Entertainer—and His Real Brother Dom!” The Brazilian brothers sang songs about luck and love, in Portuguese and English, but also about a man getting only one meatball for dinner (with one audience member spontaneously selected to play the waiter bellowing, “You can’t get a bread with one meatball!”) and how the airport is the most romantic place on earth.

The Franco brothers reappeared during the main act as well, briefly stepping in while Thomas ran backstage for a quick change. “I’m getting sweaty, but that’s why I came!” Thomas said later while rolling up his sleeves before starting the band’s original song “Gimme Some Ice Cream.” He certainly had no shortage of energy, dancing spryly around the stage, bumping fists with fans at the very front, and never losing his beatific smile as he expressed his love for the audience who came out to see him and his band.

It was the end of an era, but between the bombastic stylings of Franco and the funk and soul of Ural Thomas & The Pain, the Doug Fir got a sendoff worthy of a New Orleans funeral. Thomas asked once on a 1968 song, and again on this night in 2023: “Can you dig it?” For this audience, some of which was standing on the seats at the sides of the room, the answer was a resounding “Yeah!”

SHOW REVIEW

MOVIES

From Terrifying to Ridiculous

Cut Worms at Mississippi Studios

BY ROBERT HAM

Nothing Max Clarke tried would help make his Wednesday night set at Mississippi Studios with his band Cut Worms achieve absolute perfection. His guitar kept slipping out of tune and little hiccups in the presentation of each song weren’t easily elided by the rest of the group, who played with a studied calm and quiet concentration.

Then there was the issue of the couple standing at the foot of the stage who decided that was the right time and place to hold a loud conversation. Clarke gently asked them, if they wanted to keep talking, to take it to the back of the room or next door to Bar Bar. “I have a hard enough time trying to remember the words to my songs,” he said.

To their credit, the couple stayed quiet for the rest of the evening. But even without that distraction, Cut Worms never truly reached cruising altitude. The little slip-ups and sour notes didn’t seem to be the culprits, but rather the sleepy country-pop vibe that Clarke cultivated on his most recent album, titled simply Cut Worms. He hewed far too close to the arrangements and tone of those recordings, rather than amplifying them or juicing them up for the live experience.

The vibe of the night was, in that way, a perfect reflection of the quick change in our local weather patterns that inspired many attendees in the sold-out crowd to break out their cardigans and hoodies for the evening. With the combined body heat of the audience and the welcome gush of the warmth coming out of the venue’s heating vents, the evening turned more and more soporific as it rolled on. That’s hardly the fault of Clarke and his fine, road-tight band, but in the days since, I’ve had to fight the feeling that it was all a pleasant, drowsy dream rather than a typical night out.

Spooky local screenings abound in our guide to Halloween horror films.

BY RACHEL PINSKY

The Hollywood Theatre’s All Night Horror Marathon! sold out in less than 30 minutes, but as Halloween icon Dr. Frank-N-Furter once said: Babies, don’t you panic.

There’s ghoulish goodies on screens throughout Portland this October, offering everything from well-aged classicism (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Eyes Without a Face) to otherworldly sexiness (The Hunger, Breaking Dawn, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) to absolute silliness (Frankenhooker).

Where to begin? Start with our guide to a month of spooky screenings on both sides of the Columbia River. It’s all here, starting with an iconic alien visitation…

HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org.

The Hollywood is covering the 1950s through the early 2000s, complete with cannibals, zombies, ghosts and vampires. October begins with The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), starring Michael Rennie as an alien ambassador sent to warn Earthlings they need to live peacefully or be destroyed. Predictably, this doesn’t go well (a 2008 remake with Keanu Reeves proves that even Keanu can’t bring world peace).

Other standouts include Hellraiser (1987), which will be hosted by Carla Rossi, and a variety of Dracula films—including Seven Brothers Meet Dracula (1974), a kung fu variation with Peter Cushing in his usual role as Van Helsing. And proving that the Prince of Darkness is frightening in any language, the Hollywood is showing Spanish Dracula (1931) and Deafula (1975), an ASL vampire flick filmed in Portland.

CLINTON STREET THEATER

2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com.

The Clinton offers early horror classics and a nice mix of cult and crap from the ’80s and ’90s. In the former category, Robert Wiene uses sharp angles and shadows to tell the tale of an insane hypnotist who uses a somnam-

bulist to commit murders in the quintessential German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).

Then comes Eyes Without a Face (1960), Georges Franju’s masterpiece about a plastic surgeon who gives his daughter a face transplant after a disfiguring accident. Other cult favorites include Alejandro Jodorowsky’s surrealistic Santa Sangre (1989), about a young circus performer and a crime of passion that shatters his soul; the urbane vampire classic The Hunger (1983), featuring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon; and Ringu (1998), the nightmarish Japanese film about a curse that befalls viewers of a VHS tape.

Oh, and don’t miss Frankenhooker (1990), which is aptly billed as a terrifying tale of “sluts and bolts.”

ACADEMY THEATER

7818 SE Stark St., 503-252-0500, academytheaterpdx.com.

The Academy offers classics from the 1940s to the ’90s, starting with Lon Chaney Jr. in Universal Pictures’ 1941 classic The Wolf Man. There’s also Halloween fare from the 1960s and ’70s, including Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) starring his frenemy Klaus Kinski. The 1980s, meanwhile, will be represented by cult classics like schlocky psychological thriller The Boogeyman (1980), creepy clown camp Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988), and Beetlejuice (1988) featuring

CINEMA 21

616 NW 21st Ave., 503-223-4515, cinema21. com.

Tod Browning’s unforgettable classic Freaks (1932), made with a cast of real-life sideshow performers before the restrictions of the Motion Picture Production Code, is part of a Halloween double feature. Browning’s film, the twisted tale of a beautiful trapeze artist who plans to seduce and kill a little person in the troupe to get his inheritance, is being shown with another wild pre-code offering, Safe in Hell (1931). Films from this era are relished for their unbridled depiction of sex, drugs, violence and general sleaze.

KIGGINS THEATRE

1011 Main St,, Vancouver, Wash., 360-8160352, kigginstheatre.com.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) shows on Halloween with the creepy twin girls who were “corrected” by their father and iconic performances by Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson as the unhappily married couple stranded at a seemingly vacant lodge in Colorado. There’s also a monthly screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (it doesn’t just screen at the Clinton, you know!) with the Denton Delinquents. And the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents F.W. Murnau’s eerie Nosferatu (1922), with live musical accompaniment, in November.

Michael Keaton as the manic bio-exorcist from the Netherworld.

Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson Contact: bennett@wweek.com

Philippe Mora

Cat People (1982)

A remake of Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 were-cat classic, Paul Schrader’s Cat People amplifies the suggested violence and eroticism of the original to, well, hair-raising levels.

The weirdness commences with Irena (Natassja Kinski) immigrating to New Orleans and meeting her long-lost brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Here, they have a chance to create the life together they never had…except that Paul is turning into a panther and Jack the Ripper-ing his way through the Big Easy (when he’s captured in kitty form and taken to the local zoo, Irena gets a job in the gift shop under the watchful eye of an animal curator played by John Heard).

Cat People is a rare film from Schrader—best known for writing Taxi Driver and directing American Gigolo and First Reformed—that tries to bend goofery to his reverent filmmaking style. Happily, musical contributions from Giorgio Moroder and David Bowie help him bridge the gap between mythic polish and shameless smut, as does Kinski’s other-worldly composure.

Still, the real MVPs are the cats themselves. There’s no special effect quite like fixing the lens directly on a snarling leopard’s ambiguous green eyes. Clinton, Oct. 8.

ALSO PLAYING:

5th Avenue: Arrival (2016) Oct. 6-8.

Academy: Labyrinth (1986), Oct. 4-5.

The Craft (1996), Oct. 4-5. Cinema 21: Mean Streets (1973), Oct. 7. Cinemagic: Food of the Gods II (1989), Oct. 6.

Clinton: Santa Sangre (1989), Oct. 5. The Hunger (1983), Oct. 6. Ma (2019), Oct. 7. Mandy (2018), Oct. 7. Eyes

Without a Face (1960), Oct. 8. TerrorVision (1986), Oct. 9. Hollywood: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Oct. 5. The Others (2001), Oct. 9-12. Ravenous (1999), Oct. 9. Seven Brothers Meet Dracula (1974), Oct. 10. Living Room: The Sting (1973), Oct. 8.

BY CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER @chance_s_p

Seven nights of Philippe Mora movies may scratch the surface of his 50-year filmography, but it’ll never exhaust his story supply. Put it this way: This article didn’t have room for phone calls with Francis Ford Coppola, an intelligence agent questioning Mora on an airplane, and three Dennis Hopper yarns.

If you want to hear those, the director will attend every night of Cinemagic’s Mind of Mora series. The theater will screen seven titles from the filmmaker’s eclectic career: verité documentaries (Swastika), an influential Aussie Western (Mad Dog Morgan), harrowing genre films (The Beast Within, Communion), and meta-satires (Howling III, Pterodactyl Woman

From Beverly Hills, Art Deco Detective).

“I’m honored by this,” Mora says, “and particularly that…this sounds like the title of a movie: It Came From Portland.”

Cinemagic co-owner Ryan Frakes says last year’s VHS Night screening of Howling III: The Marsupials (the second of Mora’s two Howling sequels) elicited one of the theater’s best-ever audience reactions. After digging into Mora’s oeuvre (even ordering the Art Deco Detective DVD from Australia), Frakes invited his “favorite B-movie director” to town for his first-ever U.S. retrospective.

Ahead of time, we chatted with Mora about werewolf transformations, Cannes Film Festival riots, Christopher Walken, and more.

WW: The last time you were in Oregon was 1978, and you hung out with Ken Kesey, yes?

Philippe Mora: I was making a documentary about the ’60s called The Times They Are a-Changin’, which got closed down because the studio, Columbia, thought it was going to be too controversial. But that’s how I met Kesey. He had a beach house and a lot of groupies in his house—male and female. He said to me, “You know, people are crazy. Watch this.” And he pulled a handful of M&Ms from his pocket. And he said, “Listen up, everybody! I just got the strongest acid you’ve ever had, just came from San Francisco. Now, everyone can have one, but you may never come back [to the house]!”

He puts a hand out with the M&Ms and they

all grab one! And he winked at me and then, of course, nothing happened. Except one guy started going crazy. Jumping up and down. Obviously, his mind was stronger than the M&Ms. So that was my Kesey [experience]. Talk about Merry Prankster.

was that sequence?

It’s in the editing, you know? “Cut. Put more hair on the guy. Cut. Put more hair on him. Cut.” Basically, my affection for that scene is the idea. I just love the idea of turning into a werewolf in the middle of a ballet.

Communion (1989) is such an anguished alien abduction story. How focused were you on bringing family drama to the foreground?

I was very focused on it. Lindsay Crouse [who played Anne Strieber] was breaking up with her husband, David Mamet. And she brought that to her performance. It fit into the story—the trauma of the family—because was [the protagonist] nuts? Or was he actually abducted? And that’s a very difficult thing to deal with, especially in a so-called Hollywood movie. To the studios, ambiguity is like malaria or something.

Christopher Walken dances a bit with the aliens in Communion. Was that in the script, or do you just get some dancing when you cast Walken?

The point of that was, if you meet aliens, how do you communicate? No one knows. But dancing may be a way! Of course, Chris will take any excuse to dance.

Is it true that when your documentary Swastika (1973) screened at Cannes, people threw chairs?

Absolutely true. This was the first time Hitler had been seen on a huge screen in color…shots of Hitler playing with children and these dogs and everything. Of course, the whole point of the film was that Hitler didn’t come from Mars. If we don’t see the fact that he was a human being, you’re not going to see the next Hitler coming. Well, that very point is what drove the French people in the audience nuts. I thought my career was over.

What’s your favorite Dennis Hopper memory from Mad Dog Morgan (1976)?

He’d been raging all night in the bush with buddies, and I was sitting next to him and we’re going to do a scene. And I looked over to him and he started crying. And I said, “What’s up?” And he said, “I’m just thinking of Jimmy.” James Dean.

In Howling III, arguably the best werewolf transformation occurs at the Sydney Opera House during a ballet rehearsal. How technically challenging

As you get into the ’90s and movies like Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills and Art Deco Detective, you start dialing in this satirical, hyper-film-literate directorial voice. How did that happen? I started having problems dealing with studio executives because all they wanted was formula movies. And I just couldn’t stomach it, to be honest. My father was, among other things, a fantastic art dealer. I remember him telling me the subject of the best art is art itself. And I kind of transferred that to movies.

You have seven projects listed on IMDb in pre-production and were just shooting in Australia. What were you working on?

The Man Who Thought He Was Salvador Dalí and The Oumuamua File, a sci-fi film reexamining some of the things in Communion

SEE IT: Mind of Mora: The Uncanny Films of Philippe Mora screens at Cinemagic, 2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd., thecinemagictheater.com. FridayThursday, Oct. 13-19. $5-$9 per film.

A B-movie icon gets his first U.S. retrospective at Cinemagic.

“ALL THEY WANTED WAS FORMULA MOVIES. AND I JUST COULDN’T STOMACH IT.”

Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson | Contact: bennett@wweek.com

THE ROYAL HOTEL

Director Kitty Green’s follow-up to her acclaimed #MeToo office drama The Assistant (2020) fully arrives during its first bartending scene. Two young women—American tourists who say they’re Canadian—are slinging drinks on their first night temping at a remote Australian mining bar. In Green’s hyper-observant style, it’s a disquieting ecosystem: leathery men yelling dirty jokes, fighting, leering, shouting for swill from all 270 degrees of the bartop. Hanna and Liv (Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick) also live above this pub. They are truly not in Kansas, uh, Canada anymore. As subsequent scenes showcase the local charm and the desert’s vastness, Green plays with genre as much as her audience. Is this about to be The Australian Chainsaw Massacre? Or wait, no…Eat Pray Love? That spectrum, though, is dependent on Hanna and Liv’s fluctuating feelings of safety, and The Royal Hotel is constantly noting how the bar owner (Hugo Weaving) does and doesn’t contribute to his employees’ security. One drunken night’s ally is the next night’s enabler—and Liv might enjoy a 24/7 rager while Hanna’s discomfort coils ever tighter. In the end, there’s no chain saw, but the onslaught of threat—tangible, perceived, what’s the difference at a certain point?— fries your every last nerve ending into red Outback dust. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Living Room.

BOTTOMS

Imagine Superbad led by an all-female, mostly lesbian cast of characters and you can picture Emma Seligman’s Bottoms, which stuns in its originality and hilarity. Best friends PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) have one goal for the upcoming school year: sleep with the hot cheerleaders they’ve been pining for. Through a gut-busting comedy of errors, the pair start a self-defense club as a ruse to get closer to their crushes, a premise packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it comedy (before the audience can finish laughing at one joke, Sennott and Edebiri have delivered another horribly hilarious line). Be warned: The humor isn’t for the faint of heart. Bottoms doesn’t adhere to the #GirlPower comedy rule book (in one scene, a group of girls all slowly raise their hands when Sennott asks, “Who here has been raped? Even gray-area stuff?”). But if you can handle the edgy jokes that would get a Tumblr user canceled in a heartbeat, Bottoms will make you laugh until you cry in the best way possible. R. ALEX BARR. Cinema 21, City Center, Fox Tower, St. Johns Twin.

CASSANDRO

Superhero origin stories typically emanate from exotic places and extraordinary individuals. Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (best known for the documentary Life, Animated ) has brought a very different journey to the screen with Cassandro

The true-life tale of how Saúl Armendáriz

(Gael García Bernal), a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas, became a Mexican lucha libre wrestling superstar in the 1980s, Cassandro digs deeper than truth, justice and the American way to find a neglected community that yearns for a hero. Wil-

liams’ attention to detail fiercely grounds the film—and an especially moving performance by Bernal as Armendáriz, like Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-nominated turn in The Wrestler, possesses an emotional gravity that makes winning the final match an afterthought (Armendáriz’s quest exceeds his initial desire for personal fame, inspires admirers and smashes archaic ultra-masculine barriers). For Armendáriz, wrestling as an exótico (a luchador in drag) in a fixed sport meant he wasn’t allowed to win anyway. His wrestling alter ego, Cassandro, is born from such slights, delivering an exhilarating ride that allows for character flaws without asking for forgiveness. This origin story isn’t about acquiring powers; it’s about discovering the strength to achieve a victory that transcends “winning.” That’s Cassandro’s superpower. NR. RAY GILL JR. Living Room.

THE CREATOR

In The Creator, there’s much ado about a child-shaped AI superweapon named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Yet the film’s actual secret weapon is Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians, Eternals), who plays a pro-AI activist named Maya. There she is, standing on a beach in a streaming white dress, drawing you into her serene anguish as easily as a planet ensnares a moon. No wonder the memory of her haunts Joshua (John David Washington), an American soldier who married her during an undercover operation in Asia. Treachery and tragedy parted them, but five years later, a pair of elite warmongers (Allison Janney and Ralph Ineson) present Joshua with a cruel pact: Help slaughter Alphie and he’ll be reunited with Maya. Hailed as the liberator of a race of oppressed androids, Alphie looks like a

religious icon; when she uses her powers to obliterate military tech, she presses her hands together, as if in prayer. You get the feeling that director Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) would be happy to let the entire film drift into the realm of prayers and dreams, given his love of moody flashbacks and his noncommittal handling of the action scenes. Edwards isn’t great with actors either—Washington, who was sharp and tender in Tenet and BlacKkKlansman, here seems hazy and uncertain—but he has created an impressively hushed, serious meditation on humanity born from machinery. The Creator may not fully come to life, but at least it understands that life, in all its forms, is precious. PG-13. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Academy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, City Center, Eastport, Fox Tower, Joy Cinema, Laurelhurst, Living Room, Lloyd Center, Pioneer Place, St. Johns, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Wunderland Milwaukie.

FLORA AND SON

Irish filmmaker John Carney returns with another music-based drama, following Once (2007), Begin Again (2014), and his best film, Sing Street (2016). Eve Hewson (Bono’s daughter!) gives a breakout performance as Flora, a vulgar and irresponsible mother living in Dublin with her teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). The two struggle to connect, but that changes

OUR

once Flora finds an acoustic guitar and songwriting brings them together. Carney checks his usual storytelling and character boxes here, even if Flora is a more sour and obnoxious character than audiences are used to from the director. Thankfully, Hewson fills this firecracker with life and anchors the film even as it starts to feel flimsy. Kinlan, on the other hand, gets little to do as Max, but Jack Reynor (as Flora’s ex, Ian) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as her guitar teacher, Jeff) shine in supporting roles. Flora and Son may be Carney on autopilot, but the film is sweet and features a standout scene where Flora and Jeff perform a song called “Meet in the Middle” on a rooftop. Surprise, surprise: The filmmaker who introduced us to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova and can still make musical movie magic. R. DANIEL RESTER. Apple TV+.

FREMONT

Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is a refugee freshly relocated from Afghanistan to the Bay Area after working as a U.S. Army translator. Given the danger and alienation she’s experienced fleeing the Taliban and leaving her family, it’s curious at first that director Babak Jalali renders this hushed, black-and-white dramedy so placid on its surface. Donya is resolute, confident and privately contemplative, especially as she rises to the rank of “message writer” at the San Francisco fortune cookie factory where she works. Yet she is also an iceberg, silently and sometimes inscrutably tolerating the oddballs who attempt to connect with her largely through monologue. Donya’s therapist, for one—Gregg Turkington, eerily similar here to his On Cinema character—can’t stop yakking about White Fang, and her boss (Eddie Tang) constantly tries to impart how proper cookie fortunes straddle both meaning and meaninglessness. These one-sided interactions pile up a little bafflingly until Donya encounters a fellow iceberg, Daniel (The Bear star Jeremy Allen White), a mechanic who brings instant steadiness to the film’s sometimes head-scratching tone and harmony to Wali Zada’s proudly composed performance. In the film, as in life’s loneliest moments, it’s hard to decipher how ill-fitting new relationships can be until the fog lifts and the real thing appears. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Living Room.

ELEVATOR GAME

The latest horror film from director Rebekah McKendry (Glorious, Psycho Granny) is based on the real-life online phenomenon in which people attempt to travel to another dimension by using an elevator and a specific set of rules. Gino Anania portrays Ryan, a teen whose sister disappeared months earlier after playing the eponymous game—and in an attempt to track down his sibling, Ryan talks a myth-busting group into participating in the ritual (alas, none of them is prepared when they come up against the deadly “Fifth Floor Woman”). The film’s core concept works fine in short form, but as a feature, the idea feels stretched thin. And while the Fifth Floor Woman is admittedly creepy in appearance, her story is surrounded by horror tropes like contorting bodies, salt circles and nursery rhymes. Like an elevator itself, Elevator Game is a functional machine that provides an instantly forgettable ride. NR. DANIEL RESTER. Shudder.

:

KEY

THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR.

THIS MOVIE IS GOOD. WE RECOMMEND YOU WATCH IT.

THIS MOVIE IS ENTERTAINING BUT FLAWED.

THIS MOVIE IS A STEAMING PILE.

JONESIN’ BY MATT JONES

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’ve been doing interviews in support of my new book Astrology

Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle Now and then, I’m asked this question: "Do you actually believe all that mystical woo-woo you write about?" I respond diplomatically, though inwardly I’m screaming, “How profoundly hypocritical I would be if I did not believe in the ‘mystical woo-woo’ I have spent my adult studying and teaching!” But here’s my polite answer: I love and revere the venerable spiritual philosophies that some demean as “mystical woo-woo.” I see it as my job to translate those subtle ideas into well-grounded, practical suggestions that my readers can use to enhance their lives. Everything I just said is the prelude for your assignment, Aries: Work with extra focus to actuate your high ideals and deep values in the ordinary events of your daily life. As the American idioms advise: Walk your talk and practice what you preach

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I'm happy to see the expanding use of service animals. Initially, there were guide dogs to assist humans with imperfect vision. Later, there came mobility animals for those who need aid in moving around and hearing animals for those who can't detect ringing doorbells. In recent years, emotional support animals have provided comfort for people who benefit from mental health assistance. I foresee a future in which all of us feel free and eager to call on the nurturing of companion animals. You may already have such friends, Taurus. If so, I urge you to express extra appreciation for them in the coming weeks. Ripen your relationship. And if not, now is an excellent time to explore the boost you can get from loving animals.

ACROSS

1. "C'mon, quit it!"

7. High poker pair

11. #1 bud

14. Friendly New Orleans address

15. "90210" actress Spelling

16. Shapiro on NPR

17. Annoying consumer levy

19. "What's in the ___?!"

20. Jeopardized

21. Exert some effort

23. Beverage suffixes

24. With authority derived from one's position, in Latin

30. Baltimore player

31. Word in a fall forecast, maybe

32. Word in a fall forecast, maybe

35. La Mediterranee, e.g.

36. "Mater" intro

37. They're quintessential

41. ___-lock brakes

42. ___ Gatos, CA

43. Old U.S. gas station still seen in Canada

44. "Things are not always what they ___"

45. Anaphylaxis treatment

48. 114-year-old gas station logo

50. "To be," to Bizet

54. Prefix meaning "fire"

55. Good place for a pool

table

57. Name on 1950s campaign buttons

59. Payment down to the

penny (or what the theme entries exhibit?)

63. Play on linear TV

64. "Sonic & Knuckles" publisher

65. Follower of multi- (or if it's a gadget criticized by Alton Brown, uni-)

66. "Unforgettable" singer ___ 'King' Cole

67. High-altitude seat feature

68. Like clothes after a workout DOWN

1. "Amor vincit ___"

2. Baskervilles beast

3. Attack from a distance, in Overwatch

4. Zaps, on "Jackass"

5. Epps of "House, M.D."

6. More tree-scented

7. Played the restaurant critic

8. Hotel suite extra

9. Noteworthy time period

10. Like ESP, sense-wise

11. Toys that may wet themselves

12. "To" opposite

13. Awkward situation

18. 161, to Claudius

22. "Previously on" segments

25. "Here! Take a chair"

26. "It's... Little ___ Horne!"

27. "Trillion" prefix

28. ___ Void ("Never Say Never" new wave band)

29. "'Tis a shame"

©2023 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #JNZ990.

30. Less than a couple

32. Actress Zellweger

33. Someone who knows their Monet from their Manet

34. "Allow me"

37. We all have one

38. Letters to ___ ('90s rock band)

39. High-rated

40. About 79% of the old "Guess Who?" board

46. Haircut line

47. Raises, as a skyscraper

49. Family insignia

50. Remove, as chalk

51. Maker of small trucks

52. Peter who had a way with words

53. Abrasive material used for nail files

56. Chunk of tobacky

57. Jeff's character in "Jurassic Park"

58. Korean car company

60. Gen-___ (one who's nearly fifty-something)

61. Palindromic Turkish title

62. Bahamas islet

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Chuck Klosterman jokes, "I eat sugared cereal almost exclusively. This is because I’m the opposite of a 'no-nonsense' guy. I’m an 'all-nonsense' guy." The coming weeks will be a constructive and liberating time for you to experiment with being an all-nonsense person, dear Gemini. How? Start by temporarily suspending any deep attachment you have to being a serious, hyper-rational adult doing staid, weighty adult things. Be mischievously committed to playing a lot and having maximum fun. Dancing sex! Ice cream uproars! Renegade fantasies! Laughter orgies! Joke romps! Giddy brainstorms and euphoric heartstorms!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian comedian

Gilda Radner said, "I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn’t itch." Let's use that as a prime metaphor for you in the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be wise to opt for what feels good over what merely looks good. You will make the right choices if you are committed to loving yourself more than trying to figure out how to get others to love you. Celebrate highly functional beauty, dear Cancerian. Exult in the clear intuitions that arise as you circumvent self-consciousness and revel in festive self-love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The amazingly creative Leo singer-songwriter Tori Amos gives this testimony: "All creators go through a period where they’re dry and don’t know how to get back to the creative source. Where is that waterfall? At a certain point, you say, ‘I’ll take a rivulet.’" Her testimony is true for all of us in our quest to find what we want and need. Of course, we would prefer to have permanent, unwavering access to the waterfall. But that's not realistic. Besides, sometimes the rivulet is sufficient. And if we follow the rivulet, it may eventually lead to the waterfall.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do you perform experiments on yourself? I do on myself. I formulate hypotheses about what might be healthy for me, then carry out tests to gather evidence about whether they are. A recent one was: Do I feel my best if I eat five small meals per day or three bigger ones? Another: Is my sleep most rejuvenating if I go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 7 am or if I sleep from midnight to 9 am? I recommend you engage in such experiments in the coming weeks.

Your body has many clues and revelations it wants to offer you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take a few deep, slow breaths. Let your mind be a blue sky where a few high clouds float. Hum your favorite melody. Relax as if you have all the time in the world to be whoever you want to be. Fantasize that you have slipped into a phase of your cycle when you are free to act as calm and unhurried as you like. Imagine you have access to resources in your secret core that will make you stable and solid and secure. Now read this Mary Oliver poem aloud: “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An Oklahoma woman named Mary Clamswer used a wheelchair from age 19 to 42 because multiple sclerosis made it hard to use her legs. Then a miracle happened. During a thunderstorm, she was hit by lightning. The blast not only didn’t kill her; it cured the multiple sclerosis. Over the subsequent months, she recovered her ability to walk. Now I'm not saying I hope you will be hit by a literal bolt of healing lightning, Scorpio, nor do I predict any such thing. But I suspect a comparable event or situation that may initially seem unsettling could ultimately bring you blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What are your favorite mind-altering substances? Coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, or tobacco? Alcohol, pot, cocaine, or opioids? Psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, or MDMA? Others? All the above? Whatever they are, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to re-evaluate your relationship with them. Consider whether they are sometimes more hurtful than helpful, or vice versa; and whether the original reasons that led you to them are still true; and how your connection with them affects your close relationships. Ask other questions, too! PS: I don’t know what the answers are. My goal is simply to inspire you to take an inventory.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In his book Meditations for Miserable People Who Want to Stay That Way, Dan Goodman says, "It’s not that I have nothing to give, but rather that no one wants what I have." If you have ever been tempted to entertain dour fantasies like that, I predict you will be purged of them in the coming weeks and months. Maybe more than ever before, your influence will be sought by others. Your viewpoints will be asked for. Your gifts will be desired, and your input will be invited. I trust you won’t feel overwhelmed!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): William James (1842–1910) was a paragon of reason and logic. So influential were his books about philosophy and psychology that he is regarded as a leading thinker of the 19th and 20th centuries. On the other hand, he was eager to explore the possibilities of supernatural phenomena like telepathy. He even consulted a trance medium named Leonora Piper. James said, "If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper." I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect you will soon discover a white crow of your own. As a result, long-standing beliefs may come into question; a certainty could become ambiguous; an incontrovertible truth may be shaken. This is a good thing!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If we hope to cure our wounds, we must cultivate a focused desire to be healed. A second essential is to be ingenious in gathering the resources we need to get healed. Here’s the third requirement: We must be bold and brave enough to scramble up out of our sense of defeat as we claim our right to be vigorous and whole again. I wish all these powers for you in the coming weeks.

Homework: What if you could heal a past trauma? How would you start? Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com

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