Festival Fest 2008
October is the month of Things I Wait All Year to Attend in Portland. This year I tried a few new things, and here are some reviews, so you will both be envious of my get-out-ed-ness, and laughing at the calamity of the time I have wasted:
Oktoberfest
Oaks Park, September 19
Cost to get in: $5.00 Free anything? Entertainment Food Costs? About $20.00 for 2 people.
Im not German, and I have no connection to the German people. I hate kraut and am afraid of wiener dogs. Having said that, I actually enjoyed the quaint family fun of the Oaks Park Oktoberfest. I laughed at the chicken dancing contest, and I could watch hot dog puppies race all day as long as they don't break though the barrier and attack me. I liked watching Good Christian Children fail miserably at May Pole dancing. I'm still not crazy about Oaks Park, but it wasn't a bad time. The only bad part was that it cost money just to get in and you had to pay again if you wanted to ride anything, but since we stayed off the rides and stuck with the free entertainment it wasn't too bad. I liked my braut, but Joe was not convinced with his spicy version. I did learn the goodness of German Potato Salad, while lamenting the absence of fondue.
Possibility of Returning Next Year? 60-75% chance.
Halloween Bazaar
Memorial Coliseum, September 27th
Cost to get in: $5.00 plus parking. Free anything? A goodie bag filled with random crap. Food Costs? No food.
So lemme get this straight: pay 5 bucks to park, and then another 5 just to get in the door to......spend more money? I am paying $10.00 to shop from vendors that are in Portland anyhow, which I could walk in their brick & mortar stores, or visit online for free? Huh? Why not charge the vendors to have tables there and make it free to the public? The Halloween Bazaar was an unnecessary expenditure. While I was happy for Madam Talbot's posters being there, where they were actually giving deals, I did not see anyone else giving out special discounts to the shoppers, nor did I see anything I could only buy at the festival. I mean, couldn't all those vendors get together in a school or public parks place and not have the cost of renting the space under the Coliseum? Next time I am just going to the Gorey Shop on Hawthorne and saving my money for actual product.
Possibility of Returning Next Year? 10% in hell, unless they get some very awesome vendor. Like maybe this guy.
Polish Festival
North Portland, September 27th
Cost to get in: free. Free anything? Entertainment Food Costs? We didn't eat, but prices looked similar to Oktoberfest.
I am Polish, but it is a faucet of my heritage that I don't often identify with. While my mom's side of the family is all about Polish food and the midnight mass, I have never had a like for boiled meats and doughs or the Catholic Church. Its funny how I spent so little time with my father's side of the family, but through my grandfather letters I can see how much their customs and such mirror what I like. Anyhow, the Polish Festival was very crowded. They call it The Best Kept Secret of Portland, but I think the secret is out and it is time to find a bigger location. We watched some kids dance on the stage, and walked among the booths looking for something unique. Unfortunately I noticed that people seem to think Polish gifts are either random overpriced crap with the word "Poland" written on them, cook books, or painted eggs. They also had a ton of other European countries' swag, but I didn't see any tradition paper cut art or anything that really made me think it was made in Poland, or by someone Polish.
Possibility of Returning Next Year? 50%, depending on if I have Polish guests in town.
HP Lovecraft Film Festival
Hollywood Theater, October 3-5
Cost to get in: $15.00 Free anything? A very well done program. Food Costs? typical movie theater food.
I love this freaking festival. I love the people watching. I love the pretentious art-school films. I love the funny films. I love the opening blessing. I love seeing basement geeks mingle with Church of Satan members. This year we went for both shorts blocks on Friday night. This year's stand outs included AM1200; a film that was very well done, and reminded me of something Eric Nichols would have made, Casting Call of Cthulhu; which is just plain fun, created by someone with a great sense of sarcastic humor, and The Amazing Screw-On Head..... you cannot go wrong with Abraham Lincoln and a zombie protagonist. Low lights were a horrible music video, and a collection of Lovecraft's stories done in miniatures that looked good while we were reading about it, but once we were watching it was like a slow boat ride to nowhere. As each new miniature-based short ended the collective energy was drained out of the theater. Had they not ended the block with Poe's Morella, I would have fallen asleep.
Possibility of Returning Next Year? 100% unless I am dead. And maybe still.