Local Mt Hood Entertainment Hot Spots

All around the Mt Hood area, there are cool places to go, bands to check out, and local entertainment - you just have to know where to look. Head in to the wrong place and you could end up with a room full of eyes - all on you! But some places are just cool in general, some more trendy than others, but most have the good old mountain feel to 'em.

Here are just a few, some I'be been to, others I've only heard the stories, but wherever you go, just be sure to drive safely. We locals have to share the road with some pretty out of control people, and many have paid the price. So whether you're a local or a fun and friendly visitor - have a designated driver. But on again to the fun, check out some of these favorite local Mt Hood hang-outs, and let's hear your comments on the places you most like to go on the mountain!

Charlie's Mountain View Restaurant and Bar is one of Government Camp's local entertainment hubs. While it's definitely a great place to go anytime of year, the summer months are definitely filled with some awesome local entertainers. Their website has a calendar that shows which musical artists are scheduled, but you never know what spontaneous thing may happen over at Charlie's! (Check out the webcam on their site, too!)

Mt Hood Roasters Restaurant has some fun weekend entertainment as well, with loca favorites like Bob Voll, (who we locals also know as the UPS guy!) Check out their Events Calendar for more of their scheduled events. When the weather is nice, you can sit on the patio and watch live bands play, while you sip a cold beer next to the warm table heaters! The original owners still produce the awesome locally roasted coffee, which you can find online to enjoy some of that tasty brew at home! Roasters was once well known as Welches Living Room, and under the ownership - they are now branding themselves as home of the 4-egg omlet!


Hood River County Chamber of Commerce has the scoop on local entertainment in the Hood River area. I happen to live on the other side of the mountain from Hood River - so hopefully you locals out there will chime in on the comments and let us know where the fun is!

I'd love to send you to the website for the Skyway Bar & Grill in Zig Zag (just east of Welches), but they don't seem to have one. They have recently re-opened, but where once the talk of the town! I did however stumble upon this neat list of local restaurants, though! Take a look and check a few of them out. Or if you've already been to some of them, share your experience in the comments area!

Spirit on the Mountain in Welches Tomorrow!

Are you ready for one of the best concerts and festivals on the mountain? Come out to Welches for Spirit on the Mountain. With three stages, a huge line-up of musicians and musical artists, you're in for some great entertainment, and something for everyone in the family to enjoy.

There is even a youth stage with an awesome show, featuring XILE, OverKast, We as Human, Soul P, and Holding Out. For the adults, there's the awesome entertainment of Stage 1, featuring The Young & The Beautiful, Wright Family Band, Kate White & Table Rock Road, RESCUE, and Tray Michaels. If that's not enough for you, check out the Indoor Accoustic Stage, the line-up includes Matina Hunnell, Emily Crawford, Andrea Wellard, and Mike Logan.

Doors open at 9 a.m., and entertainment begins at 10:00 a.m. For more information on the local area lodging, food, camping information, and contact information, visit the Spirit on the Mountain website.

Mt Hood Jazz Festival Kicks Off Today

The Center for the Arts in downtown Gresham is hosting the annual Mt. Hood Jazz Festival this year, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening, and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. With great sounds from both national and local favorites, the festival boasts an awesome lineup. Saturday's line-up lasts until around 10:30 at night for a full day of family fun, music and shopping.

Admission prices: $15 for Friday night, and $30 for Saturday, children under 12 are free. You can get the full artist line-up and information on venders by calling 503-661-2700, or visit their website at www.mthoodjazz.org. They also have a MySpace page, for those of you who are interested, www.myspace.com/mthoodjazfestival.com.

April Festivals, Events, and Things to Do

Aside from the abundance of awesome things to do outside in this beautiful mountain area like hiking, biking, walking, fishing, and photography, there are quite a few main events you can check out as well. This month, there is no shortage of festivals, events, and even auctions. Take a look at some of the places you can go to have fun this month:

• MHCC 16th Annual Gala Dinner & Silent Wine Auction
  Where: Gresham
  Phone: 541-231-8285
  When: April 28
• Hood River First Friday Art Walk
  Where: Hood River OR
  Phone: 541-490-0022
  When: April - December 2007
• Hood River Valley Blossom Festival
  Where: Hood River OR
  Website: www.hoodriver.org
  Phone: 800-366-3530
  When: April 21 - 22
  Description: Celebrate the arrival of spring in Oregon's most beautiful valley -- feasts, craft & quilt shows, orchard & winery tours, & 15,000 acres of blossoming fruit trees await you!
• Big Boy Toy Expo
  Where: Oregon Convention Center Portland OR
  Phone: 503-846-1742 Website: http://www.bigboytoyexpo.com/
  Email: mtgplanneror@aol.com
  When: April 28 - 29
  Description: The Big Boy Toy Expo is like no other "Man Show", showcasing the Oregon State Championship Poker Tournament and all types of men related exhibitors.
• Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes & Other Riches
  Where: Portland
  Phone: 503-797-4000
  When: Ongoing From February 3 - May 6
  Description: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. This exhibit takes visitors to seven ports of call along the most biologically diverse river in the world, the Amazon.
• Portland Saturday Market
  Where: Under the Burnside Bridge, Portland OR
  Phone: 503-222-6072
  When: Ongoing From March 3 - December 24 Every Saturday, 10-5, and Sunday, 11-4:30 rain or shine.
  Website: http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/
  Description: Supporting artists since 1974. In historic Old Town at the Skidmore Fountain MAX station

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current events, entertainment, Mt Hood, Oregon, outdoors, people, Portland, shopping, trip planning, vacation

Guess What We Made In the Snow...

This is just a little fun for the day, a break in the serious work. Okay, so we actually had some snow fun recently, but need a little help with discovering what it is that we've made, because we don't exactly know what we've made! It started out as a fun little project to make something really cool in the snow that fell last week, but it turned out that someone else had already built a traditional snowman, so that just seemed redundant. You can't just build a snowman next to someone else's masterpiece, (especially when they are outside watching to see what you come up with!)

We started out rolling the body in the usual way, but once we placed the giant snowballs one on top of another, we decided it would be more fun to "sculpt" a creature out of the massive snow-statue. Since there was already a snowman, we immediately decided whatever we made, it should be female to balance out the demographics of the snow-people in the snowy field. But the more we sculpted, the more we realized that we weren't exactly making a snow-person, but rather some sort of Asian inspired Miss Piggy alien! Anyway, it was just for fun, I don't think we'll be winning any awards for our bizzare creature - but hopefully you find fun in it, too!

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mountains, Mt Hood, Oregon, trip planning, vacation, winter

Duct Tape People

As a child, I could already spot them. I didn't know who they were, but they had their own presence, their own style, and kept their own hours. It really started as a curiosity, but as I grew older, I began to notice other similarities and could see a little deeper into their world. By the time I reached high-school, we called them MacGyvers, but that's not quite an accurate assessment, and at some point I coined the term "duct tape people" to describe them. They live all around us, in nearly every city in America, you've probably encountered them as well. In fact, you may even live in the same neighborhood.
Oregon, just like many other states, has a high population of the duct tape people, who work on their cars at night with flood lights instead of working during daylight hours. Maybe they really needed the car by tomorrow, I thought, not really considering the duct tape they were using to fix their broken muffler and cracked windshield. Periodically they hold great clearance sales, and downsize their stockpiles of "acquired" belongings they keep in their yards, and often door-to-door, offering cheap deals on "pre-owned" items. Their business skills seem almost like phsycic abilities, like when they offer to sell you a lawnmower at a very reasonable price, the day after you "misplace" yours. They have poor complexions and are known to drink more than they eat, perhaps it is due to their lack of front teeth. Like the crickets, the duct tape people have their own unique mating call, but rather than rubbing their legs together as the crickets do, they grind their teeth to make their own signature "chirp".

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addictions, drugs, entertainment, humor, mountain life, opinions, people

Time to Get Out the Ski and Snowboard Gear!

Ready for skiing or snowboarding? Waiting for snowparks to open? Okay, so I'm still going to keep my favorite camping spots sacred, my precious hiking spots will remain my personal safe haven, and my best fishing holes will stay a highly guarded secret. But I'm going to let the cat out of the bag on the winter sports spots - if you're not familiar with the Mt. Hood area, you've got to come up and enjoy the powder stash we've got going on up here.

With the longest ski seasons in the contiguous states, the largest night skiing areas, Oregon is the place to come experience the best kept secrets of the Northwest. So get ready to gear up and send some rooster tails flying, because winter is fast approaching, and you want to be sure you're ready. Check out ski conditions, opening dates, and road and weather conditions for your favorite snowparks, all in the vicinity of Mt. Hood: Timberline, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl (West & East), Mt. Hood Meadows, and Copper Spur.

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Haunted House Anyone??

Okay, no need to tell you what day it is, but if you're looking for some really scary fun - head out to one of these terrifying destinations:

13th Door - A haunted house for ages 13 and over - $15
Fright Town - Haunted house, rides, entertainment for all ages - $20
Frite Lites - Haunted houses, rides, and festival of lights for all ages - price based on age - $10 and under
Haunted House XVI presents Mad House - Haunted house - $6 and under

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entertainment, events, halloween

Small Town Fun, Big City Trouble

I think I've mentioned before that I grew up in Los Angeles, but if not, there you have it. So over the years, I learned to adjust to the huge demand for fun out there. So what's so fun about living in a large city? Well if you've never lived full time in a metropolis, I guess there could be a shroud of mystery surrounding the big city scene. But what I really found was that there are just different types of people. Here's the biggest example I can come up with on such short notice...RockFest 2005 (I didn't go to 2006, I was at a different concert that day, although I heard it was even better than 2005!) It was a pretty good show, the people were having a blast, there was a crazy mosh pit, crowd surfers, jam packed beer garden, and of course - ear shattering noise flooding out over the crowd, moshers emerging from the pit with bloody noses and mouthfuls of dirt and grass - yum! So how did it compare to a big L.A. bash? Awesome! The main noticable difference was the people, not the amount of fun one could have. It was great - and what was lacking? Ass-kicking, gay bashing, fasion police, power-monger bouncers throwing people around, multiple arrests (and hoping you're not one of them,) narcs, thieves (well maybe a few, but still - not the same.) Oh yeah, and at least one stabbing. Hopefully you get the point, I could go on and on about the things that happen at concerts in L.A. Parties are even worse, because there is generally no regualtion. But I recently unintentionally crashed a party (when you go in uninvited for those who think it's something worse!) and not only was I warmly welcomed, but when I tried to leave, many people were trying to talk me into staying. That may not seem that impressive to frequent party goers, but to someone who is used to not even getting in due to lack of enough money to buy your way in, or not being "dressed properly" to be allowed in, or just looking wrong. Believe me, it happens. Once in, there are usually so many people you don't know, unless you come pre-equipped with your own click, you won't be talking to anyone but the wierd guy everyone's been avoiding.

So on the chance that you are considering that parties, concerts, small town pubs, and just hanging with your friends isn't enough for you, just consider how much you really enjoy being with your friends, wherever you are, whatever you do. The attitudes of the people here in Oregon make it worth it - I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some really aweful people here, too - but it's just not the same. There are some really genuine people here, and the vibe is mellow - yet fun, and you can actually make use of the time to "take it all in". Whereas most people don't have a moment to spare, they are more important than everyone else - or at least that's what they think. Oh, and one more thing - if you ever do decide to take on one of those wild L.A. parties, make sure you have been well trained in checking for the Adam's apple, counting ribs, or checking the texture of arm-hair! Believe me, you'll need it!

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entertainment, fun, life, parties and nightlife

Mean Creek Gas Station

My daughter, being on the verge of her teen years, decided that we "must" watch the movie Mean Creek. After spoiling the plot for me, I was not sure I wanted to sit through the movie, but I was so glad that I did. I was completely enthralled with the scenery, and the familiarity with so many of the film locations. I hadn't quite noticed how recognizable certain trees and river bends could be. What brought it to my attention was that in the first few minutes of the movie she asked if the mountain in the background was Mt. Hood. We backed up the movie and sure enough, not only was it the great Wy'East of the land in these parts, but it was our specific view of the mountain from the south-west. I still wasn't entirely convinced that they were in our stomping grounds until I saw the gas station in Estacada, where I have been nearly every time we drive out that direction. Okay, so not to say I didn't enjoy the plot of the movie with her, I think we just enjoyed two very different aspects of what we were seeing before us. I actually enjoyed what Mean Creek was about, and I won't spoil the plot for others, but it has a great life lesson for teens.

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entertainment, movie, movies, movies, tv, celebrities

Another Point of View

Recently it occurred to me (this isn't actually a new revelation, more like a repeated revelation that I'm hit with every few years) that through our own eyes, our surroundings and behaviors seem commonplace. Although there are moments where each and every one of us is forced to see the view that others have of us, such as when we have unexpected company show up - we are aware of exactly what our house must look like through the eyes of another. A mirror forces us to see how we appear to someone else.

About five years ago, I noticed several things about my surroundings and my behavior that I hadn't before. My son was around two years old at the time, and I happened to be chatting on the computer in a very quiet room, no TV, no radio, just the sound of my fingers tapping on the keyboard as I sent my messages, and silence while I read the words that appeared on the screen before me. I laughed out loud at what was being written to me, and that's when I noticed I was being watched...vicariously, with curiosity and intensity. Should that have surprised me? I mean, really what he was seeing was his monther sitting on a chair staring at a glowing box with little black squiglies in the lighted part of the box, all while laughing and pushing buttons. Tapity Tap Tap, "Ha ha ha!!" I know what I would have thought...

The other opportunity that I had to be forced into seeing the viewpoint of another was a trip back to my hometown of Los Angeles, I currently live in a tiny mountain village of Oregon, and the difference between the two places is as if each was on a separate planet from the other. In the past when I have made the drive, the changeover between the lush green unadulterated land and the vast spread of the concrete jungle I once called home was subtle, but this time I flew. The change was nearly instantaneous, and when I stepped out of the glass doors out of the Los Angeles airport, I was hit with a smell so thick it nearly clogged my airways, the sounds of honking, yelling, people pushing me through the crowd like herd animals as I took in my former surroundings. Was this what Los Angeles is like to visitors of the great city? I felt like an alien peeking in on a strange planet. I was being forced to view my world with renewed sight. In light of the stench in the air, the experience was quite refreshing.