special events

Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade
Sat at 10 am; Memorial Coliseum
You know the drill: Stake out a slice of sidewalk for your crew and be prepared to have pavement for a pillow, 'cause we don't take kindly to the use of duct tape for saving space. The important thing is to have a place to park your carcass when the floats and marching bands begin their colorful caravan across town.

World Naked Bike Ride
Sat at 8; Portland Art Museum
The World Naked Bike Ride comes early this year—conveniently timed to the opening of the art museum's new Cyclepedia exhibit (see below). All you need to join the fun is a bicycle, a birthday suit, and an uninhibited personality. Saddle up with a whole fleet of bare-back cyclists starting in the South Park Blocks, and be part of an internationally recognized spectacle. Make sure your tires have plenty of air in them. For more Do's and Dont's for the ride, read the "Play Like a Kid" story in our Summer Guide.

Theater

A Bright New Boise
Thu–Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2;Winningstad Theatre
This breakthrough tragicomedy by firecracker-hot Idaho playwright Samuel D. Hunter tells the story of a small-town big-box employee waiting for the rapture. In a coup, Third Rail Repertory’s production will be directed by John Vreeke, who staged it at DC’s renowned Woolly Mammoth.

Closing this week:  Crooked
Thu–Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2; CoHo Theater
"Written by Kansas-based dramatist Catherine Trieschmann, Crooked is a small wonder of a play—its 90 minutes as magically packed with big ideas about reason and faith as Mary Poppins's carpetbag". Read the full review of Crooked.

Closing this week: Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls
Thu–Sat at 8; Theater! Theatre!
"The fragmented, surreal portrayal of youth angst has no small number of problems with its script, but the play's sense of humor and experimental structure, along with dynamic performances from the Vertigo cast, keep us looking on." Read the full review of Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls.

visual art

Cyclepedia
Sat at 10 am, Sun at noon; Portland Art Museum
Whether you’re a lycra-clad racer, fixie connoisseur, or yellow-coated commuter, Cyclepedia promises pure, unadulterated bike porn. Drawn from the collection of Vienna-based designer Michael Embacher, the exhibition features 40 models running the gamut from racers and vintage cruisers to unusual entries like parachute and ice bikes.

Gaston Lachaise
Sat at 10 am, Sun at noon; Portland Art Museum
Art aficionados love a good story to go with their cherished works. Who was the girl with the pearl earring that inspired Vermeer? What was Mona Lisa smiling about so enigmatically? In the case of early 20th century sculptor Gaston Lachaise, we are left to ponder the artist's obsession for Isabel Dutaud Nagle, a married American woman who caused him to abandon Paris for life in the states. The good news is she served as his muse for many of his most famous figurative sculptures and eventually became his wife! More than 50 of Lachaise's sculptures will be on display in this exhibition.

DANCE

Northwest Dance Project: Summer Splendors
Fri–Sat at 7:30; Sun at 4
Artistic director and award-winning choreographer Sarah Slipper will lead her performers through new works by rising and renowned choreographers, including Portlander Minh Tran, Carla Mann, and Loni Landon. The illustrious Slipper also will present one of her own dances, a duet called MemoryHouse.

Comedy

Anthony Jeselnik
Fri at 7 & 10:30; Aladdin Theater
Black humor is an acquired taste, and it doesn't get any darker than Anthony Jeselnik, for whom the term "nothing's sacred" could have been coined. Example: "Women are so sensitive. My girlfriend came home crying about her new haircut. It was just two inches of hair! So I told her, 'What are you crying about? I'm the one who has to find a new girlfriend!'" He'll be doing two shows at the Aladdin Theater.

The Unscriptables Trek-a-Thon
Fri at 8 till Sat at midnight; Funhouse Lounge
For the unquenchable Star Trek fan, we present a challenge: Can you stay awake for 28 hours watching 14 different improvised Star Trek sketches performed by local improv troupe the Unscriptables? Various and sundry Trek characters will break out in song, star in a reality TV show, take part in a fairy tale, and even go to hell to be tormented by an Eastern European dominatrix!

Concerts

Eyelids
Fri at 9; Doug Fir Lounge
The Eyelids are a new band but its five members are pedigreed Portland players. Guitarist Chris Slusarenko (Sprinkler, Boston Spaceships, Guided By Voices) reunites with Decemberists percussionist John Moen and Minus 5 bassist Jim Talstra (all three were in legendary local garage band the Cavemannish Boys), along with Sunset Valley guitarist Jonathan Drews and Elliott Smith drummer Pauly Pulvirenti for an evening of what will undoubtedly be mature and melodic music-making.

Love Gigantic
Sat at 9; Star Theater
Singer-songwriter Sarah King has been a Portland secret for too long. In addition to playing her own songs at smaller venues, the unabashed lover of classic rock is the kind of joyful artist who, just for fun and often just for her friends, gathers together some of Portland’s most skilled musicians to play through entire classic albums by Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and Led Zeppelin, or to perform a live soundtrack to Harold and Maude at the Alberta Rose Theater (a semi-regular event not to miss). But finally King’s ready to package her own soulful blend of rock magic into the band Love Gigantic, joined by guitarist Chet Lyster (Lucinda Williams, Eels); guitarist David Langenes (Pete Krebs’ Portland Playboys, the Stolen Sweets); keyboardist Lara Michell (the Stolen Sweets, Dirty Martini); bassist Arthur Parker (Trashcan Joe); and drummer Joe Mengis (Climber). Tonight they celebrate the release of a debut EP that would make Stevie Nicks proud.

Dolly Parton Hoot Night
Sat at 8; Albert Rose Theater
A host of local sirens and songbirds will demonstrate their love of this iconic country singer by performing their favorite Dolly ditty. Alela Diane, Shelley Short, Ashleigh Flynn, Star Anna, Ruby Feathers, and Rachael Rice will be among the particpating Parton posse of artists, and funds raised will go in support of the annual Siren Nation Women's Music and Art Festival.

CLassical Music

Portland Chamber Orchestra
Sat at 7:30; Century High School, Hillsboro. Sun at 3; Lewis & Clark College
Fans of the Great American Songbook should flock to this PCO tribute to brothers George and Ira Gershwin. This musical revue will chart their collaborative history through Broadway show tunes, jazz standards, and classical music, with guest vocals from Susannah Mars and Rocky Blumhagen on standards like "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "I've Got A Crush On You."