Sports

Portland Marathon
Sunday, Streets of Portland
Deemed “the best people’s marathon in the West” and “most walker-friendly marathon in the US" by Runner's World, the Portland Marathon kicks off Sunday at 7 am, its route heading from downtown to St. Johns on the east side, before crossing the bridge and circling back down. Registration for the full and half marathon is sold out, but you can cheer on the runners and the on-course entertainment, including a drum corps, an 18-piece band, cheerleaders, bagpipes, and more. And lest we forget, the forecast calls for sun! 

Theater

Kinky Boots
Thursday–Sunday, Keller Auditorium 
It seems like every maturing pop star these days wants to pen a Broadway musical, but few have succeeded like Cyndi Lauper—in part because the smash hit's plotline (written by Harvey Fierstein) sounds like it sashayed right out of one of her music videos: a shoe factory owner tries to save his failing business with the help of a drag queen in need of some stilettos. Read our interview with the star, Kyle Taylor Parker, who plays the drag queen Lola—and does a fabulous job.

We size Kinky Boots up against Portland Center Stage's Dreamgirls and Pixie Dust Production's La Cage Aux Folles in a Divas vs. Drag Queens contest. Plus, enter to win tickets.

La Cage Aux Folles
Thursday–Sunday, Newmark Theatre
By Harvey Fierstein (recognize the name?) and Jerry Herman, this Tony Award–winning musical (you might know the movie adaptation, The Birdcage, with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane) centers around Georges, the gay owner of a popular nightclub, and his partner and star drag queen Albi, as they try to play it straight in a meeting with their son's fiance's father, a right-wing politician. The performance features Portland's preeminent drag queen, Poison Waters.  

Intimate Apparel
Thursday–Sunday, Artist Repertory Theatre
It's your last weekend to see this Pulitzer-winner about a young African American seamstress in 1905 New York with big dreams and troubled love. "Artists Repertory Theatre opens their season with a quiet triumph...As the heroine, Ayanna Berkshire is quietly commanding, portraying the self-assured, independent Esther with few fireworks but plenty of heart...The rest of the cast is without a weak link..." Read our full review.

Comedy

Bridgetown Comedy Presents:
Laurie Kilmartin and Dan St. Germain 
Friday, The Bossonova Ballroom
Comedian Laurie Kilmartin was a finalist on Comedy Central’s Last Comic Standing and is currently a staff writer on Conan, but she’s perhaps most famous for hilariously and heartbreakingly live tweeting the death of her father last February, an experience that has turned into her upcoming special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad. Dan St. Germain is an up-and-coming comic with an impressive resume, having appeared on VH1's Best Week Ever and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. He also has his own web series, Kicking Dan Out, and podcast, My Dumb Friends.

Concerts

The Thurston Moore Band
Thursday, Doug Fir Lounge  
Thurston Moore's fourth album, The Best Day, set to come out October 20, treads along the road that his former legendary band Sonic Youth walked with its final few steps: mellow, melodic experimentation with occasional noisy reminders of their cacophonous beginnings.

Oregon Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with Nu Shooz
Saturday, Aladdin Theater
This Portland R&B and dance act scored a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1987. Having recently returned to the stage after more than 20 years, they perform as part of a celebration in honor of new Hall of Fame inductees, including Pink Martini and the Dandy Warhols.

Chili Jamboree 
Sunday, Mississippi Studios  
Rain season's rearing its head, sweater weather is coming, and what better way to celebrate than with beer, music, and chili, right? Head over to the second annual Chili Jamboree, a full Sunday of hearty, slow-cooked, meat-filled warmth from Portland's culinary best (Departure, Bar Bar, Kenny & Zuke’s, Kim Jong Grillin, Podnah’s Pit, and more), as well as music courtesy of Black Prairie, Hook & Anchor, and the Earnest Lovers.  

visual art

First Thursday
Downtown Portland
It might officially be fall, but it's also sunny and 70 degrees, meaning prime weather to wander downtown's galleries. Highlights this month include the humorously unsettling painter Ralph Pugay at Upfor Gallery (he just won Seattle Art Museum's prestigious Betty Bowen Award for a NW artist), painter Storm Tharp at PDX Contemporary, and more. Read our beginner's guide to First Thursday for the lowdown on the various galleries and a map for a self-guided tour.

Classical

Portland Baroque Orchestra: Arias, Duets, and Concerti Grossi
Friday–Saturday at the First Baptist Church, Sunday at Reed College's Kaul Auditorium  
PBO presents the music of G. F. Handel sung by mezzo soprano Hannah Penn and coloratura soprano Amanda Forsythe, making her Portland debut.

Special Events 

Live Wire with Nicholas Kristof and Bill Frisell
Saturday, Alberta Rose Theater
The local radio variety show features New York Times–columnist, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and Oregon-native Nicholas Kristof (we looked back at his high points and low points in our latest issue), controversial writer Steve Almond, Laika's head of puppetry Georgina Hayns (whose work you can see in our recent Laika feature), with musical accompaniment by local folk outfit Horse Feathers and innovative jazz guitarist Bill Frisell (who we interviewed last year).

Books & Talks

Sam Harris On "Waking Up"
Thursay, The Eliot Center  
Philosopher, neuroscientist, and proponent of "New Atheism" Sam Harris has been controversial since his first book, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, was published in 2004. His most recent book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, published in September, takes a slightly different stance on religion, arguing the significance of spirituality when taken out of the context of religion.

Nicholas Kristof
Sunday, First Congretional Church
Senior Advocates for Generational Equity host the celebrated New York Times op-ed columnist and Oregon native, who will speak about his new book, A Path Appears, a celebration and examination of philanthropy worldwide. Read our take on Kristof's highs and lows.