If you love locally grown cuisine, along with local microbrews and wine, you’ll love Oregon Bounty. I recently had the chance to travel behind the scenes to check out the recording session for this year’s promotion.

Chris Elliott, an Oregon native and musician, was chosen to sing (as well as play) this year’s Oregon Bounty music. Chris grew up in Portland, Oregon listening to a variety of music from the Cantina Band to Stan Getz to Black Sabbath and much more. He started playing the bass guitar in grade school and writing songs in college. in 2001, he began playing regularly at a Brooklyn, New York bar called Kili. He says, “Music has always been a big part of my life but it has also always been something on the side. I have recently started to change that.”

This year’s songs are similar to the old favorite, “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”. But they have a unique Oregon twist. Instead of singing about plain old beer, Chris sings about delicious local microbrews, artisan brandy and Pinot noir. If these songs don’t make you want to travel to the closest brewery or winery for a tasting, I don’t know what will!

For more information on Oregon Bounty music, events, and more, please visit www.traveloregon.com/bounty. And find out more about Chris Elliott and his music at www.cheapandsalty.com.

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The Gorge is a true testament to how much Oregonians care about the environment and it is really inspiring to see how it has been beautifully protected throughout the years.

This year I’m helping put together some of the entertainment, I’m also the stage manager for the main stage and the Blondes and I will be headlining on Saturday night. With a variety of genres ranging from Latin to Reggae, Swing, Rock & Roll and even some Vaudeville along with a few surprises. This 2008 entertainment line-up guarantees there will be something for everyone to get their feet moving.

This will be the most eclectic musical performance Hood River has ever witnessed under one stage. Hands down. If you miss it, well, then you will miss it, so try not to.

I am from Spain and as we all know, Spain has no Gorge. The closest thing we have to a Gorge is when something goes terribly wrong during a bullfight. The truth is that nature and the outdoors freaks me out, I find it very creepy and I don’t trust any of it but in this particular case, I was awestruck in the sense that there is so much nature in one place.

The Gorge Games offer 10 Action Sports and of course great entertainment, and we have asked our entertainment directors like Pepe Raphael to share their passion with the Travel Oregon on-line community. Look for future insights on Adventure Racing, Trail Running, Riverboarding and other sports that will be part of the 2008 Gorge Games. The Gorge Games will be nationally-televised on Fox Sports Net August 18-23, 2008. For details visit: www.gorgegames.net.

For more information on exciting sports in Oregon, please visit our Upcoming Events section.

The Crystal Ballroom

This past week, I had the opportunity to check out one of the Crystal Ballroom’s alternative concerts, put on by 94.7 fm’s Passport Approved program. The concert featured Skybombers, Justin Hopkins and Bassboosa. The Passport Approved program runs on Sunday evenings and features artists from areas around the world. For example, Skybombers are from Australia, and Bassboosa is from London.

If you’ve never been to the Crystal Ballroom, be sure to check it out! It’s located near Portland’s pearl district, close to a variety of fabulous restaurants including Manzana, Andina, Paragon and ¡Oba!. There are also a variety of places located near the Crystal Ballroom to grab coffee and dessert or a cocktail and a late-night snack after the show. Better yet, the Crystal Ballroom is also a McMenamins, so you can grab a pint of Ruby or Terminator Stout and a delicious burger at Ringler’s Pub without even having to leave the building.

The ballroom itself is exquisite. The floor bounces when you walk across it (you can even feel it move as you stand still), and there are a number of gorgeous chandeliers overhead- many with pink and even blue crystals! There is also a bar and snack bar in the ballroom, to help you keep your energy up while dancing and/or rockin’ out.

Now on to the concert. I thought the music was excellent, and 94.7 fm did an excellent job organizing the event in collaboration with the Crystal Ballroom staff. The style of music was rockin’, but still mild and mellow enough that my ears didn’t ring afterward. Skybombers played first, and they entertained the crowd by telling quirky stories about the origin of each song they had written. I also loved the way they danced around the stage- I think everyone could tell that they loved performing. I also spotted members of Skybombers and Bassboosa signing merchandise for fans later on in the evening, which was very impressive.

I had heard a few of Bassboosa’s songs on the radio, but wasn’t completely familiar with their music until I attended this concert. I really enjoyed their style- it was quite mellow, but upbeat and catchy at the same time. They also played a remake of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, which was definitely my favorite. All in all, it was a fantastic night, and I hope to attend another concert like this very soon!

For more information on upcoming concerts in Portland, please visit the Crystal Ballroom’s event calender. Also be sure to check out our Upcoming Events section. Rock on!

They’ve apparently recently discovered that Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Oklahoma, was originally, going to be about Oregon. The story goes that at the last minute Oregon withdrew financial backing in favor of building a dam or a fish ladder or something, and Oklahoma was a hasty and awkward substitute. Here’s proof!

~Happy Friday!
ps: if you’re curious about the lyrics, you can read them here on the Live Wire! blog

Editor’s Note: Celebrate the four year anniversary of Live Wire! this weekend at the Aladdin Theater in Portland – see the details here

And it’s all just weeks away! To get in the spirit we hope you’ll tune in to The Oregon Bounty Music Department (right now we’re listening to a catchy little number called “99 Bottles of Pinot Noir on the Wall”).

And thanks to the fantastic new Oregon Bounty Recipe Book, you can plan all your meals through the New Year! How does Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed pears and hazelnuts sound?

See you at the Oregon Bounty Celebration, where we’ll be sipping Pinot noir and enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

-The Editors

The team at Travel Oregon is very excited to announce that the annual da Vinci Days festival will take place in Corvallis this weekend, July 20-22. From unique art exhibits such as Pete Beeman’s dual pendulum and breathing post installations, film festival, sidewalk chalk art and performers such as Pink Martini and Henan Performing Arts Ensemble, you can truly let your creativity run wild.

What’s daVinci Days?

It’s an outrageously creative 3 day festival in Corvallis, Oregon that celebrates all things kinetic. Drawing more than 20,000 attendees, it’s the country’s longest running festival of its kind. The magic of the weekend is that everyone gets to participate in the exploration of art, science, and technology. From fanciful and functional human-powered kinetic sculptures to whimsical community art installations to Grammy Award winning music to cutting edge research presentations from Oregon State University. It’s a festival for the senses that you need to experience.

With help from more than 150 community partners and 1,000 volunteers, da Vinci Days showcases innovative artists, engineers, teachers, community organizations, and individuals. The 19th annual festival celebrates all things kinetic with a theme of Motion & Commotion on July 20-22, 2007.

For more ticket and general information visit www.davinci-days.org. Festival hours are Friday, 5pm-11pm, featuring Pink Martini on the main stage at 8:30pm, Saturday, 9am-11pm, Sunday, 10am-5pm.

For more information on what’s happening in the Willamette Valley, please visit our Upcoming Events section.

Below: Jenny Newtson, Oregon Country Fair Media Coordinator, explains the significance of the fair’s largest art piece:

Because of the creative energy the Oregon Country Fair embodies, new artistic ideas and expressions can be found each year, at many of the vendor booths. From music to great food to a gorgeous mural, the fair has something for everyone.

A view of the Oregon Country Fair booths:

Not to mention, the fair works to incorporate as many environmentally friendly aspects as possible. Almost all of the booths are made of wood, excluding the brightly colored “Rabbit’s Hole” tent.

Take a look at how this elaborate tent is set up for the fair:

The Oregon Country Fair is also involved in the “Green Ticket Project”, which strives to reduce the fair’s carbon production. This project focuses on renewable energy, waste reduction and public transportation/biofuels. All visitors to the fair are encouraged to donate $1 toward these efforts, in hopes that the fair will someday become climate neutral.

Below: Jenny Newtson mentions some of the fair’s recycling efforts:

The fair is open to children and adults of all ages. If you are traveling with your family, be sure to check out the fair’s puppet shows, marching band, or even try your hand at juggling in the Chela Mela Meadow. Or, participate in yoga classes, view Strawberry Lane’s socio-archaeological timeline, or simply sit back and enjoy the sights.

Tickets are $20 on Friday, July 13th and Sunday, July 15th, and $25 on Saturday, July 14th. You may purchase tickets at 1-800-992-8499 or at www.ticketswest.com

Entrance to the Oregon Country Fair:

For more information on the Oregon Country Fair, please visit www.oregoncountryfair.org.

For more information on summer festivals in the Willamette Valley, please visit our Upcoming Events section.

When you work for a fun company, it sometimes comes with perks where you get to do fun things you wouldn’t normally do. Such as being a Haiku Hottie. Dressed like a Pirate Wench during the Holiday Party Season. During gale force winds and sideways sheets of rain.

For the uninitiated, Haiku Hotties are Live Wire’s ushers/program hander-outers/haiku form distributors. Since it’s a radio show with a costumer, we had to look the part. In keeping with the holiday spirit, our costume theme was “The Naughty and The Nice.” For some reason, we only had one “Nice” – Noreen, our angel. Our group was rounded out with a Madame, an inmate and a bad, bad elf. Our fabulous costumes came from Salem’s Lil’ Gipsy Vintage Boutique. Check it out at http://www.lilgypsy.com/

This show had it all – swamp funk (yeah, you right), cookery, Yiddish lessons, New Year’s resolutions, flavored gin and a 6′9″ comic book super hero.

And then there was Storm.

If you aren’t a reality show tv-aholic or a regular at Dante’s, you may not know of Portland’s own Rock Star. Storm Large took Tommy Lee and the rest of the nation by, uh, storm, nearly running away with the title. She just rolled in from Iceland and crooned several songs and even had one of the Faces For Radio theatre troupe gush in a letter about how he was her biggest fan. One of our co-workers also has a rather large crush on Storm, putting news articles and photos on the back of his office door, affectionately known as “the storm door”.

To experience this Storminess for yourself, tune into OPB Radio on December 23 to hear the show.

~Jennifer Archer

Editor’s Note: For more information on Livewire shows, please visit http://www.livewireradio.org/

I arrived at the Keller Auditorium in Portland on Sunday afternoon- which is a wonderful venue, because there’s not a bad seat in the house- and enjoyed an afternoon full of exquisite dancing and a heartfelt story. I was incredibly impressed by the set design of this particular Nutcracker, as it was very intricate. As the children peered through the front door of the house on this set, you could see through it and gaze at the brightly-colored Christmas tree, as well as all the contents of the house. This show also incorporated a tiny yet extravagent boat, which transported the children to and from their dreamland. Not to mention, snow! At least a dozen dancers floated through snowflakes during one portion of the show, which was very impressive. The costumes were gorgeous as well. Many incorporated flowy skirts with brightly colored sequins and sparkles, in addition to the traditional tutu (of course).

I think my favorite part of this show was watching the faces of all the guests as they left the auditorium. All the children, decked out in their holiday gear, were beaming. They even seemed to have an extra sparkle in their eye. The adults also seemed to be enchanted, they looked as though they had been transported back to childhood, just for a moment, and remembered what it had been like to dream of dancing candy canes and toys coming to life. Because of this, I believe the Nutcracker was the perfect addition to my holiday celebration.

Happy Holidays!
~Ashley Moran

Editor’s Note: For more information on the Nutcracker, and future shows at The Keller Auditorium, please visit http://www.obt.org/home.htm

Some say it is “Fresh Air” meets “The Partridge Family,” but “without the bus.” The show’s characters say that it’s not just a show it’s a “happening.” It’s a place where you can expect sightings of radical cheerleaders, audience members dressed as giant evil bunnies and on-air head shavings! I bet you’re curious now! What ever it may be, we can tell you that it’s a refreshing radio variety show featuring “music, scintillating conversations, sketch comedy and performances from the famous and fascinating to the unknown and unabashed.” Our own Carina (she works in our operations dept.) hit the road last week to find out what Live Wire! was all about. Here is her report.

Carina on Live Wire:
On Thursday, October 12, I had the pleasure of being part of the audience at a taping of the OPB Radio show Live Wire! It was a blast! I screamed. I laughed. I even cried. I clapped so hard my hands stung!

The skits about life, love, and our bountiful Oregon were witty and well delivered. My favorite was one about the many gourmet foods of Oregon. Someday, I’d like to taste crème brulè with hazelnut sauce and wash it down with a glass of Pinot Noir.

The interviews and readings from several talented local artists made me want to run out and experience the Oregon they spoke about.

The musical talent was superb. Jen Bernard, Little Sue, Dirty Martini and Ralph Huntley & the Muttonchops rocked the house.

To experience it yourself be sure and tune in to OPB Radio on October 28 and November 2 at 8pm.

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You can check out Live Wire! and listen to the show at http://www.livewireradio.org/

Happy Friday!
~Mo