The 5000s Prepare to be Cultured

In times past, I have often written about various cultural delights that Mrs.5000 and I enjoyed the previous weekend, causing those of you outside the City of Roses to applaud our excellent good taste but making our neighbors along the mighty Willamette wring their hands in despair at the arts and entertainments that they just missed.

So this time, cleverly, I am telling you in advance about the cultural delights that Mrs.5000 and I will enjoy this coming weekend. In theory! Of course, one can never truly know the future, and it's certainly possible that a bus accident or a sudden-onset plague or an atomic bomb could intervene to spoil all of the fun. But barring these extreme possibilities, this weekend will involve:

A concert by The Portland Columbia Symphony!

Portland's second-tier orchestra plays in smaller venues than the major-league Oregon Symphony. That puts you much closer to the big noise, and the PCSO is a very high-quality band with a rich, warm sound. And not insignificantly, tickets are a fraction of the cost of the OSO.

The concert this Friday night combines two winners. In my favorite Beethoven Piano Concerto, the Fourth, the soloist will be former Beaver State Governor Barbara Roberts!!! She is sure to.... what? Oh. OK, apparently this is a different Barbara Roberts, more of a pianist type. But hey, I'm sure she's good!

And then, there's one of my very favoritest symphonies, the Sibelius Second. It has been a long, long time since I heard it live, so you know that I am looking forward to grooving out with my man Jean.

So the concert is Friday night, Oct 16, at 7:30 pm, at 1838 SW Jefferson St. That's a big church in Goose Hollow, for those of you who know where "Goose Hollow" is. Or, if you prefer to enjoy your classical music without any risk of encountering the 5000s, there's a Sunday afternoon show at 3 pm out at Mount Hood Community College.

Portland Open Studios!

Every fall, 100 of Portland's most extroverted artists open their studio doors to the great unwashed public, hoping that people will thrust sweaty fistfuls of currency at them in exchange for their work. Mrs.5000 & I will be making the pilgramage again this year, sans sweaty fistfuls of course but ready with all sorts of complements and helpful encouragement.


Perhaps we'll revisit favorites from last year! Perhaps we'll have an actual encounter with Bridget B. in the biospace! And we'll almost certainly swing by the studio of Honorable Vice Dork Emeratus fingerstothebone -- not because we'd want to embarass her by purchasing more of her work or anything, you understand, but she usually has a good spread of snacks.



[Right: Actually, I might have to get one of these]


But What Are You Doing Sunday?

Oh, probably just hanging out. Stop by, we can crack open some beers!