The Riffin' Griffin

We’ll be celebrating cooking, brewing, and crafting at Reedfayre! On Saturday, June 7, 2–4 p.m., no fewer than 18 different Reed artisans will descend on the Performing Arts Building to sample and sell their wares for “Marketplace.” The most recent addition to the lineup is Tom Burkleaux ’92, who will be bringing spirits from his small-batch distillery, New Deal. See a full list of vendors.

Marketplace admission also gets you exclusive access to Meat Smoke Tent on Saturday, and everyone who buys a Marketplace ticket gets a Reed College tote bag and a coupon entitling them to $5 off a clothing purchase at the bookstore. Purchase your Marketplace ticket when you register online or by calling 503/777-7589.

Even if you don’t buy a Marketplace ticket, you can browse the vendors in the “Crafty Emporium” at no cost: yarn, unique lipstick, jewelry, and letterpress, all made by Reedies, will be on display and for sale on the second floor of the Performing Arts Building.

In addition to Marketplace, we’re also holding a series of talks and food panels, featuring Reed chefs, food writers, vintners, farmers, and sustainability experts. Topics will include the Portland food scene, food writing, sustainability, and GMOs.

Please note: Although minors are allowed in Marketplace, samples of alcohol will be present. Those who plan on partaking of said alcohol who appear to be under 30 must present a photo ID at the door to receive an over-21 wristband. Those without a photo ID will still be granted admittance, but will not be allowed to purchase or drink samples of alcohol.

We know that you still own your leg warmers and long to put your hair in a side ponytail. We know that sometimes all you want to do is paint your face and put on spandex and turn your amp up to 11. We know that you realize every rose has its thorn, just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song.

For these reasons alone, Reunions ’14: Reedfayre will feature a 1980s dance party for you in the SU on Friday, June 6!

And just so we can best serve your nostalgia (or longing for an era that you never lived in but that seems pretty cool), you can and should request a song in advance! So if you’ve got a favorite Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Queen, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, or Poison song, let us know at alumni@reed.edu. We’ll do our best to accommodate all reasonable requests (yes, “reasonable” is open to interpretation).

Photo from the archives: Reed social, 1986

Testimonial by Toni DeVito ’77:

Reed College’s own Mike Teskey, along with Esotouric, has arranged an absolute-must, don’t-miss weekend, March 7-9, for we who are inquisitive about the social and urban history of this unique place that we call home: Los Angeles.

Esotouric changed my life. Its tours are museums on wheels. Kim and Richard engage in repartee, present visuals, tell obscure stories. My husband and I have enjoyed two of their tours: the first about the Black Dahlia, and the other, Chandler’s Los Angeles, which included a stop for ice cream with booze-inspired flavors. Kim and Richard run that kind of tour.

Owners Kim Cooper and Richard Schave are art historians, archivists, writers, and information detectives. Their brains are encyclopedias; they know everything about Los Angeles, much of it arcane, all of it fascinating. I would dub them honorary Reedies, although they are actually graduates of UC Santa Cruz and UCLA; they are serious about their subjects (crime, noir, art, architecture, city planning), but present it with flair, style, and humor. They transformed the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk into a non-profit organization; the monthly walk is now a highlight of downtown nightlife.

My first encounter with these social and art historians was at the Cal State Los Angeles teaching crime lab. I wondered what kind of ghoulish people might be there. It turned out that the room was packed with people from all over the city, including a high-school student, accompanied by her mom, who was interested in forensic science (A fan of C.S.I., she confessed.). Our speakers discussed two different crimes in elaborate, gritty detail. A tour of the crime lab included a replica of a murder that students have to solve. The blood splatter on Phil Spector after he murdered Lana Clarkson was another puzzle for students.

These sights and events would be merely macabre, but the social fabric and cultural norms–and deviations–of the time are woven into these crime discussions, adding insight into the ever-evolving landscape of Southern California.

I quote from the Esotouric website:

Los Angeles is a city without a center, but with an unjustly bad reputation. It’s also home to fascinating people, places and happenings. But these wonders are dotted over a vast and confusing landscape, drowned out by media blare and corporate blather. You could easily spend years in hard searching to discover the real Los Angeles, those hidden gems and secret gatherings that give this city a soul.

Search no more–just sign up. (And by the way, the price for this tour is a bargain; doing these events a la carte, as my husband and I have done, is much costlier.) See you there!