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I just know there are tons of locals who will be interested to learn of a 3-day music festival going on in the wooded setting just south of sparkling Astoria, Oregon. No, it's not Pickathon (Aug. 1-3) or the Northwest String Summit (last weekend). Those are glossy showcases that have plenty of established word-of-mouth. But you may be interested in the Concert for Big Red on Aug. 22-24.

Marty Balin, founder of Jefferson Airplane, will be performing with members from his original band. I hear this lineup of JA members haven't played in public since 1965. At some point during the festival, the members will shuffle and add more musicians to revive Great Society, where I've learned Grace Slick got her start. If that wasn't enough reason to buy a pass, some other bands include Supertrout, Baby Gramps, Freak Mountain Ramblers, Country Joe McDonald, The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven and recent iTunes/MySpace folk-pop phenomenon Blind Pilot (who play Friday and Sunday).

This is all one big benefit concert for a historic building in Astoria that blew to shit in last winter's wind storm. The "Big Red" net shed was to be converted to an artistic workspace for artists to come and go as they please, having a free workspace for projects in a huge studio complex out on the Columbia River. But now it needs repairs, then renovations. So please consider attending, volunteering and/or donating!

Here is a message from Signe Anderson Ettlin:

Two Survivors, "Big Red" and I, Signe Anderson Ettlin, extend our personal invitation to one and all to join us in Astoria, Oregon the 22, 23 and 24th of August 2008 for a "musical gathering" benefiting the two named entities above.

"Big Red" is in need of help to re-build and expand this historic building while providing a new center of studios and workspaces for artists, musicians and writers.

We are reuniting members of Jefferson Airplane, It's A Beautiful Day, the Holy Modal Rounders, The Great Society, to name a few. Members from so many bands, throughout the years - a gathering of musicians, of souls who found a voice and a way to speak through music - forty years of speaking; culminating over three days to reflect on a time that changed the world. Please join us - bring your hearts, your souls and hear the music.

Why did I post this blog? I mean, other than great bands in a beautiful setting (yes, Clatsop County Fairgrounds is actually out in the countryside)? Well, it turns out I love "Big Red," too. I once thought about turning it into a brewpub-cinema, but think the artist's community idea is just as good.

The Lane County Sheriff's Department issued their report on Activity at the Oregon Country Fair, and it appears that fairgoers need to wear their seatbelts, buy automobile insurance and drive slower. However, more fairgoers had licenses and auto-insurance than last year, plus there was one fewer DUII than last year. Kudos.

Here's the report:

Over the course of the weekend Sheriff's deputies assigned to work the area of the Oregon Country Fair on both grant funded overtime as well as during their regular shifts issued about 409 traffic citations: 167 citations for failure to wear safety belt, 49 citations for driving uninsured or failure to provide proof of insurance, 18 citations for driving while suspended or not having a valid driver's license, 74 for speed violations and 62 for miscellaneous other moving violations. 4 DUII's were arrested.

Citations for driving uninsured and for driving while suspended or not having a valid license were down by about 50% from last year. All other categories stayed largely consistent, with safety belt cites slightly up, and speed and other moving violations slightly down. There was 1 fewer DUII arrest this year from 2007.

Another bicyclist has been struck by a car, this time he survived.

According to a police press release, Thea Peck, 36, was cited by police Monday, July 21 after she struck cyclist Daniel Rasmussen, 22, in a crosswalk near the 30th Ave. Albertsons, sending the biker to the hospital. EPD ticketed Peck for allegedly committing the violations of "Careless Driving" and "Passing a Stopped Vehicle at a Crosswalk."

Here's the EPD description of the 10:42 am accident:

"Investigating officers found that the bicyclist, Daniel Rasmussen, was crossing 30th Avenue southbound in a marked crosswalk on the west side of the intersection. Two drivers (one heading south on Alder Street, one heading east on 30th Avenue) stopped their vehicles to allow Rasmussen to cross. A third driver, Thea Peck, was eastbound on 30th Avenue in her silver Honda Odyssey, accelerating in the right-hand lane. She passed the stopped car in the left-hand lane, entered the crosswalk, and struck Rasmussen in the intersection."

Here's a Google Map of the intersection.

View Larger Map

Last month a car struck and killed David Minor, 27, in front of Kinkos at 13th and Willamette. Police alleged that Minor turned in front of the car and did not cite the driver.

The crowd in the southeast grandstands on Friday, July 4.

My vantage point for the fireworks over Hayward Field, seen from the UO Psych building.

Fireworks over Hayward Field.

EPD makes sure those pole vaulters aren't up to any funny business.

Vaulter Stacy Dragila gets psyched out at the Trials.

American record holder Jenn Stuczynski (in blue) takes a nap to calm the nerves. Pole vaulters are most prone to "choking" during the big competitions and so I'm impressed with Jenn's strategy. It seemed to work.

Click on image for larger version.

And now for some criticism: What the hell is up with this? The above "workout structures" at Amazon Park are about to collapse, the wood is rotting and about the only thing useful there are the chin-up bars (at your own risk) and the parallel bars. When I was in Beijing back in 2005, the city had installed dozens of these similar workout structures throughout the city in order to get people in shape and thinking about the Olympics (three years in advance!). If Eugene wanted to make "improvements" to its parks and running paths to prepare for Olympic Trials visitors, tearing this Amazon Park atrocity out of the ground and replacing it with new equipment would've been a heck of a lot better than putting up new bulletin boards everywhere (that only end up tagged and with outdated info). Just a thought.

Oh, Disney.

Via The Chicago Tribune:

Chicago Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper are cutting ties with the TV franchise that Disney-ABC Domestic Television has syndicated nationally for 22 years.

Each cited major changes they say Disney plans to make to the movie-review program that for three decades has forced filmmakers and studio executives on both coasts and beyond to pay heed to judgments of their work in Chicago, the heart of flyover country.

I never manage to remember when the show is on, and so I rarely watch it on purpose — but that isn't the point. The point is that whatever Disney's doing, it's so unpleasant that both men are leaving. The other point is that while sometimes I've been utterly perplexed by Ebert, at others — and especially recently — I've found his gentle touch and strong personality completely absorbing. (You just have to read him online, not in the seemingly chopped up versions that appear in some print outlets.)

Ebert's statement is here; Roeper is quoted at length here. I don't even like Roeper, not one whit, and I'm still sad.

And ineloquent, too. Why does it have to be a Tuesday today?