Scoop: We're Chillin' In Vancouver, Leave a Message.

By WW Culture Staff
  1. POT ON MAIN STREET: As of 11 am Wednesday, July 9—the date of this newspaper’s publication—legal recreational pot may be sold for the first time in Vancouver, at the newly licensed Main Street Marijuana at 2314 Main St. The pot supply is expected to be scant in the first month, until the Washington state-licensed pot growers begin their harvest in earnest. But Main Street Marijuana managed to score 5 pounds of Sour Kush and J’s Famous Kush strains for its opening day, The Columbian reported, and Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt will reportedly be there for the planned ribbon-cutting ceremony. The New Vansterdam shop, at 6515 E Mill Plain Blvd., has also been issued a license to sell marijuana, but is not expected to open until Friday, July 11.
  1. DOWN BY THE WATER: There’s a new beach in Portland. Or at least, there’s a newly accessible path to the beach, and a whole bunch of poetry. The Human Access Project—an organization devoted to getting people to swim in the Willamette River—scheduled the dedication of a South Waterfront beach it has nicknamed “Poet’s Beach” for Tuesday, July 8. The westside beach, located under the Marquam Bridge, features a newly improved access ramp lined with rocks engraved with child-penned river poetry, as well as Chinook jargon words provided by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The beach will serve as the launching point for HAP’s annual Big Float event on Sunday, July 27, an annual flotilla and beach party that last year attracted more than 1,500 life-vested riders of floaties.
  1. RECORD SCRATCH: A week after Jackpot Records shuttered its west-side location, another long-standing downtown Portland record store is going out of business. After 16 years, 360 Vinyl will shut its doors permanently Aug. 2. Like Jackpot, the reasons for the closure are not financial: According to an announcement on the store’s Facebook page, owner Aaron Marquez recently took another music industry job, and splitting his time between the two became untenable. For local DJs, 360 Vinyl, which specialized in underground hip-hop and electronic records, was both a major vinyl resource and a training ground. “My career as a DJ literally started the moment I walked into this shop back in 1999,” wrote Nathan Rede, who spins as Nathan Detroit. As it prepares to sell off its remaining inventory, all CDs, used vinyl and select new vinyl are currently 10 percent off, with bigger discounts expected as the closing date approaches.
  1. PUNCH LINE: After 3½ years and more than 150 shows, the Weekly Recurring Humor Night will come to an end in late August. The standup showcase, held every Wednesday at Tonic Lounge, has been a sturdy fixture of the local comedy scene, but producer Whitney Streed told WW it was time to move on. “The show has had a great run, but I’ve decided I need to focus more on other projects, namely myself and my own act,” she says. “Tonic is also starting to shift its focus to bigger acts, so it’s a very natural transition on both sides.” The final installment will be Wednesday, Aug. 27.

WWeek 2015

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