Summer is here, and with sunny skies comes more arts and culture events to add to our calendars. OPB producer Donald Orr sat down with “All Things Considered” co-host Crystal Ligori to preview a few things to look forward to in July. You can listen to their full conversation using the audio player at the top of this story.
Crystal Ligori: So let’s talk about what is on your radar for the month of July. I understand there are some celebrations that we normally think of being in June, but they’re actually gonna be later this year.
Donald Orr: Yeah that’s right. So traditionally Pride month is always in June, but Portland actually has a lot of festivals happening that month like the Portland Rose Festival which lasts more than two weeks. So this year, the city has actually extended Pride festivities into July! Portland’s Pride Festival is coming the weekend of July 15th and 16th — and ahead of this year’s fest is the Portland Drag-a-Thon. It’s a drag show that’ll be over 48 hours long. So I had the chance to chat with Portland host and journalist Eden Dawn. She’s producing the event with Portland-based fashion brand, Wildfang.
Portland drag icon and Darcelle XV cohost Poison Waters. Waters is helping coordinate this year's record-breaking 48-hour Drag-A-Thon with Wildfang CEO Emma McIlroy and Portland-based host Eden Dawn.
Courtesy of Wildfang & Darcelle XV
Eden Dawn: “We have over 60 queens and kings, and we have 50 emcees. We have three queens coming from RuPaul’s Drag Race — Peppermint, Eureka O’Hara and LaLa Ri, all of whom are absolutely amazing. And I’ve been watching the show since the beginning, so I’m obsessed with all of them.”
Ligori: I am equally obsessed, that sounds like a stacked lineup.
Orr: Yeah, and those aren’t the only people showing up. There’s also going to be appearances by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, author Cheryl Strayed, some actors and writer from “Saturday Night Live.” And the reason it’s 48 hours is they’re trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for longest drag show.
Dawn: “The rules for Guinness are very intense. There’s a long list of them. No one can perform a song under 2 minutes, but no one can perform over 9 minutes. No emcee can be on stage for more than 5 minutes… if any of these things go wrong, we lose.”
Ligori: And the show is not just about breaking the world record though, right?
Orr: Totally. It’s also a benefit for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that gives crisis support to young queer people, and the hope is to raise $250,000 for them.
Dawn said this world record attempt was a chance to celebrate the community.
Dawn: “This is a direct response to the drag bans. We see what they’re doing. We want to meet that hateful rhetoric with joy, and that’s why we’re trying to bring together people, create community. And the thing about the drag bans is they don’t just affect drag queens. They affect queer kids, they affect people around them, people who love them. We know this hate exists, and so what better thing to do than to try to bring joy and celebration, and say, ‘Your hate will not stop us.’”
Orr: Now this year’s show is happening at Darcelle XV in downtown Portland. And Darcelle, one of Portland’s most iconic drag queens, passed away this March. Dawn reflected on continuing the legacy Darcelle left behind.
Dawn: “The thing that I always loved about Darcelle is every time I saw her, every time I talked with her, is she had this amazing ability to make you feel seen and loved. And it’s why everybody in Portland loved her. She was a drag icon, but she also was also a community icon because she made people feel loved and feel supported. And so this idea of us wanting to create community and do some kind of event that made people feel loved, all goes back to what Darcelle did. It’s really just about continuing her legacy in the world. It’s going to be good, and it’s exciting for Portland, right? Darcelle already held this special Guinness record, and now we’re going to get another one. And when people think about drag, for Portland to have two Guinness world records, for the drag community, I think that’s pretty cool.”
Orr: The Portland Drag-a-Thon starts on Monday, July 10 at 4 p.m., and runs through July 12 at Darcelle XV in downtown Portland. You can find more information on tickets, performers and dates at wildfang.com.
Ligori: I cannot wait to see that. So what else is on your radar for July?
Orr: Well there’s a ton of music that’s also going to be happening in July. The 43rd annual Cathedral Park Jazz Festival returns this year in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood. It’s a free, three-day event that’s got a slew of jazz, R&B, funk and blues musicians, right under the St. Johns bridge. That kicks off the weekend of July 14.
And then at the coast, the Oregon Coast Music Festival takes place this year with several concerts throughout the second half of July in the Coos Bay area. There’s two full weeks of concerts and seminars at multiple venues throughout the area. You can find a full list of shows and venues at oregoncoastmusic.org.
Ligori: Donald, thanks so much for helping us fill out our calendars.
Orr: Thanks for having me, Crystal.