CulturePulp 030: Scenes from the Staging Area


Words, pix by M.E. Russell; shades by Chad Essley
High-rez PDF: CulturePulp30.pdf




1. Seen on the way to the staging area: A child swinging an inflatable Spider-Man hammer (a superhero merchandising tie-in that makes less and less sense the more you think about it).

2. Meet the lucky kids bringing up the absolute rear end of the parade: the Tualatin High Marching Band!

3. A member of the Falun Gong marching group somehow finds peace amid a half-dozen warming-up brass sections.

4. Pirate re-enactors with the Brotherhood of Oceanic Mercenaries (B.O.O.M.) growl "Arr!" as a group of Civil-War re-enactors walk by. Coincidence?

5. Who's "alternative" now? Can you tell who's in the hipster-packed March Fourth Marching Band and who's promoting the OSU Extension Service's relatively square "Master Gardener" program?

6. Peace between the States: Re-enactor Abe Lincoln (Alan Edwards) checks out a Confederate chaplain's (Erik Wood's) blade. Meanwhile, Lake Oswego cheerleaders are intrigued by Union guns!

7. A civilian shooting hoops totally bricks it in front of the entire Lake O marching band. Howls ensue.

8. Washington County Fair & Rodeo employee Brian Love and his son Jason. "We follow the [Rodeo] Queen around and clean up after her horse," Brian (sort of) jokes.

9. Members of the "Timbers Army" fan group play soccer with a rainbow-colored ball. One Army member promises they'll only do their "G-rated" Portland Timbers fight cheers during the parade: "Well, maybe PG; you might be able to conceive a child to one of them."

10. (l-r) Oregon Zoo Guide volunteers Eva Brown and Bob Granquist and their animal puppets. (Eva calls her sloth "Frankie Blue Eyes.")

11. Seen on the walk back to the car: a man and his dog strolling down the middle of utterly empty, cordoned-off Broadway.




Type too small? You can download a high-rez PDF of CulturePulp 30 right here: CulturePulp30.pdf


Posted: Fri - June 10, 2005 at 12:44 AM        

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