Who makes the best chocolate cake in the state?
Somebody will have bragging rights after the Celebrity Chocolate Cake Smack-down at noon Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 S.W. Park Ave. (free and open to the public). Gerry Frank, the sole judge for the Oregon State Fairs Chocolate Layer Cake Contest for 56 years, will judge the competition, which features scores of celebrities, including:
Sally Bany (co-owner, Moonstruck Chocolates); Steve Bass (CEO, Oregon Public Broadcasting); Shane Bemis (Gresham mayor); Margaret Carter (former Oregon state senator); Gale Castillo (president, Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce); Marilyn Deutsch (reporter, KPTV); Brian Ferriso (executive director, Portland Art Museum); Mark Ganz (CEO, Cambia Health Solutions); Jeff Gianola (anchor, KOIN); Nancy Hales (first lady of Portland); Margie Hunt (CEO, Special Olympics Oregon); Mark Katches (editor, The Oregonian / OregonLive); Debora Knapp (anchor, KATU); Lois Leveen (author of Juliets Nurse and The Secrets of Mary Bowser); Judge Judy Matarazzo (Multnomah County Circuit Court); Sandra McDonough (CEO, Portland Business Alliance); Ellen Rosenblum (Oregon Attorney General); Nancy Stueber (CEO, OMSI); Keith Thomajan (president / CEO, United Way Columbia-Willamette); Wim Wiewel (president, Portland State University); Matt Zaffino (chief meteorologist, KGW).
The OHS event helps kick off the Oregon State Fair, which starts Friday, Aug. 28, in Salem.
Old friends
The Oregon Zoo used Seniors Citizens Day, Aug. 21, to tout its own senior citizens, some of the oldest animals in the world, thanks to its specialized geriatric care.
Who are they?
Inji, Sumatran orangutan, 55. Shes in amazing shape for her age, says Asaba Mukobi, zoo senior primate keeper.
Packy, Asian elephant, 53. If you think about the time when he was born (1962), its mind-boggling, says Bob Lee, who has worked with Packy for 15 years. Kennedy was president, and The Beatles hadnt arrived in the United States, yet.
Hermosa, Humboldt penguin, 33. Shes the oldest Humboldt penguin in any Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facility.
Conrad, polar bear, 30. Median life expectancy for polar bears is 20.7 years for males; Conrad might be the oldest of his species on the planet.
Kia, Amur leopard, 19. Amur leopards are believed to be the most endangered big cats in the world.
Big Pink, lesser flamingo, 49. Big Pink is nearly as old as the plastic lawn flamingo, invented in 1957.
Jeb Bush comic
StormFront Publishing, formerly Bluewater Comics, has followed up its Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump comic book biographies with the release of Political Power: Jeb Bush-Legacy, which examines the presidential candidates status in a family with a brother and a father who already have held the highest position in the U.S. government.
Books about Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Joe Biden and the Tea Party Movement already have been created by StormFront. Books about Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio, Rick Perry and Ted Cruz are in the works.
To order, go to http://www.comicfleamarket.com.
Oregon Book Awards
The deadline for submissions for the 2016 awards is 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at the Literary Arts office, 925 S.W. Washington St. Books in several genres written by Oregon authors between Aug. 1, 2014, and July 3, 2015, will be eligible. See http://www.literary-arts.org for info.
DeCosta on TV
Congratulations to Nicole DeCosta, former West Linn Tidings editor and Lake Oswego Review reporter, who has been hired as an on-air host with Portlands CW32.
The TV station KRCW (channel 32, Comcast channel 3) broadcasts syndicated favorites and first-run shows on weeknights, among its programming. DeCosta will contribute to the networks morning show, Eye Opener and its C Whats segment featuring unique businesses and events.
For more: http://www.portlandscw32.com.