From the Lake Oswego Reviews Cliff Newell:
Bronwyn Gibson, 23 and from Lake Oswego and a University of Oregon grad, has made the Sea Gals, the dance team for the NFLs Seattle Seahawks.
Making a pro sports dance team is almost as tough as making the players team, yet Gibson gave it a shot. There were 200 applicants when the Seahawks held tryouts in the spring. But four years off (from dancing) made no difference. Gibson had what the Sea Gals were looking for. She had all the right moves, and the looks, too.
She says: They wanted a good dancer, a good role model, a good speaker. They wanted someone with a good vibe. I wanted to impress them in every category.
This summer Gibson is concentrating on becoming a good teammate for the 30-member team, and things are working out quite well. There are no issues with us, even though we all have different ages, dynamics and interests, she says. We have such a common passion. We all get along great.
The good times are rolling for Gibson, and the best part hasnt even started yet. That will come on Aug. 14 when the Hawks host their first exhibition game of the 2015 season against the Denver Broncos. Gibson is already thinking big.
The Super Bowl is already on my calendar, she says. Thats my goal.
Worthwhile cause
The topic of human trafficking will be at the forefront of a free summer concert by Banding Together Events and Northwest Family Services.
The Senate, Corner and Dedric Clark and the Social Animals will perform, and Ken Boddie of KOIN TV hosts the event at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at Star Theater. Therell also be informational speakers, including Mike Gallagher of the Portland Police Bureaus Sex Trafficking unit, Cat Parkay from Junior League of Portland and Liz Alston from Northwest Family Services.
The show benefits Deceptions, a cutting-edge, three-hour education series for youth by Northwest Family Services.
Organizers says that human trafficking remains a burgeoning criminal activity, with Portland considered a hub for such activity. The event on Friday is designed to raise money to further the education series; it costs $16 for the Deceptions program, or $500 for a classroom of kids.
Theres no cover charge for the event, as attendees are encouraged to donate to the cause. For info, see Northwest Family Services website (www.nwfs.org) or Banding Togethers page on Facebook.
OHS addition
The Oregon Historical Society has added to its current World War II exhibit, with a signed copy of Franklin D. Roosevelts March 4, 1933 inaugural address, during which he said, Let me assert my belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Its part of the Mark Family Collection, which supplied the World War II: A World at War, A State Transformed exhibit, which shows till Dec. 7.
The Marks also recently acquired a telex message written on May 7, 1945 from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to troops, announcing the end of the war in Europe.
The Dandy Warhols
The Portland band has announced its 16-stop fall U.S. tour, starting Nov. 4 at McDonald Theatre in Eugene and culminating Dec. 12 at the Crystal Ballroom. The band will tour in support of its latest album, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, Live At The Wonder.
Want a challenge?
The second annual Mt. Hood Meadows Uphill Challenge takes place 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. Its a 1.2-mile course from the resorts main parking lot to the top of the Stadium chairlift a 621-foot elevation gain, following a gravel mountain road. Last years winners were Rachel Lynn (13:16) and Bernard Seeger (10:49).
Advance registration is $20 for ages 20 and older, $10 for 19 years and younger. For info: www.Skihood.com/UphillChallenge.
600th show
Portland native Aaron Ross plans the 600th performance of Whos the Ross? late-night talk show at Dantes, 10 p.m. Aug. 18. The show will feature Blazers broadcaster Antonio Harvey, Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt and Bud Wilson of band Aan.
More concerts
We wrote about Skamania Lodges free summer concert series recently, and then organizers went and expanded it with eight more shows. They really want Portland-area folks to pay a visit to their beautiful property outside Stevenson, Wash. The series runs through Oct. 18. For complete info: www.skamania.com.
Golf in paradise
From the Gresham Outlooks Shannon Wells:
The Tiki Putt, the 18-hole black-light mini-golf center, 1776 N.W. Fairview Drive in the Burnside Commons plaza, may be in a former Goodwill store building, but those who enter are immediately transported to a tropical island-themed paradise thats worlds away from the urban retail trappings that surround it.
To put it simply, Tiki Putt is not your granddads family recreation center.
Theres not enough for kids and the community to do out here, so we hope this brings something new, says Nate Fultz, a 2000 Reynolds High School graduate, who partnered with Troy Carpenter and Ashley Ries on the project.
For $7 from noon to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and $10 at other times, players can putt through a course peppered with Hawaiian Islands-themed obstacles and symbols tikis, a moai statue, palm trees and waterfalls bathed in a radiant sea of black light-fueled artwork depicting red-flowing lava streams, lush jungles, and of course, volcanoes.
As with most mini-golf courses, each hole presents a different set of obstacles and strategic options on the way to sinking a colored golf ball. Unlike other mini-links, Tiki Putt takes players across a bridge of virtual lava and a simulated volcano tube, which spins around amid a cacophony of rumbles and roars.
We tried to make the art amazing, Fultz says. We wanted a big attraction. We thought, We better have a volcano.
Tiki Putt also features an arcade and two deep sea-themed rooms available to rent for private parties. A concession stand for snacks and beverages is on the way.
Carpenter worked with Cancun artist Blana Plata to transform the cavernous space into an exotic island fantasia.
For info: www.thetikiputt.com
