What is the most Portland thing that I've ever done in Portland? Easy, it's the Every Wednesday Square Dance. What's that? It's a square dance. And it happens every Wednesday. Yes, their name is very informative.
When my friend brought me to the EWSD it was a surprise, and I had no idea what we would be doing until I saw the sign. Smart move on his part, as it was too late for me to back out. Atop Oregon Public House, we head up the stairs and enter The Village Ballroom, a rustic and cute spot that is the perfect venue for a hoedown! Knowing that I would need some liquid courage, I went straight to the bar. OPH drafts were $5 each, and they had affordable wine and beer options. Radlers were only $3, people! That's just crazy!
Lasting from 7-9pm, we got there at the very beginning and the crowd was sparse, and had a lot of young children. It was adorable, and I enjoyed the added benefit of being almost guaranteed to not be the worst dancer on the floor. The caller for the night (Marta King) walked the crowd through the very basics, and soon the band (Missouri Turnaround) started up. For the next two hours, we square danced our hearts out!
As the evening progressed the ballroom filled up. The kids disappeared and were replaced by seemingly everybody who had ever been an extra on Portlandia. Square Dancing is hip, ya'll. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of types of people, but I was shocked at how young and cool the crowd was. This isn't your grandpa's square dance, but your grandpa would totally be welcome to join.
As the evening progressed, so did the dances and soon I was lost. But that was also perfectly OK! What I really loved was that everybody was so genuine in their enjoyment. Even though we were TERRIBLE and basically just bumping into each other the whole time, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. This is some good times people, even if I myself didn't believe it at first.
There's a $7 recommended donation to cover the costs, though it's sliding if you can't afford that. If you can afford more, you should consider giving it. This is a really unique opportunity in Portland, and I'm glad to have discovered it. read more