The first part of our dive into the song, “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen (recorded next to the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR) was the infamous story of the FBI investigation into the lyrics of this rock & roll hit from 1963. Dig a little deeper, and there’s even more drama to uncover. After the…
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“I want a poignant moment, or a heartfelt substance, in a sea of laughs,” says Jay Flewelling, host of the BYO Storytelling Show at Al’s Den, the basement venue within McMenamins Crystal Hotel, in downtown Portland. Every first Wednesday of the month, Jay selects a talented array of comedic performers to tell their personal, true,…
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Lyle Hehn 1958 – 2022 If you know Hammerhead and Ruby, you know Lyle Hehn. If you’ve seen the Satin the Cat, myriad jesters, or most of our beer labels, you are familiar with Lyle. If you’ve met Lola Baldwin or Umbrella Jimmy, you’ve met Lyle. Lyle was an artist for McMenamins until his death…
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McMenamins Crystal Hotel is filled with imaginative artwork that brings to life musicians who performed on stage at the Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland over the last century. The story behind this painting by Jonathan Case is one of the most notorious tales of rock & roll history. If you’ve never heard the Kingsmen’s song,…
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Happy 86th birthday to McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend, Oregon! In 1936, St. Francis School was established as the first parochial school in Central Oregon. For 64 years, the school provided Catholic education from Kindergarten through 8th grade at this location. Then in 2000, the school community moved to a newly built modern…
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Happy birthday to Northeast Portland’s McMenamins Kennedy School! The building itself turns 107 and McMenamins is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the landmark school’s renovation and reopening. Come join the big fun and festivities on Saturday, November 12th! The Kennedy Elementary School building opened in 1915, which was a welcome replacement for the small,…
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Over 100 years of history have granted the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, with something of a mythology all its own. The Crystal’s psychedelic heyday in the late 1960s lives on in the fantastic, surreal murals throughout the Ballroom and the enduring musical influence of the classic bands who played there. It’s funny to…
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Today we honor Indigenous Peoples Day and the ancestral homelands across the Pacific Northwest where we now gather. As the McMenamins footprint touches a number of ancestral lands and communities, we are constantly working to learn about the history and rich traditions that came before us and the vibrant cultures of people past, present…
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Frankie and Johnny were lovers O Lordy, how they could love Swore they’d be true to each other True as the stars up above He was her man But he done her wrong. – From the song, “Frankie and Johnny” Frankie Baker sat by the window, playing a nonstop game of solitaire with a…
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On September 8th, McMenamins brewery district managers arrived at Willamette Valley’s Sodbuster Farms as trucks overflowing with just-harvested Mosaic hops rolled in from the fields. 30- and 50-pound bags were packed, and the managers were off, racing to each of their breweries with the freshest of hops. Within minutes, these beautiful, fragrant Mosaics were added…
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