C U LTU R E .............. V............... Scare me like a boo nightmare A fearful, queerful collection of Halloween haunts by T imothy K rause and Resources. Portland’s nonprofit feminist bookstore and community resource center honors its first decade starting 7 p.m. O ct. 3 0 at the Ecotrust building, 721 N.W. N inth Ave. T h e extravaganza includes live music, women DJs, refreshments and a costume hall. Poet and nonfiction writer Judith Barrington and Portland poet M arie Fleischm ann read. Musicians Sarah D ougher, M yshkin and Laura M ejia perform; D J Zanne spins. (A ll co n ­ firmed dykes, by the way.) In O ther Words, located at 3734 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., was founded in 1993 by three activists with a mission to enrich women’s lives through literature, culture, education and activism. Staffed What the Faust is going on? Wander into Liminal Performance Group almost entirely by space between 9 and 11 p.m. volunteers, the organization promotes a great diversity of Soul-selling surrealism women’s voices by supporting small feminist presses, organizing events and facilitating hrough Nov. 1, Liminal Performance discussion groups. Group, 403 N.W. Fifth Ave., creates a constantly changing environmental Tickets are $5-$10— discounted for cos­ tumed gals and no one turned away. performance of mystical science and alchemic ritual in the strange world of F a u st(F a u st), 9 Family-friendly fright night to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The eerie, open-ended, continuous installa­ t i g » nough candy to rot your teeth" sounds tion is based on the epic tragedy of Dr. Faustus, scary enough, hut kids and adults alike who sells his soul to the devil in search of knowl­ It** will find more to freak out about when edge. (He must never have heard the phrase “too Portland State University’s Q ueers and much information.”) Audience members come Allies teams up with Pride Northwest to and go as they please, making the macabre gallery of live action all the spcx>kier. Story elements combine and react in dif­ ferent ways, leading to a result the Liminaliens say has no known outcome. Tickets are $6 from 503-890-2993 or w w w. 1 i m i na lgroup .org. y best friend’s little brother used to say that Halloween scared him like a “k x i nightmare.” Clearly, he must not have been bom with the same gay gene as his older hro, because for the rest of us queer devils Halloween is hut a celebration of the gay spirit. And here, dear hobgoblins, arc hut a few gay ways to play on this, the most holy day of homos. M T Cooler than a witch’s tit agans, Wiccans and Earthsptrits (I worship you all, by the way) gather at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in Eugene’s W OW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave., for the ninth annual Witches Ball. Cauldron of Changes holds this cos­ tume cotillion tradition to kick off Samhain season. Wicked-fave hand Land of the Blind with Cyoahka Grace makes for a “rite gixxl party” that includes tribal trance dancing to world heats and exotic instruments. The hall, a fund-raiser for Cauldron’s Rites of Spring Beltane festival, costs $5- $9 sliding scale, with a portion supporting environmental direct action, from 541-687-2746 or www.wowhall.org. P F ar from scary hut no less reason to celebrate is the 10th anniversary of In O ther Words W om en’s Books host an all-ages Boo Ball ’0 3 on O ct. 31 at Sm ith Memorial C e n ­ ter, 1825 S.W. Broadway. From 7 to 8 p.m., register for costume contests that begin at 8:15. Among the awards are best parent/child team costume, most creative and scariest drag. (N ote to self: Ask Parcelle to return chartreuse feather boa and crotchless panties.) Rose City Swing jazzes up the night, play­ ing from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Then DJ Harmonix conjures up a dance party until 1 a.m. A kids activity area keeps little frights occupied while elder ephemera dance on a few graves. Suggested donation is $5 for adults, $ ) for kids 6 to 17 and all students, free for 5 and younger. Aye, Sheila, is that a dingo on the dance floor? G et in the Zone when Dingo’s takes over the smoke-free Scarlett Ballnxim, 700 N.E. Dekum St., from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. O ct. 31 for an Extreme Halloween costume party o f 21-and-over boo-tiful babes. DJ Mel mixes up the music for dancing while the gals from Dingo’s put together a complimentary taco bar. Dingo’s diva Tiffany Miller says they’re going all out to decorate the ballroom, hut the surprises she’s got planned, she smirks, “are probably not some­ thing that we could print.” Ten bucks gets you in the door. Watch for more Zone women’s parties the last Saturday of each month beginning Nov. 29. For details visit www.scarlettbalIroom.com. Danse macabre or wallflowers like me, Halloween has got to he the best time to go dancing. In the right costume, who’s gonna know I move about as gracefully as Frankenstein with a stiff knee? So choose a disguise and swing by Crystal’s Gay and Lesbian Spine-Tingling Halloween Bash from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. O ct. 31 at Port­ land Metro Club, 618 S.E. Alder St. Door prizes, full-service bar, nonsmoking dance floor and, of course, the requisite costume contest. With hundreds of other dancing ghouls, it’s going to be gtxxl times, gixxl times. Tickets are $7 from It’s My Pleasure and Touchstone Coffee House or at the d(X)r. F Groping in the dark t won’t he a power outage that causes Hal­ loween Blackout at Steam, 2885 N.E. Sandy Blvd. Come 10 p.m. Oct. 31, lights are gonna he dowsed, so don’t he scared if things go hump in the night at this private men’s club and bath. Ditch your duds and grab your stick— no, your glow stick— and creep into the darkness to find your jack o’ lantern. Masks add mystery and a midnight show may give you something to howl akxit, whether you see a truxin or not. Membership ($15-$25, $8 for out-of-area guests) is required; regular locker and rtxitn rates apply; 18 and over. For details call 503-736-9999 or visit www.steamportland.com. JH i N o faint of heart here Land of the Blind play Eugene’s annual Witches Ball on O ct. 25 r \ h ssflT Young and old kids alike are welcome at the Queers and Allies and Pride Northwest Btx> Ball ’03 E-mail Features Editor TIMOTHY KRAUSE at am@¡uMout.cam. ADVENTURES # . CO M m tO M M M ■» m tC M r r t t m Adventure Club for Women Activities Include: Hiking, Biking. Kayaking. Volleyball, Snow shoeing, a nd a lot m ore Call Nikki Becker, ow ner East Bank C om m erce C enter 1001 S E Water Ste 2 2 0 5 0 3 -2 3 3 -4 5 6 7 H'H’M’ m issfitadventures. com Ms. Gay 1 Poder latino do Oregon A O D C * LATINO '* t t u J i l l l i U N Contest 2003 Come enjoy an excellent form al evening and support yourfai>orite candidate as we choose someone worthy to represent to us at events throughout neyt year. Fir Octets o i Saturday O ct. 1 8 , 8pm 503-407-6034 380-721-3781 S 1 0 *M U lt I litirstati Nrtlail, Il 17127 n COSTUME PARTY GAY & LESBIAN AUDIENCE NIGHT TUESDAY, N 0 V . 4 TH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING: BAT BOY THE MUSICAL FEATURING: P O I S O N W A T EB S Sponsored by: ju s tr r m CENTER STAGE THEATER LI VE I Î .N E W M A R K 5 0 3 - 2 7 4 * 6 5 8 8