BACK in the VORTEX GROOVE ■ L Egendary 19 7 0 Ex Periment Gets a Fresh Look from Folks Who Were in the Middle of It All
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JAMBROZ! EDITION — SEE LIFE, B10 GREATER PORTLAND PortlandTUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2014 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY ROSE CITY KICKS IT! 2014 MLS ALL-STAR GAME Where: Providence Park DeAndre Yedlin, Seattle; Aurelien champions are touring the United Who: Major League Soccer all-stars vs. Collin, Sporting KC; Chad Marshall, States. Their roster will include mid- Bayern Munich Seattle; Michael Parkhurst, Columbus; fi elder Julian Green of the U.S. nation- When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday midfi elders Kyle Beckerman, RSL; Clint al team and Franck Ribery, who led TV: ESPN2 Dempsey, Seattle; Michael Bradley, the Bundesliga in goal scoring last MLS team: Two Portland Timbers — Toronto; Graham Zusi, Sporting KC; season and was named UEFA Best midfi elders Will Johnson and Diego Osvaldo Alonso, Seattle; Tim Cahill, Plyaer in Europe. Valeri — are on the roster, and Caleb New York; and forwards Obafemi Also: Through Wednesday, the MLS Porter of the Timbers will coach the Martins, Seattle; Landon Donovan, Experience is set up at Pioneer select squad. L.A.; Thierry Henry, New York; Jermain Courthouse Square. And, the square will Other team members: goalkeepers Defoe, Toronto; Robbie Keane, L.A.; be the scene of a viewing party Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake, and Bill Erick Torres, Chivas USA; Bradley Wednesday night, with the game shown Hamid, D.C. United; defenders Matt Wright-Phillips, New York. on a big screen. Besle Gonzalez, Los Angeles Galaxy; Bayern Munich: The reigning German WILL JOHNSON DIEGO VALERI Oregon State Park Rangers Lauren Sinclair ( left) and Guy Rodriq ue talk about the original Vortex Festival, held at Milo McIver State Park in August 197 0 . A retrospective of the event is planned Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Estacada-area park. TRIBUNE PHOTO: JONATHAN HOUSE BACK in the VORTEX GROOVE ■ L egendary 19 7 0 ex periment gets a fresh look from folks who were in the middle of it all t’s a story that is too strange to be fi ction. STORY BY A Republican governor and sev- I eral conservative Portland business SHASTA KEARNS MOORE owners organized and funded one of the largest rock festivals in American histo- ry: “Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life,” at Milo McIver State Park near Es- even high-quality timber and heavy ma- tacada the week of Aug. 28, 1970. chinery to build a stage. Called the “Governor’s Pot Party” by It was all a transparent attempt to draw locals, law enforcement was instructed to young people and anti-Vietnam War pro- turn a blind eye to the copious public nu- testers far away from the city where dity and drug use at the week-long event, 25,000 American Legionnaires, a conser- attended by roughly 50,000 to 100,000 peo- vative veterans group, were holding their ple. In fact, police served as escorts to annual conference with President Rich- vanloads of hippies, who eventually ard Nixon slated to give a keynote speech. formed a traffi c jam that extended all the “It’s a legend in Clackamas County,” COURTESY OF MATT LOVE way to Portland’s 82nd Avenue some 20 says author Matt Love, who published Young people from across the region fl ocked to Milo miles away. The event itself was free and McIver State Park for Vortex 1, the rock concert See VORTEX / Page 2 businesses donated food, outhouses and organized to avoid protests in downtown Portland. Residents’ message: Change demo rules their neighborhoods. and new construction. C ity C ounc il hearing The complaints ranged from “This is a Portland moment. Portlanders wave c ould produc e ac tion unannounced demolitions of People will look back and say, their hands at last single-family homes and the this is the moment when we will week’s City Council ‘soon,’ H ales says construction of incompatible re- decide the future of our city and hearing to show placements to oversized build- beloved neighborhoods,” they agree with a By JIM REDDEN ings along established corridors, warned Cathy Galbraith, execu- witness who said The Tribune new apartments without tive director of the Bosco-Milli- home demolitions enough on-site parking and a gan Foundation/Architectural are an epidemic Dozens of Portlanders told lack of protection for historic Heritage Center, a local nonprof- that needs to be the City Council last week properties. Other issues includ- it preservation organization. slowed. that poorly regulated growth ed equity, gentrifi cation and the TRIBUNE PHOTO: is destroying the city and carbon footprint of demolitions See HEARING / Page 7 JAIME VALDEZ “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that refl ects the PAC-12 BREAKDOWN stories of our communities. Thank you — SEE SPORTS, PAGE B1 for reading our newspapers.” Inside — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Vortex: McCall took a risk to solve problem ■ From page 1 Ex ploring Vortex I ■ McIver State Park, 24101 S. “The Far Out Story of Vortex I” Entrance Road, Estacada in 2004 and has collected thou- Noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9 sands of pictures and stories $5 parking permit required for from the event. “I still get fi red each vehicle up and imbued on it with the incredible risk-taking that went on.” lent plan to protest the Legion- Love and McIver park offi- naires conference was being cials will host the first-ever infi ltrated by a violent subset. commemoration of Vortex I “Everybody was pretty upset from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, in the summer of 1970,” Meier Aug. 9. “Exploring Vortex I” of- says. fers live music, tie-dye, walking He and three friends met tours and a panel discussion. A with McCall’s Executive Assis- scanner and recording equip- tant Ed Westerdahl to discuss a ment will also be on hand to col- way to highlight the peaceful lect pictures and stories from aspect of the anti-Vietnam War TRIBUNE PHOTO: JONATHAN HOUSE the festival, in partnership with effort. They threw out the idea The Clackamas River today is a big draw for people at McIver State Park. In August 197 0 , the river played a part in Vortex 1, the rock concert the Estacada Pub- of hosting a Wood- organized by public offi cials and Portland businesspeople who feared thousands of young people would fl ood the city to protest during a national lic Library. stock-like festival American Legion conference that featured President Richard Nix on as a key speaker. “We’re going to “It’s a legend out in the country. have different in Clackamas “The next thing people with dif- you know, it was ferent views County. I still happening,” Meier about what Vor- get fi red up andsays. “Fear is a tex was out there great motivator.” and that makes it imbued on it Within a week, an exciting with the they were given event,” Love says. McIver, a new state Wrapping up incredible risk- park with limited the 44th anniver- taking that access points. No The crowd for sary will be an went on.” permits. No insur- the weeklong historical re-en- ance. No rules. concert jammed actment of Gov. — Matt Love, Westerdahl died local highways Tom McCall’s author of in mid-April 2010 at all the way back visit to the park “The Far Out his Palm Springs to Southeast after the event to Story of Vortex I” home. In a 2010 OPB 8 2 nd Avenue. express his ap- documentary he ex- COURTESY OF preciation to volunteers who plained why he took such a MATT LOVE were cleaning up. McCall even hands-off approach in manag- consented to be part of an “om ing the festival: “I felt it was the circle.” lesser of evils.” “(Vortex I) couldn’t happen Love says he continues to be today,” says Love, “because we inspired by the willingness for don’t have politicians that both sides to listen and work think as unconventionally as together to come up with an Tom McCall did.” unconventional solution. Mc- Call, who was facing re-election Solving a problem that November, was rumored to A tent set up The year of Vortex I, the vio- have said he had committed po- along the lent confl ict in Southeast Asia litical suicide by allowing Vor- Clackamas River was beginning to be a violent tex I, but he did it anyway to was a sauna and confl ict at home. Just months forestall violence. gathering spot earlier, on May 4, 1970, National “Now how many people do for people during Guard troops shot and killed that?” Love says. “We don’t the concert. four unarmed people during a have people that just want to COURTESY OF protest at Kent State University solve problems in an unconven- MATT LOVE in Ohio. tional way.” The FBI had warned Ore- “To be able to tell the story of improve and develop it. gon’s governor that violent Telling the story the only state-sponsored rock Outreach Interpretive Natu- clashes in downtown Portland Though it remains an ob- COURTESY OF MATT LOVE concert is pretty remarkable,” ralist Lauren Sinclair has been were imminent with up to scure fact of Oregon history, Teepees and tents dotted Milo McIver State Park during the late- Rodrigue says. “For the govern- a key fi gure at the park helping 50,000 members of the loosely the effects of Vortex I are still August Vortex 1 rock concert event. ment to say, ‘This is what we to organize and promote the formed People’s Army Jambo- felt today.