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Photo of Vicki Bock (colloquially known as the Organ Grinder’s “Monkey Lady”) with two good friends.
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During each performer’s 45-50 minute set at the Organ Grinder, there were a few routine bits that were usually included, such as a silent movie, or a round of Happy Birthday. One well-known bit was to play “Tiny Bubbles” while running the bubble machines located high above the audience. Children (and some adults!) would run…
As part of the documentary project, Jonas Nordwall sat for an extended interview. Jonas is the Organist and Artistic Director of Music at First United Methodist Church, Portland, Oregon. He was also very well known as a performer at the Organ Grinder restaurants. At the end, he gave us a demonstration of the Mary L….
Employees and friends describe the generosity of Organ Grinder co-founder Paul Forchuk, while laughing about the difficulties receiving that generosity would sometimes entail. Featuring: Vicki Buck, Stan Cadwallader, and Jonas Nordwall, with photos of Russ Cornelison and Jim Nabors. Music: “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin, performed by David Lee at Organ Grinder Portland. Sign up…
Happy Valentine’s Day! High school sweethearts Brad and Debbie Avakian describe going out to the Organ Grinder in their teenage years, and then later recount a humorous interaction between their parents during one family outing to the restaurant. Brad and Debbie have been together 40 years, after dating over six years before getting married. In…
This week, we visited the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon to view the Will Martin archives. Will Martin was the architect who designed the unique Organ Grinder building. Will is most famous for designing Pioneer Courthouse Square in Downtown Portland. Among other items, we found this concept drawing of the Organ Grinder exterior, rendered…
Well, hello, little fella! Thanks to a tip from our Facebook group member, Jason Pittman (who also took the photo), we know that the original Organ Grinder sign’s monkey (which is likely about 8-10ft tall – not a little fella) still exists! We are not disclosing the exact location at this time, as we are…
