The 9 Weirdest And Strangest Things That Have Ever Happened In Portland

In case you haven't seen him, there is a Darth Vadar unicycling bagpiper around town that goes by the name of the Unipiper. Apparently, he is also a library member, which totally makes sense because we have a great library system!

Running for 5 years, first in Woodlawn Park and then Cathedral Park, this live action Star Trek play was a big hit for adults and kids alike. Like many great things, its run, from 2009 to 2013, ended and now the parks are a little lonelier without it.

Modeled after the real Iditarod, racers in teams of four are harnessed to a shopping cart and tear through the 4-mile course downtown. Stopping at breweries along the way, this is more of a costumed beer crawl than any actual race, as there are no winners or losers in the sport. Sadly, the tradition came to an end for undisclosed reasons, but it seems as though permitting was an issue in its demise.

While numbers have gone down slightly in recent years, this epic bike ride has drawn up to 10,000 riders and is a sight to be seen. Whether you ride yourself or simply run into the procession, this will probably be the largest crowd of naked people you will see.

Miniature horses are tied up all over town to horse ties that were originally used for the real thing. Called the Horse Project, these mini horses are meant to remind Portlanders of its past. Today, the horses can be seen accompanied by blankets, treats and hay left by residents.

Though closed in 2010, the memories of our museum dedicated to velvet paintings shines bright. However, if you still want to see velvet paintings, the new version of the museum is open in Los Angeles.

Yarn bombing became popular years ago, but is still going strong around town. Keep your eyes peeled and you may just see some colorful adornments around town.

Open from 1985 to 2013 in four different locations, the 24 Hour Church of Elvis is closed. Visitors could once view art, put coins in fortune telling machine, and even have a real or fake wedding. Though the name would suggest otherwise, the church was not open 24 hours a day.

Perhaps it's because we have more chickens in the metro area than other cities, but seeing a lost chicken poster doesn't even turn heads. Unless, of course, your chicken's name is Michael Jackson's Mom.