Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

As most of you know, our beloved film/tech/train/jazz/labyrinth/werewolf/volunteering-loving Renaissance man Paul Bingman passed away from cancer on April 3, 2011. A private memorial in his honor is planned for this Sunday, April 17, at the Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium. All are welcome (There will be chocolate! And a labyrinth!) but you must RSVP because there is a capacity cap. You can do that here: http://friendsofpaulbingman.eventbrite.com/

What you might not know is that the organization planning the memorial--they appropriately call themselves Friend’s of Paul Bingman--is raising funds to cover the expenses related to the memorial. They are also raising money to donate to two of his favorite organizations in his name: The Northwest Film Center and The Trinity Labyrinth Guild. You can donate money via this website: http://paulbingman.chipin.com/memorial-event-for-paul-bingman

Because Paul’s interests were so varied and vast (and so are the friends he made) the Friend’s of Paul Bingman group is asking all of us help spread the word about his memorial. Not all of the lives he touched are Internet savvy, so they might not know about the memorial. They might not even know that Paul has passed. So, if you’re part of a group that Paul had been involved with, we ask that you share the news of his death and invite anyone who may have experienced his bear hugs and kindness to RSVP and attend the memorial.

This Friday’s Beer and Blog meetup is dedicated to the memory of our dedicated friendly soul Paul, the man everyone loved so much. We’ll be accepting donations to turn over to the Friend’s of Paul Bingman group. And we’ll be sharing stories about the giant with the giant heart. We hope to see you there. I know Paul will be, in spirit.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Beer and Blog is on a roll with top-notch sponsors this year! We’re thrilled to announce that our latest high-profile sponsor is, drumroll please… Groupon! Yes, in addition to giving you steep discounts at cool local businesses, the daily deals giant wants to buy you a beer. And it all happens this Friday, June 24.

Former Beer and Blog captain Kerry Finsand will represent on behalf of Groupon Portland, so make sure to say hi and congratulate him on his new marketing role (where he gets to do this kind of thing all the time, maybe even at a future Beer and Blog? Hint, hint…). In addition to providing beer for all attendees, one very lucky person will win a $100 Groupon gift certificate! You must be present to win.

As always, your free pint or beverage of choice is first come first served. We’ll see you this Friday from 4-6pm at the Green Dragon!

Inviting IndieWebCamp.com folks to come along as well for a pre-weekend meet and greet.

(and if you're an indie web builder/sharer, check out and sign-up for IndieWebCamp this weekend June 25-26)