Entertainment report for week ending 3/10:

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  I have several childhood memories of daylight saving time. One would be standing in the dark, waiting for the school bus to show up. It was only slightly lighter when I got off the bus in the afternoon. Could daylight saving time have caused the cold weather, or was that just a coincidence? Another memory is getting all dressed up for Sunday school and arriving to find no one else there yet. I’ll blame my mother for that one.

History of daylight savings time

Daylight saving time is not new. The Romans used to rotate their sundials to the right a few degrees on a specific day in the spring. This practice fell out of favor for almost 2000 years. Ben Franklin, not necessarily advocating to change all the clocks, suggested people should go to bed earlier so they could get up in the morning and be productive. 

It took the heavy hand of the U.S. government to make the whole DST thing happen, and we’ve been arguing about it for 100 years. According to things that I have read on the internet, Oregon legislators either abolished DST or made it permanent in 2019. No more changing the clocks, except twice a year like what we’ve always done. Apparently, it’s a lot more complicated than just passing a state law- Congress has to tell us it’s OK.

So, to do my part in helping everyone conform to the time change, I will provide the following instruction: Before going to bed this Saturday, set your alarm for 2 am. When it goes off, wake up and reset your clock for 3 am and then go back to sleep, wondering about what happened to that hour.

Now, for the entertainment news:

Chris Baron will be returning to the 3 Legged Crane in uptown Oakridge this Friday, March 8. After this gig, he’ll be headed for California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah for a series of shows before returning to the Crane in late April. A talented singer-songwriter, Chris has 5 solo albums to his credit, as well as many collaborative efforts, both as a performer and producer. You can find out more at chrisbaronmusic.com. The show begins at 7 pm. The 3 Legged Crane has a wide variety of beers and ales, and there’s appetizers, sandwiches and dinners on the menu.

I’ll be onstage at the Dexter Lake Club this Friday, March 8, with guitar in hand. Some of the regular customers there, through their requests at previous shows, have helped to reshape my song list. Sifting and winnowing is how I would describe the process of coming up with the body of songs that I feel my listeners ought to hear. The Dexter Lake Club has a full bar, and the adjacent Rattlesnake BBQ features appetizers, sandwiches and dinners on the menu. You can find them in the hamlet of Dexter, just south of Highway 58 near milepost 12.

Go skiing and catch Ben in the lounge

Willamette Pass Resort continues to get more snow on a daily basis, providing prime skiing and snowboarding conditions. They’re open 7 days a week this year, and on weekends, they’ve been having live music in the bar. This weekend it will be me laying down the soundtrack both days, from noon until 3 pm. In addition to a full bar, Willamette Pass Resort has appetizers, sandwiches and pizza on the menu. They’re located by milepost 62 on Highway 58. Remember, alpine conditions exist up there, so please heed the ODOT mandates on tires and chains for your vehicle if you plan on making the trip.

Karaoke happens every Wednesday at the Loggers Den on Highway 58 in the west end of Oakridge. The Dexter Lake Club has karaoke night on Thursdays. On Friday nights, it’s going on at the Corner Bar in uptown Oakridge.

Many years ago, I had been told that daylight saving time was enacted to help with productivity on American farms. My neighbor, who had milk cows, told me, “It don’t matter what the clock says, the cows always know what time it is.”  Enjoy the extra hour that’s been extracted from your morning and re-gifted to you in the afternoon.