30 years of bad art, Oregon’s biggest music festival, and a last-minute gift for an outdoorsy dad

Don’t miss the Museum Of Bad Art’s 30th anniversary celebration on June 24 when you can view more than 70 works of “art too bad to be ignored,” according to the museum’s tagline. The free event, 7-9 p.m. at Dorchester Brewing on Mass. Ave., includes a brief slideshow highlighting MOBA’s development over the past three decades. The museum first opened in the basement of a private West Roxbury home and featured an assortment of paintings and other items plucked from city sidewalks on garbage days or collected from thrift stores, yard sales, or private donors — works that missed the mark (they were sincerely intended to be good) yet were still deemed worthy by the museum’s founders. The collection now includes more than 900 pieces, roughly 70 of which are on display in MOBA’s current home at Dorchester Brewing. The anniversary event includes the formal unveiling of a recent acquisition, an award presentation, a book signing by the authors of “The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks,” and a Rejection Collection sale, where you can buy works that didn’t make the museum’s walls, each one accompanied by an official MOBA Certificate of Rejection and priced by the square foot. museumofbadart.org
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The Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Ore., happening July 4-7, features legendary artists such as Lucinda Williams and three-time Grammy winner Ben Harper, and a performance by blues guitarist Bombino (pictured here), the first-ever Grammy-nominated artist from Niger. Handout
THERE
Oregon’s biggest music festival
If you’re heading west for Independence Day, don’t miss the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Ore., a four-day event with legendary performers such as Lucinda Williams and three-time Grammy winner Ben Harper and trailblazing new artists. See more than 100 performances on four different stages in Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the Willamette River, July 4-7. Get your fix of blues, soul, Americana, funk, bluegrass, and R&B — and don’t miss the state’s largest fireworks display on July 4. Blues legend Bobby Rush teams up with five-time Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars as they pay homage to Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. Also see headliner St. Paul & the Broken Bones; Leyla McCalla, a bilingual instrumentalist whose performance is rooted in African-American string band traditions; the Lost Bayou Ramblers, which inject punk energy and psychedelic fuzz into Cajun music; and blues guitarist Bombino, the first-ever Grammy-nominated artist from Niger, who performs soulful melodies. The festival includes a marketplace with local food, artwork, and music memorabilia; The Playin’ Ground with kids activities; a dance floor; a daily Blues Cruise on the river with live music; and a chance to meet your favorite performers at the Music Millennium record booth. General admission starts at $50 per day, or choose a four-day pass starting at $150; kids 12 and under free; VIP passes available. waterfrontbluesfest.com
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The onX Backcountry app, which works with Android and iOs devices, offers detailed maps and information on US trails and backcountry terrain for those who love hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, climbing, and other wilderness activities. Handout
EVERYWHERE
Keep dad on track with this gift
Looking for a last-minute gift for an outdoorsy dad? Get him a subscription to onX Backcountry, an app with detailed maps and information on US trails and backcountry terrain for those who love hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, climbing, and other wilderness activities. The app, which lets you download maps and content for offline mode, offers detailed info on more than 70,500 miles of trails, 60,000 campgrounds and dispersed campsites, 300,000 climbing routes (for traditional, sport, ice, and mixed climbs, bouldering routes, and aid climbs spanning single and multi-pitch routes), 170,000 miles of mountain bike, gravel, and offroad e-bike trails, and 500,000 points of interest such as campgrounds, trailheads, and watch towers — all of which should keep dad pretty busy. Use the app to plan and create routes, check real-time weather and barometric forecasts, and track individual trips as they happen. New this summer, the app lets you select Hike/Backpack, Mountain Bike, or Climb modes, and then it presents relevant data based on the type of activity. For instance, under Mountain Bike mode, the user will get info on the direction of travel on each trail and whether or not e-bikes are allowed. The app now also includes curated lists of recommended hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking by local experts (typically trail organization staff, pro mountain bike coaches, or mountain guides) in popular outdoorsy communities in Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Arizona — a bonus if you (or dad) are planning to explore these areas this summer. A Premium subscription ($29.99 annually) includes the topo, satellite, and hybrid map layers; pinpoint weather; and full offline access to all map layers, data, route-building tools, and tracking. An Elite subscription ($99.99 per year) adds the private lands layer (owners’ names appear on each parcel of private property) and additional offline access (subscription gift cards also available). www.onxmaps.com/backcountry/app
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KARI BODNARCHUK
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Necee Regis can be reached at neceeregis@gmail.com.