McMinnville After Hours: Community Events for the Cultural Connoisseur

Spring is springing! That means it’s time to come out of our dark hidey-holes to take advantage of our longer daylight hours and engage with some community events.

McMinnville has no shortage of evening events, offering a little something for everyone: open mic nights, game nights, literary events, and more. So grab your calendar and plan your after work excursions for the next few months.

McMinnville Trivia Nights

A large building with many tables, all of them full of people eating, drinking, and talking. — *Sign up in advance for Mac Market’s trivia night. It often fills up! Photo courtesy of Mac Market.*

Pick a bar, any bar, and you’re bound to find a regular trivia night taking place. Here are just a few. A couple options for Trivia Tuesdays are the first Tuesday of the month from 6:00-8:00 pm at Mac Market (1140 NE Alpine Ave.) and every Tuesday at The Oak (326 NE Davis St) starting at 6:30 pm.

Take advantage of the beer specials at ForeLand Beer’s (777 Northeast 4th St.) Barrel Room Trivia on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month, 5:30-8:00pm – special prizes for winning teams! Chris James Cellars (645 NE 3rd St) also hosts Trivia Night on the first Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8:30pm.

The McMinnville Music Scene

4 members of a band play music in a room with a low ceiling. There are barrels behind them. — *Local band, Interstate-5 jam out in the barrel room at ForeLand Beer. Photo by Ryan Hales.*

Willamette Valley Vineyards (300 NE 3rd St.) has live music every Friday, 5:00-7:00 pm. Check the schedule on their website for an up-to-date roster. Though not regular yet, ForeLand Beer also hosts music in their Barrel Room. They’ll host events outside once weather permits.

HiFi Wine Bar (711 NE 3rd St) features a rotating line-up of live DJs on Fridays, 6:00-10:00 pm, playing classic and new vinyl selections for your listening pleasure. For live country western music and dancing, head to McMinnville Grange Hall (1700 SW Old Sheridan Rd) on Fridays, 7:30-10:30 pm.

Open Mic Nights & Karaoke

A man with a long white beard sits and plays his guitar. He sings into a microphone. — *Underground Open Mic Night with Freddie Lamb at McMenamins Hotel Oregon. Photo by James Howe.*

Get your karaoke fix at The Oak (326 NE Davis St) on Mondays starting at 8:00 pm or Thursdays starting at 8:30 pm. McMenamins Hotel Oregon (310 NE Evans St) features Underground Open Mic with Freddie Lamb, weekly on Thursdays at 7pm in Mattie’s Room.

Got jokes? Hit up The Cabana Club’s (425 NE Third St) Comedy Night Open Mic, Thursdays 7:00-9:00 pm.

McMinnville Game Nights

6 people focus on a board game that they are playing. They are drinking beer and some of them have food. — *The Nerds of McMinnville descend on Two Dogs Taphouse. Photo courtesy of Nerds of McMinnville.*

Gamers, take note. There are plenty of board and card game opportunities in town. Chris James Cellars (645 NE 3rd St) offers $3 off glass pours and 15% off bottles during BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) Friday game nights, 5:00-8:00pm.

Nerds of McMinnville hosts a Thursday night game night at Two Dogs Taphouse (401 NE Evans St.), 5:30-8:30pm. The McMinnville Chess Club meets at Mac Market 5:30-8:30 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays and at Velvet Monkey Tea Shop on 1st & 3rd Saturdays, 2-4p.m..

Other After Hours Events & Activities

A woman stands in front of a table where she's sampling Ghia products. Behind her are fridges full of groceries.

For the literary-minded, McMinnville offers two recurring events. The McMinnville Public Library (225 NW Adams Street) hosts the Social Awareness Book and Movie Discussion Group on the fourth Tuesday of the month starting at 7:00 pm.

You can also head to Bierly Brewing (624 NE Third St) on the last Friday of the month, 6:00-7:00 pm for Books & Bites. Co-hosted with Third Street Books, this free monthly event features a different Oregon author sharing their work, answering reader’s questions, and signing books.

Visit Wellspent Market (1140 NE Alpine Ave) every Tuesday from 4:00-6:00 pm for Tasty Tuesdays to sample worldly food and drinks.

Erin Hall is a writing instructor, small business marketing coach, and author of personal essays, short stories, and historical fiction. She lives and writes in Oregon Wine Country.