"Crush, the longest-running queer bar in East Portland, will close on New Year’s Eve with a final drag show, after more than 20 years serving the LGBTQ+ community craft cocktails and bar fare. John “Woody” Clarke opened Crush in 2001. The bar hosted near-nightly drag, burlesque, and stand-up comedy shows, and was named among Portland’s best bars throughout the 2010s. However, its reputation soured in March 2020 after a protest and subsequent labor disputes. Crush rebounded from pandemic-era hardships but announced its closure without an immediate cause." - Andrew Jankowski
