Elayna Yussen, Author at Portland Mercury

Photo Essay: Krampuslauf in Portland

Demonic goats, witches, and winter spirits gathered in Sewallcrest Park before treating SE Hawthorne to a holiday sight.

Elayna YussenDecember 8, 2025 11:30 amDecember 25, 2025 4:37 pm

Friday was a beautiful night for a Krampuslauf or “Krampus run,” a holiday activity that draws from Alpine folklore where mischief-makers dress up like horned creatures and caper together through their town. The Portland version of this—a little more costume-forward and kid-friendly—has been meeting up and merrily marching on or around Krampusnacht since 2010. Despite […]

Photo Essay

Portland’s Emergency Naked Bike Ride in Photos

Hundreds held a die-in on the Burnside Bridge before continuing to the ICE facility in South Portland.

Elayna Yussen and Suzette SmithOctober 13, 2025 11:00 amNovember 17, 2025 8:06 pm

Elayna Yussen and Suzette Smith

Photo

Log Lady Look-Alike Contest Photos: She’s Got the Look (and the Log)

From solemn stares to statement specs, contestants channeled Twin Peaks’ quirkiest oracle.

Elayna YussenMay 19, 2025 6:03 amNovember 17, 2025 8:05 pm

On Saturday, Twin Peaks fans donned flannel and clutched timber in tribute to the show’s mysterious Log Lady. Photographer Elayna Yussen captured the lewks.

Culture

Happy Halloween, You Surf Witches!

Photo Essay: Hundreds of witches, paddling the Willamette River on stand-up paddleboards

Elayna YussenOctober 31, 2022 11:00 amNovember 17, 2025 8:06 pm

On Saturday, hundreds of costumed witches and warlocks traded their broomsticks for paddles and took to the Willamette River for the fifth annual Portland Stand-Up Paddleboard Witches on the Willamette. They amassed in South Portland’s Willamette Park, securing skeletons, spiders, and other spooky stuff to the front of their stand-up paddleboards (SUP). Then, at the […]

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