The Organ Grinder was a popular pizza restaurant that opened in 1973 in Southeast Portland. After a 23-year run, it closed down in 1996. The Columbia River Theatre Organ Society and Cleveland High School’s music students are holding two benefit concerts on Saturday, October 7 at 1pm & 4pm to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the restaurant’s opening. Jonas Nordwall, one of the first organists at the Organ Grinder recalls playing film scores and the hits of the day by Three Dog Night, the Carpenters & more. “It kept you on your toes because you had to learn new music, and there weren't digitized forms of music. You had to wait for the new tunes to be published. So you could buy them and learn them,” he said. The organ is a similar style to the one from the restaurant, but it’s not the original. It actually came from Benson High School after the school was remodeled. Concert tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Cleveland High School band and choir programs. Organ Grinder 50th Anniversary Concerts Tickets, Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/KGWNews8 Watch the latest KGW newscast: https://www.kgw.com/watch Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect