BAKER CITY — Whit Deschner and Keith Taylor are again pairing up for an evening of piano music and poetry at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn Ave.

The event is Friday, April 18, starting at 4:30 p.m.

Admission is free, although donations will support Parkinson’s disease research at Oregon Health & Science University.

“We’re trying to do our little bit,” Deschner said.

And he’s done just that since 2007, when he hatched the idea to auction salt blocks licked into unique sculptures. In total, the auction has raised $239,000 for OHSU.

Deschner was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2000. Taylor was recently diagnosed.

The evening will feature the duo performing both separately and together.

Deschner

Deschner has published several books, including “Travels with a Kayak,” which tells the story of his country-by-country kayaking tour in New Zealand, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, the Everglades and the Grand Canyon. He’s also penned books about fishing in Alaska, as well as poetry collections.

In January, he presented at the FisherPoets Gathering in Astoria.

In addition to the auctions, Deschner helped get a giant salt lick bronze sculpture funded and installed at Court Plaza in downtown Baker City.

Taylor

Taylor started playing piano at age 3. These days, you can find him every Friday night playing an hour of ragtime piano tunes at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn Ave.

He’s been a mainstay in the local music scene for years, starting at Mad Matilda’s when it was located on Main Street. Then he changed to Crossroads.

“We rolled the piano down here,” he said.

Taylor plays ragtime, which was a popular style from about 1895 to 1919.

“Then it started morphing into jazz,” he said.

For his weekly concerts, Taylor welcomes both those who like to listen and those who like to play.