It’s not the busiest weekend of the summer, but it’s pretty close:

Thursday-Sunday

Really, the weekend begins Thursday, when the Oregon Brewers Festival kicks off at 11am with the Brewers Festival Opening Parade. Here are my tips on getting the most out of brewfest (from a previous post):

If you prefer drinking beer to standing in lines in ridiculously hot weather, get there early in the day. Taps open at noon so you should start drinking at noon. Arrive at least before 5pm on Thursday or Friday. If you can’t get to the festival by early afternoon on Saturday or Sunday I wouldn’t bother; a few blocks away at the Yamhill Pub the Pabst is only $1 all day Sunday!

Then at 7pm the Timbers take on the Atlanta Silverbacks at PGE Park on another Thirsty Thursday. Portland beat league points-leader Daniel Antoniuk (a former Timber) and the solid Atlanta Silverbacks (7-7-4) 1-0 in Atlanta Saturday. Thursday the Silverbacks will be wanting revenge. Last week’s Thursday match against Vancouver brought in 7,123 fans; expect another good crowd this week.

Saturday

Head on out to close-in SE to enjoy walking in the street at the Division/Clinton Street Fair (hat tip to Lesley for bringing this event to my attention). I’ve not been to this one before, but I’m pretty sure there will be beer and I’m pretty sure I’ll be there.

And then a bunch of Brits (actually looks like most of them are Irish or Scottish) battle the Timbers at PGE Park at 7pm. Make sure to check out the Soccer City USA Message Board to learn all the latest songs, chants, and insults.

Related posts:

1. July 23-26: Brewers Festival, Division-Clinton Street fair, Parades, and the Timbers
2. Dizzy Dan held scoreless by stingy Timbers
3. Thursday’s beery events: a parade, a brewfest, a Timbers game
4. September 19-20: Alberta Street Fair, Biketoberfest, Pirate Fest, and Beer with your Art
5. The big one is less than two weeks away