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Archives for July 2008

Obonfest 2008: Spam Musubi, Edamame, and Beer

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After Flugtag head to SE Portland to honor your ancestors; Oregon Buddhist Temple (3720 SE 34) is hosting Obonfest 2008 this Saturday, August 2nd from 4pm-9pm.

A smörgåsbord of food options await you, including, yakisoba, yakiniku/yakitori/Korean short ribs, chirashi sushi, spam musubi, corn on the cob, manju, shave ice, and berry dessert.

Enjoy your beer in the beer garden while you snack on edamame.

There will be Taiko dancing, a karate exhibition, a raffle, Obon dancing, and other activities.

Check out sights from last year’s Obon Fest at Around the Sun.

Flugtag returns to Waterfront Park

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Redbull FlugtagRedbull’s Flugtag (not to be confused with the Bognor Birdman) returns to Portland this Saturday, August 2nd.

In 2004 Portland hosted a Flugtag at Waterfront Park. I joined about fifty thousand other people getting sunburns, drinking beer, and watching the silly people wearing funny costumes launch their harebrained contraptions (and themselves) off the end of a 30 foot stage into the Willamette River.

Four years later, Flugtag is back. Again, Waterfront Park is the venue. The event is free, gates open at 11am, and the first “flight” is at 1pm. The “aviators” are judged on distance “flown”, creativity and showmanship. Our favorite Portland Trailblazer Blogger, Channing Frye, is one of the judges. And don’t worry about, there will be food and very drinkable beverages (i.e. beer) available, in addition to the undrinkable (i.e. Redbull).

Free watermelon Friday

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Update: There will be no 2009 Mayor’s Tailgate Party (aka Free Watermelon Friday). Commenter Carla called Pioneer Square and was told that due to the state of the economy, the folks from Hermiston won’t make it to Portland this year 🙁

WatermelonFarmers from Hermiston are on their way to Portland, for the 18th annual Mayor’s Tailgate Party. That’s just a fancy phrase for “free watermelon day” (and cantaloupes and potatoes too!). The event starts at noon Friday, August 1st at Pioneer Square.

[Former Mayor Frank] Harkenrider started the tradition in 1991, when he took his truck to Portland City Hall and gave away a load of watermelons himself.

“I had to do something to put Hermiston on the map,” he said.

Since then, the tradition has taken on a life of its own. When former Portland Mayor Vera Katz took office in 1993, she suggested the mayor’s tailgate party move downtown to Pioneer Courthouse Square.

On Hermiston’s end, the chamber of commerce, city council and more farmers got involved. While Harkenrider’s first pickup load of produce was watermelons, on Friday organizers will give away two other big Hermiston crops: cantaloupes and potatoes.

Get to Pioneer Square at 11:30 or so to get a good spot in line. Enjoy political speeches (boo!) and a watermelon seed spitting contest between Portland and Hermiston city officials (yea!). Hermiston City Councilor Jackie Meyers won last year, with a spit of 22 feet!

Oregon Brewers Festival 2008: What did I miss?

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For the first time in recorded history, I missed the brew fest.

If I’d gone I would have tried to get there early, like this guy. And left early, before the lines got so long that a obtaining a 3 ounce sample would be a 20 minute ordeal.

But this particular brew fest weekend I had to move house (from N. Mississippi to downtown – from a walkscore of 88 to 100!), so dealing with that stress did not put me in the right state of mind (moving sucks!) to deal with the stress of sneaking out of work early on Thursday or Friday to get some beer before the hoards.

I know I must have missed some great beers . . . can anyone clue me in? I will scour Portland’s beer bars to obtain my own 16 or 20 ounce sample, sans the 20 minute wait.