I wish you and yours a fabulous Festivus.
Today, Friday December 23rd 2011, is Festivus, the Holiday for the Rest of Us. Gather around the Festivus Pole, air your grievances, and be sure to limber up before the feats of strength – you don’t want to pull a muscle.
Dave Knows has made a charitable donation in your name to The Human Fund.
Spending time with the family around the holidays can be nice, but sometimes you just have to get out of the house. Let me suggest some Holiday activities . . .
Christmas Day
Things To Do in Portland on Christmas Day: My annual post listing the bars, restaurants, stores, and other businesses open on Christmas Day.
All Weekend Including Christmas Day!
Peacock Lane officially lights up for the 2011 holiday season on December 15 at 6pm.
Peacock Lane is a narrow residential street one block east of Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard (née 39th Ave) between SE Stark and Belmont. Since the 1920s the residents of this stretch of mostly Tudor style houses have gone a little crazy with the Christmas lights [more]
Winter Wonderland Light Show at PIR 2011
The 19th annual Jubitz Winter Wonderland, the Largest Holiday Light Show West of the Mississippi, takes place through December 25 at the Portland International Raceway (1940 N. Victory Blvd).
“Since 1993, a journey through Winter Wonderland has become a Holiday tradition for many families, friends, and social organizations to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season.” [more]
Friday Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
The 2011 ZooLights ignite for the first time on Friday, November 25. The sparkling lights and brilliant hues will be cast each evening (except Christmas Eve and Day) through January 1, 2012.
“More than a million lights transform the Oregon Zoo into a luminous winter wonderland filled with moving sculptures, forests of lighted trees and animal silhouettes.” [more]
Pittock Mansion Holiday Season 2011
Friday-Saturday Closed Christmas Day
Once again Portland’s historic Pittock Mansion is going all out for the holiday season. This year, from November 21 through January 2, the theme is Christmas Around The World.
“Every year, starting more than 40 years ago, dozens of volunteer decorators, designers, and local organizations donate their time and talents to transform Pittock Mansion into a Christmas wonderland for approximately 17,000 delighted visitors during the holiday season.” [more]
And for even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, PDX Pipeline, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.
Multnomah County, Oregon’s thirteenth, was created from parts of Washington and Clackamas Counties on December 22, 1854.
Multnomah County was created when the people living in Portland found it difficult to travel to Hillsboro to conduct business at the county seat of Washington County. They also thought that they were paying too much in taxes to support the farmers in the rural areas surrounding Portland. In 1854, Portland businessmen petitioned the Territorial Legislature for a new county and Multnomah County was created at the subsequent session. The county was named after the Multnomah Indians who were part of the Chinookan tribe that lived on the eastern tip of what is now Sauvie Island in the Columbia River. The City of Portland was chartered in 1851 and made the county seat in 1854. The Multnomah County Commissioners met for the first time on January 17, 1855.
Multnomah County is Oregon’s smallest and most populous county.
Portland’s Ross Island Bridge, the only cantilever deck truss bridge in Oregon, opened on December 21, 1926 (Morning Oregonian, 22 December 1926).
Completion of the $2,000,000 Ross Island bridge, latest to span the Willamette river, and one of the most outstanding examples of the cantilever type to be constructed in America, was acknowledged formally yesterday in a fitting dedicatory ceremony.
From the time the vanguard of a parade, which had formed near Portland’s center, appeared over the crest of the bridge, until little Miss Rosina Corbett deftly broke a bottle of Bull Run water against one of the approach pillars, at once christening the bridge and announcing the close of the ceremony, the throng that covered the east approach of the bridge for fully a block attended earnestly the proceeding.
The Ross Island Bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, who also worked on the Burnside and Sellwood bridges. Over 3,700 feet long, the bridge’s 1,819 foot long truss includes a 535 foot main span and 29 approach spans.
The first annual Winter Solstice Sundown Artisan Fair, presented by Schmidt’s, takes place this Thursday, December 22, 2011 at the Eagles Lodge (4904 SE Hawthorne) from 4pm to 8pm.
Showcasing 50 of our community’s favorite local artisans offering a variety of goods including reinvented cigar boxes, silk screened underwear, reclaimed wood kitchen accessories, hand-dripped & recycled crayons, altered & upcycled clothing & accessories, locally made body care products, fused glass wind chimes & dishes, needle felted dolls, handmade greeting cards, locally made sipping vinegars & hot sauce, paintings, photo prints, totes & hand bags, wire copper & polymer clay sculptures, snap around skirts, unique hats, picture frames, an amazing selection of jewelry ranging from hand-dyed braided wool necklaces to wire-wrapped gemstones, and MORE!
There will also be a full bar, food, and and live music by Mojave Bird, Like a Villain, Years and Years, and the Space Waves.
Visit the event website for more information, including a full list of vendors.
