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Portland Weekend Amusements (13-15 May 2016)

May 12, 2016 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Street Fair season has arrived, just as the rainy weather returns. Of course. Belgian beer and a Timbers match too though, so it’s going to be a lovely weekend all around.

Friday-Saturday

Cheers to Belgian Beers

Cheers to Belgian Beers 2016Cheers to Belgian Beers is back for its 10th year in 2016. The Belgian-style Beer Festival will feature a single yeast strain, with which brewers will brew a unique Belgian Style beer. This year the yeast strain is 58 Lioness. In order to demonstrate the diversity the yeast strain, as well as show off the creativity of Oregon Craft Brewers, the color and strength of each brewer’s beer is determined by a dart throw. When Portland’s Cheers to Belgian Beers started in 2007, it was to help introduce Oregonians to the breadth of style and flavors of beers brewed in Belgium. The 2015 Cheers to Belgian Beers featured 60 beers from 57 brewing companies.

Saturday

Portland Train Day 2016Portland National Train Day 2016

Trains, trains, trains! What better way to celebrate Portland Train Day than at Oregon Rail Heritage Center – the only working rail museum in Portland? Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation is resurrecting Portland’s celebration of trains with the first annual Portland Train Day. ORHF’s Portland Train Day joins Train Days across the country in commemorating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad with the pounding of the ‘Golden Spike’ at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869.

St. Johns Bizarre

St Johns Bizarre 2016The St Johns Bizarre is a uniquely-crafted celebration that kicks off the summer street fair season in Portland. Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the Bizarre brings music, crafts, and food to the crowds attending the St Johns Parade, now in its 54th year. After the parade, the entire six block area of the business district in the St. Johns is closed to traffic, and filled with over 70 juried craft vendors, several stages for music, great food, and tons of games and activities. It’s an amazing community event with something for everyone. The event is free.

Sunday

Sunday Parkways – East

Sunday ParkwaysCity of Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente promotes healthy active living through a series of free events opening the city’s largest public space – its streets – to walk, bike, roll, and discover active transportation while fostering civic pride, stimulating economic development, and represents the community, business, and government investments in Portland’s vitality, livability, and diversity.

Kenton Street Fair

Kenton Street Fair 2016The 7th annual Kenton Street Fair, an annual celebration of diverse and engaged communities aimed at promoting local growth and a sustainable future for Historic Kenton, takes place Sunday, 15 May 2016 in the Kenton Business District on North Denver Avenue (between N. Willis & N. Watts).

The festivities include live music performances on multiple stages, a children’s parade and other activities for the kids, vendors galore, and a whole bunch of people dressed as Paul Bunyon!

Portland Timbers vs. NYC FC

Timbers LogoNew York City Football Club visit Providence Park on Sunday, 15 May 2016 to face the Portland Timbers.

The Timbers aim to regain form after two consecutive losses on the road. NYC FC, winners of their last two matches, hopes to continue their recent strong form against Portland.

The match begins at 4:30 PM.

Filmed by Bike 2016

May 3, 2016 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Filmed by Bike

The 14th annual Filmed by Bike film festival takes place this weekend, May 6-8, 2016, at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd).


Filmed by Bike features the world’s best bike movies.

Every May we host a gigantic film festival in our hometown of Portland, Oregon at the historic Hollywood Theatre. We award the best movies and curate inspiring bike movies collections.

Over the course of a busy weekend, we host a Street Party, filmmaker Q+A sessions, dance parties, Brewery Tour Bike Rides with the Filmmakers, workshops and awards ceremonies.

The festival kicks off Friday evening with a Street Party and the first films. Come back Saturday for more films and an award ceremony, and wrap things up on Sunday with more films, a brewery bike tour, and more. Visit the website for more details, and ticket options.

Portland Weekend Amusements (4-6 March 2016)

March 3, 2016 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

In another sign of spring, Saturday Market opens this weekend. Your MLS-champ Timbers kick off the 2016 season, and Barleywines and SE Portland art round out a solid weekend.

Friday-Saturday

19th Annual Lucky Lab Barleywine Festival

Lucky LabVisit The New School for the Beer List for the Lucky Labrador Barleywine Festival.

Come join us for the big, crazy beers at this year’s Barleywine Festival at the Quimby Beer Hall on Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th, noon to 10 p.m. both days. An event glass and four tokens are just $15 and extra tickets are $2 each for a four ounce pour. We have over 50 different beers. We will have about 25 on tap at any one time so you might want to make this a two day event.

Saturday

Portland Saturday Market – opening day 2016

Portland Saturday MarketOn March 5th, PSM opens once again to showcase Oregon’s best handmade products for our 43rd year.

PSM will feature:

  • Instagram Contest “Why I love handmade” Post pictures of products purchased from PSM. Win a $25 gift card. Stay connected socially with #handmade happiness
  • Five give-a-ways of $25 gift cards per day
  • Main Stage entertainment is serving up local music with the likes of The Talbott Brother and Cardboard Songsters
  • Kids’ Korner featuring Amazama Circus Arts Team will teach kids to juggle, balance things and much more
  • Flamebuoyant’s Circus entertainers will meander Saturday with their stilt walkers, jugglers and musicians.
  • 21 Food Carts featuring original recipes of local favorites like Angelina’s Greek Cuizina -chicken gyro, Jalisco’s vegetarian burrito and Tim’s Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce.
  • 250+ talented artisans selling their original handcrafted wares.
  • PSM is a FREE event and open to all ages. Come discover the best of PDX in one place.

Saturday-Sunday

SE Area ARTWalk

SE Area ArtWalkNearly 70 artists will provide a blaze of colors, shapes, textures, and visual stimuli in SE Portland neighborhoods for the annual SE Area ARTWalk on Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of March. The ARTWalk map area includes the boundaries of SE 9th Ave to SE 41st and SE Powell to SE Hawthorne Blvd. Artists show in their own creative space or are hosted by local residents and businesses allowing you to visit indoor locations on the free, self-guided tour. The SE Area ARTWalk is a community-building event that has strengthened the connection between businesses, artists, and neighbors.

Sunday

Portland Timbers’ 2015 MLS Cup Championship Celebration and home opener against Columbus Crew SC

Portland TimbersThe Portland Timbers host the Columbus Crew at Providence Park on Sunday, 6 March 2016 in the 2016 league opener for both teams, at 1:30 PM.

Oh yeah, and we’ll be celebrating winning the 2015 MLS Cup!

The celebration will include:

  • The official 2015 MLS Cup Championship banner unveiling, with the help of Timber Jim and Timber Joey
  • A commemorative MLS Cup Championship pennant giveaway for the first 7,500 supporters into Providence Park
  • MLS Cup trophy display and photo opportunity at the matchv
  • A large-scale banner and flag display on the Providence Park pitch pre-game
  • As is tradition, the Timbers Army will sing the national anthem

Portland Weekend Amusements (18-20 September 2015)

September 17, 2015 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Oktoberfest season – the best season of the year in my book – is in full swing. This weekend get your bier at Stammtisch and Kennedy School, and don’t miss the Polish Festival either!

Friday – Sunday

Stammtisch Oktoberfest

Stammtisch Oktoberfest 2015Portland German restaurant Stammtisch (401 NE 28th Ave) knows how to throw a party: A three day Oktoberfest block party (18 Friday through 20 Sunday 2015).

“Bust out your lederhosen and dirndls for what is always the best party of the year!”

Saturday-Sunday

Portland Polish Festival

Portland Polish FestivalThe 22nd annual Portland Polish Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, 19-20 September 2015, between the Polish Hall (3832 N. Interstate Avenue) and the St. Stanislaus Church (3916 N. Interstate Avenue) on N. Interstate – right at the west end of the famous Failing Street pedestrian bridge.

My favorite Portland festival features non-stop music and dance performances, polka contests, and the can’t-miss Saturday night street dance featuring Chervona! Enjoy Polish food like pierogies, kielbasa, gołąbki (cabbage rolls), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), and other delectable options – and of course delicious Polish beer! In the vendor village, check out the jewelry, clothing, Polish pottery, and sundries for sale.

Sunday

Kennedy School Oktoberfest

McMenaminsWhen you imagine Oktoberfest, what comes to mind? Beer, live music, more beer, bratwurst and hamburgers, and more—exactly how McMenamins pictures it.

One and all are welcome to participate! Begun as a wedding party for Germany’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810, today Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world with music, singing, dancing, beer, food and revelry, so join in our fun. Get the cool event stamp for your Passport, too.

Ongoing

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2015

Swirling SwiftsIn September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts coalesce into a giant undulating swirl in Northwest Portland near Chapman School after spending the day eating bug. Around sunset the swirl gets more compact, like a ground pepper tornado, and begins disappearing, measure by measure, down the school’s huge old chimney. On the lawn below hundreds of mesmerized and picnic-sated Portlanders stare into the sky from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets while their oblivious children roll down the grassy hill screaming. Cheers erupt from the crowd when the slippery swifts dodge the opportunistic Peregrine falcons, boos when the predators get lucky.

Portland Polish Festival (19-20 September 2015)

September 15, 2015 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Portland Polish FestivalThe 22nd annual Portland Polish Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, 19-20 September 2015, between the Polish Hall (3832 N. Interstate Avenue) and the St. Stanislaus Church (3916 N. Interstate Avenue) on N. Interstate – right at the west end of the famous Failing Street pedestrian bridge.

My favorite Portland festival features non-stop music and dance performances, polka contests, and the can’t-miss Saturday night street dance featuring Chervona! Enjoy Polish food like pierogies, kielbasa, gołąbki (cabbage rolls), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), and other delectable options – and of course delicious Polish beer! In the vendor village, check out the jewelry, clothing, Polish pottery, and sundries for sale.

There’s hardly any parking and you’re going to get sloshed on that strong Polish beer, so transit it is: Take the 4 – Fessenden to Mississippi and Failing and then take the Failing Street Pedestrian Bridge across the freeway and you are there. Or take the Yellow Line MAX to the Overlook Stop – Failing street is two blocks north up Interstate. Check out the festival website for all the details.

Heather and I blogged the festival a few years back:

Mile73.com

  • Pierogi ruskie, Gołąbki, and My Favorite: Placki Ziemniaczane (2008)
  • A Night At The Polish Fest (2009)

Dave Knows

  • Polish Festival: No longer the best kept secret in Portland, Oregon (2008)
  • Polish Festival 2009
  • Portland Polish Festival 2010

Protip: arrive Saturday evening after sunset to avoid the bulk of the crowd, and the ridiculously long lines. (Read more tips here!)

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