Dave Knows Portland

Portland Labor Day Weekend Amusements 2016

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A nice long weekend of Art in the Pearl, Romanian Festival, Swift Watch, Portland Film Festival – and Labor Day Picnics!

Saturday and Sunday

Romanian Folk and Food Festival 2016Romanian Folk and Food Festival

ROMANIAN COMMUNITY CELEBRATES ITS HERITAGE AND CULTURE IN ITS GENUINE WAY

BBQ, traditional foods, pastries, beer, wine, live music, dance, kids activities, and much more!

The fest takes place at Saint Marys Romanian Orthodox Church (135th and SE Stark)

Saturday-Monday

Art in the PearlArt In The Pearl

Art In The Pearl® is a wonderful community event. Over one hundred artists show and sell work ranging from fine wooden furniture to beautiful paintings to photography, glass, clay, metal, jewelry, and much more! Our 19th Annual Festival will take place September 3-5th, 2016.

Monday

Union Yes2015 Labor Day Picnics

The region’s largest Labor Day picnic takes place at Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast Portland, sponsored by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Members and their families from dozens of unions – up to 20,000 people – turn out for barbecue, games, carnival rides, raffle drawings, music, and a chance to hear from local politicians.

Ongoing

Swirling SwiftsChapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2016

Every year in late August, one of Portland’s most spectacular natural events begins: Thousands of Vaux’s Swifts gather in the city as they prepare to migrate to Central America and Venezuela. Migrating swifts often use chimneys as roosts (places to sleep), and they are likely to return to the same roost year after year. One population has been returning to Chapman since the 1980s, and it is one of the largest known roosting sites of migrating Vaux’s Swifts.

Portland Film FestivalPortland Film Festival 2016

The festival focuses on the people, ideas, technology, skills and artistry behind filmmaking and provides both entertaining and educational opportunities to the public. The festival is anchored with outdoor screenings, offering its filmmakers one of the largest audiences available on the West Coast.

The festival is spread across seven theater and education venues including some of the oldest historic theaters in Oregon

Ongoing – in the Parks

Movies in the ParkMovies in the Park

  • Fri, September 2 – Director Park (815 SW Park Avenue) – To Catch A Thief
  • Sunday, September 4 – Overlook Park (1599 N Fremont St) – The Wizard of Oz

Portland Weekend Amusements (26-28 August 2016)

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Summer ain’t over yet! The Organic Beer Fest, Festa Italiana, Hawthorne’s annual street fair – and more!

Thursday-Saturday

Festa Italiana 2016Festa Italiana

This is our 25th Festa Italiana Portland so we are going to celebrate it in a special way! The event takes place in "Portland's Piazza" Pioneer Courthouse Square. We will have Italian Music, Wine/Beer Gardens, Vendors, Dancing and plenty of Italian Food . A great celebration of Italian American culture in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Come join the fun at this family friendly event August 25-27th. Right on the Max Train line. The event is Free admission.

Thursday-Sunday

Organic Beer FestOrganic Beer Fest

Two of Portland’s beloved industries – organic beer and sustainability – come together in an annual celebration designed to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living. We’re serving up more than 50 organic beers, ciders and mead along with live music, food, sustainability-oriented vendors, non-profits and a children’s area, all in a beautiful park setting.

Drink Organic, Save the Planet – One Beer at a Time!

Saturday

Jade International Night MarketJade International Night Market

The Jade International Night Market takes place every year and provides a unique cultural event that reflects the diversity of the Jade District communities. We envision an event that supports and roots the Jade District community in place, while providing an opportunity for community members and businesses to benefit economically from the event.

Sunday

Hawthorne Street FairHawthorne Street Fair

Come visit Portland’s original “shop local” district on Sunday, August 28th between 11am and 7pm and explore over a hundred businesses dedicated to community involvement, making the area a desirable place to live, work, and shop.

Some of the highlights include:

  • Main Music Stage at 34th Avenue
  • Kids Activities at Kids At Heart (35th Ave)
  • Muse Art Activities
  • Beer gardens at Bazi Bierbrasserie (32nd Ave) and Hawthorne Hophouse (41st and Hawthorne)
  • Vendors along the street between 31st and 38th Avenues

Ongoing – in the Parks

Movies in the ParkMovies in the Park

  • Fri, August 26 – Mt Scott Park (SE 74th & Reedway St ) – Cinderalla (2015)
  • Fri, August 26 – Hamilton Park (SW 45th & Hamilton St) – Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Sat, August 27 – Laurelhurst Park (SE Cesar E Chavez & Stark St) – Star Wars – The Force Awakens

Concerts in the Park

  • Sunday, Aug 28 – Laurelhurst Park – Providence Stage Band

Portland Weekend Amusements (19-21 August 2016)

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Super hot weekend for the first Oregon Walkways, the 19th annual PDX Adult Soap Box Derby, the Jade International Market, Sunday Parkways, Shakespeare, movies, and concerts in parks – and more!

Saturday

Oregon WalkwaysOregon Walkways

Join Better Block PDX and Oregon Walks for the first ever Oregon Walkways: a celebration of public space along the historic Portland Park Blocks – north and south of Burnside. Kick-off walk from SW Ankeny & Broadway (Ankeny Square by Bailey’s Tap Room) to the International Open Street Summit at PSU at 11am on Saturday. Open to all ages and abilities.

PDX Soap Box DerbyPDX Adult Soap Box Derby

CAMARADERIE, COMPETITION, AND COMMUNITY

Portland’s PDX Adult Soap Box Derby is a 100 + volunteer-fueled grass roots community event traditionally held the third Saturday in the month of August.

Once a year a brave group of racers convene on the daunting slopes of Mt. Tabor to test their metal to their mettle. These pages are dedicated to all those who have spilled their blood, or even worse, spilled their BEER. We thank the community and our beloved volcano for allowing us to tickle her spine.

“FLEXING PORTLAND’S CREATIVE MUSCLE SINCE 1997”

Jade International Night MarketJade International Night Market

The Jade International Night Market takes place every year and provides a unique cultural event that reflects the diversity of the Jade District communities. We envision an event that supports and roots the Jade District community in place, while providing an opportunity for community members and businesses to benefit economically from the event.

Sunday

Sunday ParkwaysSunday Parkways – Southeast

City 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.

Ongoing – in the Parks

Movies in the ParkMovies in the Park

  • Fri, August 19 – Floyd Light Middle School (10800 SE Washington St) – Toy Story 3
  • Sat, August 20 – Sewallcrest Park (SE 31st & Market St) – Best in Show

Flicks on the Bricks – and Pioneer Courthouse Square

  • Fri, August 19 – The Sandlot (PG) with pre-movie entertainment by Kathy Boyd & Phoenix Rising

Original Practice Shakespeare FestivalOriginal Practice Shakespeare Festival

OPS Fest brings a new style of Shakespearean performance to the Portland area by reviving the old.

This weekend’s performances at Gabriel Park (SW 45th Ave & Vermont Street):

  • Twelfe Night – All Male Cast – Sat. Aug. 20 @ 2PM
  • Richard III – All Female Cast – Sat. Aug. 20 @ 7PM

Stumptown Stories Presents: Lost Treasures of Oregon (16 August 2016)

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Stumptown Stories presents Lost Treasures of Oregon on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder).

JB Fisher (co-author of Portland on the Take) will spin talks of the Neahkahine Mountain treasure, lost Spanish gold that many have searched for, but none have found.

Joe Streckert (host of Interesting Times) will lead a (stationary) search for a time capsule laid by Theodore Roosevelt that was supposed to be opened in 2003, but has never been found.

Stumptown Stories, batshit crazy stories from the murkiest, weirdest, and nuttiest corners of Portland history, takes place the second Tuesday of every month [except we’re doing the 3rd Tuesday this month] at the Jack London.

Admission is free. Doors open at 7:00 PM, 21 and over only.