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Portland Weekend Amusements (2-4 October 2015)

October 1, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

Holy crap there’s lots of stuff to do this weekend: H.P. Lovecraft and the Portland Queer film festivals, Greek Festival, BikePortland’s birthday bash, Fresh Hops, cheese, and more!

All Weekend

Portland Greek Festival

Greek Festival 2015After six decades, The Greek Festival has become one of the largest festivals of its kind, sharing our Greek Orthodox faith and rich culture with over 15,000 guests annually. The festival is an iconic event in the Portland Metropolitan area and has been designated as an Oregon Heritage Tradition by the Oregon Heritage Commission. Each year a portion of proceeds from the festival go toward worthy philanthropic endeavors in the greater Portland community.

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival

"H. P. Lovecraft, June 1934" by Lucius B. TruesdellThe 20th annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival returns to Northeast Portland’s Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy) from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, 2015.

This festival of cosmic horror and unnameable fear features author readings, filmmaker discussions, a raffle, and of course lots of films – both shorts and features. The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival is the only festival that understands. Don’t miss the Arkham Bazaar for Lovecraftian Novelties to Other Weird Oddities.

Friday

BikePortland’s 10th Birthday Party

Bike PortlandCan you believe we made it this far? We have so much to celebrate.

19,600 posts, 306,000 comments, countless controversies, triumphs and tragedies, exhilarating rides and boring meetings… what a ride it has been!

Join us for our big 10th birthday bash where we’ll look back at an amazing decade and look forward to an even more amazinger decade to come.

Friday-Saturday

Portland Fresh Hops Beer Fest

Hops!12th Annual PORTLAND FRESH HOPS FEST
10.02.15 – Friday – 5:30-9:00pm
10.03.15 – Saturday – Noon-8pm
Oaks Amusement Park
7805 SE Oaks Park Way-Map
Portland, OR
Free Admission – Must purchase a glass to sample beer. #freshhops
$15/glass + 5 drink tickets.
$20/glass + 10 drink tickets
$40/two glasses + 20 drink tickets
21+ to drink – 1 person per glass – Cash only – Minors permitted on Saturday only till 5pm – Dogs on leashes as long as they behave.

Saturday

An Archives Month Celebration

Oregon Archives Month Celebration 2015Portland may be a foodie town, but it isn’t always food that feeds our hunger. If your head is hungry for some knowledge, let us fill it with Portland history! Do you have a craving to know where you can find maps of the city from the 1890s? Are you hankering to learn about the history of Portland’s Japantown? Do you have an appetite for local oral histories? Or does a sampling of strange, old medical tools interest you?

We have that and more waiting for you as we kick off Oregon Archives Month with a smorgasbord of Portland-area archives. Join us on Saturday, October 3rd from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Portland Archives and Records Center. Take a behind the scenes tour of the City’s archives and see history up close and personal.

The Wedge: Portland Celebrates Cheese

The WedgeTaste and Buy Artisan and Farmstead Cheese Direct from the Cheesemaker

The Wedge is a Farmers Market-style event, featuring cheese and foods/beverages that go well with it. Sample and purchase local, artisan cheese, specialty foods, beer, wine, and cider, take a class, snap a pic with our mascot, and try your hand at cheese wheel bowling!

Ongoing

Portland Queer Film Festival

Portland Queer Film FestivalThe 2015 Portland Queer Film Festival runs from October 2 – 8 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave). This annual festival showcases feature, documentary and short queer films from all over the world.

The opening night film is Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein in Guanajuato …

Walktober

WalktoberWalktober 2015, the greatest walking holiday of the year takes place in Portland throughout October.

“Walk anywhere, everywhere, for any reason, or for no reason at all. This is Walktober: walking fun October 6th through Halloween (the greatest walking holiday of the year).”

Inspired by Pedalpalooza, three weeks of bikey fun in Portland held every June, the Oregon Walks conceived Walktober to promote walking as a fun, healthy, ubiquitous activity in the Portland metro region.

Portland Weekend Amusements (11-13 September 2015)

September 10, 2015 by Dave 1 Comment

Oktoberfest season is officially here with Widmer’s event this Saturday. TriMet celebrates the MAX Orange line – and Tilikum bridge – opening, Belmont throws a street fair, and lots more!

Saturday

MAX Orange Line Grand Opening Celebration

Orange LineIt’s time to celebrate the opening of the new MAX Orange Line and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. Join us for a day of adventure and fun, with activities and entertainment at many of the newly opened Orange Line stations!

Come see, ride free! All rides on TriMet buses, MAX trains, Portland Streetcar and the Portland Aerial Tram are FREE all day long.

Belmont Street Fair

Belmont Street Fair 2015The 20th annual* Belmont Street Fair takes place on SE Belmont from 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, 12 September 2015.

One of my favorite Portland street fairs, Belmont will be car free between 33rd and 39th.

Aquifer Adventure

Aquifer AdventureBig and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a family festival all about groundwater! Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure – not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet! Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Cap’n might make ye walk the plank! Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids!

Widmer Brothers Brewing 11th Annual Oktoberfest

Widmer Oktoberfest 2015As we move towards the end of summer in the month of September its time to mark our calendars for the various Oktoberfest celebrations that will take place across the region. Now in its 11th year, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Oktoberfest, Portland’s largest and longest-running Oktoberfest celebration will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 3:00 to 11:00pm.

Saturday-Sunday

Serbian Fest

Serbian Fest 2015Please join us for the 9th Annual Serbian Festival on September 12th & 13th. This is a celebration of food, wine, dance and culture of the Serbian Orthodox people.

Delicious Serbian Food: BBQ, Roast Pig and Lamb, Desserts; Live Music, National Dance, Beer and Wine, Kid’s Activities…and much more.

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.

Movies in ParksMovies in the Park

Friday, September 11

  • Multnomah Arts Center – Big Hero 6

Oregon Symphony Waterfront Concert and Fireworks (3 or 4 September 2015)

September 2, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

Fireworks
“Lacroix display WFC2010” by Fieldington at English Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Join the Oregon Symphony on Thursday, 3 September 2015 (rain date: Friday, 4 September) for the
Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods Waterfront Concert – an afternoon musical festival and concert – at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The afternoon music festival runs from 1 PM to 6:30 PM where you’ll have an opportunity to see and listen to the OSU Steel Drum Choir, Irish Fiddler Kevin Burke, Hillsboro School District Mariachi Band ‘Una Voz,’ Stephanie Schneiderman and Tony Furtado, and other performers.

The Oregon Symphony concert starts at 7 PM and wraps up about 9:30 PM. The traditional grand finale is a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with an elaborate fireworks show, which includes shots from military cannons from the Oregon Army National Guard 218th Field Artillery.

Visit the Oregon Symphony website for more information, including the full schedule, symphony program, and a list of arts partners participating.

The concert is free! No tickets needed. Bring a picnic and low chairs or blankets for the lawn seating.

Fireworks photo credit: “Lacroix display WFC2010” by Fieldington at English Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2015

August 31, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

Swirling SwiftsJoin the Audubon Society of Portland in September for the annual Swift Watch in Northwest Portland.

In 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.

Vaux Swifts 2009 from Mile73 on Vimeo.

The Audobon Society of Portland maintains the Swift Watch webpage, which includes details on the best times to show up, explanations of the phenomena, and FAQs answering all your questions on the natural history of the swifts, the bird counts, and sundry. Oregon Field Guide did a segment on the Vaux Swifts fifteen years ago, and there’s even a movie, called On The Wing.

In 2008 and 2009 Heather and I blogged about our first visits to see the Chapman swifts:

  • The Chapman Swifts at Mile73
  • Witnessing the Chapman Vaux’s Swifts
  • Staring at a chimney: Chapman Vaux’s Swifts 2009

Your moment of Zen, courtesy of Mike Vogel:

Portland Weekend Amusements (21-23 August 2015)

August 20, 2015 by Dave Leave a Comment

A Timbers match is a nice way to start a weekend, and three cheers for fireworks and hot dogs! Sunday Parkways isn’t a bad way to top it off.

Friday

Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo

Portland TimbersThe Timbers (11-8-6), undefeated in August and on a two match winning streak, host Houston Dynamo (8-9-7) at Providence Park this Friday, 21 August 2015 at 8 PM.

Houston lost on the road at New England last week, while the Timbers are coming off a rare road win at Salt Lake City.

The Timbers are in 4th place in the West. Houston, in 7th, is one spot out of the playoffs and four points under the Seattle Sounders, who the Timbers travel to face next week.

Saturday

Summer Spiritsfest

Portland Saturday MarketSaturday from 11 AM to 4 PM Portland Saturday Market is throwing a booze fest!

Spiritsfest highlights local distillers who are shaking up Portland’s vibrant scene. It is all about meeting the makers of the local crafted spirits and the wonderful concoctions people can create using local spirits.

Zach’s Shack 12th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest!!

Zach's Shack8 entry fee, sign up at the Shack.
Participant space is limited so sign up early!

But there is plenty of room to come on down and cheer on your favorite wiener! (har har)

Last year the champion consumed 24 dogs in 10 minutes! Who will go home with the belt this year, and how many dogs will it take?!

MAX Orange Line Picnic and Fireworks Spectacular

Tilikum CrossingCelebrate the impending opening of the new MAX line and Tilikum Crossing at the MAX Orange Line Picnic and Fireworks Spectacular on Saturday, 22 August 2015 at Zidell Yards (3030 SW Moody Ave.).

The picnic starts at 5 PM. The fireworks begin at 9 PM. Though there will be picnic tables and benches, bring a lawn chair for the show.

Sunday

Southeast Sunday Parkways

Sunday Parkways

Make your Sunday drive a bike ride – or walk – through mostly residential streets free of car traffic, from one park to the next on the 2-way, 7-mile Southeast Portland Sunday Parkways route connecting Laurelhurst, Colonel Summers, Ivon Parks, and Sewallcrest Park.

Ongoing

Movies in the Park

Movies in Parks

Friday, August 21

  • Laurelhurst Park – Cinderella

Saturday, August 22

  • Sewallcrest Park – Napoleon Dynamite

Concerts in the Park

Concerts in the Park 2015

Friday, August 21

  • Lovejoy Fountain Park – Portland Community Wind Band – Celebration of American Music
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