Dave Knows Portland

March 27, 1964: Tsunami Hits Oregon Coast

by 2 Comments

A tsunami struck the Oregon coast on Friday evening, March 27, 1964 following the great Alaskan earthquake, the second largest earthquake ever recorded and largest ever recorded in North America. In Alaska nine deaths were attributed to the earthquake, but the tsunami took the lives of 106 Alaskans, and wreaked havoc across the Pacific.

The Oregonian reported the local damage on March 28, 1964:

Astoria – Some high water but no damage.
Depoe Bay – High water, wharf broke loose.
Point Adams Coast Guard Station – Coast Guard boats moved into the Columbia River to avoid high water
Newport – High water hit in two surges, but no damage
Florence – Siuslaw River rose eight feet in eight seconds. It tore loose at least four boats.

What they didn’t know until later was that four members of a family camping at Beverly Beach State Park were crushed by logs and drowned in the tsunami. Further down the coast the citizens of Crescent City, California suffered the worst fate outside of Alaska, with eleven deaths attributed to the tsunami.

March 25, 1993: The Spring Break Quake

by 11 Comments

USGS Shake Map 1993 Scotts Mills EarthquakeOne of the largest earthquakes in [the state of] Oregon’s history occurred at 5:35am on Wednesday, March 25, 1993. It’s known officially as the Scotts Mills Earthquake, but locally as the Spring Break Quake.

The 5.6 magnitude quake was centered about 3 miles east of Scotts Mills (a tiny community about 6 miles east of Mount Angel), and was felt as far north as Seattle and as far south as Roseburg. The dome of the Oregon State Capitol shifted and cracked and masonry work crumbled on several buildings around the region, but otherwise there was little major damage.

Portlanders, such as myself at the time, were jostled out of bed. At the time I lived in a tiny studio apartment in the basement of an old four story building in SE Portland. The shaking jolted me awake. I grabbed my bathrobe and ran outside; stood crouched with arms out for balance, waiting for more. But that was it – just barking dogs and car alarms. That was the last night I slept in the nude.

Tulip Fest 2011

by 1 Comment

Tulip FestTulip Fest 2011 at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn kicks off Friday, March 25 and runs through Sunday, May 1 May 8th!

What, exactly, is a tulip fest? On weekdays it’s 40 acres of blooming tulips (and daffodils), a cafe, country store, farm equipment on display, Dutch sausages, and a gift shop. And on weekends you get all that, plus pony rides, a crafters market, Mexican food, wooden shoe making demonstrations, steam tractors, entertainment, and beer and wine!

Heather and I were pleasantly surprised last year at how much fun visiting a tulip farm could be. Check out her review, with lots of colorful photographs, at Mile73.com: Tulip Fest.

Various special events are scheduled on weekends during the festival run. Check out the Field Report for updates on the bloom and field status.

The festival hours are 9am to 6pm daily, and the address is 33814 S. Meridian Rd. in Woodburn, OR 97071 (directions here). Visit the Tulip Fest website for admission prices and additional details.

Farmers Market, Corndogs, Ecoroofs, Beers, Timbers & More! (March 18-20, 2011)

by Leave a Comment

Friday

Ecoroof PortlandEcoroof Portland

Ecoroofs aren’t just for hippies, dainty environmentalists, and real estate developers. If you want to learn more about how they work, and maybe even put on your own structure (high rise, house, food cart or chicken coop!) go check out Ecoroof Portland 2011 on March 18 (10am to 6pm) at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd). [more]

Offbeat Belly DanceOffbeat Belly Dance

Every third Friday of the month the Blue Monk (3341 SE Belmont) hosts the Offbeat Belly Dance collective, a club rocking, good timing, genre-defying gang of badass belly dancers.

And this third Friday, March 18, 2011 is no exception – the Offbeat Belly Dance collectives invites you to Offbeat Belly Dance! This Friday! Fun! Fabulous! Free! [more]

Saturday

Corndog DayNational Corndog Day

Invented by two dudes from Corvallis 19 years ago when a 24 pack of corn dogs was discovered in their freezer while they were watching the first day of the NCAA basketball tournament (four basketball games in a row on the same channel!), National Corndog Day 2011 takes place Saturday, March 19.

Corndog Day is now a national secular holiday, with a website, a wikipedia page, and even corporate sponsors. And this year it’s official (in Oregon at least)! [more]

Farmers MarketPortland Farmers Market Opening Day

The winter hiatus is over! The Portland Farmers Market returns to the Park Blocks at Portland State University (SW Park & SW Montgomery) on March 19, 2011.

“Celebrating its 20th season, Portland Farmers Market operates vibrant farmers markets that contribute to the success of local food growers and producers, strengthen the food economy and serve as community gathering places.” [more]

BrewPubliCrawl Division Street Brewpublicrawl 2011

The second annual SE Division Street Meet the Brewers BrewPubliCrawl takes place Saturday, March 19, 2011.

At each stop different regional brewers will be serving and discussing their Cascadian-brewed beers. Twenty five Oregon breweries are taking part in this year’s event. [more]

TimbersPortland Timbers Season Opener

The Portland Timbers start the 2011 season on the road this Saturday, March 19th, when they face the defending Major League Soccer champion, Colorado Rapids.

You could watch the match on ROOT, Fox Soccer Channel, or listen to the play by play on KXL 750. But what you should do is join the Timbers Army [more]

Sunday

Upright 2nd BirthdayUpright Brewing’s 2nd Anniversary

Upright Brewing (240 N Broadway Suite 2) celebrates two years as Portland’s only farmhouse inspired craft brewery this Sunday, March 20, 2011 with a party and the bottle release of Four Play.

Four Play is the star of the show; it’s a Belgian-y beer based on Upright’s wheat beer (Four) that is pinot noir barrel-aged for a year with cherries, souring yeasts, and bacteria. [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!

Help Johnson Creek Watershed Council Win $30,000 Grant

by Leave a Comment

JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED RESTORATION from Karen Wrenn on Vimeo.

Milwaukie, Oregon based Johnson Creek Watershed Council is an environmental non-profit dedicated to inspire and facilitate community investment in the Johnson Creek Watershed for the protection and enhancement of its natural resources.

Right now they are competing against five other causes for a $30,000 grant to be awarded by the The River Network.

Project summary: The Johnson Creek Watershed Council and its partners plan to enhance salmon habitat and restore streamside forests at the mouth of Johnson Creek. To enhance fish habitat, we will construct sixteen engineered log jams throughout a quarter-mile reach of Johnson Creek and place logs and boulders in two areas of exposed bedrock. At the north end of Milwaukie Riverfront Park, an interpretive overlook and trail are planned for construction. The overlook will provide information about salmon and other wildlife that use the site and benefit from the project.

Project benefits: The project will provide a much-needed refuge for migrating Willamette River salmon just upstream of Portland’s “downtown gauntlet” where dense industrial development and cement sea walls have left few resting areas and little protective cover for fish. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists highlight how all the threatened Coho and Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout in the middle and upper Willamette Basin – an area with over 11,000 miles of rivers and streams – pass by the mouth of Johnson Creek, and will benefit from this project.

Place your vote by March 20, 2011 to help them win! Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 24th.