Portland Area Fireworks Displays

The 4th of July holiday is just around the corner – where are you going to be when the sun sets?

Waterfront Blues Festival: a fundraiser for the Oregon Food Bank, the Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues festival on the West Coast and the second largest blues festival in the nation.  Festivities begin Friday, July 2nd and continue through Monday, July 5th.  Fireworks display Sunday night at 10:00 pm.  Admission: $10 donation and two cans of non-perishable food for the food bank.

Oaks Park: open all day for rides and entertainment.  The Oaks Park fireworks display is scheduled to launch at 9:55 pm on Sunday night.  Admission to the park is $5 for adults, $2 for everyone under 15.  Gates open at 10 am, get there early and make a day of it.  Picnic areas are first come, first serve.

Blue Lake Park: the park is open all day and fireworks start at dusk.  This year’s event also features live music by The Stingrays, Aguamiel and Linda Hornbuckle.  Admission to the park is $10 per car, $15 per large van.

Vancouver National Historic Reserve: the Fort Vancouver Fireworks display is BACK!  After 46 years, the 2009 event had to be cancelled due to limited funding.  This year, the event is back thanks to the support of Bank of America and other partners, corporations and individuals.  In order to make this year’s event financially sustainable, there will be a small fee.  Doors open at 8 am – general park admission $7 (children under 12 are free) and there are additional tickets available if you’d prefer a “prime viewing” seat.

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday and be safe!

~Kori

June Is Dining Month Portland!

Did you know… that June is Dining Month Portland?  Presented by the Downtown Marketing Initiative, in conjunction with Travel Portland, this citywide dining promotion is patterned after restaurant weeks in other cities like New York, Seattle and Los Angeles.  For an entire month – 46 restaurants will offer three-course dinner menus – appetizer, entree, and dessert – for just $25!  In addition, SmartPark Garage is providing a $1.00 off parking but you must first download the coupon first.

Participating restaurants include: Brasserie Montmartre, Huber’s Cafe, Mama Mia Trattoria and Mother’s Bistro & Bar downtown; Bluehour, Fratelli e Bar Due and Rogue Ales Distillery and Public House in the Pearl… but don’t be fooled, the Eastside is also participating clarklewis, Eleni’s Estiatorio and Lauro Kitchen in Southeast and Lincoln and Tabla Mediterranean Bistro in North/Northeast.  Click here for a complete list of participating restaurants.

As if a three-course dinner at these fantastic local restaurants wasn’t enough, enter to win $1000 worth of restaurant gift certifiates but that’s not all – for every entry, the Downtown Marketing Initiative will donated $5 to the New Avenues for Youth (up to $5000).  So get out there and enjoy the fabulous cuisine our city has to offer and maybe you’ll win $1000 worth of restaurant gift certificates while helping Portland’s homeless youth!

Happy Dining!

~Kori

Neighborhood Clean Up 2010 – Vernon Drop Off Saturday

VERNON NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP
 Saturday, May 22 from 9 am to noon

DROP OFF SITE
Redeemer Lutheran Church
NE 20th & Killingsworth 

It’s time to clean out your house, get to know your neighbors, and connect with your Neighborhood or Community Association!  Feel free to bring your household goods and recyclable materials to the Vernon Neighborhood Clean-up this weekend.

What will be accepted:

• Yard waste: $15 per load.  Metro is not accepting yard debris this year, but Wood Waste Management on NE 47th has offered to waive their fee.  NO HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE.
•  REUSE area will be available again this year, these are household goods too good to throw away – so drop off or pick up something great at the clean-up event… what better form of recycling!
• Other items that will be excepted: scrap wood, metal and tires ($2 per tire)

Please sort your loads prior to help with unloading.  They will not be accepting paint, batteries, chemicals, light bulbs, sod, dirt, lathe & plaster – these items can all be taken to METRO (FREE of charge).

If this Saturday doesn’t work for you (because you’re attending the AHC events ) – there is one more Clean Up scheduled for Woodlawn on May 29th from 9 am to 1 pm.  Drop site: 6360 NE MLK Blvd.

Have a great weekend!

~Kori

Get Out This Weekend – Two Great Programs from the AHC

Both Events Take Place Saturday May 22, 2010

 

SPECIAL EVENT!

The Fox’s Lady: Holistic Weatherization Meets Historic Preservation

9:oo am to 4:00 pm (open house style event)

Admission is FREE with a suggested donation

5915 NE Rodney

Portland, OR 97217

 

No pre-registration is required for this event.  Guided tours will be given throughout the day.  Due to space constraints, each tour is limited to a maximum of 40 people and is a first-come first-serve basis. 

This event is supported by: EcoTech LLC, Energy Trust of Oregon, Clean Energy Works Portland, Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Lost Oregon - 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Members: $13   General Public $18
701 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR 97214

Lost Oregonlooks at a selection of resources from Oregon’s now-vanished built environment.  In the past 250 years, Oregonians have built, and then lost, many remarkable structures, from Chinook longhouses to the Capital Building, from nabob’s mansions to towering wooden trestles.  Wood, our most common construction material, is cheap and adaptable; it also burns well and rots easily.  Social and economic fluctuations have also driven changes in the built environment, as railroad trestles were superseded by freeway ramps, and country churches gave way to trail courts.

Historian, Richard Engeman is the author of Wood Beams and Railroad Ties: The History of Oregon’s Built Environment (Oregon Historical Society, 2005; online at www.ohs.org) and The Oregon Companion: a Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious, and the Arcane (Timber Press, 2009).

Pre-registration is strongly suggested – visit the AHC online at www.VisitAHC.org or call the front desk at 503-231-7264.  

Have a great weekend!

~Kori   

12th Annual Kitchen Revival Tour Tomorrow

Saturday, April 10th from 10 – 4
General Public: $25
AHC Members: $20

One of the Architectural Heritage Center’s most popular events is back for a 12th year!  Don’t miss out, as this year promises to be a “Tour de Force,” complete with eight historically accurate renovations and kitchens that retain most of their original character. If you’re planning a kitchen project or just love to see inside vintage homes, this is the program for you. Come learn how kitchens have evolved from utilitarian workspaces to the center of family living. You will see first hand that kitchens can be kept intact or appropriately renovated to meet the demands of modern lifestyles. This year the tour showcases creative solutions in a variety of price ranges and in houses that run the gamut from early 20th Century to Mid-Century Modern. Homeowners will be on hand to share their experiences and lend advice. Whether it’s the preservation of an original gem, a do-it-yourself restoration, or a renovation completed under the guidance of a local contractor, the Kitchen Revival Tour promises to be both educational and entertaining.

Click image to enlarge map

Have a great weekend!

~Kori

Portland’s “Versatile Stylist”: The Architectural Legacy of John V. Bennes

This Saturday at the Architectural Heritage Center, Portland’s “Versatile Stylist”: The Architectural Legacy of John V. Bennes.

Saturday, March 6, 2010
10:00 am – 11:30 am
General Public: $18, Members: $13
Pre-registration is strongly suggested

Between1906-41, John Bennes was one of Portland’s most prolific architects. Recent research has helped to define Bennes’ place in the architectural history of Portland and Oregon, and new information about him continues to be uncovered. This presentation by Larry Landis, University Archivist at Oregon State University, will explore the rich architectural legacy that Bennes created and share new information about some of his design projects. Born in Illinois and raised in Chicago, Bennes brought his knowledge of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright to Oregon in 1900. After six years in Baker City, he moved to Portland, where he introduced the Prairie Style to residential construction. He also designed hotels, movie theaters, warehouses, and other commercial buildings in a variety of styles, from Art Deco to Zigzag Moderne. Bennes also designed at least 35 buildings on the Oregon State University campus and the administration buildings at Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, and Western Oregon universities.

~Kori

Energy Efficiency and the Historic Home

Green Renovation in Seattle, WA

Just because your home is older or historic, does not mean it is energy-inefficient and it doesn’t mean that you have to replace all the original windows with vinyl.  This Saturday, the Architectural Heritage Center is featuring a program lead by Joy Sears, of the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), offering easy and relatively inexpensive ways to make your home more energy efficient while keeping its historic character intact. Whether you want to do-it-yourself or hire someone to do the work for you, this workshop will provide you with the information needed to get the job done right. You’ll even learn about contractors who specialize in historic repairs and suppliers of energy efficient products.

Joy has served as a Restoration Specialist for the Oregon SHPO since 2005. Prior to joining Oregon SHPO, she worked as a Restoration Specialist for five years with the South Dakota SHPO. She received her masters in Historic Preservation from the University of Oregonin 2001, where she worked on the restoration of Villard Hall, a National Historic Landmark.

COURSE INFORMATION 
Date:Saturday, February 20th
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Cost: $10 per person
Location: Architectural Heritage Center (AHC)
701 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR  97214
Register on-line or call 503-231-7264

If you’re not able to attend this course this coming weekend but have an interest in preservering your historic home while making it more energy efficient, check out these additional resources or contact the AHC for local guidance.

• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Repair or Replace Old Windows: a visual look at the impact
• General Weatherization Links & Resources

Remember, when you are thinking about making your home more energy efficient to be more “green” – think about your overall “green” impact.  An existing home is often more green when you think about the fact the materials are already in place and the energy to create the structure has already been exhausted.  Restoration is often the more “green” choice.

~Kori

Exhibit Opening Tonight – Artifacts & Archives at the AHC

Join us at the Architectural Heritage Center for the opening of “Artifacts & Archives”

Reception – January 15, 2010
6 pm – 8 pm
Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand (map)
Refreshments Served 

Not only did the founders of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation/Architectural Heritage Center, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan, leave us a wonderful collection of building artifacts, they also left us books, catalogs, photographs, drawings, and other materials that are tremendously valuable for understanding the Portland region’s architectural heritage. In recent years, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation has received additional generous donations, including the libraries of the late architects George McMath and Richard Ritz, as well as other longtime friends of the organization. The BMF archives have become a significant resource for researchers and for the development of our own education programs at the AHC.

Nearly every artifact – or building – started with a drawing, whether conceptual, rudimentary, or detailed, intended for the craftsperson or builder to construct it. In a century before computers, the documents such as descriptive letters, catalogs, and eventually entire “mail order houses” were the means of acquiring materials and achieving artistry in the crafting of artifacts. Artifacts + Archives will illustrate the essential connection between paper-based archival materials in our collections and the artifacts themselves.

This exhibit draws upon the Foundation’s ever-expanding artifacts and archives collections, with emphasis on items that have not been seen by the public, including photographs, architectural drawings, maps, personal papers, and rare books.

Hope to see you there tonight!

~Kori

Looking to Build Your Business in 2010?

Maria and I have been participating in weekly networking group, perhaps you’ve heard about it – Business Networking International (BNI) - it’s the world’s largest referral organization.  Our group is young, we just turned a year old but have had great sucess already and are seeking additional members.

If you’re not familar with BNI, “the concept”, to create “chapters” of business professionals who know, like and trust one another enough to pass even your must sensitive referrals.  Unlike other networking groups, BNI only allows one particular profession per group.  For example, Maria and I are the Oregon Property Team, a real estate team, therefore, our chapter is not accepting applications for other real estate agents but another chapter may have a need.  We call it locking out the competition within the chapter.  The point is to develop relationships and to create a non-competitive environment within the group.  The group meets weekly and again, unlike other groups you may have participated in, attendance is a requirement.  This insures the development of those relationships and regular passing of referrals.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in for the coming year, join us Tuesday, January 19th from 7 AM to 9 AM for an open house.  Seating is limited so if you’d like to attend, please drop us a line and we’ll reserve you a seat.  The fee for the event is $15 and breakfast will be provided.

Location: George Fox University - Portland Campus
12753 SW 68th Avenue (map)
Portland, OR  97225

A few key professions we are currently seeking:

• General Contractor
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Carpet Cleaner
• Life Coach
• CPA, Tax Preparer
• Book Keeper
• Hair Stylist
• Interior Designer
• Painter
• Printer
• Lawyer
• And more…

If you have questions or you’re wondering if your business would be a good fit, don’t worry, that’s what the open house is all about.  If our professional group is “full” there are a number of other chapters throughout the Portland Metro Area.

~Kori

Holiday Light Displays Around Portland

The Grinch on Peacock Lane - click for larger image

During the holidays, I don’t care if you’re Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, Pagan, whatever, you’ve got to be a real Scrooge if you can’t find a little joy in the beautiful light displays that illuminate our city.  I make it a point to take a different route home during the holidays just so I can see that one gem that’s not written up in the Oregonian or featured on other local websites while singing Christmas Carols at the top of my lungs – I’m a holiday dork and not ashamed to say so.

So, here’s a list of some famous and less famous light displays you might want to check out this holiday season.

Christmas Ship Parade
2009 marks the 55th year for the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Portland, Oregon.  The parade runs nightly now until December 20, 2009.  For those of you who require a nice warm watch spot, you most likely have missed out on dinner reservations at the many restaurants and hotels that flank the rivers so you’ll need to buck up and bundle up – it’s well worth braving the frigid elements.  Cost: FREE from the river banks or the cost of dinner and a cocktail depending upon your watch site.   

Peacock Lane
Since the 1920s, each house in this quaint southeast neighborhood has been decorating for Christmas.  A little local insider tip, just park the car and even better, park a few blocks away.  The intersection at 39^th & Stark can become a nightmare (so word to the wise, avoid this stretch of SE 39^th until the New Year).   Although it’s a popular destination, when you park away from the traffic congestion you just saved yourself a ton of aggravation and walking down the street really gives you the full experience.  There are carolers, a hot chocolate stand, Santa is often found walking the street with candy canes in hand, I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much better.  If you’re of the legal drinking age and have a DD – I also suggest hot cider with a cinnamon stick and a splash of Marker’s Mark.  Happy Holidays! Cost: FREE 

Oregon ZooLights
See the zoo transformed into a winter wonderland, aglow with a million lights.  ZooLights run from now until December 23, 2009 (see the site for specific times).  Admission to ZooLights is almost as much as the regular Zoo admission but members at the “Plus” levels get in FREE.  Seriously, if you have a family of 4 or more, just get the membership!  For $94 you get admission to ZooLights, the Zoo for the next year (remember, they offer free Zoo Tunes concerts in the summer with zoo admission… you go for FREE as a member), member discounts at the Oregon Zoo, discounts with Zoo partners and other member benefits.  If you think you’ll go to the Zoo more than once a year, it’s worth the investment (I don’t even have kids and I have a Zoo membership).  

Candy Cane Lane
Sorry, the link doesn’t take you to a website but I included a link to a map of the general area.  As I’m thinking about it, the name of the light display may not be “Candy Cane Lane” but that’s what I’ve always called it since childhood and I’m not changing now (although, maybe there is a website if I do have the name incorrect).  Anyway, at the southwest corner of Mt. Tabor is a little street with houses on only one side; don’t let that discourage you from taking a peek at this mid-century modern neighborhood and their fantastic light display.  If you head down SE 60^th, North of Division you can’t miss it.  You’ll turn West off SE 60^th but like I said, don’t worry, you’ll know it when you’re there.

Queen Anne Victorian Mansion
The miracle of a million lights – with over 2.5 million twinkling lights this light display can been seen for miles when traveling down I-5 or Interstate Avenue (map).  The house is also open for viewing in addition to the spectacular exterior display.  Inside guests will see this richly appointed historic mansion all aglow with 10 uniquely decorated Christmas trees and decorations.  Enjoy homemade apple cider, holiday cookies and other refreshments while being entertained by live performances for local schools, churches and other performance groups.  If you’re touring on a dime the exterior lights are a show in-and-of themselves; however, the mansions interior is something to behold.  Admission to the mansion is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and children under 10.  Visit the website for a $1 off coupon.    

Enjoy the holidays for what they really represent – joy, generosity and goodwill.  Happy Holidays!

~Kori

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