Around the Sun: A Blog About Saving Money in Portland, Oregon, and beyond

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: Feb 8–10

February 8th, 2008

Happy Chinese New Year!

Admission is free for all of the events listed here. Have a great weekend! 

Friday, February 8

• The documentary Diamonds, Guns and Rice will be showing at Fifth Avenue Cinema (510 SW Hall Street) at 7:00 pm. This event is part of Multnomah County Library’s “Everybody Reads 2008″ program. The film focuses on refugee women of the Sierra Leonean civil war. A curriculum guide for peace education will be available, and PSU Co-director and Professor of Psychology Jan Haaken will answer questions after the screening. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Twisted, a yarn and craft shop on NE Broadway, will be showing the ’80s flick Mr. Mom at 6:00 pm. Every Friday, they’ll be showing a different ’80s film. For more information, visit the Twisted website.

• Ferocious Eagle, Chores, H Is For Hellgate and Klikitat will be performing at Someday Lounge at 9:00 pm. For more information, visit the Someday Lounge website.

• Mood Area 52 will perform at Press Club at 8:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656. 

• Jill Cohn will be performing at Borders in Beaverton (2605 SW Cedar Hills Blvd) at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Will Coca will play at Borders in Vancouver (811 SE 160th Avenue) at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Kate Mann will be performing at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21 and older. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Kevin Barber will be performing at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• John Perry and Key Taylor, hosts of OPB’s Philosophy Talk, will interview Christopher Phillips for the show. Chris is the author of Socrates in Love. Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, 7:30 pm. Visit the Powell’s website for more information.  

Saturday, February 9

• The Helio Sequence will perform at Music Millennium at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Music Millennium website. 

• Freddy Trujillo will perform at Press Club at 8:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656. 

• Courtney Jones will perform at Borders in Gresham (687 NW 12th Street) at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Lincoln Crockett will be performing at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21 and older. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Jack McMahon will be playing at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• The Monkey King (3534 SE Hawthorne) invites you to celebrate Chinese New Year. At 4:00 pm, the Lion Dancers will perform rain or shine. There’ll also be treats and a store-wide sale. For more information, visit www.thinkhawthorne.com.

• 2008 Vancouver Home Improvement & Remodeling Show is happening at Westfield Vancouver Mall from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. Exhibitors will answer your questions and offer special home show prices. For a full list of exhibitors and more information, visit www.creativejoyevents.com.

• Master Recycler Plastic Roundup: Bring your plastic items (list of acceptable items) to one of these locations between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm:

  • Lake Oswego: Hosted by Shorenstein Realty Services LP and Autodesk, Inc., 5400 Meadows Road
  • Rock Creek: Westview High School, 4200 NW 185th Avenue

  • For more information, visit the Master Recycler website. 

• Water Resources Education Center in Vancouver invites families to learn ways to live more sustainably. Enjoy hands-on activities, games and stories from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. For more information, visit the Water Resources Education Center website. 

• Symphony Storytime at the Central Library, 2:00 pm–3:00 pm: Enjoy music, storytime and hands-on crafts. A member of the Oregon Symphony will play and discuss orchestral music. Free tickets for seating will be available 30 minutes prior to the program. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Chata Addy and Shi Dah will perform traditional drumming and dance of their homeland, Ghana, West Africa. North Portland Library, 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for details.

• The Oregon Zoo will show how some of Africa’s smaller creatures defend themselves. Rockwood Library, 2:00 pm. For details, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Make valentines at local libraries:
  • Valentine collages at North Portland Library from 11:00 am–1:00 pm: Artist Shanon Schollian will demonstrate collage techniques, and families will get the chance to make valentines from assorted papers, fabrics, ribbons, texts, small objects and magazines. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.
  • Copper wire hearts at Gresham Library from 2:00 pm–5:00 pm: Artist Kathleen Karbo will show you how to create a one-of-a-kind valentine using copper wire, pipe-cleaners, and colorful beads and ornaments. Gain experience with hammers, anvils and needle-nose pliers. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

  • Cards and crafts at Belmont Library from 3:00 pm–4:30 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Lewis & Clark College’s Poetry Symposium is happening from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Schedule includes a lecture by Marjorie Perloff, as well as poetry readings by Joan Retallack and Lyn Hejinian. There will also be a panel discussion and book signing reception with all three women. For more information, visit the Lewis & Clark website. 

• María Ochoa and Barbara K. Ige will talk about the anthology Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence at In Other Words at 2:00 pm. Visit the In Other Words website for more information.

Sunday, February 10

• Performers from Integrity Productions will give a preview of the play Scotland Road at the Central Library at 1:00 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• 2008 Vancouver Home Improvement & Remodeling Show is happening at Westfield Vancouver Mall from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Exhibitors will answer your questions and offer special home show prices. For a full list of exhibitors and more information, visit www.creativejoyevents.com.

• Celebrate Chinese New Year with artist Jean Choy, who will teach you how to turn colorful pieces of paper into rats, dragons, lanterns, lucky words and more. Woodstock Library, 2:00 pm–4:00 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Bodas de Sangre Talk-Back: Following the matinee performance of Bodas de Sangre at Miracle Theatre, there will be a bilingual discussion with the artists which is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Miracle Theatre website.

• The film Out of the Past will be showing at Press Club at 8:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.   

• Mary Frances Berry will be speaking at Reed College (Kaul Auditorium) at 3:00 pm. Her lecture titled ”Race, Politics, and the 2008 Elections” is part of the college’s Black History Month celebration. For more information, visit the Reed College website.

• Hip Drip Cafe’s 2nd Sunday Sustainability Fair is happening from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Swing Papillion (Gypsy, Jazz Trio) will be performing. Local artisans will show off art made from recycled or renewable resources, and representatives from businesses that use sustainable practices will be on hand to talk about what they do. This event happens every second Sunday of the month. Visit the Hip Drip Cafe website for more information.  

• Garrison Starr will be performing at Borders in downtown Portland (708 SW Third) at 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Petty Saints will be performing at Edgefield at 5:00 pm. Ages 21 and older. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Make Valentine’s Day cards and crafts at Fairview-Columbia Library from 2:00 pm–4:00 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

If you know of any other free events happening this weekend, please write a comment about it. If you’d like me to include an event in a future round-up, feel free to contact me.

Entry Filed under: Art,Books,Children,Classes,Entertainment,Environment,Events,Free,Frugal living,Kids,Literature,Movies,Music,Portland,Theater