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

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: April 18–20

April 18th, 2008

In addition to the great swaps, there’s tons to do to celebrate Earth Day weekend.

Admission is free for all events below. Have a good one!

Friday, April 18

• Art Exhibit Opening Party: SELF PROJECTIONS features artwork by 24 artists. The party includes live musical performances by Sabertooth, Double Dragon, Kele Goodwin, The M.O.S.T., and Matt Sheehy. Milepost 5, 8:00 pm–12:00 am. For more information, visit the Milepost 5 website. 

• Justin Jude (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21 and older. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Kevin Barber & The Happiness Boys (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• Lijie (website) will perform at Borders in Vancouver at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Debra Arlyn (website) will perform at Borders in Beaverton at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Mood Area 52 (website) will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.

• Author Jane Kirkpatrick will talk about her book A Mending at the Edge at 7:00 pm at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing. For more information, visit the Powell’s website. 

• Author Bill Press will read from his book Trainwreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon) at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside. For more information, visit the Powell’s website. 

Saturday, April 19

• Earth Day 2008 Celebration—Dance of the Dinosaur: Organized by the City Repair Project, this event features more than 150 businesses and organizations offering information on sustainability, entertainment on three solar-powered stages, a kids village, parades, food and more. Overlook Park, 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (rain or shine). For more information, visit the City Repair website.

• 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade kicks off Rose Festival season with marching bands, floats, and the young women of the 2008 Portland Rose Festival Court. 9:00 am, 82nd Avenue from SE Foster to SE Division. For more information, call 503.484.6225 or visit the Rose Festival website.

• Record Store Day at Music Millennium: Free live music, giveaways, and prizes. The celebration begins at 10:00 am. Chris Margolin is performing at 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, and Dylan May is performing at 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• SOLV IT Earth Day Volunteer Projects: Celebrate Earth Day by helping to clean up a green space in your community. There are approximately 100 clean-up projects to choose from, spanning all five Portland-area counties. Tasks include litter pickup, ivy pulls, riverbank restoration, tree planting and more. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. For more information, visit the SOLV website.

• Gresham Earth Day Celebration includes live music, food, kids activities, workshops, prize giveaways, and loads of information on outdoor recreational activities, green living, environmental volunteer opportunities and more. Gresham City Hall, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. For details, visit the City of Gresham website.

• Earth Day Celebration in Vancouver: This event includes a free pancake breakfast, slide presentation on global warming, earth-friendly crafts, interactive booths, games, face painting, and demonstrations on gardening and green living. Marshall Community Center, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the City of Vancouver website.

• Earth Day Environmental Fair at Salmon Creek Park: More than 10 local organizations will provide environmental information and children’s activities. 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the City of Vancouver website.

• 11th Annual Nez Perce Chief Redheart Ceremony: Members of the Nez Perce Indian Nation will present a traditional ceremony in memory of the Nez Perce War of 1877. Ceremony includes singing, speeches, Riderless Horse ceremony, and peace pipe ceremony. 10:00 am, Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve, 5th Street, just north of Fort Vancouver. Other events will follow at various locations. For more information, visit the City of Vancouver website.

• Thai New Year (Songkran) Celebration: This family-oriented celebration includes a performance by the Thai Association of Oregon Dancers and a family water blessing beginning at 2:00 pm. The Monkey & the Rat (131 NW Second Avenue), 1:00 pm–4:00 pm. For more information, visit The Monkey & the Rat website.

• Día de los Niños y Día de los Libros: A celebration of bilingual literacy with food, music and special activities. Gregory Heights Library, 2:00 pm–5:00 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website. 

• Tim Uecker (website) will perform at Borders in Tigard at 7:00 pm. Visit the Borders website for more information.

• Debra Arlyn (website) will perform at Borders in Gresham at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the Borders website.

• Jimmy Bivens (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Ages 21 and older. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• The Bittersweet Trio (website) will perform at Press Club at 8:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.

• Author Sharon Wood Wortman will talk about her book Walking Bridges Using Poetry as a Compass: Poems About Bridges Real and Imagined by 70 Poets, with Directions for Five Self-Guided Explorations. The reading will be followed by an optional walk to Balch Gulch Bridge (weather permitting). Northwest Library, 2:00 pm–3:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Poetry Reading: Paulann Petersen, Mark Thalman and Barbara Drake will be reading selections from the poetry anthology Deer Drink the Moon: Poems of Oregon. Central Library, 3:30 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Author and photographer Rosanne Olson will present her book This is Who I Am: Our Beauty in All Shapes and Sizes at In Other Words Bookstore at 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the In Other Words website. 

• Russian Film Series at Midland Library will be showing Dersu Uzala/Derusu Uzara directed by Akira Kurosawa. 2:00 pm. The film is in Russian with English subtitles. A brief discussion will follow. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website. 

• Dance Uncovered—Contact Improvisation Demonstration: Internationally renowned teacher and practitioner Carolyn Stuart will give an overview of Contact Improvisation, followed by a live demonstration. Conduit Dance Studio, 1:00 pm. Visit the Conduit website for more information.

Sunday, April 20

• Bagdad Theater will show The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream, followed by a Portland Peak Oil Panel Q&A. Doors at 4:15 pm; event at 5:00 pm. All ages welcome. Visit the Bagdad Theater website for more information. 

• Pirate Treasure Hunt: Dress up in pirate attire and pick up a treasure map at The Dollar Scholar on Hawthorne. From there, visit several businesses, answer questions and collect pirate coins. Head back to The Dollar Scholar to exchange your coins for a prize. The hunt takes 45 minutes to 1 hour. All ages are welcome. 11:00 am–3:00 pm. For details, visit the Hawthorne neighborhood website.

• The Church of Craft is having its monthly craft class/get-together at the Central Library from 12:30 pm–3:30 pm. This month’s class is Coil Basketry. Seating is limited to 70 people, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For the list of supplies you’ll need to bring and more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website.

• Bonnie Garrett will perform harpsichord music of 17th and 18th century Europe at the Central Library at 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the Multnomah County Library website. 

• It’s Sunday Movie Night at Hotel deLuxe. Contact the hotel to find out what is showing and to RSVP, 503.219.2093. For more information, visit the Hotel deLuxe website.  

• The Hitchcock film Rope will be showing at Press Club at 8:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.  

• Authors Nina Revoyr (The Age of Dreaming), Abraham Rodriguez (South by South Bronx) and Elizabeth Crane (You Must Be This Happy to Enter) will speak at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside. For more information, visit the Powell’s 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.

Other articles from Around the Sun:

• August 14, 2007 -- “…making a big fuss out of an adult shopping in a junior’s section”
• October 9, 2008 -- Around the Sun Turns Two
• June 8, 2007 -- My New Money-Saving (and Fat-Busting) Game

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