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

Oct 1: Free Art Gallery Tour in Historic Old Town

On Wednesday night (October 1), there’ll be a free tour of art galleries in Old Town/Chinatown. The flier says, “We’ll end our tour with a toast at a secret location.” Sounds cool. You need to RSVP, and I’m not sure if spaces are still available. But, thankfully, this is a recurring event. If you can’t get in this month, see if you can put your name in for next month.

Here’s the info I received:

You’re invited to our first Gallery Tour in Historic Old Town on Wednesday October 1, 5:30pm.

Explore Portland’s newest art frontier
In Portland’s oldest neighborhood.

Meet local curators and artists who are bringing a new energy to Portland.

RSVP to Nancy or Brian, arttour @ oldtownchinatown.org.
Tour size is limited; full details upon RSVP

Can’t make it this month? Pass it on to a friend, and look for our next tour in November.

1 comment September 30th, 2008

Sept 29: Milagro Theatre Hosts Free Event With Spoken Word Artist Paul Flores

From Miracle Theatre Group:

Miracle Theatre Group invites you to attend a free presentation by spoken word artist Paul Flores and local students beginning at 7:00 p.m., Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 at the Milagro Theatre (525 S.E. Stark St., Portland). Admission is free; no reservations are necessary.

Flores, a poet and actor from San Francisco, will present at the Milagro Theatre a selection of work he generated with students of Cleveland High School and SEIS Spanish English International School at Roosevelt High School. Flores is a published poet, novelist, playwright, international spoken word performer and University of San Francisco Performing Arts and Social Justice instructor. Raised on the Tijuana/San Diego border, issues of immigration, border experience and Latino identity are central to his work. He is primarily recognized as a trailblazer in new Latino performance arts as both an artist and producer.

For more information about Flores, visit http://www.myspace.com/paulfloresrepresenta.

For more information about the Miracle Theatre Group, visit www.milagro.org.

Add comment September 26th, 2008

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: September 26–28

Update: See comments for more events.

Admission is free for all events below. Have a great weekend!

All weekend (September 26–28)

• Portland Art Open: Portland Art Open is a three-day art event & party showcasing the range of talents and styles of Portland’s artists. It’s your chance to experience art on the most personal level possible—see how each artist envisions their work in their own setting. Visit the event website for more information.

Friday, September 26

• American Indian Day Celebration: Local area American Indian organizations will host a celebration of American Indian cultures at Pioneer Courthouse Square from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Northwest tribal leaders, drum groups, dancers, and arts and crafts vendors will share their talents and experiences. Visit the event website for more information.

• ActivSpace Open House: Artists, jewelers, crafters, designers, and small business owners open their doors. Meet artists in their workspaces. Local bands will perform. Craft/bead/art supply rummage sale. Friday (5:00 pm to 9:00 pm) and Saturday (11:00 am to 5:00 pm), 833 SE Main St. See comments below for more information.

• Someday Lounge 2-Year Anniversary Party: Copy, Ohmega Watts, Fleshtone, Ben Darwish Trio, Synchronicity Frequency, Polly High, DJ Hanukkah Miracle and more. 8:00 pm. 125 NW 5th Avenue. Visit the Someday Lounge website for more information.

• Bar 12 will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 6:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• Emily Herring (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E. Burnside) at 10:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• Pete Krebs will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Mark Alan (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• John Bunzow Trio (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. Visit the Rock Creek Tavern website for more information.

• Author John Elder Robison will talk about his book “Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s” at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

Saturday, September 27

• Polish Festival: This two-day event includes performances by Polish dance groups and music bands, a polka contest, Polish food and more. Last year’s festival was lots of fun; read about it and see pictures here. Saturday and Sunday, 3900 N. Interstate Ave. Visit the event website for more information.

• Museum Day: Get a free admission pass for you and a guest redeemable at participating museums. For more information, visit the Smithsonian magazine website.

• Welcome the Rain: Celebrate our abundant rainfall and learn about rain-related issues such as bike commuting in the rain, rain gardens, and more. Art and science activities as well as a story teller will keep the kids entertained. Sunnyside Environmental School (3421 SE Salmon St), 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. www.welcometherain.org

• SoEaPo Summer’s Last Rockin’ Outdoor Fest: At Plan B Bar (21+), artisan booths will be set up outside, live music on two stages (one stage outside, the other stage inside), BBQ. 1305 SE 8th, 4:00 pm to midnight. Visit the event website for more information.

• ActivSpace Open House: Artists, jewelers, crafters, designers, and small business owners open their doors. Meet artists in their workspaces. Local bands will perform. Craft/bead/art supply rummage sale. Friday (5:00 pm to 9:00 pm) and Saturday (11:00 am to 5:00 pm), 833 SE Main St. See comments below for more information.

• Harvest Fun Day and Extreme Scarecrow Makeover (Vancouver): Join the Clark County Historical Museum for a free family-friendly day of hands-on crafts and autumn events such as pumpkin decorating, scarecrow making, blacksmith demonstrations, pie-eating contests and more. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Visit the museum’s website for more information.

• GreenWalks: Explore Oaks Bottom with a guide from Portland Parks & Recreation. 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Appropriate for adults and families. Park staff will lead this tour from the North parking lot of Oaks Bottom located across the street from 5120 SE Milwaukie Ave. Visit the PP&R website for details.

• Ten Toe Guided Walk: Take a free Tram ride to OHSU and hike the trails of Marquam Nature Park as we climb to Council Crest Park and back. Meeting place: Tram stop, north of SW Whitaker and River Parkway. 9:00 am. Distance: 4 miles. Time: 2.5 hours. Visit the event website for more information.

• Someday Lounge 2-Year Anniversary Party: Opera Theater Oregon, Mortified, Classical Revolution, Action Adventure Theater, Hexasion, Pivot Dance Company. 7:00 pm. 125 NW 5th Avenue. Visit the Someday Lounge website for more information.

• Cold War Kids (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 6:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• Kotogoto (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E. Burnside) at 10:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• The Hunter Donnaloia Duo will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Eric John Kaiser (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• Lincoln Crockett & Enemies (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. Visit the Rock Creek Tavern website for more information.

• Children’s book author Amber Keyser will bring camping equipment and her picture book “An Algonquin Heart Song: Paddle My Own Canoe” to share what it’s like to go on a canoe trip. Hillsdale Library (1525 SW Sunset Blvd), 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Free tickets for seating will be available 30 minutes prior to the program. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Fiesta con Animales/Party with the Animals: In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Oregon Zoo’s animals will be visiting libraries. Hands-on discovery stations will let visitors experience feathers, fur and scales of a few of Latin America’s animals. Woodstock Library (6008 SE 49th Ave), 3:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• SCRAP Art Activity: Kids and their families are invited to work with artist Emily Weisbard of SCRAP to create a unique piece of art from reused and reclaimed materials. Presenter is bilingual, Spanish/English. North Portland Library (512 N. Killingsworth St), 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Vietnamese Film at Midland Library: “Journey From the Fall” is about a family’s experience in the Vietnam War and their immigration to America. The film will be presented in Vietnamese with English subtitles. A short discussion will follow. Midland Library (805 SE 122nd Ave), 3:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Oregon Encyclopedia Project Community Meeting: Oregonians who are interested in our history and culture are encouraged to research and write authoritative articles for the Oregon Encyclopedia Project. Learn more about this project at the Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 1:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Meet Leigh Radford, author of “AlterKNITS Felt,” from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at CloseKnit (2140 NE Alberta St). Visit the event website for more information.

Sunday, September 28

• Polish Festival: This two-day event includes performances by Polish dance groups and music bands, a polka contest, Polish food and more. Last year’s festival was lots of fun; read about it and see pictures here. Saturday and Sunday, 3900 N. Interstate Ave. Visit the event website for more information.

• Family Discovery Sunday at Museum of Contemporary Craft: Using discarded color strips from the edges of printed books, participants will divert paper headed to the recyclery and create paper vessels and other art objects. 724 NW Davis St, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm. Visit the museum’s website for more information.

• Natural Cycles Exhibit Family Day: Join in a community celebration of the new art exhibit featuring local examples of natural art. Enjoy special hands-on art activities for adults and children along the Trillium Trail. Tryon Creek State Park, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Visit the event website for more information.

• Oktoberfest at Edgefield: The celebration includes live music, bellydancers, balloon twisting, plant sale and more. Wander about the entire property, beer and bratwurst in hand, to check out the fun. Music starts at 11:00 am and runs through the evening. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• Meiko (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 3:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• “Blazing Saddles” will be showing at Press Club at 9:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Tigard Guitar Festival at Tigard Library: Cascadia Guitar Duo will perform an outdoor concert of Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, Contemporary and Latin pieces from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Author Stanley Plumly will talk about his book “Posthumous Keats: A Personal Biography” at 4:00 pm at Powell’s Books on Hawthorne (3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

• Author Floyd Skloot will talk about his book “The Wink of the Zenith” at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

• Ann Littlewood, author of “Night Kill,” and Sheila Simonson, author of “Buffalo Bill’s Defunct” will speak at Murder by the Book (3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd) at 5:00 pm. Visit the MBTB website for more information.

• Author Clyde W. Ford will talk about his book “Precious Cargo” at 3:00 pm at Barnes & Noble, Clackamas Town Center Mall. Visit the B&N website for more information.

• Puppet Theater “The Green Bird”: The Oregon Shadow Theater presents a puppet show inspired by Mexican folktales. Midland Library (805 SE 122nd Ave), 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Vote 2008: Join Dr. Jim Moore, Professor of Political Science at Pacific University, for a discussion about the presidential hopefuls and the race to date. Bring questions for the group and prepare to get involved in the debate. Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Someday Lounge 2-Year Anniversary Party: “Pig Roast & Tank of Fish,” a documentary about Portland’s Chinatown, will be showing at 7:00 pm. 125 NW 5th Avenue. Visit the Someday Lounge website for more information.

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, please contact me.

2 comments September 26th, 2008

Exploring SW Portland on Foot With Ten Toe Express

Last Saturday, I decided to do something I’d never done before, a Ten Toe Express guided walk. Ten Toe Express is a program organized by the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation. Its mission is to encourage people to do more walking. On Thursdays and Saturdays from May through September, a guide leads a walk somewhere in Southwest Portland. The walks are free and open to all.

The walk I went on was the four-mile ”Woods & Dickinson Parks Loop.” There were about 20 of us and two dogs. We walked through Woods Memorial Natural Area, Dickinson Park, Ash Creek Natural Area, and residential areas in between. The experience opened my eyes to some beautiful places in SW Portland that I didn’t know existed. Here’s an idea of what it was like:

Entering Woods Memorial Natural Area:

Our awesome guide preparing to take a photo of us:

Ash Creek Natural Area:

Amazing open space (with a wetland planted in the middle of it, not pictured):

Leaving the woods:

Taking over the streets:

This little dog showed no signs of fatigue:

If you’re interested, there are more pictures on Flickr, including the map.

According to the website, there’s only one more walk, and it’s scheduled for this Saturday in Council Crest. Why not give it a try?

For more information, visit the Ten Toe Express website.

Add comment September 23rd, 2008

9/27: Free Admission to Four Portland Museums (and More Nationwide)

It’s time again for Smithsonian magazine’s annual Museum Day. If you go to the magazine’s website and enter some personal info (name, address, email), you will be able to print out a free admission pass for you and a guest redeemable at participating museums on September 27, 2008.

Four museums in the Portland area are participating in Museum Day:

• Architectural Heritage Center
• Oregon History Museum
• Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
• World Forestry Center Discovery Museum

And there are more nationwide, so spread the word!

For more information, visit the Smithsonian magazine website.

3 comments September 22nd, 2008

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: September 19–21

Admission is free for all events below. Have a great weekend!

Friday, September 19

• Kidical Mass Family Bike Ride: There are rides in four areas today: downtown Portland, N/NE, SE and Sellwood. All rides will meet at 6:00 pm and will leave promptly at 6:15. Visit the Bike Portland website for the details.

• Hill Country Revue will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 5:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• Roots and Wisdom (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 7:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• The Checkered Present (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E. Burnside St) at 10:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• Matt Brown, Casey Neil and Jaycob Van Auken will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.

• Gideon Freudmann (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• The Old Yellers (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. Visit the Rock Creek Tavern website for more information.

• Author Paul Auster will talk about his book “Man in the Dark” at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

• Rose City Romance Group Event: Meet local romance authors, ask questions, take pictures, and get autographs at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing (3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd) at 7:00 pm. For the complete list of authors attending, visit the Powell’s website.

Saturday, September 20

• Fall Fest Northwest: This event includes music, food, and a beer and wine court. For the kids, the Northwest Children’s Theater will do face painting and theater “classes.” Wallace Park (NW 25th Ave & Raleigh St), 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Visit the event website for more information.

• Cider Pressing and Harvest Celebration: Celebrate fall at Gabriel Park’s Community Demonstration Orchard (SW 41 & Canby), 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. For more information, visit the Portland Parks and Recreation website. 

• Fir Fest at Doug Fir: This is Doug Fir’s semi-annual free outdoor music and art extravaganza, featuring performances by Loch Lomond; Bark, Hide and Horn; Y La Bamba. Also Crafty Wonderland craft bazaar, fashion show and more. 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm on the outdoor Jupiter/Doug Fir patio. Ages 21+. Visit the Doug Fir website for more information.

• DoveLewis Dogtoberfest: This event includes a dog wash, live music and a small street fair. Dog washes are $5 and benefit the DoveLewis Blood Bank. Lucky Labrador Brew Pub (915 SE Hawthorne), 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Visit the event website for more information.

• Happy Birthday, Hermione: Hermione Granger’s birthday is in September, so help celebrate with wizard crafts, cake, and a showing of “The Wizard Rockumentary,” a documentary about bands making Harry Potter music. Prize for best Hermione look-a-like. Capitol Hill Library (10723 SW Capitol Hwy), 1:30 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Accio Wizard Rockumentary (Harry Potter-related documentary): Northwest Library (2300 NW Thurman St) will also be showing “The Wizard Rockumentary” at 3:00 pm. Harry Potter costumes encouraged. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information. 

• Children’s Book Fair: Get free books and enjoy entertainment and activities including book making, button making and art tables. North Portland Library (512 N. Killingsworth St), 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Kids Day America: Kids Day America is dedicated to children’s health, safety and environmental awareness. Giveaways, health checks, story-time, safety demonstrations, healthy snacks, play area, eye exams, dental ID exams, and more. Lake Oswego High School Gym (2501 SW Country Club Road), 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Visit the event website for more information.

• Pirates Day in Vancouver: Pirates Day will be a fun-filled day of seeing how the Sea Scouts work and play around the water. The event includes sailboat rides, powerboat rides, water safety lessons, boat maintenance, and more. Ft. Vancouver Terminal 1, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visit the Vancouver website for more information.  

• Medieval Market Day at Beaverton Farmers Market: The market will be filled with knights, ministers, heralds, marshals and more. Come in costume and enjoy games, music and more. The market is located in the parking lot across from the Beaverton City Library. 8:00 am to 1:30 pm. More information can be found at the market’s website or this article.

• GreenWalks: Explore Laurelhurst Park (SE 39th Ave & Stark St) with a guide from Portland Parks & Recreation. 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Appropriate for adults and families. Meet at the Restroom/Maintenance Building facing SE Ankeny, one block south of East Burnside and one block west of SE 39th Ave. Visit the PP&R website for details.

• Ten Toe Guided Walk—Woods & Dickinson Parks Loop: On this four-mile walk, explore two hidden treasures and natural areas that are part of the Fanno Creek Watershed. 9:00 am–11:00 am. Meeting place: SW 43rd, north of Taylors Ferry Rd. Visit the event website for more information. 

• Nature Awareness Walk in Tigard: Explore the wildlife in the Tigard Library wetlands and along the adjacent Fanno Creek Trail. Learn nature awareness techniques that will help you identify wildlife tracks and signs and enrich your experiences in nature. 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Visit the Tigard Library website for more information.

• Toadies will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 3:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• Headhunters will sign CDs at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 5:00 pm. Visit the Music Millennium website for more information.

• Brian Copeland Band (website) will perform at East Burn (1800 E Burnside St) at 10:00 pm. Visit the East Burn website for more information.

• When the Broken Bow (aka Ali Ipplito) (website) and Ponyghost (website) will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.

• Emily Herring (website) will perform at Edgefield at 7:00 pm. Visit the Edgefield website for more information.

• Floating Glass Balls (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern at 9:00 pm. Visit the Rock Creek Tavern website for more information.

• Mud, Sweat and Gears: Metal Cowboy and Family Pedal Canada: Based on Joe Kurmaskie’s latest book “Mud, Sweat and Gears,” this event involves stories, audience participation, demos and more. Learn how you and your family can go car-free or car-less in Oregon. Holgate Library (7905 SE Holgate Blvd), 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information. 

• Explore Vietnamese Medicine, Health, and Wellness—Acupuncture: Come for an acupuncture demonstration with a licensed acupuncture practitioner. Midland Library (805 SE 122nd Ave), 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information. 

• Local author Eowyn Wood will read from her award-winning debut novel, “Naked in the Rain,” at In Other Words Women’s Books and Resources (8 NE Killingsworth St) at 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the In Other Words website.

• Author Robert McDowell will give a talk at the Central Library (801 SW 10th Avenue) at 1:00 pm. McDowell is the author of “Poetry as Spiritual Practice: Reading, Writing, and Using Poetry in Your Daily Rituals, Aspirations and Intentions.” Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information. 

• “Kid Beowulf” Book Launch: Creator Alexis E. Fajardo will be on hand for autographs, sketches and general feel-good chumminess. A bounty of food and mead will be provided; door prizes will be awarded. Bring the whole clan. Ink & Paper Group (1825 SE 7th Ave), 5:00 pm–8:00 pm (presentation at 6:30 pm). Visit the event website for more information. 

Sunday, September 21

• Portland Opera Preview: The Portland Opera will give a preview of their upcoming production of La Traviata. The lecture/concert covers historical background, composer information and musical selections. Central Library (801 SW 10th Avenue), 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information. 

• Lents Folk Festival: Leonid Nosov and White Rhino will perform at Lents Park (SE 92nd Ave and Holgate) at 3:00 pm.

• “Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)” will be showing at Press Club at 9:00 pm. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St., 503.233.5656.

• Tigard Guitar Festival at Tigard Library: This month-long festival includes a variety of events such as concerts, films and workshops. Today, Larry Wilder and Nolan Bronson will play an outdoor concert of bluegrass, folk, Americana roots, gospel and cowboy songs from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Author Daphne Beal will talk about her book “In the Land of No Right Angles” at 4:00 pm at Powell’s Books on Hawthorne (3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

• Author Chuck Klosterman will talk about his book “Downtown Owl” at 7:30 pm at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside). For more information, visit the Powell’s website.

• Author Jewel Lansing will give a brief introduction to the history of politics in Portland and talk about her book “Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851–2001.” Central Library (801 SW 10th Avenue), 1:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Legendary “metal cowboy” and author Joe Kurmaskie will talk about his bicycle adventures and his books. Hollywood Library, 2:00 pm. Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information.

• Lake Grove Village Day: The Lake Grove neighborhood will hold its annual celebration at the West End Building (4101 Kruse Way) from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Free food & drinks and talent show. Visit the event website for more information. 

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, please contact me.

Add comment September 19th, 2008

Sept 25: See a Movie for 3 Cans of Food (Oregon/SW Washington)

On September 25, Regal Cinemas will reward you for bringing in outside food.

The event is the Cans Film Festival 2008, a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank. At Regal Cinemas in Oregon and Southwest Washington, moviegoers will receive admission to a movie and a small popcorn when they bring in three or more cans or boxes of nonperishable food. The offer is good for all shows except for “no pass” attractions.

The Oregon Food Bank is most in need of soups, stew, chili, boxed meals, canned meats, peanut butter, canned vegetables and fruits, pasta, rice and cereal.

If you don’t have time to stay for a movie, you can still drop off nonperishable food at any Regal Cinemas location on September 25 from 11:30 am to 10:30 pm.

Find participating theaters here.

For more information, visit the Oregon Food Bank website.

2 comments September 17th, 2008

Miracle Theatre Selling 2-for-1 Tickets for Opening Weekend of “Dos Pueblos”

Portland’s Miracle Theatre Group, the only Latino theatre company in the Northwest, is kicking off its 25th anniversary season with an original bilingual production called “Dos Pueblos.”

The show starts this weekend, and Miracle is offering a special two-for-one ticket deal for the following performances:

• Thursday, September 18, at 7:30 pm (preview)
• Friday, September 19, at 8:00 pm (opening night), includes post-play reception catered by La Bonita
• Saturday, September 20, at 8:00 pm
• Sunday, September 21, at 2:00 pm, followed by post-play discussion

All you have to do is purchase tickets from the Miracle Theatre website and use the coupon code MERC.

More information about “Dos Pueblos” can be found here.

Also, a couple of weeks ago, Miracle’s artistic director Olga Sanchez talked about the company and its upcoming season on AM Northwest. Watch the interview here.

Add comment September 16th, 2008

Cheap Oatmeal…Yum

I just looked through this week’s Albertsons ad and was pleased to see that Quaker products are on sale. Even though the sun is out right now, I know that sweater weather is coming. And for those eight or so months, I know I’ll want to eat a lot of hot oatmeal.

Through Tuesday, September 16, several kinds of Quaker products are on sale for $1.50 per item when you buy 10. In addition to the different kinds of oatmeal that Quaker markets, the sale includes Granola Bites, Breakfast Cookies, Bars and more. You can check out the ad at the Albertsons website.

The price is okay, but I wanted to see if I could save even more. Here’s what I found:

• The Quaker Simple Harvest website offers a printable coupon for $1 off any Simple Harvest product, including Simple Harvest oatmeal. The website allows you to print two coupons.
• The Quaker oatmeal website offers a printable coupon for $1 off any one box of Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Again, you can print two coupons.

These coupons bring the cost of 10 items down to $11 or $1.10 per item. Better. But…

As you may or may not know, Albertsons honors competitors’ coupons. This means you can use coupons published by Safeway, Thriftway and other grocery stores.

• Thriftway’s weekly ad has the “Thriftway Double Coupon,” which offers an additional savings of $0.50 per manufacturer’s coupon, up to four. So by combining the four internet coupons with the Thriftway coupon, I save $6 total.

Now I’m down to $9 for 10 boxes of oatmeal or $0.90 per box. Great. But I’m also one of those people who saves coupon inserts from each Sunday newspaper and…

• In last week’s paper, there were several Quaker oatmeal coupons in the Red Plum insert: Quaker Old Fashioned or Quick Oats ($0.50), Quaker Instant Oatmeal ($0.50), and Quaker High Fiber Instant Oatmeal ($1).

With this additional $2 savings, I’ll be paying $0.70 per item. Yum.

As I mentioned, there are other Quaker products, besides oatmeal, on sale. If these products interest you, and you’re a pack rat for Sunday coupon inserts, you can save even more:

• In today’s paper (September 14), there’s a coupon for $1 off three Quaker Chewy Granola Bars or Granola Bites. The coupon is in the SmartSource coupon insert.
• In last week’s paper, there was also a $0.55 coupon for Quaker Oatmeal To Go.
• In the August 10 paper, there was a coupon for $0.75 off two Quaker Chewy Granola Bars or Granola Bites.

I found out about the existence of these coupons from the CouponMom website. The site has a tool called the Virtual Coupon Organizer, which is a database of coupons published in Sunday newspapers. If you’re ever wondering whether there’s a coupon for a specific product, you can do a search for that product and see if anything pops up. To use the database, you need to create a user account, but it is worth it.

If you’ve got all of the coupons I’ve mentioned, you can do all kinds of combinations. And if you can get your hands on multiple Sunday papers (maybe from relatives or neighbors), you’re in great shape. But remember, the sale ends on Tuesday.

(Note: I’m writing this pretty late at night. If you see any flaws in my logic, let me know! … Besides the fact that I’m buying 10 boxes of oatmeal, which seems like a lot. Trust me, I’ll eat through them all, and probably wish I had bought more.)

3 comments September 15th, 2008

9/15: Open House at CoHo Theater (Including Free Performance)

From CoHo:

To kick off our upcoming 2008-2009 season and get the ball rolling on several exciting projects, we’re hosting an open house and party at the CoHo Theater on Monday, September 15.

Starting at 6:00 PM, come join us for refreshments and snacks. At approximately 7:30 PM, we’ll have 45 minutes of live theatre, featuring actors you will see on stage around Portland in the coming season.

The evening is a chance for theatre artists and members of the community at large to learn more about upcoming events and initiatives at CoHo.

Open House and Party at CoHo
Monday, September 15
6:00 – 10:00 PM
2257 NW Raleigh Street
Portland, OR 97210
503.220.2646
www.cohoproductions.org

Add comment September 15th, 2008