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

Free Events This Weekend in Portland: May 15–17

May 14th, 2009

In addition to the free events below, Saturday is Family Day at the Oregon Historical Society. Two children admitted free with one paid adult admission.

Admission is free for all events below. For more concerts, visit Concert Co-op.

Have a great weekend!

All weekend

• “Telling: Portland, OR”: From Willamette Week: “Drawn from interviews with 21 military veterans and their families and performed by eight of those same veterans, ‘Telling’ seeks to convey … the experience of warfare and the difficulties of readjustment to civilian life—through theater.” First Congregational Church (1126 SW Park Ave). 8:00 pm, Friday–Saturday; 2:00 pm, Sunday. For more information, visit the event website.

• Free Yoga Classes: Bodyoga is celebrating the opening of its new location with an open house on Friday and free classes all weekend. 14547 Westlake Drive, Suite A, Lake Oswego. For more information, visit the event website.

Friday, May 15

• The Farmers (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 6:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Bridgetown Big Band will play jazz that really cooks at the Tigard Public Library (13500 SW Hall Blvd) from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The eighteen-member band encourages audiences to swing and dance to its Big Band sounds. For more information, visit the event website.

• The Will West Duo will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. All ages. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Matt Tabor will perform at Three Degrees Lounge at the RiverPlace Hotel (1510 SW Harbor Way), 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the PDX Jazz website.

• Jon Garcia will perform at Edgefield (2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale) at 7:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• Pilar French and Joshua Slamp will perform at Rock Creek Tavern (10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro) at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• Author Brenda Miller will talk about her book “Blessing of the Animals” at Looking Glass Bookstore (7983 SE 13th Ave) at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

Saturday, May 16

• Alberta Art Hop: Seventeen blocks of NE Alberta Street will be closed to car traffic to accommodate artists, craftspeople, music, dance and theater performances, interactive art events, and food and other vendors. 11:00 am–6:00 pm. Parade at 3:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Pittock Mansion Open House: Visitors are invited to enjoy the mansion’s scenic grounds and tour the historic home. 3229 NW Pittock Dr, 11:00 am–4:00 pm. For more information, contact Pittock Mansion.

• Mt. Tabor Art Walk: This juried event showcases the many artists who live in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood and promotes high-quality visual art in a variety of media. May 16 and 17, 11:00 am–5:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Songbird Festival: All ages are invited, rain or shine, for a day of outdoor activities, guided nature walks, hands-on crafts for kids, exhibits, presentations, entertainment, food and fun. Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (19255 SW Pacific Highway, Sherwood), 6:30 am–2:30 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Bicycle Rodeo and Safety Fair: Come out for a fun-filled afternoon that includes a safety training, bike rodeo for kids and teens, bike swap, and inspection. Bridlemile Elementary School (4300 SW 47th Dr), 2:00 pm–4:00 pm. More information can be found at Neighborhood Notes.

• Guided Walk of Historic Pearl District and Slabtown: Join a tour led by author Laura Foster as we retrace the colorful history and discover some of the changes over time to Portland rail yards and close-in neighborhoods. Meet at Union Station (800 NW 6th Ave), 9:00 am. For more information, visit the event website.

• Saturday Guided Nature Walks at Tryon Creek State Park: Join a park ranger for a free, guided nature hike to explore the forest and stream ecosystems and natural history at Tryon Creek State Natural Area. Today’s theme is “Coaling Tryon Creek.” Appropriate for all ages. Parents must accompany kids on all hikes. 10:00 am to 11:30 am. For more information, visit the event website.

• Portland Police Historical Society Exhibit Opening Reception: See the exhibit, enjoy a short concert by the Portland Police Highland Band, and meet police horses and dogs. Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 2:00 pm–3:30 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Food Art: Using Saxton Freymann’s books for inspiration, artist Addie Boswell will teach kids and parents how to create distinctive characters out of fruits, vegetables and other edibles. Sellwood-Moreland Library (7860 SE 13th Ave), 10:30 am–12:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• African Marimba Recital: Put on your dancing shoes and come hear six marimba bands play high-energy music from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. All performers are students of MyLinda King, formerly of Boka Marimba. The Evangel Building (2830 NE Flanders St), noon to 4:00 pm. For more information, contact marimba @ teleport dot com.

• Anya Marina (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• James Low and Tahoe Songbird Jackson will perform at Press Club at 8:30 pm. All ages. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• H Duo (website) will perform at Three Degrees Lounge at the RiverPlace Hotel (1510 SW Harbor Way), 8:00 pm. For more information, visit the PDX Jazz website.

• Gil Reynolds (website) will perform at Edgefield (2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale) at 7:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• The Garcia Birthday Band (website) will perform at Rock Creek Tavern (10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro) at 9:00 pm. All ages until 10:00 pm. For more information, visit the Rock Creek Tavern website.

• Author Jeff Mapes will talk about his new book “Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities” at Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave), 1:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Bike Tube Recycling: Performance Bicycle is celebrating the grand opening of its downtown store (1736 SW Alder) with a bike tube recycling event. You can get a $5 gift card in exchange for your old tubes until 3:00 pm. The event includes giveaways too. For more information, visit the event website.

• Gay & Grey is Portland’s first Senior Resource Fair specifically for LGBT seniors. The day will be full of dynamic lectures and presentations, focused on preparing for wellness, stability, and health. Q Center (4115 N Mississippi Ave), 10:00 am–4:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Native Truth Film Project was created to empower American Indian youth to address cigarette smoking, a significant health problem in their communities. Fifteen young adults have created peer-to-peer prevention videos for broad distribution to NPAIHB’s 43 member tribes and beyond. With the filmmakers in attendance, NW Film Center will premiere the films at 5:00 pm; reception at 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• “What to Eat: Personal Responsibility vs. Social Responsibility”: Marion Nestle, Professor at New York University, will address the economic and political factors that influence what we eat. Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, Pavilion Ballroom (921 SW Sixth Ave), 9:00 am–12:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

Sunday, May 17

• Mt. Tabor Art Walk: This juried event showcases the many artists who live in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood and promotes high-quality visual art in a variety of media. May 16 and 17, 11:00 am–5:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Norwegian Constitution Day Celebration: The celebration features authentic Norwegian foods, music, national costumes, folk dance performance, speakers and a flag parade led by the Benson High School marching band and including Norwegian Fjord horses. Norse Hall (111 NE 11th). Doors open at 1:00 pm. Parade at 3:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Portland Youth Philharmonic Farewell Concert: The PYP presents a free concert featuring highlights from the orchestra’s 85th Season. Lewis & Clark College, Evans Music Building Auditorium (0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd), 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Jen and Abby (website) will perform at Music Millennium (3158 E. Burnside) at 5:00 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Doug Theriault, Scott Goodwin and Adam Reese will perform at 10:00 pm at Worksound (820 SE Alder).

• Julie Martin (website) will perform at Edgefield (2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale) at 5:00 pm. Ages 21+. For more information, visit the Edgefield website.

• “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” will be showing at Press Club at 9:00 pm. All ages. Press Club is located at 2621 SE Clinton St, 503.233.5656.

• Author George Pelecanos will talk about his book “In The Way Home” at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside (1005 W. Burnside), 7:30 pm. For more information, visit the event website.

• Author Garry Disher will talk about his book “Blood Moon” at 3:00 pm at Murder by the Book (3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd). For more information, visit the event website.

• Bike Tube Recycling: Performance Bicycle is celebrating the grand opening of its downtown store (1736 SW Alder) with a bike tube recycling event. You can get a $5 gift card in exchange for your old tubes until 3:00 pm. The event includes giveaways too. For more information, visit the event website.

• “Seeds of Chicano Identity”: Jorge Huerta, founder of Teatro de la Esperanza, will lead the discussion on “The Legacy of El Teatro Campesino,” exploring the history and impact of the company. Milagro Theatre (525 SE Stark St), 4:30 pm. For more information, visit the event 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, please contact me.

Entry Filed under: Art,Children,Environment,Food,Lectures,Literature,Movies,Museums,Music,Theater