arts in portland: music, film, theater, dance, literature + more in 2013-14

The Oregon Symphony

As summer fades into fall, it’s only natural that Portlanders head indoors for a little intellectual stimulation as well as some sensory entertainment. A lot of arts and entertainment programs kick off their yearly schedule in September and October as the calendar starts to fill up with festivals, performances, lectures, screenings and more. From theater and music to lectures and film, Neighborhood Notes has highlighted a few arts and cultural events that we think you should look for in the remainder of 2013 as well as look forward to in the new year.

Music

Oregon Symphony
September-May

Founded in 1896, the Oregon Symphony is one of the oldest in the nation. Featuring more than 70 full-time musicians, the ornate Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall—home to the symphony and called The Schnitz by locals—hosts almost a quarter of a million attendees each symphonic season. Performing a full schedule from September through May, yearly offerings include the requisite classical concertos, spirited holiday standards, and collaborations with modern recording artists as well as Portland indie rockers.

Siren Nation Women’s Music and Arts Festival
November

Siren Nation isn’t tied to a single medium. Rather, the arts organization strives to spotlight original works by women making music, art, film, fashion and more. Hoping “to inspire and empower women of all ages to create their own art” while highlighting the achievements of those already working in the arts, Siren Nation brings female-made works and female-fronted performances to venues across the city each November. The annual event includes a film fest, arts and crafts fair, fashion event, visual art exhibition, and free workshops alongside a weekend of musical performances by local, regional and national talent.

Film

Northwest Film Center (NWFC)

Events Ongoing

An arm of the Portland Art Museum, the educational and curatorial institution offers year-round classes, equipment rental and frequent exhibitions in the form of several notable film festivals. The NWFC’s fall offering each October is the musically themed Reel Music Festival. Celebrating the “interplay between sound and image” for more than 30 years, these films frequently explore music, culture and art through live concert footage, documentaries, music videos, and imaginative obscurities. Filmmakers are often in attendance to introduce films or answer questions after screenings. Other annual cinematic events organized by the NWFC include the regional film showcase at the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival each November, the Portland Jewish Film Festival, and the outdoor, summer series, Top Down: Rooftop Cinema, as well as ongoing programs and exhibits.

Performance Arts

PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival (TBA)
September (Happening Now!)

Each September for more than a decade, a creative cacophony descends upon various venues during the final days of summer as the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s annual TBA Festival brings truly eclectic, experimental and sometimes just odd performers (in dance, music, theater and more) and visual artists. These local and international talents make a canvas of the city for 10 or so days and present a vast chasm of works and sensory experiences at all hours of the day and night.

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Get more highlights of the 2013-14 arts season in Portland, including more music, film, theater, comedy, literature, lectures, and other performance picks, on Neighborhood Notes.

summer festivals + outdoor activities in portland

What happens when you combine creativity with a questionable amount of engineering experience and then send it hurtling down the side of a hill? You get the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby—the epitome of Portland culture.

It’s the time of year when the sun should be shining in the Rose City, and whether or not that’s a fact, Portlanders take to the streets and parks to enjoy live music, parades, street fairs and more. If you need ideas for where to find summer fun outside, Neighborhood Notes has some suggestions to get you started. Now, get out there and join your neighbors for an outdoor movie on the big screen or a bike ride.

Portland Rose Festival

May-June

Proud to be the Rose City, the Portland Rose Festival is our namesake festival. While there are innumerable events and activities planned, the carnival-like CityFair is open three weekend in a row—from May 24 to June 9—starting on Memorial Day weekend (opening night features fireworks) and includes rides, vendors, music, food and more. Then, the June 1 Starlight Run and Parade gives participants a chance to join a fun run through downtown’s streets while spectators can enjoy the runner’s costumes and the following floats, marching bands and more. June 6 and 7 bring the Portland Rose Society’s 125th Annual Spring Rose Show, while June 8 is the big day, marking the Queen’s Coronation at Memorial Coliseum, followed by the Grand Floral Walk, and then the culminating event: the Grand Floral Parade.

Movies in the Park

June-September

While it might not be a drive-in theater, the Portland Parks Foundation keeps a little piece of American history alive with its free Movies in the Park. On select warm summer nights throughout the city, some 40,000 community members come together in more than 40 local parks under an open sky to watch a movie, snack on popcorn, and enjoy the company of their neighbors.

Waterfront Blues Festival

July 4-7, 2013

More than a quarter century old and going strong, the nation’s second largest celebration of blues, rock ‘n’ roll and soul takes place right here in Portland. A benefit for the Oregon Food Bank, the Waterfront Blues Festival draws more than 100,000 people to see more than 100 artists on multiple stages during several days of music, sun, brews and, of course, fireworks on the Fourth of July.

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Visit Neighborhood Notes to find more summer festivals and outdoor activities across town all summer long, like Sunday Parkways, Concerts in the Park, the Mississippi Ave Street Fair and more.

resources for your ride — it's national bike to work day

It's National Bike to Work Day today, which means it's National Bike Month, which, in turn, means it's PDX Bike Month. Got it?

In honor of all of the above, I've written a Local Agenda for today as well as one the other week on some Portland-made biking accessories like bags from Black Star and Queen Bee, caps from Double Darn, and more really cool stuff from PDW and others.

Then, there's the behemoth of a list, featuring classes, co-ops and maps to guide you, dubbed:

Biking in Portland: Where to Learn and Ride

Greenest city, best coffee, hottest indie music scene. In the eyes of others (read: national media outlets), Portland is constantly competing for top listicle honors.

In 2012, Travel + Leisure liberally bestowed upon Portland "the best" titles for environmental friendliness, street food and food trucks, public transportation and pedestrian friendliness, pet-friendly vacation, and microbrewed beer (as well as "the worst" weather, naturally). Plus, CNN just named us the best beer town in the USA.

While the recognition is appreciated (and delivers a little ego boost), the measures are, honestly, completely arbitrary. Most Portlanders aren’t striving to be acknowledged—they’re just doing these things because they have a passion for the ideas, ideals and tastes (and to, hopefully, make a living).

As we continually vie with Minneapolis for the crown of America’s #1 bike city, one thing is official: The month of May is National Bike Month, which means the city has also declared it PDX Bike Month. With morning ride bike breakfasts and a free bike summit (the meeting kind, not a hill ride), May is an opportunity for Portlanders to celebrate the thriving bike community and culture that lives here. (Points of pride: Portland has the highest percentage of bike commuters for a large American city and is the only large American city awarded a platinum rating for bicycle friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists—plus more fast facts.)

But if you’re a little intimidated by the scene or simply don’t know where to start, we hope the following list of resources will show you that Portlanders love spreading the bike gospel through activities, education and affordable access to information for riders of all skill levels and ages.

Where To Learn: Hands-On Bike Maintenance and Safety

Tori Bortman, owner of Gracie's Wrench

Depending on what you aim to do with your developing bike knowledge, Portland offers a multitude of opportunities to learn in a variety of environments.

A good place to start is the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Portland By Cycle program, which hosts spring and summer classes and rides (all are free but some classes require registration). You can learn basic bike maintenance and safety in interactive clinics or discover new cycling routes while practicing these skills during group rides—and maybe you’ll make some two-wheeled friends along the way. Find the 2013 schedule for upcoming dates of interest.

While Portland By Cycle has several dates specifically for seniors, Women on Bikes is a female-only series of free clinics and rides. With activities from now until September, find one that works for you and join in.

For those determined DIYers desiring more advanced training, become a bike mechanic under the tutelage of Tori Bortman at Gracie's Wrench where she offers everything from beginning to intensive tune-up classes and individual tutoring, or learn wheel building from the experts at Sugar Wheel Works.

And if you’re really serious about being official, get professionally certified at the United Bicycle Institute, “the industry's leading technical school offering courses in repair, frame building, and mechanic certification for beginner to advanced technicians.” That’s right, you can literally build your own bike from scratch. Fire up your torch and start brazing that chromoly. (And if you have no clue what that even means, just start hanging out at the adjacent Hopworks BikeBar and maybe you’ll learn through inebriated osmosis.)

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Find out where to learn safty tips, how to self-service your ride, and discover a plethora of riding routes inside and out of the city on Neighborhood Notes.

lists : say cheese for family time

I've recently been updating, editing and modifying (where necessary) several lists on Neighborhood Notes. So, without further ado, here are a few activities and eats that are good for kids, both big and small—one'll make you hungry while the other might help you burn off some of those cheesy calories.

National Grilled Cheese Month

Apparently it's April. Here's a sample of one grilled cheese spot on our list. (There are currently eight more featured in the roundup.)

Clyde Common

Served only during specified hours, plan ahead to try Clyde Common’s grilled cheese and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious surprise. The seasonal offering frequently changes at the chef’s whim, but savory combinations can include mushroom and cheddar or tomato jam and feta. Grilled on the flattop, each selection is guaranteed to be vegetarian and sandwiched between two slices of a Pearl Bakery baguette. Available during happy hour (Monday to Friday from 3-6 p.m.) and late night (Monday to Saturday from 11 p.m. to close), fries or the ancho chili popcorn make a great side to go with your required $3 minimum beverage purchase. Follow up your afternoon (or midnight) snack with the daily cookie for dessert and you’ll complete the contemporary adult equivalent of a grade school lunch.

Clyde Common, 1014 SW Stark St., 503.228.3333

Fun Family Activities

Without fail, Portland is plentiful. Whether you want to crawl through the dirt and splash around at your local park, or ramble with the wildlife at the Oregon Zoo or the Audubon Society of Portland, there are a wealth of opportunities to get outdoors and explore. If the weather's less than fair, there's no lack of interactive and educational play available at a variety of museums. No matter the season, there are boundless fun family activities at your fingertips that will engage the kiddos, both mentally and physically.

Oaks Park

In action for more than 100 years, Sellwood-Moreland’s Oaks Park is among the oldest continuously operated amusement parks in the United States. Full of old-fashioned amusements, let your kids of all ages work out their restlessness darting from ride to ride, including thrill rides like roller coasters and classics like the Ferris wheel, bumper cars, go-carts, Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Big Pink slide. Take a tour of the grounds along the Willamette River on the train, which is almost as old as the park itself, or saddle up and ride a horse on the historic, hand-carved, wooden Herschell-Spillman Noah's Ark Carousel, which was built in 1912. And if the weather (or season) just isn’t right, head inside to the skating rink for an open skating session under the pipes of a timeless Wurlitzer organ.

Oaks Park Amusement Park and Roller Rink, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, 503.233.5777

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Find a whole list of family activities in Portland on Neighborhood Notes.