get physically fit while keeping portland fiscally fit at local, indie gyms + studios

The "world's first electricity generating gyms," The Green Microgyms' equipment captures the energy from a workout and repurposes it to power the building.

I helped compile and update a few fitness lists for 2014 because sometimes the only motivation you need is knowing where to go.

In an effort to help you fulfill your New Year's resolutions, Neighborhood Notes recently published several roundups of local, independent gyms, cycle studios, personal trainers and small group fitness classes, plus a few options to condition both your mind and body including yoga.

Find one in your neighborhood and make good on your best intentions.

portland neighborhood + event + business blurbs

Ringlers Annex and the Crystal Hotel on West Burnside with the Zoobomb Pyle in the foreground

I finished 2013 contributing some neighborhood, event and business blurbs to Neighborhood Notes, helping supplement our updated neighborhood and business district guides for West End, Mississippi, Alberta, Sellwood-Moreland, and the Pearl District. I wrote the main 'hood descriptions for all of the aforementioned (except the Pearl) and highlighted shops like Tender Loving Empire (West End) and Powell's (Pearl), Mississippi Ave. events like the summer street fair, 2nd Thursdays and Cirque du Cycling, music venues like the Crystal Ballroom and Al's Den in the Crystal Hotel (West End), and Pearl places and happenings like First Thursday, the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and Portland Center Stage and The Armory.

which blogging platform is right for your business? (series)

I recently wrapped up a five-part series on blogging platforms for Neighborhood Notes that focused on categories like ease of setup and integration, theme options, ease of use and updating, plugins, SEO tools, security, mobile capabilities, and price as well as other considerations for a variety of popular platforms.

I spoke to multiple web developers and designers about platforms like WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, open-source options (like concrete5, Drupal and Joomla), and custom-built sites to find out the kinds of tools each offers for small businesses.

To read this series you must be a subscriber of Local U, Neighborhood Notes' small business education center, but for a preview, read an intro to the series as well as an excerpt of the first article on WordPress.

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.

which blogging platform is right for your business? wordpress (part 1)

Just as you have tools to manage your finances, marketing, inventory and, hopefully, social media, simply put, a blog is an online content management system (CMS).

It can be personal place in a professional world where you, the owner, can put a human face on your business, share opinions and insight, and create a dialogue with consumers. It’s your place to say what you want directly to your consumers while improving your rank in search because you’re creating content that’s relevant to your business. That may be another topic altogether, but just know it’s an outlet for you to reach and interact with potential and current consumers by sharing content, which’ll ideally show off the fact that you’re an expert in your field or maybe even a tastemaker or trendsetter.

The blogging software is the actual tool that manages this content (and enables you to edit and publish from a central interface), turning your words, thoughts, ideas, photos, videos and anything else you want to post into a format that’s easy for consumers to read and, if you’re using SEO properly, find too (because you’re also speaking the language of the Internet).

Of course, you do have choices—many choices. So, which blogging platform is right for you?

This week in Local U, NN's online small business education center, we're kicking off a series exploring the pros and cons of different blogging platforms. Whether you're concerned about ease of setup and integration, theme options, ease of use and updating, plugins, SEO tools, security, mobile or tablet capabilities (including apps for publishing), or price, we're here to help you find the best match.

First up: A look at WordPress.

While Blogger, Tumblr or any other number of blogging software names might sound familiar to you, there’s one platform that is truly ubiquitous: WordPress.

The free, open-source blogging software and content management system has been powering websites and blogs for more than a decade now, and today there are almost 70 million WordPress sites in the world, from The New York Times to Forbes to the NFL and countless tech and pop culture blogs.

“WordPress is a nice solution for a small business website,” says Mathew Simonton of Formic Media, a search engine marketing agency for small businesses. You can build your entire site (blog included) on the WordPress platform or extend your current presence with a WordPress blog installation, he explains.

“With WordPress, you have two options,” explains Jennifer Rana of Made by Finch, a Portland-based website and graphic design studio that develops WordPress blogs and sites: A WordPress.com account is free and fully hosted by WordPress.com (plus, for a small fee, you can pay for a unique URL), or you can download the WordPress software (available at WordPress.org) and install it on your own site (aka self-hosting). Read more on the nitty-gritty details.

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Subscribe to Neighborhood Notes' small business education center, Local U, to read the rest of this article as well as follow our series on blogging platforms.

throw a neighborhood block party!

Summer’s here and a block party is a great excuse to get to know those neighbors who you only see traveling to and from work or taking out the trash. There are a few bureaucratic hoops to jump through with the city, but if you follow our advice, throwing your own block party should be a cinch.

Think of a block party as a potluck or barbecue-style event intended to attract only local residents who live on your street rather than a community event, like a street fair or farmers' market, which would attract people from beyond your immediate vicinity.

First, you need to determine the scope of your block party:

• Do you want to block off the street to traffic?
• Do you plan to have live or otherwise amplified music?
• Will your party have large structures such as a stage, merry-go-round, bounce house or the like?

Depending on what you want to do, take the following into consideration so there are no surprises along the way.

Pick a Date

Begin by polling your neighbors to find a good date and time that works for everybody. National Night Out is a natural choice because it always falls on the first Tuesday in August and the city waives certain application fees for parties planned on this eve.

Apply for the Necessary Permits

This is where the scope of your party matters and you have two basic options.

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Find out what else you need to do to plan your neighborhood block party 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.

oregon wine month : meet alchemy

While today may be the last day of Oregon Wine Month, I featured one final urban winemaker yesterday on Neighborhood Notes' Local Agenda: Alchemy Wine Productions. The husband-and-wife team along with their sustainably minded neighbors (Stone Barn Brandyworks, Marigold Coffee, Nell & Mary, and Make It Good) are hosting another Producers Portland event at the Green Warehouse on June 8, so that'd be a good time to visit the winery and "take a peek behind the scenes of some of SE PDX's boutique manufactures."

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Check out the other urban winemakers featured earlier this month.

what to do if someone steals your logo online

Imagine opening your email in the morning to find two messages—one from a designer in Denmark and another from South Africa—and both friends have inadvertently similar warnings for you: They’ve each just seen your logo—or one that’s unmistakably similar to yours.

Whether an unauthorized reproduction of your brand’s identity is spotted in two continents on one day, or a child from a village in Kenya is wearing your local balloon company’s logo embroidered on his shorts, you should understand the importance of protecting your business or product name with a trademark.

You've likely invested time and money to generate an identity for your brand and to trademark it, but the reality is, no one is going to protect it for you. You are required to police the use of your trademark and that means being proactive and on the lookout for rip-offs of your logo online.

This might sound like an impossible task so we’re going to provide you with a few tips to help you protect your brand in a digital world.

Finding Infringing Trademarks Online

Graphic designer Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives is a model of vigilance. And, he’s very open about publicly sharing appropriations of his design work in a gallery he dubs “Rip-offs and Unauthorized Usage.” Continually updated, the Facebook album contains some 150 photos and stories. The detailed examples illustrate his process to protect his designs and clients and are an invaluable resource where others can learn how to protect their brand.

So, how does Fisher discover infringing content on the web?

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Subscribe to Neighborhood Notes' small business education center, Local U, to read the rest of this article, and once you're a member, you can read up on the rest of NN's trademark resources.

oregon wine month : meet the winemakers

Oregon Wine Month has barely more than a week left, but every Thursday throughout May, I've been featuring a new urban winemaker on Neighborhood Notes' Local Agenda. So far, we've met the wine aficionados and received tasting recommendations from Hip Chicks Do Wine, Jan-Marc Wine Cellars, ENSO Winery, and the Southeast Wine Collective, which features four wineries (Helioterra Wines, Vincent Wine Company, Division Winemaking Company, and Bow & Arrow Wines) under one roof.

Learn about these Portland vintners and then go visit a few this Memorial Day weekend because all of them are hosting events.

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.

¡salud! — it's cinco de mayo

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, today's Local Agenda features tacos, cervezas, margaritas made with aguas frescas, tamales and homemade salsa from several of my favorite spots around town. (We're talking Robo Taco, ¿Por Que No? and suggestions for several tamale spots.)

Every. Single. One of those things is literally my favorite thing in the whole wide world. ¡Qué rico!

just brew it — it's national homebrew day!

It's National Homebrew Day so naturally we planned accordingly for today's Local Agenda as well. Find out where to meet up with some homebrewing comrades and how to spend your sunny Saturday afternoon.

weddings galore

Here's another batch of small business blurbs written for Neighborhood Notes' The Localist. Most of these have a matrimonial angle, featuring specific products and services for brides- and grooms-to-be.

There are custom-made invitations for any occasion at both Paperjam Press and Ecru Modern Stationer (which also provides myriad convenient personalization options via Envelopments), plus flowers, bouquets, centerpieces and more at both Emerald Petals and Broadway Floral, and then a few little bits on beauty and gift registries.

divine digging — it's record store day!

To celebrate some 400 limited edition titles available at thousands of indie record stores across the world today, I wrote up a few pieces on Portland happenings related to Record Store Day 2013.

In case you don't know, Record Store Day is when:

Record collectors rejoice! Your national (and fast-becoming international) holiday is upon us again: Record Store Day—the day when thousands of independent music retailers across the U.S. offer an incredible selection—literally hundreds—of exclusive limited edition releases that are only available at indie record stores. The focus skews heavily towards vinyl including special collaborations, colored and picture discs, reissues, rare boxed sets, and other one-time-only anomalies, which come in seven, 10 and 12-inch varieties. Each indie record shop often has a different assortment of musical goodies, as well as freebies and activities planned (like in-store performances, DJ sets by local musicians, and record signings), so check with your neighborhood digs to see what they have planned. There’s more than a dozen participating locales in Portland, so get started early before all the hottest commodities are gone!

Find out what's going down today at three indie staples—Music Millennium, Jackpot Records, Everyday Music—on Neighborhood Notes' Local Agenda.

And get even more info on all of the above at Oregon Music News, including a few special snoochie boochies specifically designed for four-twenty.

how to trademark + protect your business name or ideas

You’ve officially decided to follow your dream.

Whether you’re ready to reveal the product you’ve been meticulously developing in your workshop or studio to the world, or you’re ambitiously opening your own restaurant, bar, bakery or boutique, you should step back a moment and consider the name of your product, business or service from a legal perspective—you’ll thank yourself later.

There is definitely a cost to choosing the wrong business name, which is exactly what two Portland bar owners have become acutely aware of since opening their northwest kitchen and lounge almost two years ago. The lesson Sepal Meacham and Josh Johnson (of the recently renamed Paymaster Lounge) would like you to take away from their experience is that you can easily save yourself undue stress, as well as wasted time, money and energy, if you take basic trademark law into consideration when selecting your business’ name.

Even if you’ve had the perfect name in mind for years, you’d be wise to pay attention to the following advice before you publicly brand yourself under that moniker. And if you don’t necessarily have that name picked out, pay attention so you can do it right the first time.

Determine If Your Product Is Eligible For a Trademark

But first, what is a trademark?

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Subscribe to Neighborhood Notes' small business education center, Local U, to read the rest of this article as well as two more about frequently asked trademark questions on international registration and how long it takes to receive a trademark.

beer me — it's national beer day!

I wrote up a few quick introductory hits for today's Local Agenda on Neighborhood Notes encouraging you to consume (or brew) a few on what looks to be a damp Sunday afternoon. Managed to slip in a mention of strip clubs and I know a certain storied inner southeast establishment that has an admirable happy hour pretty much all day long. So, while you're busy blowing your hard-earned cash on coveted curiosities, you'll be saving on beer!

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Find lists of Portland breweries, bottleshops and homebrew supply (as well as other DIY) stores on Neighborhood Notes.

portland business blurbs

Lately, I've been contributing content to Neighborhood Notes' The Localist, a business directory of locally owned businesses in Portland. Some of these blurbs are repurposed from past content I've written, some are basic write-ups to introduce a business, and others highlight specific products, events, services, or just things we like (because we think you should be in the know too). All of them show up in various places around the site (like on a business' directory page) and sometimes on the homepage as part of the curated Local Agenda, which changes daily.

Here are a few samples and links to more.

Artistic Taxidermy

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! More like deer, elk, antelope, ducks, and “a lot of bears lately,” says Artistic Taxidermy’s Garret Heying of the fauna he regularly sees come through his shop. Although he does stuff some African game (including an impressive kudu on the wall behind the counter) and some exotics from New Zealand, add to that list aquatic creatures like bass, trout and salmon—including a 75 pounder once—and you have the bulk of Heying’s Northwest fare. Peering through the doorway into the “Employees Only” zone, the ceiling racks hold more than 100 antlers while the showroom—where you can stop in and browse—of the 71-year-old business, which has called Foster Road home for more than three decades, houses an ever-changing inventory, from finished orders awaiting pick up to examples of the professional mounts, scaled and feathered trophies, rugs, restorations, and antler lamps and chandeliers fashioned on-site.

Artistic Taxidermy, 5700 SE Foster Road, 503.771.DEER

Take A Trip But Don't Forget Your Passport

Laurie Lewis of Hip Chicks Do Wine was instrumental in organizing the PDX Urban Wineries association, which represents a range of winemakers making a variety of wines all right here within the city's limits. And now, the burgeoning number of urban wineries involved in the collaborative coalition has created the perfect way for you to tour their facilities and taste their wines. The PDX Urban Wineries Passport grants you a free tasting at wineries around town—including Hip Chicks, ENSO, Alchemy Wine Productions, and Seven Bridges as well as three different winemakers in the shared space of the Southeast Wine Collective (which features Helioterra Wines, Vincent Wine Company and Division Winemaking Company) and the appointment-only, garage-based operation of Jan-Marc Wine Cellars—plus discounts at local wine-oriented bars and restaurants. Want to get a group together and arrange your own tour? The passport also provides deals on transportation options like the Portland Short Bus and PDX Pedicab. So, buy your own passport ($20) and organize a tasting trip. Then, present your passport for complimentary sips and swirl, sniff and swallow—or spit, if you must. Like what you tried? Receive 10 percent off any bottle purchased that day. Then, repeat this process at your next urban winery stop.

The Jane from Tiffany Bean's 2013 Riviera collection

Plus, read about Muse Art and Design's month-long An Artist A Day event in April or Tiffany Bean's new spring 2013 collection at Mabel and Zora. Or, there's weekly Fiber Fanatic Fun on Thursdays at Pearl Fiber Arts and tons of canning supplies at Mirador. Physical Element has new shoes in stock while Milagros Boutique's event space is now available for rental. Then, catch a weekend show when the daytime workshop of Sellwood-Moreland's Modcott Pianos turns into a nighttime venue called The Piano Fort.

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.

the cost of choosing the wrong business name

Three months after opening their NW Portland kitchen and lounge, Sepal Meacham and Josh Johnson received a certified letter from Austin, Texas. It contained a strongly worded cease and desist letter from a Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill located in the heart of Stumptown’s unofficial sister city, asking the two burgeoning bar owners to “dissolve our business immediately,” Meacham explains.

“We were shocked and surprised,” she adds.

After talks with the Austin restaurant failed, Meacham and Johnson decided it was best to change their name and appended Balls the Cat’s to the original name of Moonshine Kitchen & Lounge. The image of Balls—the cat with the moonshine jug—became their official mascot, although his presence had been a part of their branding since the beginning.

Meacham says they’ve since “tried to go about our business,” and while the pair hasn’t received another cease and desist letter regarding the new name, every so often, another issue seems to crop up. The Austin company has had “unreasonable” requests, according to Meacham, such as wanting “$7,500 every six months” for licensing of the name and “control over our logo and our menus.”

“We need to succumb to their demands or go to court,” Meacham says, feeling a little bit at a loss.

Or, change the name of the bar, which is something the pair is considering.

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Find out what led Meacham and Johnson to change the name of their bar to Paymaster Lounge and how you can avoid this problem on Neighborhood Notes.