Portland News and Events for August 1, 2014 Through September

PHOTO: Cherry Sprout Produce celebrates its newly-redesigned greenspace with the 6th Annual “Art in the Park,” Saturday, Aug. 9, from 3 to 8 p.m. in Albina Green, the park next to Cherry Sprout Produce, on the corner of N. Albina and N. Sumner.  Blank canvases and non-toxic paint are provided free for people of all ages to make their mark, including local artist Johnny Diciple, above.  The musical lineup kicks off with a kids’ open mike from 3-4 p.m., for musicians 18 and under.  Edna Vasquez, Michael Hurley and an array of special guests make live music until 8 p.m. Find out more at www.cherrysprout.com.  Photo courtesy of Cherry Sprout Produce

Crowd-Sourced Survey Seeks African American Historic Sites

An effort to identify Oregon's African American historic sites and places has uncovered locations in Pendleton, Hayesville, Salem, Westport, Portland and other communities. Project leaders are asking the public to continue submitting information about potential sites. 
The Oregon Black Pioneers, in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office, launched the property survey project "Preserving Oregon's African American Historic Places" in May. Working with community partners and volunteers, the organizations want to protect and preserve Oregon's African American historic sites and places from 1844 to 1984. 
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 28. You may submit your information online at www.makeoregonhistory.com or at www.oregonblackpioneers.org. Provide as much information as you can, but it is OK to leave blanks if you do not know the particular information requested. Go to www.makeoregonhistory.com to submit online. The information will be added to the collections of the Oregon Black Pioneers and the Oregon Historic Sites Database. 
If you have any questions about the survey project you may email Moreland at [email protected] or Kuri Gill, Oregon Heritage, Grants and Outreach Coordinator at [email protected].

Vanport Multimedia Project

Find out about the Vanport Multimedia Project at a free Sharing Ideas session sponsored by Our United Villages Community Legacy program. 

Laura LoForti, the project director will talk about Vanport and how to take part in the multimedia project from 6-8 p.m. Thursday Aug. 7 at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St., Portland. The project is open to participation from anyone who want to learn video production and tell the story of the people who lived there.

Vanport, the State’s second largest city and the largest WWII federal public housing project in the United States became home to 40,000 people from 1942 until May 1948 when the Columbia River flooded into the city, destroying it in a single day.

The project is sponsored by The North Portland Multimedia Training Center, a project of The Skanner Foundation.

Everyone is invited. RSVP suggested. Call 503.546.7499. Refreshments will be provided. Childcare  for children nine and under, transportation, and interpretation will be provided upon request, with 48 hours advance notice. 

Campus Blues Fest Honors Janice Scroggins

Concordia University and The Original Halibut’s restaurant in Northeast Portland present the inaugural Campus Blues Fest, a blues music festival dedicated to the legacy of the late Grammy-nominated and beloved Portland musician, Janice Scroggins on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 12-8 p.m. at Concordia on the campus green.

The dynamic artist line-up will include performances by Portland blues icons Norman Sylvester, Linda Hornbuckle Band with Reggie Houston & Richard Arnold, Jim Mesi Band, Lloyd Jones Trio, Kevin Selfe & the Tornados, Jim Wallace, and The Strange Tones.  

Entrance to this family-friendly festival is free to the public with food vendors, such as, The Original Halibut’s and Cannon’s Rib Express available.

Join the hundreds of attendees who will enjoy back-to-back music from 12-8pm in the amphitheater on the campus green at Concordia University at 2900 NE Rosa Parks Way.

Concordia is an alcohol free campus.

For more information, visit www.cu-portland.edu/events

Auditions for St. Helens, Oregon ‘Haunted Tours’

The ShoeString Community Players will be holding auditions for the St. Helens Haunted Tours, Aug. 6-7 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. The auditions are at Bertucci's, 2017 Columbia Blvd. in St. Helens.
SSCP is looking for actors and actresses ages 16 to 99 for both speaking and non-speaking roles. Rehearsals will be held in the evenings and occasionally on weekends, beginning in late August and running through early October. The exact schedule will be posted after all roles have been cast mid August.
Haunted Tours performances will be held Oct. 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, and Nov. 1 from 7 to 10pm
SSCP is also looking for people to help out behind the scenes with make-up, costumes, concessions, house management, publicity, lighting, special effects, sound effects, handlers and security and crowd control.
For more information on the Haunted House Tours, visit www.sscpmusicals.com or email [email protected]

‘We are Black. We are…’

The Portland African American Leadership Forum holds its next event in the ‘We are Black. We are…’ campaign, which is a monthly community breakfast, Saturday, Aug.16, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the  Highland Christian Center, 7600 NE Glisan St.
August's program will focus on developing a unified plan for the future of our community in the wake of a lacking geographic center. What are our current challenges and strengths as a community? What would a vibrant Black Portland look like? We will use this time to work together to build and advance a common vision for our community. : 
Throughout the remainder of 2014, we will host monthly breakfast gatherings focused on building relationships, providing resources and discussing our experiences as Black people, and how we, as a community, can come together to address challenges and build upon our strengths. The dates and themes for the breakfast program are included below. 
For more information, go to: www.weareblackweare.com; and look for the group on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.

Basic Rights Oregon Racial Justice Alliance ‘Front and Center’

Basic Right’s Oregon presents the 2nd Annual Front and Center, a signature collaborative event between their Racial Justice and Alliance Building and Transgender Justice Programs, Thursday, July 31, doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m., at Artist Repertory Theater 1515 SW Morrison St.

Angelica Ross is the event’s featured artist at the Queer and Trans People of Color Showcase.  Angelica Ross is a trans black woman from Chicago, a talented singer, songwriter, actress, writer, and activist. ­­

Tickets are $15-20 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. For more information call 503-241-1278.

Don't Miss Oregon State Fair Entry Deadline

Oregonians still have time to enter Creative and Artistic competitions at the 149th Oregon State Fair, which will be held August 22 through September 1. Competition participation is more convenient than ever this year, thanks to online registration and remote intake and pickup sites located throughout Oregon.
The online registration deadline for all Creative and Artistic Competitions is Thursday, August 7, 2014. As in years past, participants may register and deliver items in person to the fairgrounds located at 2330 17th St. NE in Salem. Deliveries will be accepted daily from noon to 8pm, August 9 through 12. Some departments have different deadlines: Baked Foods are due August 19; entries for Floral and Farm & Garden will be accepted on August 21.
Participants also have the option of dropping off nonperishable items to locations in Bend, Medford, Portland, Hillsboro, Gresham, Springfield and Pendleton, as well as other areas. For a complete list of remote intake locations and details, visit the Oregon State Fair website at: www.oregonstatefair.org/competitions/creative-artistic/general-information/.
Oregon artisans may enter as many creative departments as their time and skills allow. With exceptions noted below, there is no fee to participate in Creative and Artistic competitions, and handbooks detailing drop-off dates and participation guidelines for each department are available online at www.oregonstatefair.org/competitions/creative-artistic/. This year's Creative and Artistic competition departments include the following:

* Arts (fine art, photography, poetry) (*fee to participate)
* Baked Foods
* Decorated Cakes
* Farm and Garden
* Floral Hobbies and Collectibles
* Honey and Products of the Hive
* Needlework and Clothing
* Paper Arts
* Preserved Foods
* Quilting (*fee to participate)
* Spinning and Weaving
* Table Decorating
* Woodworking
Questions about the Creative and Artistic competitions can be asked via email sent to [email protected] or by calling 503-881-3594Know Your City and Groundwork Portland present The Dirty Side of Portland Bus Tour, August 2nd, 3rd

Tour to examine safety and health issues of Willamette River and other key sites of environmental concern

The Dirty Side of Portland Bus Tour

On Aug 2nd and 3rd, Know Your City and Groundwork Portland will partner have teamed up to present The Dirty Side of Portland, a bus tour visiting locations with important and historic environmental impact throughout the city. These tours will be offered two times only, and will feature several leading authorities speaking to our region's environmental quality. - August 2nd, 3rd.

In policy circles, Portland leads the national discussion on environmental sustainability, but there is still plenty of work to do to clean up after more than a century of industry along the waterfront, and beyond. The tour will begin along the Willamette River with a stop at Cathedral Parkboat launch in St. Johns. From there, the bus will head to Emerson Street Garden, a brownfield site-turned-garden in NE Portland, and then take a look at brownfields in the Midway neighborhood in east Portland.

 On the tour, guests will meet with environmental activists, community members, and public health advocates to hear a variety of perspectives on environmental health and safety. Topics for discussion will include explanations of Harborfund and brownfield sites, health and environmental impacts and what citizens and policymakers can do to make our city safer. 

Saturday, August 2, 11am-2pm

Sunday, August 3, 1pm-4pm

Departing location: Union Station

Cost: Sliding scale $10-25 (nobody turned away for lack of funds)

This tour group will leave from Union Station at 11am and return by 2pm.

  Space is limited to 40 people per tour and getting your ticket now is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available on a sliding scale of  $10-25 with no one turned away for lack of funds. To purchase tickets for The Dirty Side of Portland visit our website

  knowyourcity.org.

For more information, visit: http://www.groundworkportland.org/ 

Find more events in the Portland and Seattle areas on The Skanner News Community Calendar