Portland Area Newsletter and Planner - September 22, 2023

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CELEBRATE NEGRONI WEEK IN PORTLAND
What’s more fun than bar-crawling through Portland? Knowing that every sip is helping a worthy cause. Every September, bars and restaurants around the city (and the world) join forces for Negroni Week.

This Portland-born fundraising event challenges bartenders across the globe to present their best twists on the classic three-ingredient cocktail. Part of the proceeds from each negroni purchased benefit 40 charities, including Portland’s Outside In and and Oregon Food Bank.

Dating back to early 1900s Italy, the negroni is composed of only three ingredients: gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. It’s a bittersweet beverage with a pungent orange-peel flavor that can yield limitless variety when in the hands of imaginative bartenders.

ROSE CITY COMIC CON
Portland’s premier pop-culture event, Rose City Comic Con, is produced locally with a focus on creating a fun and friendly event for everyone.

While its primary focus is on comics, comic creators and the creative process, Rose City Comic Con also provides its attendees access to gaming, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, fantasy and everything in between. Its goal is to provide you with a rewarding, fun, family-friendly event experience.

THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN
It’s no Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Night of the Living Dead, but once in the 1990s, the lovely Oregon town of St. Helens was overrun by something worse than zombies or vampires — a Hollywood movie crew! The peaceful waterfront city just 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Portland has never been the same.

Each year, St. Helens, the filming site of the otherwise forgettable Halloweentown, remembers its brush with the dollar DVD bin with  The Spirit of Halloweentown,  a fun, family-friendly celebration of the spookiest holiday around. Complete with costume contests, trick-or-treating through St. Helens’ Old Town District, haunted town tours, and scarecrows galore. The celebration of the creepiest day of the year extends into every weekend in October, starting with the lighting of the Great Pumpkin in the city plaza.

During The Spirit of Halloweentown, local merchants are dying to get you in the spirit, with costume shops stocking everything from frisky vampire getups to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shells. And with an array of events from ghost talks, tarot card readings, and face painting increasing up to the big day, you’ll want to be dressed and ready for action. So be sure not to miss it, or you’ll be haunted with regret — at least until next year.

OAKS PARK OKTOBERFEST
Head to Oaks Amusement Park for their annual Oktoberfest, where you can expect several beers on tap, delicious German food, live bands and performances by dance groups. "Willkommen" back to Oktoberfest, the first one since 2019. This fall family festival returns with three days of authentic German food and beer, polka music, dancing, kids' activities, cooking shows, thrill rides, and more.

All ages of visitors are welcome.

PROST! OKTOBERFEST
Dust off the Lederhosen and Dirndls…. Oktoberfest is here. Prost! has Commemorative Bier steins and a bunch of fest bier coming to put on tap and will do some new food specials. They will be playing some of your favorite German drinking songs, decorating the pub, and being geared up for a good time.

Capacity will be limited to seated guests, first come, first served. So grab your friends, and come party like a German.

PORTLAND OKTOBERFEST
Bring your steins, dirndls, and lederhosen – Munich’s favorite fest arrives in downtown Portland this fall. It's Oktoberfest at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

With its picturesque setting in the heart of the city, Portland Oktoberfest invites locals and visitors alike to experience an unforgettable fusion of German heritage and Oregonian flair. Indulge in authentic Bavarian delights with mouthwatering bratwursts and soft pretzels from Portland’s Urban German Wursthaus. Steins will overflow with a carefully curated selection of regional German-style beers and authentic imports from Munich. 

It’s not your Grandma’s Oktoberfest. Commemorate the day with a new tattoo from INKBUS Tattoo, participate in the costume contests, and test your strength at the renowned stein-holding competitions. And don’t forget about the mechanical bull. Catch traditional polka bands all day Friday, live music Saturday, and when the sun goes down, be ready to dance at an Oktoberfest-themed Video Dance Attack party on Saturday night.

Whether you're an Oktoberfest veteran or a first-time attendee, this new addition to Portland's event calendar promises an experience that will leave you yearning for more. Portland Oktoberfest celebrates the fusion of two vibrant cultures, bringing the magic of Germany's Oktoberfest traditions to the eclectic city of Portland, where beer, community, and joy intertwine. Prost to new beginnings and unforgettable memories. This new and unique iteration of Oktoberfest is open to guests 21 and over. Tickets are available now, and a limited number of Portland Oktoberfest stoneware stein packages are available for pre-order. See you there…things might get weird.

FRESH HOP POP-UP BEER FEST
The Portland Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest returns for its 8th year in 2023 at Portland’s Prost! Marketplace on N. Mississippi Ave. The beer garden features ten food trucks and ten rotating taps. Each day of this 17-day fresh hop marathon will feature rare seasonal beers with special tappings nearly every day celebrating some of the best and brightest breweries and regions.

THE CORN MAIZE ON SAUVIE ISLAND
When summer winds down, Portland’s fall arrives with warm, sunny days and cool, clear nights. The ideal way to get lost in autumn’s splendor is at The Maize at the Pumpkin Patch. Located on Sauvie Island., a rural escape just 13 miles (21 km) north of downtown Portland, the Corn Maize offers visitors eight acres (3 hectares) of exciting twists and turns. But it’s not all about getting lost in nature; Two 16-foot (5 m) observation bridges provide picturesque panoramas, with great views of the island and Mount Hood, as well as the maze itself. 

As well as the corn maze, guests can take a trip on a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin, or pet farm animals and make a new feathery friend at the Big Red Barn. Not in the mood to traipse out into the pumpkin field? Explore the gift shop or have a relaxing lunch in the café, the family farm has activities to delight any visitor.

PORTLAND FARMERS MARKET AT SHEMANSKI PARK
With its carts and vendors selling delicious meals under a lush green canopy of trees, this downtown farmer’s market at Shemanski Park is a popular lunch spot for good reason. Portland residents and visitors also use this shaded destination to buy locally grown groceries for dinner — or supplies for an alfresco picnic. (Wednesdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m.)

DAHLIA FESTIVAL
Celebrate the season of DAHLIAS. A Rainbow of Color. Stroll through almost 40 acres and a beautiful display garden of stunning dahlias featuring over 370 varieties. The beautiful fields are open from August to September each year, closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Pick out and order your favorite dahlias for Spring delivery and planting. Purchase a beautiful bunch of cut dahlias to take home with you or to make someone’s day. Visit the Gift Shop with hundreds of local treasures, open year-round. Fill your belly with yummy treats from Food Carts, relax and enjoy the Live Music, attend the Sunday farmers’ market, or take one of the Classes throughout the festival dates.

NORTH COAST FOOD TRAIL
Already an expansive way to chow down as you’re touring the Oregon coast, the North Coast Food Trail is getting ready to get bigger. Some 100 or more miles of foodstuffs, drinks and culinary-themed adventures await with Visit Tillamook Coast’s North Coast Food Trail, which starts at the southern edges of the Tillamook County line at Neskowin and runs up through Cannon Beach, Seaside and now Astoria.

MONTAVILLA FARMERS MARKET
Neighborhood farmers market featuring local farms, distilleries, coffee, bakeries, flowers, hot food vendors and more.  The market was founded by a grassroots collection of neighbors who were inspired by visions of a fresh, local, food market in a shared community space within the growing SE Stark Street business district. This dedicated group opened the market in just 10 short months with a small amount of grant funds and a generous outpouring of donations from local businesses, friends and neighbors. The tireless energy of these un-paid visionaries and countless other volunteers allowed MFM to open its first market on Sunday, July 22, 2007, with 17 vendors and over 2000 visitors. Montavilla Farmers Market is a thriving, diverse marketplace where all are welcome.

PORTLAND NIGHT MARKET
The Portland Night Market showcases many unique businesses that call Portland home. Blending food, culture, music, drinks and retail for an adventurous evening in the Central Eastside. Meet some of Portland's best makers and creators. With almost 200 hundred makers, the Night Market offers food carts, drinks, clothing, lifestyle goods, home goods, body care and art. The Portland Night Market is a FREE quarterly event open to all ages. 

FARMERS MARKET AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
The Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University will be open every Saturday, year-round. April through October hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. November through March hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Market at PSU is located in Downtown Portland in the South Park Blocks between SW College & Montgomery Streets.

HOLLYWOOD FARMERS MARKETS
Year-round on Saturdays, the Hollywood Farmers Markets hosts 50+ vendors, bringing you the best of the region’s agricultural bounty. In addition to amazingly fresh, local food,  you’ll find live music, children’s activities, and fun events throughout the season.

• April through September, every Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM,
• October and November, every Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM,, and
• December through March: 9 AM to 1PM on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month

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