Neighborhood Notes

Living green means making choices in our day-to-day lives that enhance, rather than just reduce, our impact on the environment. The Living Green Expo at OMSI will feature more than 30 community partners offering information, ideas, resources, and motivation to live green and maintain a more sustainable lifestyle.

Portland is a mecca of creativity so it's no wonder that craft shows are popping up all over town – especially with the big shopping season just right around the corner! One of my favorites is definitely Crafty Wonderland . Every second Sunday, you'll find a diverse group of over 40 crafty artisans gathered in the Doug Fir Lounge (830 E. Burnside) all proudly displaying their wares. And it's never the same show twice because every month presents a different selection of crafters. And following the true spirit of the event, there's a DIY table where you can give a new craft a test drive and walk away with your very own creation (this month, it's election-themed craft projects)! Crafty Wonderland was first started in April 2006 by Torie Nguyen and Cathy Pritters, both experienced crafters themselves. Since then, this monthly event has found a huge following and will even be featured on TV during Oregon Art Beat this Thursday, October 9th at 8pm on OPB! So you know what to
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We're huge fans of  Family Discovery Sundays  at the  Museum of Contemporary Craft . A couple weeks ago, at the last Family Discovery Sunday, my son made the beauteous piece shown in this post. The materials are always inspired, the artists are excellent and the guides provide examples, and then let kids go where their imaginations take them. That's not to say that special events are the only time to go to the museum with kids. There's no charge for entrance, so it's less risky to head in with a potentially crabby kid who may only stay for a few minutes. And the current  Manuf®actured  show is a great one for kids to explore. If you find yourself a little tongue tied, take advantage of the Learning to Look booklets, which guide adults in helping kids to explore the show. Kind of 'hide and seek' with a crafts, purpose and materials focus.  The next Family Discovery Sunday,  Binding the Unbreakable , will be led by Sonya Clark, one of the artist
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Join the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides and Portland Parks & Recreation in celebrating the designation of two new pesticide-free parks! There will be snacks, kid's activities, a raffle and free native plants. Learn more about the Pesticide-Free Parks program and how you can get involved. Sunday, October 12, 1:00-3:00 PM
Hillside Park (653 NW Culpepper Terr)
Native Plant Walk at 2:00! For more information contact:
Haley Smith at NCAP
(503) 423-7549
portland@pesticide.org

As a longtime hotbed of creativity for modern art, design, and urban development, Portland is being unveiled as fashion’s best-kept secret. On the runway since 2003, Portland Fashion Week is the second-longest running fashion week on the West Coast. PFW stages the freshest designers’ collections of the upcoming season through a week-long series of high-production runway shows at the hippest venues in downtown Portland, and exposes independent designers to style-savvy consumers, as well as buyers, and regional & national press. Schedule: Hours every evening: PFW Plaza: 5PM (open for all)
Pre-party reception: 6:30PM (ticket required)
Runway Show: 8PM (ticket required)
VIP After-party: 10PM (VIP or Preferred seating ticket required) Wednesday, October 8 Opening Night Party and Entertainment Hosted by Mayor Tom Potter Icebreaker (New Zealand|Portland)   Art Institute of Portland Fashion Show Thursday, October 9 MEWV Sustainables
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Indoor Active Play on Mondays is at  Pearl Court Activity Center  from 3:30 - 5:00. Play starts at 3:30. At 4:45 we begin to clean up and the event ends at 5:00. Indoor Active Play is for children of all ages and their families. We'll run, make noise, play with balls, dance to music and create games. Pearl Court Activity Center's owner has kindly loaned us use of his storage room, so we're able to store toys and play items. You're welcome to bring balls, obstacle course materials, CDs of kids music and anything else that would be fun. We welcome cash donations to defray the cost of renting this space. Donations are returned to  Zimmerman Community Center , which has rented the space. Pearl Court Activity Center is located at 1425 NW 16th between Pettygrove and Quimby. Free parking is available in front of the building. Heres additional information about Indoor Active Play. Indoor Active Play starts the week of October 6t
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Chef Pascal Chureau shares recipes and tips from his restaurants Fenouil and Lucier in an upcoming cooking class at In Good Taste   The new Lake Oswego location of In Good Taste Cooking School features fresh and exciting cooking classes this fall. October features a hands on class, taught by Chef Pascal Chureau. Pascal, who is the executive chef of the sleek waterfront restaurant Lucier, will teach you how to create a stunning French meal at home. The class will be held on Monday, October 13 at 6:00 PM. Pascal is a familiar face in Lake Oswego, as he was the executive chef of Tucci Restaurant. Pascal uses seasonal, organic ingredients from local area producers and farmers in his cooking. His menus emphasize French bistro recipes and Northwest ingredients. The upcoming class menu includes delicious dishes like Mussels with Merquez Sausage, Espelette Peppers, and Roasted Garlic, Pan Roasted Salmon with Chanterelle Ragout, Black Olive Jus, Potato Galette,
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Full Circle: Stories, conversation and community Full Circle is an experiment in community journalism that strives to engage the public through the use of group discussions. For this article two meetings, moderated by Judith Mowry and reported by myself, were held over the course of a three-month period. During group discussions and interviews, I shared my experiences and personal views as a discussion participant. The first meeting consisted of an "on-the record" discussion of the issues among residents. The second consisted of a public reading of the draft article and further discussion. The third meeting will be held later this month. To learn more about the Full Circle project visit www.portlandsentinel.com/fullcircle. Dogs and Gentrification
Most Portlanders know how white Rose City residents feel about dogs. In 2006, Portland was America's dog-friendliest town, according to Dog Fancy Magazine. A report by the American Veterinary Medical Association claimed
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This weekend's grey skies and wet roads confirmed what I should have known by simply looking at the calendar: fall has arrived! That means I have to get the house in order for colder weather, dig out the rain gear and winter sweaters, and OMG, the holidays are just around the corner, yikes!

Hey, nothing a little shopping therapy can't take care of! And here's a great place to do it: on Tuesday and Wednesday 10/14-15, Handmade NW is putting on a fabulous Fall Artisans Fair at Montgomery Park in NW Portland... read more »

Indoor Active Play on Tuesdays is at  Pearl Court Activity Center  from 10:00 - 11:30. Play starts at 10:00. At 11:15 we begin to clean up and the event ends at 11:30. Indoor Active Play is for children of all ages and their families. We'll run, make noise, play with balls, dance to music and create games. Pearl Court Activity Center's owner has kindly loaned us use of his storage room, so we're able to store toys and play items. Please do bring music and toys that you'd like to share. We welcome cash donations to defray the cost of renting this space. Donations are returned to  Zimmerman Community Center  which generously rented the space. Pearl Court Activity Center is located at 1425 NW 16th between Pettygrove and Quimby. Free parking is available in front of the building. Heres additional information about Indoor Active Play. Indoor Active Play starts the week of October 6th. We anticipate it will last th
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