Portland Events, Music, Art, Entertainment, Sustainability | PDXPIPELINE.com

By Geoff Kleinman

As the summer winds down in Portland there’s always a rush to grab as much of the good weather as possible.

Labor Day weekend is pretty much the last gasp of the seasons and it’s a perfect time to enjoy one of the many great summertime activities and attractions the city has to offer.

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Labor Day Weekend Events and Attractions In and Near Portland:

Distillery Row - Portland has long been mecca for microbrews but it’s quickly becoming the epicenter of a new wave of small artisan distilleries. Check out New Deal for great Gin and Vodka, Hose Spirits Distillery for White Dog Whiskey, Decco Distilling for Rum.

Be sure to seek out the easy to miss Stone Barn Brandyworks for spirits that will literally may you say WOW (including their Strawberry Liqueur). Pick up a Distillery Row passport for savings at Row businesses and restaurants.

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Green Castle Food Court - Portland has a bazillion food cart pods, but this little on on NE Everett St is often overlooked. Home of Cackalack’s Hot Chicken Shack, the best fried chicken in Portland and  Viking Soul Food with their crave-worthy LEFSE flat bread this food cart pod is worth seeking out! 1930 NE Everett St.

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Sky High- Just a few blocks down the road from Washington Square this trampoline-alooza is as much crazy fun as you can have sober. Bounce, flip and jump in a complex bigger than a football field. Be sure to dress like you’re going to the gym, as bouncing at Sky High isn’t only fun it’s the best workout you’ll get all week. Website: jumpskyhigh.com

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Portland Classical Chinese Gardens – this urban oasis is not just for tourists and many Portlanders miss out on one of the most authentic and serene Classical Chinese Gardens in the US. Hit it in the morning and beat the crowds or sip tea at the end of a long day in the tea house and watch the world go by. Website: portlandchinesegarden.org

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Portland Tub and Tan – Get your summer fling in under the wire with Portland Tub and Tan’s outdoor private hot tubs. Turn up the tunes, flick on the outdoor fireplace and enjoy one of Portland’s last hot nights.

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U-Pick It – Sauvie Island is a quick trip up Highway 30 and there are a plethora of options to pick your own peaches, corn, blackberries and more. We recommend Krogers and Sauvie Island Farms, but there are a ton of great places to pick at.

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DIY BBQ - Portland has two amazing places to grab some meat and have a BBQ. Gartner’s Country Meat Market on NE Killingsworth & 75th has more meat choices than anyone else in town (they also have some of the best). Grab a couple pounds of marinated short ribs for the easiest and tastiest BBQing you’ll ever do. Closer to town is Sheridan Fruit Company (on MLK and Oak) with one of the best and craziest selection of sausages you’ll ever find. Bacon Cheese Frankfurter Sausage?! YES PLEASE. Either place you go, be sure to drop by Upright for a growler of Portland best beer or stop into Belmont Station for the city’s best beer selection.

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Labor Day Weekend Events Outside of Portland

Oregon State Fair (Pictures from Oregon State Fair here) - Salem is only an hour drive away and the State Fair is a cornucopia of activities, food, rides and fun. At $11 per person you get some serious bang for you buck. Website: oregonstatefair.org

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Whitewater Rafting on the Deschutes - Maupin is only 2 hours away and an all day, Deschutes river white water rafting trip is well within reach. You can shred your way through class 3 rapids and be home in time for dinner.

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Oregon Coast – Another option that you can easily hit by car. Get up at the crack of dawn for some Deep Sea Fishing or sleep in and boat on a river before a bonfire on the beach with beer and friends. From OnPDX: Portland Getaway – Lincoln City and The Oregon Coast

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Our Portland Events App for PDX Pipeline is now available for iPhones, Android phones and iPads!

Now, you can have all of the great Portland events from our website in the palm of your hand including Portland Labor Day weekend events when you’re out on the town.

Download the App for iPhone here

Download the App for Android here

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Geoff Kleinman writes locally about Portland at OnPDX.com and Nationally as a drinks writer on DrinkSpirits.com and in Tasting Panel Magazine, Shake Stir and Black Book Magazine.

Pipeline contributing writer Rebecca Gross took a trip to Sauvie Island recently and brought back some delicious looking berry photos and sweet canning tips for our readers. Get out to the island this weekend to take advantage of Oregon’s berry season. Too far? Zupans and New Seasons both have a nice selection of local berries as well.
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By Rebecca Gross
I recently spent half a day on Sauvie Island picking berries at Kruger’s Farm. Though the raspberries are done for the season, the u-pick berry patches still had some blackberries, Marionberries and boysenberries. They were all dark, juicy and delicious! Blueberries were bountiful and are perfect for snacking or for mixing into a berry jam. Which is exactly what I used them for.

I ended up buying some fresh raspberries from Kruger’s Farm Market and jammed for the rest of the afternoon with two friends.

More Portland / Oregon Berry Canning Info + Photos Read the rest of this entry »

The Portland Pumpkin Patch is back & another reminder that fall is almost here & Halloween is right around the corner. It's also another great item to add to your Portland Labor Day weekend plans. Today is the grand opening of the “Heart in Oregon” maze/Maize patterned off the famous shirts designed by Chris Bucci.

Related info and events from Pipeline:

• Portland Pictures: Chris Bucci – Inventor of Oregon Green Heart | “Heart in Oregon”
• 75+ Portland Weekend Events, Parties, Festivals & Ticket Giveaways | September 2-6
• Portland Labor Day Weekend Tips | In & Outside Of PDX

From press release:

Grand Opening of the "Heart in Oregon" MAiZE, Sept 4th, 2010

Portland's original cornfield maze ventures into its twelfth season at The Pumpkin Patch on beautiful Sauvie Island in Portland, Oregon. This year the Portland MAiZE has teamed up with "Heart in Oregon" to create a giant puzzle in the towering corn field.

Since 1999, thousands of people from all over Oregon have attended this popular fall event making it a fun-filled family tradition. According to Craig Easterly, founder of the Portland MAiZE, this year's Heart in Oregon MAiZE will be offering the usual exciting physical and mental challenges of previous versions, with the added bonus of following your heart to the actual "heart" within The MAiZE.

"I like to create designs that resonate with Portlanders and Read the rest of this entry »

pumpkin logo
“loved the pattern on the bottom of this pumpkin @ Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch “
Taken on October 10, 2008
Photo By mccun934

We are halfway there to Halloween. Great image here of the pumpkin wonders of Sauvie Island. Here is some info from the Pumpkin Patch site:

Q.How do I get to Sauvie Island?
A.From Portland, take HWY 30 West until you come to the Sauvie Island bridge. After going over the bridge, be sure to turn left and loop back under it. Go two miles and you'll see us! Read the rest of this entry »

If you have kids, or if you just like pumpkins and fall festivities, you have probably been to Kruger Farms or the Pumpkin Patch (noted for its very large corn maze) , both on Sauvie Island. They are wonderful places and you should certainly go, but you should also visit Fir Point Farms in Aurora and Lake View Farms in North Plains. Both provide out of the ordinary activities.

Fir Point sells pumpkins, but they also have a playhouse filled with hazelnuts (kids love this), a enclosed dark maze, a hay slide, hay ride and other activities. These do cost money, so bring some cash. They also drop a large pumpkin onto a vehicle each year; you can watch that here (JC edit: just watched–that's awesome!).

Finally, they sell a number of treats, including fried apple pie slices and apple cider doughnuts.

Lake View Farms has a corn maze and pumpkins, but the big selling point is the way you get to the pumpkins. For one leg of the trip you take a train through a haunted tunnel and on the other you take a boat ride across a lake. There are all sorts of surprises lurking in the lake, which will have people laughing.

More Portland Halloween information from the Pipeline

Man, Saturday is turning out to be a jam-packed day!

Out on Sauvie Island there is going to be a bike race. WOO HOO!

This will NOT be your usual downtown crit. Except for racers doing multiple laps around a relatively compact course, everything will be different! The race will probably feel more like a fast and non-technical cyclocross race over hard-packed farm roads, featuring some potholes, some ruts, a sprinkle of gravel, a bit of sand, and depending on the weather, possibly some mud.

Git ‘R Done!!!

According to the National Weather Service there is a slight chance of rain on Saturday. Bring on the RAIN!

The picture is of Roger de Vlaeminck riding on the cobblestones! Now, neither Mr. Vlaeminck (a.k.a Mr. Paris-Roubaix) nor the cobblestones will be there this Saturday but this race will be a nice appetizer for cyclocross season in a few weeks.