(52 posts)

Meet the “Granddad of KingPins”

It’s been said that the collapse of community begins with people bowling alone. So we’re glad to report there are still people bowling together in Lents. The KingPins alley on SE 92nd hosts bowling leagues every day of the week, including for kids, adults, and seniors. And if you go often enough, you’re just about […]

Lents / January 3, 2020

Why Spending a Day with Dillon is a Big Dill

Lents is one of Portland’s oldest, largest, and most diverse neighborhoods — and no offense to Blaze, but it’s also the home of our city’s most beloved mascot, Dillon the Pickle. Since 2015, Dillon has been the face of the Portland Pickles, a collegiate wood-bat baseball team that’s gained quite a following for its home […]

Lents / January 3, 2020

Finding Love at Oaks Park

Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood has hosted everything from roller derby events to competitive beer miles to holiday festivals. And along the way, the 114-year-old park has helped more than a few Portlanders find love. We’ve tracked down three local couples who ended up getting married after meeting at “The Oaks” roller rink. Check out […]

History / November 21, 2019

Alberta’s OG Brunch Spot Delivers

Janette Kaden has been making brunch since before it was cool. Nearly 20 years ago, Janette opened the Tin Shed Garden Cafe on Alberta Street — back then, it was one of the only restaurants in the area. Now she has plenty of company, but Tin Shed still stands out for its local sourcing, its […]

Alberta Arts District / October 23, 2019

How “Salvage Sundays” Gives Bikes a Second Chance

Carl Wilson was on the verge of homelessness when he took a job at the Community Cycling Center in Northeast Portland 16 years ago. Now he says he’s living the good life with a house and two cats, and he’s helping give old bikes a second life through the CCC’s weekly Salvage Sale. Every Sunday, […]

Alberta Arts District / October 2, 2019

Meet the Man Behind Earl’s Barbershop

Earl Clark is a Louisiana-born Army veteran and long-time Northeast Portlander, and for nearly three decades, he’s been cutting hair at Earl’s Barbershop, one of the last black-owned storefronts in the Alberta Arts District. The shop has survived decades of change in the neighborhood, and it’s given fresh cuts to local legends like Terry Porter […]

Alberta Arts District / September 19, 2019

How the Alberta Arts District is Trying to Keep its Artists

How do you keep an arts district from losing its artists? That’s an age-old question in gentrifying neighborhoods like the Alberta Arts District, but the nonprofit Alberta Art Works and its executive director Maquette Reeverts think they have an answer — pay artists to do their craft. “That’s how we keep the folks here,” Maquette […]

Alberta Arts District / September 18, 2019

Fostering Her Own Future

She didn’t start school until the eighth grade. She slept in youth shelters and at the DHS office for weeks on end. She was told college “wasn’t for her.” But Aleathea St. Hilaire is now a full-time student studying criminal justice at Warner Pacific University, and she’s mentoring kids at the same camp where she […]

Community / September 9, 2019

Meet the “Minister of Loud Noises” at The Old Church Concert Hall

The Old Church Concert Hall in downtown Portland is known as “a sanctuary of sound” — and organist Michael Barnes is its “minister of loud noises.” Michael is the artistic director behind the Lunchtime Concert Series, which brings local musicians to The Old Church every Wednesday at noon to perform a free concert. The concert […]

Arts & Culture / August 30, 2019

How Waterfront Park Brought the Water to Portlanders

The pace of change in Portland can be maddening sometimes, but as we wait for the Albina Vision, the Green Loop, and the Duckworth Dock of our dreams to become a reality, it’s worth remembering that most local gems weren’t created overnight. Take Waterfront Park. The idea for a riverfront park in downtown dates back […]

Downtown / August 28, 2019