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July 10, 2009
For Technorati purposes
Free block party on Mississippi
More than 20,000 people turned out for last year's street fair on Mississippi Avenue
It’s going to be in the 80’s and sunny on Saturday here in Portlandia. So … how will you spend the day? Mowing the lawn? Clean the garage? Maybe throw a few steaks on the grill?
Ho hum. You can do that any weekend. How about taking the kids to listen to bands on FOUR live stages … grab local food from the top restaurants in North PDX … win some prizes … oh, and benefit two local kids programs at the same time.
Beats chores, eh?
Every year, Mississippi Avenue hosts the mother of all block parties, reaching from Skidmore to Fremont. This year, organizers say more than 20,000 Portlandians will flood the neighborhood to join the fun. It doesn’t cost a dime to get in, but you will want to bring a few bucks for food and a couple more to donate to the Boise-Eliot Elementary and Albina Youth opportunity schools.
Lest you think this is just a free concert and a few diners opening their doors, think twice oh ye of little faith. The party includes the finest restaurants, games, a parade, kids area, info on local artists and some environmental projects as well. In fact, GNPDX bets you could start at Skidmore, walk down one side of the street to Fremont and then back the other side and STILL not see it all.
Prove us wrong, Portlandia . . . prove us wrong 
For more info on who’s playing, click here.
July 9, 2009
Good stock day
Jobless rates are dropping (That’s the number of people claiming benefits because they are out of work).
The giant aluminum maker, Alcoa, didn’t lose as much as they thought they would last month.
Those two bits pushed the stock market’s here and abroad upwards today. For the more indepth explanation that uses words like indicators, index and ebullient . . . click here.
July 8, 2009
Free personal training for the Portland Marathon
Get FREE training for the Portland Marathon by supporting ACS
Here’s an obvious statement: you cannot wake up on an average Tuesday and say “I want to run over 26 miles today.” Well, if you’re in really good shape, maybe. But for the average Joe, completing a marathon requires some prep (and for the GNPDX staff, it would help to spread the mileage over several days).
If it’s your first marathon, it can also be a huge boost to have some experienced help in your training regiment. While most of us would LIKE to complete the marathon course, the time it takes to train and the ability to pay someone to work with us can be a hurdle.
The American Cancer Society and Fit Right Northwest have cleared one of those hurdles. For everybody.
If you sign up for the Portland Marathon and agree to raise money for the ACS, you’ll get free, personal training all the way up to race day.
GNPDX spoke with Bonnie Ell with ACS about the program which kickstarted in the 90’s in Chicago. That race now raises about a million bucks a year and has 800 people signed up. Locally, the first year for the program has 16 people on board already (guaranteeing $8,000-16,000 for ACS) with the hopes to push that number over 25 by the cut off in early August.
You do have to comitt to run in order to get the free training, but if you’ve ever wanted to run a marathon, there’s never been a better time to train. For sign up info go here.
July 7, 2009
Fed $$ patch up streets AND add jobs
Cool story from the Tribune about how federal stim dollars are going to work on the streets of Portlandia. Literally.
(Nutshell: $1.3 million saved 10 jobs, created 2 new ones and is helping patch the pavement downtown)
July 6, 2009
Forty years of addiction gets kicked to the curb
The Portland Rescue Mission offers help to countless men and women every year.
Randy Ankele has lived nearly half a century. He’s seen cable TV, the Internet, several presidents and the cell phone come into prominence. And almost all of that time was through a haze of booze and drugs.
“I started drinking when I was nine” says Ankele. “My folks drank so it was easy to sneak beers.” The fight cost Ankele family, friends and his home.
“I didn’t know how to quit,” he explains in an exclusive chat with GNPDX. But he finally hit bottom and reached for help.
By working with the Portland Rescue Mission, Ankele went from the streets into his own place with a job and a savings account. He’s spent 18 months working through his personal demons and is looking at a brighter future, including plans to go to school and volunteer with the Mission’s men’s program.
“I feel so blessed that I can show people there is a better life,” he adds. “When I got to the Mission I was broken.”
To volunteer or donate and help others like Randy, click here.
July 1, 2009
Sherwood is one of the best places to raise a family
The City of Sherwood is one of the nation's best places for families
If you’ve got a family or are about to start a family and think moving is a good idea … take a look at Sherwood. The city near Tualatin and Newberg is one of the best to raise a family.
Not, like, one of the best in this corner of Oregon. Not one of the best in the state. It’s one of the top ten in the nation. Yeah, consider Montana, Nebraska, New York, Florida, Hawaii . . . Oregon is one of the top ten list and it’s all thanks to Sherwood.
And don’t take our word for it (although the GNPDX staff are huge fans of the city based on it’s local theatre companies and number of Dutch Bros coffee kiosks). Ask Family Circle Magazine. The national publication that is read by 21 million pairs of eyes a month says so.
Jim Patterson is Sherwood’s City Manager and chatted with GNPDX. Apparently, they got the word a few months ago that Sherwood was in a pool of 1,700 cities up for the honor of “Top Family City for 2009.” Then, they narrowed down to 800. And finally down to the top ten. He had to sit on the news that they were up for the honor and then, that they actually won for quite a while before the list was finally announced.
Things like schools, economy and housing were part of the search criteria. Patterson says the honor only affirms what the Sherwoodians (or is it Sherwoodites? Fine people of Sherwood?) already knew. That the city has it’s priorities in the right place when it comes to moms, dads and kids. But, the honor will definitely help attract eyes to the city and draw new families to the neighborhood.
The list will be featured in the next issue of Family Circle which is due out in July.