SUMMER CONCERTS AROUND PORTLAND

MONDAYS
Sellwood Riverfront Park  •  SE Spokane & Oaks Pkwy  •  6:30 PM
July 8	Nikki Hill - Rootsy Rock ‘n Roll
July 15	The James Low Western Front - Dusty, Original Folk Pop
July 22	LITTLE SMILES PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY PRESENTS Brownish Black - Vintage, Basement R&B and Soul
July 29	WINDERMERE CCRG, MORELAND BRANCH PRESENTS The Machete Men - Driving “Rock en Espanol”
Aug 5	Lloyd Jones - Swingin’ Rhythm & Blues
Unthank Park  •  July 29-August 26
July 29	The Sounds of Danny Black - (Rock & Roll from a Solo Loop-Pedal Extraordinaire)
Aug 5	R&B Astronaut - (Eclectic, Soulful R&B)
Aug 12	Gold Jazz Society - (Bold, Dignified Jazz)
Aug 19	Lyfted - (Energetic Fusion of Hip-Hop & Gospel … WorsHip-Hop at its finest)
Aug 26	Loveness Wesa and The Bantus Band - (Exuberant African Song & Dance for the Soul)

TUESDAYS
Mt Tabor Park  •  SE 69th & Taylor  •  6:30 PM
July 9	WARNER PACIFIC COLLEGE PRESENTS LoCura - Rebel-Spirited Bay Area Latin
July 16	Sassparilla - Raucous Dust-Bowl Blues
July 23	Nancy King - Portland’s Legendary Jazz Chanteuse
July 30	Dr. Theopolis - Wacky Funk & Hip-Hop
Kenton Park  •  N. Kilpatrick & Delaware  •  6:30 PM
Aug 13	Soul Vaccination - Horn-Driven Funky Dance Music
Aug 20	The My Oh Mys - Moody Alternative Indie Pop
Aug 27	Dirty Martini Trio - Harmonious Pop Siren Trio

WEDNESDAYS
Willamette Park  •  SW Macadam & Nebraska  •  6:30 PM
July 10	NATIONAL COLLEGE OF NATURAL MEDICINE PRESENTS Lisa Mann and her Really Good Band - Female-Fronted Award-Winning Blues
July 17	The Buckles - Western Honky-Tonk Meets Beatles
July 24	Reggie Houston - New Orleans Jazz Sax Legend
July 31	The Strange Tones - Volcanic, Psychobilly Blues
Dawson Park  •  N. Stanton & Williams •  6:30 PM
July 10	PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION PRESENTSDevin Phillips - New Orleans Sax Sensation
July 17	LEGACY EMANUEL MEDICAL CENTER PRESENTS Curtis Salgado - Triumphant, Joyful Blues
July 24	Atomic Gumbo - Louisiana Roots Music
July 31	LaRhonda Steele Band - Blues & Funk Diva
Ventura Park  •  SE 115th & Stark  •  6:30 PM
Aug 7	Jujuba - Danceable Nigerian Afrobeat
Aug 14	Midnight Honey - Harmonious Sister Soul
Parklane Park  •  SE 155th & Main  •  6:30 PM
Aug 21	PORTLAND WATER BUREAU PRESENTS Contigo - Afro-Latino World Music
Aug 28	SSC CONSTRUCTION PRESENTS Will West and the Friendly Strangers - Tuneful Americana

THURSDAYS
Glenhaven Park  •  NE 82nd & Siskiyou  •  6:30 PM
July 11	Melao de Cuba - Vibrant, Traditional Cuban
July 18	7th Seal - Groovin’ Reggae & Ska
July 25	Geno Michaels and Soul City- Neo-Soul, R&B, Funk
Wallace Park  •  NW 25th & Raleigh  •  6:30 PM
July 11	Ashleigh Flynn - Foot-Stompin’ Original Americana
July 18	SELCO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION PRESENTS The Stolen Sweets - ‘30s Swing Jazz Confection
July 25	SELCO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION PRESENTS3 Leg Torso - Cinematic Virtuosic Chamber
Couch Park  •  NW 20th & Glisan  •  6:30 PM
Aug 8	Mo Phillips - Indie Kids’ Rock
Aug 15	The Chancers - Rollicking Irish Pub Tunes
Berrydale Park  •  SE 92nd & Taylor  •  6:30 PM
Aug 15	The Midnight Serenaders - Prohibition-Era Swing Jazz
Aug 22	Casey Neill and the Norway  Rats - Lyrical Indie Rock

FRIDAYS
Fernhill Park  •  NE 37th, north of Ainsworth  •  6:30 PM
July 12	Tony Starlight - Comedic ‘70s Gold
July 19	Andy Stokes - Old-School Rhythm & Blues
July 26	Boy and Bean - Warm Jazz-Era Harmony
Aug 2	Toque Libre - Passionate Acoustic Latin
Aug 6	Bonus Concert, Tuesday National Night Out CONCORDIA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PRESENTS Chervona - Eastern-Euro Carnival Insanity
Lovejoy Fountain Park  •  SW 3rd Ave & Harrison St   •  6:30 PM
Aug 9	Aaron Meyer - Portland’s Concert Rock Violinist
Aug 16	ARONORA PRESENTSConjunto Alegre - Salsa, Cumbia, Bachata and more

SUNDAYS
McCoy Park  •  N. Fiske & Trenton  •  6:30 PM
July 14	Ocean 503 - Reggae, R&B, Funk & Soul
July 21	The African Showboyz - Ghanaian Percussion & Dance
Aug 6	Bonus Concert, Tuesday National Night Out NEW COLUMBIA COMMUNITY CAMPUS PARTNERS PRESENTDina y Bamba Su Pilon D’Azucar - Incendiary Havana Salsa
Elizabeth Caruthers Park  •  3508 SW Moody Ave  •  3:00 PM
Aug 11	OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS Bon Ton Roulet - Uproarious Cajun & Zydeco
Aug 18	Luke Winslow King & Esther Rose - Washboard Pickin’ Blues

   Individuals may enter and exit the site, and watch movies and concerts from a paved pathway.
See also - Washington Park Summer Festival - Ten evening performances in the Rose Garden Amphitheater

PORTLAND METRO 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS!

 

The 4th of July is less than a week away. If you’re staying in town, check out these great festivities!

• July 3 | Parade: 2013 Independence Day Parade @ East Portland Community Center | Free, Band, Face Painting, Family Friendly Event

 

• July 3 | Oregon Garden: July 3rd Celebration: Fireworks, Music, Beer, Wine, Food

 

• First Thursday: Art Events & Openings | Pearl, Old Town, SW

 

• Waterfront Fireworks: Blues Festival Fireworks Spectacular, Largest Display in Oregon, 22 Minutes, 11,800 Shots

 

• Vancouver Fireworks: Independence Day @ Ft Vancouver | Fireworks, Cannons, Parades, Music

 

• Oaks Park Fireworks: SE Portland July 4th Fireworks Spectacular | Music, Rides, Picnic Spaces

 

• Corbett Celebration: July 4th Fireworks, Parade, Pie Eating Contest, Clowns

 

• Hood River Celebration: July 4th Parade, Fireworks, Live Music, BBQ

 

• Estacada Celebration: July 4th Big Bang Fun Festival | Parade, Fireworks, Carnival, Lawn Mower Races, Lumberjacks

On the 4th of July in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this holiday will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

HOME REPAIRS TO DO BEFORE SELLING OR REFINANCING YOUR HOME

Property values have come roaring back. Many can now refinance their loans by virtue of having additional home equity. And increased property values can also put homeowners in a better financial position to sell their home without entering short sale territory. But the fact remains: Everyone wants to attain maximum value for their real estate and home repairs can help.
So what’s the best barometer of a home’s true worth? Simple: the amount a ready, willing and able buyer is willing to pay at any given point in time. Unfortunately, appraisal estimates can be skewed, especially when not all the home repairs and improvements are taken into consideration. This is why you should weigh all home improvement decisions carefully before you commit.
When You’re Refinancing
Unlike in years past, the weight of an appraisal to determine the home value for the purposes of refinancing a mortgage is based upon the facts (which are primarily based on other homes that have sold) and what the property description is.
Improvements that may help a refinance valuation:

• Additional bedroom or bathroom
• Addition to the lot size
• Addition to the garage
• Improvement that expands the “use” of the home

When it comes to improvements such as landscaping, painting, any home improvement more “cosmetic” in nature, realize that the primary benefit is for the enjoyment of the property, not for trying to influence value.
When Selling
A home buyer is going to take into consideration all of the facts associated with the property, location, lot size, square footage, bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as additional cosmetic improvements that have been done that add to the look and feel of the home.
Improvements that may help a sale price:

• New paint job
• Freshly maintained landscaping
• Remodeled and/or upgraded interior
• Deck and/or patio addition
• Additional bedroom or bathroom
• Addition to the lot size
• Addition to the garage

What’s the Biggest Bang for Your Buck?
These include the high-ticket items that increase square footage. An additional bedroom or an additional bathroom increases the square footage, which in turn allows an appraiser to make higher adjustments when determining valuation against other comparable homes around the subject property.
Refinancing
Let’s say you have funds ready for possibly improving your home for long-term enjoyment. Instead of using the funds to make home improvements in an attempt to enjoy your home more, you might actually see a greater benefit if you used that money toward a refinance. Over time, the money you save from refinancing could then be put toward those home improvements down the road.
Selling in the Near Future
Typically, you won’t get a dollar-for-dollar recapture on the home improvement cost, even when selling. Because the weight is given to improvements that expand the use of the house (i.e. bedroom, bathrooms, etc.), it’s more common to expect 20 cents on the dollar, or maybe 30 cents on the dollar, depending on the improvement in such a scenario. Because the market is the strongest indicator of price, the market will dictate sales price followed by additional improvements and subsequent marketing of the home.


courtesy of Realtor.com

LOW COST SUMMER FUN IN THE PORTLAND METRO AREA!

Portland Parks and Recreation
has many day camps for children all around the city. Scholarships are available based on financial need. Portland Parks and Rec also has many free activities during the summer, including movies and concerts in the park, a free swim lesson week, summer park activities, neighborhood barbecues, etc.

Portland’s Summer Playground Program
When: Weekdays throughout the summer Where: Neighborhood Portland parks A 100+ year tradition of free summer fun for Portland kids including a mobile climbing wall, crafts, organized sports, camp songs and so much more – it’s like going to summer camp, but at your neighborhood park! Check out the website to see what is offered at the park near your house.

Pioneer Square Events
Pioneer Square hosts Flicks on the Bricks, a series of free movies each Friday in July, and Noon Tunes summer concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They also often have other free events, like ice cream tastings and other promotional events. Check out their calendar for more details!

Open Swim at Portland Public Pools
When: Dates throughout the summer Where: 13 different Portland public pool locations Throughout the summer, Portland public pools open their waters to free open swim times so you can visit and do some splashing for free with the entire family. The website can help you find the pool closest to your house – about half are indoor and half are outdoor.

Learn to Swim Week
When: June 18-22 Where: Neighborhood pools around Portland To kick off the swim lesson season each summer, Portland pools offer a week of free lessons to neighborhood kids! Registration is on Saturday, June 16, just before lessons begin and registration must be done in person, not online. Limited space is available.
Free Swimming! During the summer, Portland Parks and Rec’s swimming pools have a rotating schedule of free days. You can swim for free almost any day of the week, although you may have to travel! Look for the Summer Aquatics
online catalog to find out when to swim for free near you!
Free Summer Meals for children ages 1-18 are provided all over Portland and the surrounding area. Visit
http://www.summerfoodoregon.org or call 1-800-SAFENET for the site nearest you.

Sherwood Robin Hood Festival
When: July 20-21 (it’s always the third week in July)
Where: Sherwood neighborhood, just outside of downtown PortlandHow cool is this? An entire weekend festival based around the original Robin Hood – there is a parade, archery contests, castle building competitions, a knighting ceremony and much more. Fun for the entire family and best of all, it’s free.

Portland Rose Festival
When: May 20-June 17 Where: Locations all over Portland Everyone in Portland loves the Rose Festival each summer and families especially love it because most of the activities are free. Check out the website for a full schedule of the parades, clown appearances, dragon boat races and fireworks.

Tigard Balloon Festival
When: June 21-23
Where: Cook Park in Tigard
Balloon launches, soccer tournament, carnival, live music and many vendors.
Portland Children’s Museum
When: Free on the first Friday of each month from 4:00 – 8:00 pm Where: Main Children’s Museum location (4015 SW Canyon Road) The perfect spot to escape the hot Portland afternoon sun this summer – the Portland Children’s Museum. Join them on Free First Fridays to let the kids play while you wait for your house to cool down.

Oregon Maritime Museum
When: Families get in free on the third Saturday of every month Where: Near Waterfront Park in downtown Portland (SW Naito Parkway at Pine St) If you have a little one who is obsessed with boats and pirates, you should add the free family day at the Oregon Maritime Museum to your summer calendar. You’ll all love the hands-on Children’s Corner – don’t miss the super loud ship whistle!

Oregon Zoo Summer Concerts
June-August
Every summer, fans of folk, rock, world music and more stake out spots on the zoo’s amphitheater lawn, and enjoy performances from some of the hottest, most diverse acts performing today.
Story and Stroll
When: Mondays at 1:00-2:15 pm and Fridays at 10:00 – 11:15 am Where: Tryon Creek Nature Center (11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd) Designed for families with kids ages 2-6 (though all are welcome), Story and a Stroll is a fun free event that gets you outside and exploring one of Portland’s best parks. The story is read by a park naturalist and is followed by a guided walk through the park that relates to the story. Make reservations on their website, which also shows the theme for each week

Let’s Go Camping – Oregon Parks Let’s Go Camping Program
This program is for novice campers and folks who have not been camping for a long time. Each weekend during the Summer, we take a group camping in one of our state parks. The cost is only $20 PER FAMILY for the weekend. We provide tents, sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners, mattress pads and camp stoves to campers who do not have their own. We camp in a group in a different state park each weekend. Every other weekend, we are camping in a park on the Oregon Coast . Staff and volunteers camp with these campers and are available to help them. Park rangers lead the group in educational and recreational
activities at each park. Campers bring their own food but we provide dutch oven biscuits, fruit upside-down cakes, dutch oven cinnamon rolls and plenty of s’mores for everyone to enjoy around the campfire. We also do presentations to the campers on Camping Basics, Leave No Trace, 10 Essentials of Hiking, Dutch Oven cooking, as well as Fire Building and Safety. Each weekend is loaded with fun activities for the kids as well as the adults.
Trackers NW
Trackers Earth offers award-winning camps. These are some off the best and most engaging summer camps in Portland. They offder day camps fueled by compelling story and old school outdoor adventure. Their overnight camps are rooted in fantastic legend and authentic traditional skills. This summer they have camps on paintball, how to be a ninja, zombie apocalypse, archers, and secret agents. Their camps are very affordable and they will sometimes allow trade for camps (for example, you teach a class on knitting so your child can attend a Harry Potter overnight camp).
Audubon Society
The Audubon Society provides day and overnight camps for children in grades 1-12 Some examples this year include learning to fish, animal tracking, Jurassic Portland, Northwest Canoe Adventure. Ask about scholarships, they are not advertised but they are available.
OES Summer Programs
OES has Lego, Chess, Cooking, Arts, Drama, Sewing, Knitting as well as many outdoor and sports camps.
PDX Kids Calendar Summer Camps Guide

Follow this link for even more summer camp ideas.
Keep an eye on the


Red Tricycle Family Events Calendar as well for more free activities that pop up throughout the summer.

OREGON'S RANKING FOR HOME APPRECIATION IN THE U.S.

It’s getting to be a bit old hat at this point, but another widely-watched real estate index confirms home prices are on the rise both locally and nationally.
CoreLogic Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based real estate research firm, reports its index of Portland area home prices, including distressed properties, rose 16.2 percent in April compared to the prior year. Nationally, home prices rose 12.1 percent.
Oregon ranked fifth in the nation for home price appreciation at 15.5 percent, after Nevada (24.6 percent), California (19.4 percent), Arizona (17.3 percent) and Hawaii (17 percent).
On a month to month basis, CoreLogic said Portland home prices were up 2.8 percent compared to March. Excluding distressed sales, Portland home prices increased 14.2 percent on an annual basis and 1.9 percent on a monthly one.
In a measure of the strength and depth of the recovery, CoreLogic noted that when distressed properties are excluded, every state saw home prices appreciate in April.
“Increasing demand for new and existing homes, coupled with low inventory, has created a virtuous cycle for price gains, most clearly seen in the Western states with year-over-year gains of 20 percent or more,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO.
The Regional Multiple Listing Service reported the average sales price for Portland was $293,600 in April, up 15.3 percent from the prior year.



*courtesy of Portland Business Journal*

THINGS TO DO IN PORTLAND FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. A time to celebrate our veteran’s! There are some Memorial Day Ceremony’s around the Portland area, and some other fun events for all ages. Take a look at what’s happening:

Portland

Portland Rose Festival: It wouldn’t be summer in the Rose City without this annual celebration. Highlights include the Rose Festival CityFair and RoZone, the Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade, the Portland Rose Society’s 125th annual Spring Rose Show; and the Grand Floral Float Showcase. May 19-June 16; rosefestival.org
Multnomah County Fair at Oaks Amusement Park - Barnyard fun, family fun, mini-golf fun, and take-a-free picture-with-Bigfoot fun. Sat-Mon., 12 p.m. – 7p.m. FREE.
Wonder Northwest Festival – Sort of an equal opportunity pop-culture festival, Wonder NW lets you mingle with fellow geeks, gamers, film buffs and pirates. Here’s a schedule. $8 daily;$15/pass Tickets.
Zombie Prom at Bossanova Ballroom – The theme of this prom is “Night At the O-scares” — Hollywood glamour meets the undead. 8 p.m. 21+ $20. Tickets.
OMSI IMAX Film Festival – If you like your films to be considerably larger, more scientific and concise, then you are in for a treat. See films & showtimes. Thru July 1.
Kurt Vile at Star Theater – Philly based songwriter’s ‘Smoke Ring for My Halo’ was one of the highlights of 2011. See what all the fuss was about in the video below. 9 p.m. Tickets.

Sandy

Memorial Day Ceremony: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4273 hosts the event that features a program by Merle Stewart, post commander, the reading of veterans’ names and playing of taps at noon Mon, May 27. (Potluck 1 p.m. at the post, 38452 Proctor Blvd., Sandy.) Sandy Ridge Cemetery, Highway 211 next to Sandy Farms, Boring; free; 503-668-5211 or Merle Stewart, 503-705-0794

Canby

Canby Saturday Market:Vendors sell produce, flowers, plants, food, and arts and crafts. Weekly 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat, May 5-Oct. 27. Canby Cinema 8 parking lot, 252 N.E. Second Ave., Canby; free admission; www.canbysaturdaymarket.com or 503-680-5088 or canbysaturdaymarket@canby.com

Master Gardener Series: “Vegetable Gardening in Containers,” 6:30 p.m. Tue, May 28. Presented by OSU Master Gardener volunteers of Clackamas County. Canby Public Library, 292 N. Holly St., Canby; free; www.canbylibrary.org or 503-266-3394

Memorial Day Ceremony: Features guest speakers, rifle salute and the reading of the names of Oregon veterans who have died in the past year. (Barbecue chicken lunch will follow at American Legion Post 122, 424 N.W. First Ave., Canby.) See website for additional events. 11 a.m. Mon, May 27. Zion Memorial Park Cemetery and Mausoleum, 2010 S.E. Township Road, Canby; free admission; $7.50 for lunch; http://oregondva.com/2013/04/29/oregon-memorial-day-events-set or Debra Weiss, 503-975-9537

Get a Clue Scavenger Hunt: Teams of two-four use clues and a map to find more clues, complete physical activities (such as running, walking and building things) and find items. Get as much done as you can in the allotted time. The more you do, the better your chances of winning prizes. 9 a.m. Sat, June 1. Clackamas County Event Center, 694 N.E. Fourth Ave., Canby; $30-$40; http://getacluecanby.webs.com or 503-266-1136

Beginning Computer Classes: Weekly noon-1 p.m. Tue, through June 4. Continues with Internet Searching, May 21; Create a Free Email Account, May 28; and Navigating the LINCC Library Catalog, June 4. Registration required. Canby Public Library, 292 N. Holly St., Canby; free; www.canbylibrary.org or 503-266-3394
Live Music: The series continues with Carley Fairchild, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fri, May 24; and Mark Seymour, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fri, May 31. Refreshments available for purchase. The Place To Be Cafe, 190 N.W. Second Ave., Canby; free admission; www.theplacetobecafe.com or 503-263-8293

SAVE THE DATE- PORTLAND STREET OF DREAMS 2013

 

 

 

NW NATURAL STREET OF DREAMS

Expect the 2013 NW Natural Street of Dreams to be more impressive than ever before! You’ll visit nine innovative homes on beautiful acre-sized view lots. But this year, the amazing homes are just the beginning.  You’ll enjoy more fun, food and festivities at every turn. Start planning now to meet your friends on the Street of Dreams and see what the excitement is all about.

JULY 27 THRU AUGUST 25