By Living Room Realty, May 30, 2019
North Portland is the Place to Be this Summer
North Portland is great in any season, but in summer she really starts to shine. From movies in the park to the proximity to unclogged hiking spots, read on to learn what’s going on in the great North this summer.
Outdoor Recreation
Forest Park: Hundreds of miles of hiking trails are at your fingertips. Cross the St. Johns bridge and take a right and head up Germantown Rd. and you’ll pass several of North Portland’s favorite trailheads.
Sauvie Island: A mere 15 minutes from North Portland, enjoy countless public fruit and flower farms or get a day-pass for any of Sauvie Island’s River beaches. Park your car at the base of the Sauvie Island bridge and take your bike for a spin, or hike through the island lowlands. Check out the island lighthouse for an easy hike of 1.5 miles roundtrip.
Kelly Point Park: Skip the day pass just across the river from Sauvie and take your family out to Kelly Point for some less crowded beach time. Walk through the beautiful park with lovely old and new growth. Don’t forget to pack a picnic for an unforgettable day!
Bike North Portland Trails
Skyline Trail
Smith-Bybee Lakes
Columbia Slough Trail
Marine Drive
Learn more here.
Cathedral Park
Chill with friends along the waterfront at Cathedral Park. Wide open spaces are perfect for a game of ultimate frisbee or brave the water for some water sport action. SUPs and Kayaks available at Troll City Boathouse.
Events
North Portland is home to some of Portland’s favorite summer events and festivals.
Free Yoga in the Park
June 8th, Cathedral Park
Learn more here
May 21st-June 5th
Join the Vanport Mosaic Festival for two weeks of memory activism opportunities, to explore and confront local past and recent history of “othering, ” and its tragic consequences. Through exhibits, documentary screenings, tours, theater, and dialogues VMF will celebrate the lessons of resilience and resistance as defined and told by historically oppressed communities.
Movies & Concerts in the Park:
Portland Parks and Recreation hosts free concerts and movies in dozens of Portland parks across the city all throughout the summer. Hit up any of the events happening in North Portland, or check out the full line-up here.
Wed July 10th
Dawson Park (2969 N Williams Ave)
Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group—Sensational jazz, blues, and soul
Thurs July 25th
McCoy Park, N Trenton Street & Newman Avenue
Rhythm Culture—Blues and jazz-infused reggae
Incredibles 2 (2018) PG
Fri July 26th
Denorval Unthank Park, 510 N Shaver Street
Geno Michaels & Soulcity—Joyous music that moves your body and soul
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) PG—English with Spanish subtitles
Sat July 27th , 6pm
Cathedral Park, N Crawford Street & Pittsburg Avenue
Portland Festival Symphony (Brass), music director Gregory Vajda
Fri August 16th
Dawson Park, 2926 N Williams Avenue
Mz. Etta’s World featuring Arietta Ward—Vast variety of soul, funk, and R&B
Captain Marvel (2019) PG-13
Sat August 31st
Overlook Park, N Interstate Avenue & Fremont Street
Sakumuna—Afro-fusion music with funk grooves, reggae roots
Moana (PG)
St. Johns Farmer’s Market
Every Saturday from now until the end of summer, starting at 7am. Enjoy fresh produce, locally baked goods, delicious food vendors and live music.
Kenton Farmer’s Market
Every Wednesday starting at 12pm
Cathedral Park Jazz Festival 2019 –
July 19th-21st, 1pm-9:30pm
A free 3-day jazz festival under Portland’s best bridge. Enjoy dancing, local food vendors and a beer garden while watching Portland’s best jazz artists for free. A yearly favorite.
Classes/Workshops
Free Yoga in the Park
June 8th, Cathedral Park
Learn more here
ShantiOm Yoga
ShantiOm Yoga has been in the community for a few years now and they offer drop-in donation-based community classes. Check them out at https://shantiom.com/
St. Johns Clay Collective
Offering community space, classes, workshops and events around the ceramic arts, SJCC is an exciting opportunity for artists in the community.
This is just the beginning. North Portland is a vibrant community with so much to do, especially in the summer months. Come up north, walk the streets and talk to locals and within no time, you’ll have to much to do and not enough time to do it. See you there!
Eldridge Huntington
503.926.2929
eldridge@livingroomre.com
