Step into the exciting world of anime and Japanese pop culture at Kumoricon!
Join us at the end of October for a weekend of cosplay, panels, and immersive experiences—don’t miss your chance to be part of the excitement! Altonimbus Entertainment is proud to continue an annual tradition of bringing fans together for a jam-packed extravaganza of everything that it means to be a fan of anime and Japanese popular culture. Gaining its namesake (kumori) from the Japanese word “cloudy”, Kumoricon embodies the best parts of fandom and what it is to live in the Pacific Northwest. The Kumoricon family is growing with every passing year, making us the largest anime convention in Oregon.
OCT 31 – NOV 2, 2025
Portland, Oregon | Oregon Convention Center
THE TRASH REPORT
BY ELINOR JONES GOSSIP IS YUMMY
Hi everybody, and welcome to the Trash Report! And while this is the FOOD EDITION of the Mercury , it turns out there isn’t enough gossip about food to fill up a whole column. So I’m doing what celebrities do when they go to the Met Gala: wearing whatever they feel like instead of sticking to the theme and then giving some lame explanation for how it’s connected. So here we go: We all know that one of the joys of food is bringing people together for community, and an important part of any community is talking shit about other people in said community. As such, this column is on theme. Boom. So let’s get to it!
Politics are Salty
The well-done steak currently running this country recently hosted the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the White House. Carney deftly dealt with the megalomaniacal Trump by complimenting his gaudy mansion and real estate acumen before telling him to STFU about turning Canada into the 51st state. Trump was nodding along before he even realized he was getting read for filth, and it was stunning to watch. I loved it. No notes. There needs to be a Canadian version of the Italian chef’s kiss for this… like some weather-addled fingers posed as if holding a hockey stick, or a cup of Timmy Horton’s coffee. I like when Canada is nailin’ it in the news because I like thinking that my favorite Canadians Celine Dion and Mike Myers are happy at the same time.
Love is Sweet
After months of speculation, Only Murders in the Building co-stars and national treasures, Martin Short and Meryl Streep, were recently papped sucking face in public. And see, this is the kind of incredible news that makes the otherwise grotesque tabloid photography industry seem worth
it. Neither of them seemed inclined to confirm their relationship, so now we have to give props to the same motherfuckers who were getting upskirts of Lindsay Lohan back in the day. Good can be found everywhere, including creeps with telephoto lens attachments on their iPhones.
The opposite of this heartwarming love story is what’s happening with UNC-Chapel Hill coach Bill Belichick and his 49-years-younger girlfriend Jordan Hudson . The May-December pair has been aggressively trying to reassure everyone that there is nothing weird about their relationship, as normal couples do. Hudson was recently banned from all UNC football facilities, which is such an incredible accomplishment for a 24-yearold pageant runner-up. Like they always say, if you can’t beat ‘em, get permanently and publicly banned by ‘em.
Catholicism is Covered in Mustard
The Catholic church just elected a new pope in an elaborate ritual that makes me glad I read those Dan Brown books many years ago. The new pope is American, and from Chicago of all places ! This is a gift to America during an otherwise pretty shit time for us. I doubt we’d be so captivated if he was from Cincinnati or wherever the fuck. Da Chicago Pope has lent itself to some great memes about how we know he’s wearing a Cubs (or Sox!) shirt under all those fancy robes and how the latest interpretations of the Bible confirm that God says deep dish pizza actually is the best kind. America really needed this.
Pickles are Tangy
Beloved local baseball team the Portland Pickles recently filed a lawsuit against Disney for copyright infringement. Apparently Disney has a new show with a softball team called—you guessed it—the Pickles. With so many jarred and canned brined snacks to choose from, using the Pickles could only have been intentional intellectual property theft. Could Disney’s team not have been called the Olives? The Asparagus Spears? The freakin’ Hearts of Palm? As I write this I realize that “Pickles” is actually singularly satisfying to say, but that still doesn’t make it okay for Disney to yoink it! Drag that rich mouse to hell , Pickles.
The Tea is Hot
Something incredible is up with the Beckhams these days: Victoria and David Beckham always call out whichever of their children is absent for a family photo, but Daddy Bex just had three parties for his 50th (very 25-year-old girl-coded, but okay) and his eldest child, Brooklyn , did not attend any of them and none of them said a word about it online. This family has had their PR on lock for the past quarter-century; they knew we’d notice and they let the tea flow anyway, which means they must be super mad at each other. Brooklyn has dabbled in loads of nepo-baby vanity projects and I can’t wait for his new life as an author of a fiction book about a rich guy whose hot wife hates his bitch mom. Speaking of nepo-babies, Margaret Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell ) is in freaking everything lately, and you
know why I think that is? Because she has a human-looking mouth with teeth that haven’t been ironed and bleached beyond recognition. Some day someone will want to make a historically accurate movie about something that happened before 1990, and she and Aimee Lou Wood will be the only starlets left with human mouths.
Eat the Rich
Famed fraudster Elizabeth Holmes is currently serving an 11-year sentence for bilking investors on a lie of a miracle blood-testing machine; her partner, meanwhile, is making good use of his freedom by working on a new company that is developing—wait for it— blood testing technology . Apparently Holmes’s friends and former colleagues are among the investors in the new company, and you know what? Some people actually do deserve to be bilked, and don’t deserve their money anymore. This is like losing your fortune on the Hawk Tuah girl’s crypto scheme Sorry, but we’re not sorry. A fool and his money are soon parted when a blonde lady has a really cool idea.
Fashion is Delicious
I started this column with a thing about the Met Gala, and I actually have more to say about that (we call this “a callback” in the big leagues). For the most part, everybody looked incredible at this year’s event, but there was a hilarious conversation about whether K-Pop star Lisa was wearing booty shorts with Rosa Parks’ face on them, causing multiple gossip and fashion sites to run close-up photos of her crotch. Next year she should wear a similar look, but with a tiny “FUCK OFF, CREEPS” embroidered over her vag and see how long it takes for sleuths to find it. But this was hardly a controversy. I think we’re all constantly chasing the post-Met high when Solange punched Jay-Z in the elevator. It’s like how we always watch the Oscars hoping that Will Smith will slap Chris Rock again. It’s hard living in a culture in decline, isn’t it?
Well everybody, it’s time for me to go. I hope your tummies are full of delicious gossip and your hearts are full of compassion, despite all the shit-talking. We discuss because we love, you see, and I’d discuss any last one of you any day of the week.
Deliciously,
Martin Short & Meryl Streep
Victoria & David Beckham
Elizabeth Holmes
LISA LAKE-GETTY IMAGES
Symbols Matter
An excerpt from BlackOut: A Five-Year Retrospective of Portland’s Racial Justice Movement—written by Black Portlanders.
BY DONOVAN SCRIBES
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is only one of the many excellent articles you’ll find in BlackOut: A Five-Year Retrospective of Portland’s Racial Justice Movement (included in this very issue!) edited by Donovan Scribes and written entirely by Black Portlanders. Produced by the Portland Mercury, this very special commemorative issue reflects on the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the subsequent 100 days of protests across the city, and the changes—both good and bad—which followed. In this BlackOut article, Scribes recalls one of the most enduring symbols of 2020: the roughly 10,000 Portlanders who occupied the Burnside Bridge.]
“First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;’ who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s free -
dom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
—Martin Luther King, “Letter from A Birmingham Jail,” 1963
I’m going to be honest: I’ve always been skeptical about the term “Black Lives Matter.” Not the intention behind it, but the phrasing. With all due respect to Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors, the Black women who gave birth
to this term, it has always felt like a rallying cry of “Water is Wet!” or “The Stove is Hot!” or even “Make America Pay Reparations!”—oh wait. “ Of course my fucking life matters, ” I’ve always thought. No matter what outside forces try to convince the masses, melanin is magic, majestic, ordinary, and ornery. I don’t subscribe to the idea that Black lives are less valuable. We matter . I know it.
But for over a decade, this phrase has served as the go-to banner for a movement pushing for our lives to exist fully, without threats, barriers, and degradation. It’s with this knowledge I must acknowledge that every movement transforms,after all. From “I Am a Man” to “Black Lives Matter.”
An estimated 10,000 people holding a “die in” on the Burnside Bridge, June 2, 2020.
ANDREW WALLNER
From “In God We Trust” to “Make America Great Again.”
On June 5, 2020, the city of Washington, DC, commissioned a mural stretching two city blocks with the simple phrase “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in bold yellow letters. This street painting, located just three minutes from the White House, emerged amid the national outrage sparked by George Floyd’s brutal murder by police less than two weeks earlier. The streets were on fire—some precincts literally were. The pandemic had just forced millions to witness the horror of a man being killed while his brothers in blue stood by. The dots were starting to connect for some: Maybe this wasn’t just a series of isolated incidents. Maybe this was part of a much larger problem.
The mural, which became known as Black Lives Matter Plaza, was symbolic. And contrary to the sentiments of some, symbolic gestures do indeed matter. For example, a swastika tells me a lot about a place or person in a very short amount of time. Coincidentally, so do American flags—but that’s another conversation. That line might offend my political connects. But I digress.
Black Lives Matter Plaza became a form of protest, but also validation. And while “Black Lives Matter” isn’t my preferred rallying cry, I have to admit it felt good to see it carved out in the concrete. Key word: “felt”—past tense. At the time of this writing this, the Trump administration and his allies in Congress began dismantling the mural. The process of destroying it is expected to take between six and eight weeks. They say the mural will be replaced with “more inclusive” works. Republicans are even working on renaming the area, “Liberty Plaza.” Symbols matter.
2020 marked a time when some began reevaluating the symbols that color, and in many ways direct, our lives. Some learned that the Confederacy wasn’t the only entity responsible for enslaving people; presidents of the Union were too. Some learned that slavery wasn’t just a moral issue—it was deeply economic, the backbone of this nation’s growth. Some learned that modern police departments in America evolved from “slave patrols,” whose primary task was capturing runaway enslaved people, who were considered above all, property. As the layers of history were peeled back, many of the symbols around us began to look more like scars than stars. And so the monuments started to fall. Hundreds of statues were dethroned, not by a vote, but by wrath. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, symbols came tumbling down faster than shit in the Willamette River on a rainy day in the ‘90’s. George Washington fell. Thomas Jefferson was toppled in front of the once majority Black high school named after him. The 19th century co-owner and publisher of The Oregonian , Harvey Scott, felt the weight of gravity too; replaced by a bronze bust of York—the Black man who helped lead the Oregon Trail alongside Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, only to be returned to slavery at the end of the expedition. (York’s bust was later toppled, too.)
Grappling with this growing phenomenon of fallen statues, I wrote an article for Street Roots around this time titled “Racist Slurs Permeate Oregon Geography,” in which I detailed how an alarming number of rivers, streams, mountains, and more across my state were originally named after anti-Black slurs like Nigger Ben Mountain and Nigger Brown Canyon–some of which have been renamed since. The point was clear: in order to topple racism, we must do so at both the head and root, for it is in fact embedded throughout the soil of this stolen land.
George Floyd, like Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, are symbols—a stand-in for any Black life. We understood that what happened to them could happen to any of us at any time in this country. Because it does all the time. Sudden death. Slow death. The system loves to kill, and then throw up a shrine to your murderers.
The Burnside Bridge in Portland is one of the many connecting points across the Willamette River, helping the city earn its nickname “Bridgetown.” For me though, the Burnside Bridge had always been lit -
they spread to suburbs, rural areas, and eventually to the world. From Portland to Poland, people joined the movement for Black lives, creating millions of new co-conspirators from all backgrounds. For a while, I wondered if the world was finally catching up to the way we’ve been catching hell. Could it be that America was beginning to “get it”?
But 100+ days later, the protests gave way to distraction. Infighting, fatigue, and the usual tactics used by three letter agencies to dismantle Black liberation movements began to crystallize their grip. My pessimism was reignited.
It’s not that the protests didn’t accomplish anything—they did. To suggest otherwise gives over-inflated credit to white mediocrity. We marched and learned. We shared stories and space. We cried, we gave. We pushed back. We reclaimed shit that’s been ours. That perfect storm, we rode it ‘til the wheels fell off.
It’s 2025 now, and the storm has indeed passed. But the reality hasn’t. When would another moment like this come again? One where a viral pandemic sat the entire
I watched the livestream as 10,000 souls stood silently, and then face down with hands behind their backs for 9 minutes—the exact length of time Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck.
tle more than a channel from point A to point B. But on June 2, 2020, it became the center of the universe.
On that day, thousands of people gathered on the bridge. Estimates say more than 10,000 souls flooded the Burnside. I never watched the video of George Floyd’s final moments. I’d seen enough clips of state violence to know the horror, and I didn’t feel the need to bear witness to his murder either. It was 17-year-old Darnella Frazier’s recording of George Floyd’s murder that gave the world a front row seat to his particularly cruel last moments. It was the existence of her video of his execution, paired with the hollowness of a pandemic that propelled so many millions around the globe to say his name; and thus ours. But for me, I did not need to see to know. I watched the livestream as 10,000 souls stood silently, and then face down with hands behind their backs for 9 minutes—the exact length of time Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck. And for a moment, watching this scene, I thought maybe, just maybe, a change might come.
That moment on the Burnside Bridge was powerful. A symbol of solidarity. A symbol of pain. A symbol of possibility. A symbol of 400 years of oppression. A symbol of awareness. A symbol that Black Lives more than matter; and therefore a symbol that a change must come now
I was proud. Dare I say, I was starting to feel some hope.
The protests that followed George Floyd’s death were the largest in U.S. history. They weren’t confined to cities—
against police violence across the street from Portland City Hall as a reporter more than a decade ago. They always stuck with me. The older I get now though—especially since 2020—I fear those words were just pretty prose.
The words King subsequently spoke towards the closing chapter of his life resonate more strongly these days: “I fear I may have integrated my people into a burning house.”
Quote that at your next MLK Day get-together.
As the common symbol of the Civil Rights movement and the de-facto figurehead for American progress, King’s words now feel more relevant than ever. Liberals love to blame Trump and the Republicans for the flames, but there are plenty on the other “side” who have forgotten the Burnside Bridge. There are many who have since seen the Burnside Bridge in 2020 and decided it would make for good art, a nice social media post, and “powerful” conversation, but continuous action was a step or two too far today. For many it seems George Floyd’s face is more like a Nirvana T-shirt today. The system is flawed, but not that bad. That’s the problem with symbols.
Symbols should inspire, but they shouldn’t and can never replace action.
The erasure of Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C. doesn’t stop the work I do, but it is a reminder of the times we’re in. It’s a reminder of how quickly some have sprinted from 2020 into “moderation.”
world down for months to show us our collective frailty? One where that same pandemic is paired with the death of a Black man in such a horrific way, that it compels millions to risk their health and very bodies in the midst of a global emergency, because finally we collectively understood that the emergency for Black people had been viral long before COVID-19.
It won’t. It won’t ever happen again. IT WON’T!
However, Black people will continue to die. In the five years since George Floyd, many more have, whether directly at the hands of the state or more covertly through systemic forces. Despite this, Black resistance persists. From Pan-Africans to the Panthers, the Urban League to the NAACP, seasoned activists to the next baton-carriers birthed out this leg of the Black Lives Matter movement; resistance remains varied but persistent.
I too, persist. I wake up every day and do what I do; I protest. I write. I organize. I make art. I connect. I strategize. I tell the stories of our greatness. I raise two little girls to be conscious of the world they’re coming up in, giving them a little bit more truth with every milestone, so they do in fact understand that water is wet, the stove is hot, and that America should pay reparations.
But I cannot yet tell them what world they will inherit.
One of the most striking quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is, “the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice.” I first heard these words, revived by Rev. Dr. Leroy Haynes Jr., while covering a rally
It’s a reminder that the unapologetically progressive (and absurdly accomplished) Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was replaced by law-and-order conservative (and mostly absurd) Rene Gonzalez on Portland City Council; or like Oregon Democrats and Republicans teaming up to roll back Measure 110 and recriminalize addiction; or like Intisar Abioto raising a million dollars to reclaim the house of the Portland NAACP founder only to be undercut by a White Realtor and White buyers; and like the 2020 protests being reduced into “discourse” of “riots” that we must “clean up” after—America is back to its regularly scheduled programming. And the fire is burning.
Five years later, George Floyd is no longer just a man. He’s a symbol—a reminder of America’s blood on the roots, and the leaves. I know what I see when I see George Floyd. What about you?
Five years later, it feels like it did six years ago.
Five years later, we’ve returned to “normal.” And now, perhaps, the fire is burning hotter than ever.
So, when I’m gray-haired (God willing), driving across the Burnside Bridge with Black Lives Matter fading in the rearview, I wonder: Will I be crossing into the ashes or a new beginning? Only time will tell. Maybe all that “care” was just… symbolic. ■
Donovan Scribes is an award-winning writer, producer, and owner of the communications consulting firm D Scribes LLC. The former VP of the Portland NAACP, he’s secured major policy and investment victories throughout his career.
Food is Community
This issue is about those who feed each other—in myriad ways.
BY JANEY WONG
What immediately comes to mind when you think of Portland’s food scene? Is it the ubiquitous food carts, the nationally lauded restaurants, the abundance of craft beer and doughnuts? It’s all of those things, certainly, but when I think of our food culture, I think community.
It’s the restaurant owners who have helped each other out in the post-pandemic landscape, pooling resources, opening their kitchens to food carts during inclement weather, or hosting up-and-coming chefs with their fledgling pop-ups. It’s the loyal customers who contribute to GoFundMe campaigns when a restaurant is a target of vandalism or a staff member needs help covering a medical procedure. Essentially, it’s folks asking, “What can we do to help?” or simply saying, “We’ve got your back.”
It’s farm-to-table cuisine, but not just the tired trope or trendy fad. The chanterelles, radicchio, or strawberries that show up on our restaurant plates are there
because people— chefs and cooks and farmers— have forged con nections to make it so. And there’s more invis ible connections at play. Be hind the scenes, cooks you will probably never meet in person had a hand in nourishing you with a meal. That meal may be mem orable enough that you bring it up in a conversation with a friend, recommending that they go try the food. In trying times, being in community becomes more necessary than ever. With food, we’re able to gather around something com forting. We find com mon ground when we
break bread with people. Food can also be our power. We can help our neighbors and fellow community members by sharing our bounty. For our food issue, which we’ve titled “Food is Community,” we’ve gathered stories that capture some of the fascinating microcosms within Portland’s culinary scene. We head out to St. Johns, where a trio of restaurants run by Tri-State expats have formed an informal enclave for other former East Coasters (now
Birds of a Feather
The Güero Bird Club provides coffee and companionship in equal measure.
BY
JULIANNE
BELL
At first blush, tortas and birding might not seem like a natural pairing, but the Güero Bird Club turns that assumption on its head.
As you might have guessed, the club is an offshoot of acclaimed Kerns torta shop Güero. Attendees of all ages and experience levels regularly flock to local spots like Mount Tabor, Powell Butte, and Oaks Bottom to socialize and gaze in awe at feathered friends like song sparrows and Northern flickers, creating new friendships in the process.
The scrappy operation first hatched early on in the pandemic—an obviously dismal time for the restaurant industry. While they hung out in the kitchen of a deserted Güero, which was open for takeout only, kitchen manager Audrey Tawdry and employee Greg Smith would pass time by swapping their latest birdwatching updates. Güero chef and co-owner Megan Sanchez picked up on their interest and suggested they start their own birdwatching club, an idea that was met with an enthusiastic response, and thus, the Güero Bird Club was born in 2021. (Tawdry has since left Güero to pursue poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Smith has left to study biology. However,
employees Matt Simmons and Alan Waugh have taken up the Bird Club mantle, and the group is still going strong.)
From the start, the organizers ensured that Bird Club was accessible and approachable by making all gatherings free and lending out extra binoculars. Sanchez and designer Grace Mervin collaborated on creating a playful, whimsi cal aesthetic for the club’s website, social media, and merch, while artist Maja Dlugolecki contributed paintings for various birding materials. The organization has since grown to encompass a Discord server and Substack newsletter to keep members informed between sessions. In keeping with their hospitality background, the leaders of Bird Club always strive for a welcoming atmo sphere, serving hot coffee and, occasion
you know where to go if you’re looking for a place to watch the Eagles game or score some Taylor ham). Or perhaps you’re looking for some tranquility and to get out in nature. You may be asking how that relates to food exactly, and we’ll tell ya all about it—the popular Kerns torta shop Güero runs a birding club!
Our Andrea Damewood has a carb-loaded roundup of microbakeries that are selling baked goods right from their home kitchens. We chatted with Mama Đút chef Thuy Pham about food sovereignty and her work with the food equity nonprofit Growing Gardens. Plus, we take a look at how the highly anticipated James Beard Public Market will foster community in myriad ways.
There’s a lot that’s scary and uncertain right now. And we won’t fix it all with a bowl of soup, but maybe we can start there. So grab a seat and dig into our food issue— the table’s all set.
ally, snacks. Laughing, Sanchez recalls that they came up with a treat that they cheekily dubbed “bird seed biscuits”—a seedy, lightly sweetened, masa-based creation rem iniscent of Mexican wedding cookies. (The name, however, had to be changed, because people mistook them for actual bird food.)
The bonds forged between Bird Club attendees have proven to be a powerful force to be reckoned with. Once, Sanchez’s ‘90s work truck, a frequent fixture of Bird Club outings easily distinguished by its “I love the Columbia Slough” bumper sticker, went missing. Later, during a bird walk, some eagle-eyed birders recognized the vehicle speeding through Mount Tabor. Suddenly, 25 or so club members, all clutching binoculars, went sprinting after the stolen truck. “It was total mayhem, and everyone stayed and participated in the lengthy road to picking it back up,” Sanchez says. “It was one of those times where it feels special that you have community, because you need community when you’ve been robbed.” Bird Club isn’t the only extracurricular activity that’s come from Güero: Sanchez intentionally cultivates community by encouraging her multitalented employees, many of whom are artists, musicians, or students, to share their non-work-related passions
Janey Wong Food Editor
with the rest of the staff, which has resulted in pop-ups, book clubs, education nights, mezcal tastings, and more. “Any opportunity I have to let folks express the stuff they’re excited about at work, if that’s what they want to do, just feels like a huge gift to me and everyone else who works there,” she says. Sanchez first became interested in the culinary world via farming, and credits birding with reconnecting her to the seasonality of nature, which influences her cooking. When she first started the hobby, she only knew how to identify a few birds. Now her expertise has expanded, but she still works on growing her knowledge. “Once you scratch the surface of birds and their behaviors, you realize there’s a whole universe of information you don’t know anything about,” she says. “So I’m always learning.”
She deeply appreciates the opportunity to take part in a new pastime and says that many members of Bird Club have become “like family” to Güero.
“It’s just been really cool to watch it grow from a little idea in our kitchen to this thing on Thursdays where 30 people show up,” she says. “And it’s just kind of amazing to have learned through this that if you put something out there, the people will find you.” ■
Find info on the Güero Bird Club at guerotortas.com/BIRD-CLUB
THOMAS TEAL
YOKOBAUM
JOHN MORRISON/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS VIA GETTY IMAGES
Home Away from Home
Lombard’s “Little Tri-State” brings the East Coast to North Portland.
BY BEN COLEMAN
Portland has a lot of transplants, but for whatever reason there aren’t a ton of transplant communities. Big cities like New York, Chicago, and LA have dozens of ethnic and cultural enclaves, a Little Italy here, a Little Ethiopia there. Historically Portland did have a few of those kinds of neighborhoods in the early 1900s, but few examples remain in 2025. And despite the fact that almost half of all current Portland residents were born in another state, there’s no Little Burbank or Minneapolistown where recent arrivals can expect a warm welcome and easy access to regional delicacies. But over the last few years, a stretch of Lombard between St. Johns and Columbia Park has become something of an East Coast enclave, at least by Portland standards. Eagles games, tomato pie, Taylor ham; you can find some of the comforts of the Atlantic Seaboard in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.
“I think East Coasters cosplay like mean people,” Brian Koch tells me, “but we’re actually pretty nice.” It’s a Friday afternoon and the first real sunny day of spring is slipping through the heavy blinds, painting his homey St. Johns beer bar with dramatic stripes of light. Koch owns and operates Lombard House, a low-slung bungalow that’s been Portland’s most fanatical Philly bar since it opened almost a decade ago. “When the Eagles won the Super Bowl, there was this kid who’d been here maybe three times, and he was FaceTiming his family,” he says, “and his mom was like, ‘I’m so happy you’re hanging out with Philadelphians’ with her Philly accent. And I was like… well, I was hammered. But I was very proud of that moment.” Koch says it was initially difficult to find a community in Portland when he first moved here in the early aughts.
“Portland was intimidating to me as an East Coaster trying to meet people,” he admits. “I wasn’t cool. Everyone was, like, fucking pretty and had cool tattoos.” He says one of his goals with Lombard House was to mix a bit of the social scene he was used to back east with the craft beers of the West Coast. “Philadelphians, historically, are dickheads,” he says. “But all you gotta do is walk through that door on Sunday and go ‘Go Birds’ and everyone’s like, ‘my brother.’ No matter if you’ve never met, everyone’s your friend.”
Ten blocks west is Lombardo’s Pizzeria, owned and operated by Bob Verderame, and the Chill N Fill food cart pod, which includes Picone’s Quality Deli. Both Verderame and Picone’s owner Vin Picone hail from north New Jersey, a sleepy network of suburban communities with a rich Italian American
heritage. For Verderame, every small town Jersey pizzeria was a world unto itself.
“Each one has its own identity,” he says.
“One pizza shop, their family came from the north of Italy, and they did it like this. These guys came from Sicily, those guys came from Naples. It was a lot of different styles.”
Verderame certainly looks the part of a Portland pizza guy, sporting chunky glasses and a sea of tattoos—and his shop has an airy minimalism that’s very contemporary Pacific Northwest. The pies, however, are all Jersey. Verderame moved to Portland after the pandemic shuttered his last pizzeria in Arizona, and despite the abundance of quality pizza joints in town he felt confident his approach filled a niche: “I tried a lot of pizza places, and I kept saying to myself, ‘I feel like my pizza is a little different.’” Lombardo’s only has eight options at any given time, and two of those are regional specialties: the wafer-thin bar pizza and a Trenton-style tomato pie, an inverted sauce-over-cheese style. The result is rich, slightly caramelized roasted tomato over a layer of molten mozzarella that is indeed unique among Port -
land’s pizza offerings, which tend to skew more in the direction of New York, Detroit, or wood-fired Neapolitan traditions.
Picone’s, meanwhile, has made a name for itself among Redditors and local food bloggers as one of the best sandwich carts in the city. Picone says it was never his goal to replicate that specific style of New York delicatessen, examples of which have been vanishing from Portland’s food landscape at an alarming rate.
“Those places have third generation [regulars] who go there every Easter,” he says. “You can’t just bring that to Portland.” Instead, he says, his goal is to mix a bit of that Old World tradition into the eclectic food culture that’s already here: “The Willamette Valley area has some of the best grains in the world. The wheat and the flour that comes from that wheat is exquisite. Everything grows in Oregon.”
The one exception is Taylor ham. “I can wax poetic about Taylor ham as long as you need me to,” Picone says. He describes the hyper-regional fermented pork product with intensity generally reserved for leg -
acy sports teams or controversial political movements: “It’s a little sweet, a little smoky, pretty salty, pretty tangy. It’s the king of breakfast foods. It fries super well. It cures your hangover, gets you ready for the day, puts some pep in your step.” Picone is very clear that he does NOT acknowledge it as “pork roll,” which is how it’s known down in south Jersey. “The only way this interview keeps going is because you acknowledged it as Taylor ham,” he says.
“I accidentally ordered a pork roll egg and cheese, not knowing his stance on it,” Koch remembers. “I realized, ‘Oh, I just accidentally insulted my new friend.’ But it’s fucking pork roll. It says so on the label.”
Indeed, the divisive delicacy brought the neighboring restaurateurs closer together.
“Once we started getting things in motion, Lombardo’s opens up.” Picone says, “and I’m like, ‘Fucking, great. There’s an Italian American guy right across the street, he’s gonna do the same thing I’m doing.’ I thought we were gonna bump heads.” Not only was that not the case, it wound up being pretty fortuitous: “Almost immediately, I started having issues getting Taylor ham from my sources. And Bob just stepped up and was, like, ‘Dude, I got you.’”
Both men speak highly of Koch, and the community that’s sprung up around Lombard House. “I think of him as the unofficial mayor,” says Verderame.
Despite the fact that none of it was planned, over the last couple of years the three businesses have formed a sort of improvised ecosystem. Lombard House is a beer-only hangout bar with a BYO food policy, Lombardo’s has extremely limited seating, and Picone’s is hyperfocused on sandwiches to the exclusion of everything else. Mix them together and you’ve got the distinctive flavors of three states on a one-mile stretch of Lombard. “North Portland has a lot of people from New York, Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware,” Verderame says, “They come here, and they let me know ‘Hey, this reminds me of home.’”
The three men have formed an easy friendship based on cooperation rather than competition.
“Vin and Bob and myself, we’re probably ‘sensitive people’ on the East Coast,” Koch notes ruefully. But he says they haven’t softened all that much. “‘Fuck you’ is still our love language.” Koch says. “I can be like, “Fuck you, Bob,” or “Fuck you, Vin”, and they’ll be like “Fuck you, too, Brian.” ■
Lombard House, 7337 N Lombard; Lombardo’s Pizzeria, 5210 N Lombard; Picone’s Quality Deli, 5215 N Lombard
Top: Verderame doesn’t throw his dough, it’s more of a negotiation. Bottom: A turkey & cheese from Picone’s and a beer from Lombard House.
BEN COLEMAN
Q&A: Thuy Pham of Mama Đút Talks Gardening, Community, and Food Sovereignty
The former restaurateur steps into advocating for local farmers and growing your own food.
BY KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Thuy Pham gained local and national fame as one of Portland’s standout pandemic restaurant success stories. The former hair stylist started making plant-based pork belly on Instagram Live when the COVID lockdown kept salon doors closed. With a hit product on her hands, she launched Mama Đút, a vegan Vietnamese restaurant that earned a James Beard nomination and a feature on Netflix’s Street Food USA
In November 2023, Mama Đút closed with little warning, and Pham largely disappeared from Portland’s restaurant scene, save the occasional pop-up or fundraiser. But she’s still involved with food. A Mama Đút cookbook is in the works, and she’s worked as the development manager at Growing Gardens since last April. The Portland nonprofit teaches gardening in schools, correctional facilities, and home backyards. We caught up with Pham to learn what gardening and food sovereignty mean to her.
MERCURY: Why did Mama Đút close?
PHAM: People wanted to talk about my success, but what I really wanted to talk about was what the food meant and the people that brought the food together. It became less about cooking food and more about managing the business the more successful I became. I realized that the longer I stayed in something that I was unhappy in, the less opportunity I was going to have to truly find something that made me happy.
How did you get involved with Growing Gardens?
Years ago, my brother was incarcerated at Sheridan’s correctional facility. My family would drive out there to visit him, and the visits were always tough. But my brother was really in good spirits when he got fresh produce from the garden. He would be like, “We got cilantro for our sandwiches,” or “My buddies and I got a tomato, we’re all going to split it up.”
I later discovered that Growing Gardens was responsible for these gardens. I started as a volunteer, and was a featured chef for a couple of their fundraiser dinners. I eventually came on as part of their board of directors. When I was reevaluating what I wanted to do after I closed Mama Đút, I was like, if I can go do something with Growing Gardens in food empowerment while
writing my cookbook, that would be really fulfilling work.
What role has gardening played in your life?
My family came over from Vietnam in the ’80s, and the accessibility of diverse cultural produce wasn’t what it is now. We lived with my great auntie and uncle on North Interstate, and there were like four families in that house. My auntie built a garden in the backyard, and it was like her little piece of Vietnam back there: Malabar spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, hot mint, perilla, water spinach, bitter melon. Visitors would bring seeds from Vietnam, or mail
them. That type of immigrant gardening saved my family from going hungry a lot of times. It was food sovereignty, but it wasn’t the word I was using—it was survival.
My family taught me how to be resilient in times of scarcity. But they also taught me that sharing will bring abundance. My great auntie and uncle took us in and shared food with us. Whenever they had extra produce, they would take it to church and share. They taught me how to come together as a community.
What do you do at Growing Gardens?
My work in development is to build relationships and develop sponsorship and
relationships with funders. I’m also helping chefs, food makers, and farmers fill the gaps. I was helping farmer Luis Muñoz of Irie Farms film a mushroom cooking video, and he was telling me that he was going to lose a bunch of money because he had to throw away all these mushroom blocks because of a deal that changed. So I connected him with Nan Chaison at Phaya Thai Express, because Nan had shown interest in turning Phaya into a community space on the days she’s off. We hosted a mushroom party at Phaya and helped Luis sell some mushroom blocks.
I’ve been doing outreach to food makers, restaurateurs, and farmers to share whatever resources we have. I’ve connected Luis with lots of chefs around town, and I’ve helped Masa Fresh, an online local farmers market, with different grant opportunities. Especially now, it’s really important for them to know we’re here for each other.
Spreading Vietnamese culture was a big part of Mama Đút. Are you still able to do that at Growing Gardens?
Absolutely. We’re a multicultural organization. When I was starting, one of our garden educators was translating our gardening manual into Vietnamese, and we just finished developing a Vietnamese gardening program. Our school program supports Title I schools that have a large number of Vietnamese speakers.
It’s been wonderful to see the commonality in things that a lot of us brown folks grow, like spinach, okra. Fatou Ouattara from Akadi calls those little round eggplants African eggplants, but I call them Thai or Vietnamese eggplant. In Mexican cuisine, chayote is often in soups, but Vietnamese people eat chayote, too.
What does food sovereignty mean to you? I don’t think we can have sovereignty in any other parts of our lives unless we have food sovereignty. We need to have food sovereignty if we want healthy and thriving communities. Going into the histories of colonization, if you look at how European cultures and others have colonized Black and brown communities, they do it through food. Because if you limit their ability to sustain their own bodies, then how can they possibly think about pulling themselves out of poverty? People deserve good food. ■
Thuy Pham in Growing Gardens’ Garden of Giving.
CHAR HARRIS
Welcome to Portland’s Kitchen
The James Beard Public Market will bring Oregon’s culinary communities together under one roof.
BY JANEY WONG
Counterintuitive to Portland’s food-centric culture, the city hasn’t had a public market since the closure of the Portland Public Market in 1942. Portlanders have access to a robust farmers market scene, but the city has been long devoid of a permanent public market in the vein of the Milwaukee Public Market or Philly’s Reading Terminal Market.
The James Beard Public Market (JBPM), which has been in the works for over two decades, is anticipated to open its doors in summer 2026. The market—touted as “Portland’s kitchen” because of its close proximity to “Portland’s living room,” Pioneer Courthouse Square—will feature a cheesemonger, butcher, cookbook shop, teaching kitchen, wine bar, restaurant, rooftop bar/event space, and more. Roughly 40 vendor spaces (plus seasonal pop-ups!) will showcase Oregon’s wide range of homegrown products, from cheese and wine to hazelnuts and mushrooms.
Elkan. “You’re getting to know the people who are growing your food, andthe intimacy that comes from that is really special.”
Though the market is located in Portland, it will be a point of connection for the en-
makers, and consumers is a key part of why people visit markets when they travel—to London’s Borough Market or Chatuchak in Bangkok, for example. “Public markets are intentional placemaking,” says Elkan. “[They’re] critical to the culture and identity of cities and neighborhoods.”
“Public markets are intentional placemaking,” says Elkan. “[They’re] critical to the culture and identity of cities and neighborhoods.”
tire state, helping to bridge rural and urban communities through the thousands of Oregon-made products available there. The nonprofit behind it says communities across the state are invested in its success, including the Oregon Coast’s fishers and crabbers, ranchers in Central Oregon, and cheesemakers in Southern Oregon.
“In many ways, it’s telling our collective Oregon story through food,” says James Beard Public Market executive director
In gathering inspiration and researching public markets around the world, Elkan points out that thriving markets act as community anchors that help forge the identity of a city. The human connection made between food growers, farmers,
Visitors are able to experience the food and also get a slice-of-life glimpse at a city’s cultural identity.
Part of the market’s long journey to fruition is attributed to the challenge of finding a site that fit the needs of the project. In cities like Boston and San Francisco, public markets have repurposed spaces that no longer served their original public use (a building constructed for the Big Dig project and the Ferry Building, respectively). Portland did not have a similar site available, so the organization needed to find a viable space that was either existing or new construction that fit the market’s needs.
Since the plans for the JBPM have kicked into high gear, many have drawn comparisons to Seattle’s Pike Place Market—but the team behind JBPM looked
at examples of successful markets across the country and around the world when developing the project. Elkan, who is active in a leadership network through the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces , has studied markets in countries like South Africa and Vietnam, where the government recently announced new investments into the hundreds of public wet markets
“There are so many great public markets that are very collaborative and want to share their models,” says Elkan. “There’s decades, if not centuries, of wisdom that we can take as we build.”
The JBPM is being envisioned as part of a larger ecosystem, working in tandem with organizations like the Portland Farmers Market and even Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center in the Pearl District. Barcelona, Spain provides an example of how neighborhood markets are able to work collaboratively with the Mercat de la Boqueria, the city’s largest market. While each neighborhood market may offer different products or be known for something specific, they work together as a robust network in order to support farmers and small business owners.
One of the market’s main goals is to have a diverse mixture of businesses in
Jessica
order to create a holistic shopping experience for the consumer. If someone comes to do their weekly shopping or pops in with a recipe they want to make, the market hopes to provide most of what’s on their list. While narrowing down vendors from the nearly 100 applications received during an open call earlier this spring, the market’s vendor selection committee also curated a balance between established businesses and emerging entrepreneurs.
“That kind of mixture makes [the market] culturally rich,” says Elkan. “Because you have a heritage brand that people know and are excited [about], but they’re next to someone who’s never had a stall before. And this is their opportunity to get experience and that economic opportunity.”
Another part of the JBPM’s mission is to operate “with a fundamental sense of
“It’s about providing fresh, local, sustainable food to all people and creating that accessibility.”
responsibility towards our diverse and marginalized communities.” The nonprofit wants Portland’s immigrant communities to be represented at the market in different ways. As Elkan recounts, the market’s namesake, James Beard, loved to cook and eat Chinese food using local ingredients “because of the roles and influence Portland’s Chinese community had on his life.” The market hopes to channel this energy, exploring the cultural influences of the newer and historic immigrant communities in Portland.
In keeping with the goal of providing entrepreneurial opportunities, the market’s operating model allows for some vendors to pay reduced or subsidized rents for what Elkan calls an “on-ramp to entrepreneurship.” The market is also working with nonprofits like MESO (Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon) to create a pipeline for prospective entrepreneurs to move from the ideation stage to launching their businesses. The executive director points out
that public markets have historically been pillars of strength during economically fraught times because they provide infrastructure and development opportunities.
From the consumer side, market vendors will accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
“Public markets act as food equalizers,” says Elkan. “It’s about providing fresh, local, sustainable food to all people and creating that accessibility.”
The market won’t just be a retail space where consumers can shop for food or enjoy a meal and drinks. The nonprofit has big plans for the market’s teaching kitchen, which will be a space where kids can learn about nutrition and local seasonal ingredients, chefs will have cooking demonstrations, and classes will be available to community members of different culinary skill levels. Elkan also conceptualizes the space as an entrepreneurial hub that small businesses can use as a test kitchen or the place where the market can host a chef-in-residence program.
The nonprofit also runs Oregon Taste, an online directory that connects consumers to CSAs and independent producers like farmers, fishers, and ranchers. Launched in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic put plans for the market on hold, it has been building momentum for the upcoming market with its Oregon Taste of the Month series, which highlights seasonal local ingredients like Dungeness crab, truffles, and hazelnuts. The monthly events will continue when the market opens.
As the market expands its programming, patrons can look forward to a multi-faceted bill of fare at any given time: an author touring with their cookbook, an apple tasting, a “meet the farmer” event, a rooftop gardening glass. With the wealth of culinary talent in Portland, the JBPM wants to make sure there’s always something exciting and fresh on the menu.
“The market can be a connective tissue in a lot of these different things that are happening in the community,” says Elkan. “What’s the most amazing way to connect with people? Through food.” ■
The James Beard Public Market is scheduled to open in summer 2026. 622 SW Alder, jamesbeardpublicmarket.com
COURTESY OF THE JAMES BEARD PUBLIC MARKET
BCV Architects’ rendering of the future James Beard Public Market.
Breaking Bread
Portland-area bakers are flipping the script with bread subscriptions, pop-ups, and more.
BY ANDREA DAMEWOOD
Just like a sourdough starter under a cloth, some of the best baked goods in Portland are bubbling away behind the scenes, out of the spotlight. For many bakers, offering subscription or pop-up based carbs is the perfect way to balance work with having a life, and single-handedly reign over quality control.
Word spreads via Instagram and wordof-mouth: Kir Jensen, she of the beloved former Sugar Cube, is back selling pies! Starter Bread’s polenta loaf and double cocoa rye cookie are divine! A sewing teacher is selling limited quantities of the best babka you’ll ever eat from her front porch every Friday!
Here’s a few standout grassroots bakers, with tips on what to try—and how to track them down. (*Always check their website or Instagram for the most up-to-date info.)
Kir Jensen
WHAT SHE BAKES: “All things butter, flour, sugar magic (pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, high brow/low brow, nostalgic desserts).” WHERE TO FIND: Instagram @kirjensen
Kir Jensen was one of Portland’s OG food cart darlings when she opened The Sugar Cube in 2008, which eventually became a bakery on Alberta Street. Keeping a business afloat and parenting meant she decided to sell and step away for a while.
Jensen is back with gorgeous pies that she offers for pre-order on Instagram for pickup. Her Mother’s Day pie was for your mouth and eyes: silky lemon cream filling, with raspberry-rhubarb compote and rose cream filled an all-butter crust kissed with light cornmeal, topped with pink petals.
“I’m inspired by what’s seasonal; I appreciate simple/good flavor combinations, I like to let the ingredients do the shining,” Jensen says.
Besides pie drops, Jensen says she’ll be doing pop-ups at Milk Glass Market and Side Yard Farm. She’ll also be making desserts for Doug Adams and Whitney Burnside’s new Bitter Root Supper Club, set to debut inside their Grand Fir Brewing.
As for if she wants to go back to a brick-and-mortar bakery? “FUCK NO,” she writes in an email. “I am thankful for that experience, but full time ownership does not align with the life I’m living now. My goal is to bake, flex some creativity, collaborate with other chefs, and to give lots of food hugs.”
Starter Bread
WHAT THEY BAKE: All things sourdough, from heirloom grain loaves to strawberry cardamom hand pies and “seasonal slabs” of focaccia with toppings. WHERE TO FIND: Subscribe for a weekly loaf, or from 10 am to 2 pm every Sunday at 7304 N Leavitt.
Starter Bread is a revelation, or as owners Matt Kedzie and Zena Walas like to say, a revolution.
The couple started making sourdough loaves out of their house in St. Johns in 2019, and offering a few dozen subscription loaves a week. But as word spread about their hefty farm boules, sprouted wheat loaves, and spelt bread scored with that ‘90s Stussy “S” we all know and love, so did their need for a physical location.
“We’re both hippie kids at heart, which
I think is how we became obsessed with a more digestible bread,” Kedzie says. “In a time of gluten-demonization, the sourdough process hinted at a way to unlock a bread that could feed us daily without hurting our guts.”
Now, the couple spends the whole week at their physical bakery on North Leavitt, making bread for their subscription program, cookies, pie, scones, dry mixes, jams, grating cheese, and recipe testing. Starter Bread, they say, allows them to stretch and take care of their bodies, and not lose too much sleep.
Still, with lines snaking down the block on Sundays and frequent sell-outs, the couple is always battling the question of how much earlier they want to start their workday.
“It takes our five-person team all week to prepare for Sunday Bread Church on top
of fulfilling subscription orders,” Kedzie says. “This feels like the model. A multiarmed bakery (subscription and retail) that is sustainable for the bakers–it has to be for us to remain present.”
Tooth Butter
WHAT SHE BAKES: Rye breads. From dark, dense Eastern and Northern European 100 percent rye loaves to East Coast deli ryes; Dutch crunch rolls; cardamom buns. WHERE TO FIND: toothbutterpdx.com, with pickup on Thursdays at 337 NW Broadway.
Sophia Illk Jackson, former longtime sous chef at Kachka, had been cooking for years before she realized that making bread was her favorite part about food. Jackson redesigned the bread program there, and now has a weekly pre-order model that allows her to keep her production at a level where she can keep it a one-woman show.
Along with her pre-orders, her excellent rye bun serves as the foundation for the flagship burger at the new 82 Acres restaurant on Southeast Clinton. Jackson bakes out of a kitchen in Old Town, where she also has pickups every Thursday. She also sells at the King Farmers Market and at Trough Bar and Billiards on SE Hawthorne, where her husband works.
“Not having to work true bakers hours is also a huge driving force for this model,” Jackson says.
“It’s less secure than a brick-and-mortar business, but for now the schedule flexibility, and not having to start my shift at 12 am, is worth the uncertainty.”
Bisl Bakery
WHAT SHE BAKES: Fantastic babka WHERE TO FIND: Instagram @saramoskovitz
I met Sara Moskovitz while taking her intermediate sewing class at Portland Community College, where she’d bring loaves of fresh-baked whole grain challah for the class, so I was lucky to get in on the ground floor of her burgeoning babka biz, Bisl Bakery.
Moskovitz, whose grandparents survived the Holocaust and left the former Czechoslovakia, says there is a saying in Judaism that no meal is complete without bread. Having a weekly pop-up allows her to do “an intense amount of momming” while experimenting with flavors. Moskovitz grew up with a foster sister from Vietnam who loved to bake, so she’s constantly adding flavors like ube jam, milk tea, or mochi bits to her European breads.
Right now, she does fewer than 25
A loaf from Starter Bread.
ANDREA DAMEWOOD
loaves a week, available for $15, with Friday pickups from her porch in North Portland. Her Instagram is the place to score a weekly hit of some of the best babka I’ve ever tasted.
Based on boatloads of brown butter, the babkas are moist, dense and pack a flavor punch that makes it easy to eat a half a loaf in a flash. Flavors have ranged from an intense dark chocolate with candied or-
ange, to a recent cinnamon and cardamom babka dusted with pistachio dukkah and washed in magnolia petal syrup.
Moskovitz’s babka-making practice is close to her heart. “The feeling of dough in my hands and between my fingers makes me feel close to my grandmothers, both of them, to our family history, our way of building and growing and keeping community,” she says. “And eating carbs is life.”
The network of microbakeries is vast, if you know where to look (mostly Instagram). Here’s a surely incomplete list of other small bakeries to add to your hunt:
Koki Koki Bakehouse: Co-founded by Arissara “Bow” Prapakiet, these cookies are monumental. Riding the trend of massive, elaborate cookies, s’more and nutella lava beauties are offered alongside twists like miso black sesame, fig pecan Earl Grey cream cheese, and the roasted Japanese green tea, hojicha. Order online for shipping or pickup in Beaverton at kokikokibakehouse.com Check their Insta, @kokikoki.bakehouse, for their pop-up schedule.
Red Hen Bagelry: Taking its name from the storied chicken who did it all, this New York-style bagel biz has been getting a lot of attention. Head to redhenbagelry.com . to preorder and pick up on Sundays at Cherry Sprout, 727 N Sumner. You can also get them gussied up and with a side of queer-owned coffee most weekends
at Hinterland Coffee, 7112 NE Glisan. Lloyds Bagels: “Boiled and baked with love, levain and levity” in Milwaukie by photographer Michael Raines, Lloyd’s is named after the pig who lives in his yard. Keep an eye on @lloydsbagels on Instagram for where these round boys will pull up next.
Fairbanks Bread: Made by Josh Fairbanks, who trained at San Francisco’s famed Tartine Bakery. Sourdough breads shaped by hand and cold fermented overnight, and crunchy, chewy honey bagels are also on offer. Pre-order at fairbanksbread.com for pickups on Monday at Cafe Olli, 3907 NE MLK Jr.
Pipsqueak Bagels: Also baked in Milwaukie (what’s in the water down there?), the amount of seedy goodness Pipsqueak Bagels gets to cling to their everything bagels defies comprehension. Try them every Friday at Puff Coffee, 2816 SE Stark, or on Sundays at the Milwaukie Farmers Market. Keep an eye on their Instagram, @pipsqueakbagels, for other pop ups. ■
Beautifully braided babka from Bisl Bakery.
ANDREA DAMEWOOD
Sun, June 1
Breakfast on the Bluffs ♥
Coffee and breakfast on the bluff to kickoff Pedalpalooza!
Skidmore Bluffs, 9 am dudeluna
R2R Tigard to Kickoff TIGARD
Ride with us from Tigard to Portland for Bike Summer Kickoff Ride! Universal Plaza, 10:30 am Shawne
10th Annual Terri Sue Web
A naked ride honoring Terri
Sue Webb, one of Oregon’s pioneering body freedom activists. Coe Circle, 11 am Past Tire, D’Glass & P’Pedal
R2R Milwaukie to Kickoff ♥
CLACKAMAS Join Bike Milwaukie for a ride to the Kickoff event and celebrate the official start to Bike Summer. Milwaukie Bay Park, 12 pm Maitri
R2R Queer Kickoff Ride into Bike Summer with new friends! Ends at the Kickoff Ride. Dress code: Beach Oregon Park, 12 pm Sabs & Gays Getting Wet
R2R Beaverton to Kickoff
BEAVERTON Ride with the RideWestsdie advocacy group to the Kickoff Ride. Beaverton Transit Center, 12 pm Tim
R2R Woodstock to Kickoff Ride to the Kickoff Ride. Woodstock Park, 12:30 pm onewheelskyward
R2R Kidical Mass Kickoff ♥
Ride bikes together with kids and families to Peninsula Park for the kick-off of Bike Summer! Colonel Summers Park, 12:45 pm Kidical Mass PDX
R2R CCC to Kickoff ♥ We'll take the Going Greenway to let folks join up from King Farmer's Market. Community Cycling Center 12:30 pm CCC
Bike Summer Kickoff Ride ♥
This is the official ride that kicks off the festivities every year. Volunteers will be selling merch from 1-2:30pm. Peninsula Park, 1 pm Cycle Homies
Into the Sol An after party kickoff dance ride. Colonel Summers Park, 7 pm NakedHearts: PDX (BiciBudsMáximo & Bryson)
MON, June 2
Ride 4 Genital Autonomy
Harmful child genital cutting like circumcision, impacts more than just boys! Ride for Intersectional Genital Autonomy! McCoy Park, 11 am
Alliana Arshad
Katie MC’s Birthday Ride
Katie’s birthday once again. Party favors, games, frisbee, and vegan snacks! Ends inner east side. Colonel Summers Park, 5:15 pm Katie MC
TUE, JunE 3
New to Portland Ride
Explore bike routes of East Portland! East Portland Community Center, 5:30 pm PBOT Portland By Cycle
JavaScript Ride const bike = "fun"; let PDX ="summer"; for (you in people(PDX)) { you(bike) } Fun paced, park stop, coding optional. Ladd Circle, 6 pm Chris Anderson
Wed, June 4
Personal Safety Workshop A free workshop with Rose City Self Defense for Bike Summer attendees, especially corkers and ride leaders. Garden Home Recreation Center, 6 pm Bike Summer
Thu, June 5
Botany Bike Tour PLANTS!
BIKES! Learn about local ecology and plant ID. Ride till 8:30pm, 8mi RT. Springwater on the Willamette Entrance, 5:45 pm Ryan Nordic & Sasha Bangs
Star Trek Ride V Don’t miss our fifth annual mission as Portland-area Trekkers & Trekkies meet up to explore our corner of the galaxy! Irving Park, 6 pm Rick L
Fri, June 6
NE Cully Bike Fair Come learn to ride a bike, practice safety skills, and get your bike checked. Rigler Elementary School, 2:30 pm Portland Bureau of Transportation Bici Cumbia Come ride and listen to cumbias. Holladay Park, 6 pm DJ SeBrujo
The Death Metal Ride Ride to a soundtrack of Death Metal on this 2-hour, social-paced ride. Battle jackets/vests strongly encouraged! Irving Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin)
Missy Elliot Ride Supa Dupa Fly Returns! Join the premier hip hop ride of Pedalpalooza. Soundbikes will be in effect. Laurelhurst Park Pond, 7:30 pm Teenage Dirtbag Bike Club
Sat, June 7
Bookstore Bike Ride SE At a leisurely pace we will make our way south, ending in Sellwood. Broadway Books, 12 pm Tom Murray
Architecture Tour: Eastside Learn quirky history and interesting architectural notes about buildings. Sewallcrest Park, 12 pm Erin Bailie
Revolutionary Kickoff Grab your comrades and keffiyehs, we’re kicking off summer with a big leftist joyride! Ends with a mutual aid fair. Salmon St. Springs, 2 pm Revolutionary Bicycle Club
Cumbia Fest Party pace, loud jams, good vibes—¡que siga la cumbiaaaa! Kenilworth Park, 3 pm Pablo
Lonely Island Ride A
Lonely Island bike ride. Boomboxes with the turbo bass. Please guide me ‘pon your bike path of righteousness. Oregon Park, 3:30 pm Guy #1 Prince 4 Ever! (Ride 2 Prom)
Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Prince on his Birthday
Heading directly to Prom. Sewallcrest Park, 6 pm Diablo
Dead Baby Bike Prom
Dress to the nines and ride your bike! Colonel Summers Park, 9 pm Dead Baby Bikes
Sun, June 8
The High-Five Ride! A quick fun ride to kick off a great day. 15 minute half-loop ending with life-affirming high-fives and good vibes! Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 10 am Zach & Liza
Portland’s tradition of summer bicycle events has permanently expanded to a three month-long festival of bike fun! These rides are volunteer-led, and the majority of the events are free!
Sam’s Soft Serve Series Visit various soft serve ice cream locations around the area! Salmon Street Springs, 2 pm Samwell
The Pupusa Ride Celebrating our people and the culinary masterpiece of El Salvador—las pupusas! 2 stops: Bicho’s and Salvi PDX. Ladd Circle, 2 pm
Ivette Uribe
Life Aquatic Theme Ride Join us for an unforgettable Life Aquatic movie-themed ride to celebrate World Oceans Day! Irivington Park, 3 pm Omar Sandoval
Singles Bike Ride Want to met super cool people? Are you over dating apps? We are! Peninsula Park, 5 pm Kerin
Contra Dance Join us for a night of lively folk dance with smiley humans as we ride and dance our way around Portland. Buckman Elementary, 5 pm Carissa & Ryan
Cargopalooza A chill paced social ride for cargo bikers and the cargo-curious - ALL BIKES WELCOME & ALL BIKES ARE CARGO BIKES! Mt. Hood Brewing, 6 pm Zack P.B. Waxing Gibbous Naked Ride
Two nights before the full moon for a bold, bright protest ride against car dominance. Coe Circle, 8:30 pm P’Pedal, Past Tire & D’Glass
MOn, June 9
Inn Between Ride #1 Bars named “inn,” or in an inn, via in-between spaces. SE, ~12 mi; not a loop. Bring $ for drinks/ food. Andy’s Inn (aka Andy’s Bar), 5:30 pm Josh
Tue, June 10
Snail Mail Ride Park stop to write snail mail and a stop at a mailbox to send it! Bring your supplies, and there will be some extras. Irving Park, 6 pm Courtney Dowell
Wed, June 11
City Bike Bus Commute with us! Nine unique routes start in different neighborhoods and arrive at Salmon Street Springs at 8:15am. See routes online. 7:15 am Portland Bureau of Transportation
Ice Cream Bike Bus ♥ Special afternoon Bike Bus ride from 5+ schools to 50 Licks (Clinton) for ice cream. Join at school or along the route! Glencoe, Richmond, Creston, Sunnyside, and Abernethy schools, 2:30 pm Rob Galanakis
Vegan Potluck Ride Bring vegan food/drink to share. Ride to Laurelhurst Park w/ store stop. Ladd Circle Park, 5:30 pm Vegan Bike Club PDX
Larry June Bike Ride \ The sounds of Larry June— music about smoothies, houseplants, and hustling smart. Kenilworth Park, 6 pm Pablo Micheladas Ride If you LOVE Micheladas like we do, this is the ride for you! Colonel Summers Park, 6 pm No-Lines-Lauren & Vivi
WTFNB+ Bike Camp Clinic
Learn all about bike camping gear, area campgrounds, routes, and more! For women, trans, and non-binary folks.
Laurelhurst Park, 6:30 pm Madi Carlson & The Street Trust Thu, June 12
World Without Cars Get up early and cruise peacefully around Portland’s streets with no plan and not very many cars in sight. Plaid Pantry, 2110 SE Powell, 4 am sky
Parklane Park Grand Opening
Ride to the grand opening celebration of the 25 acre Parklane Park in East Portland after 2 years of development. Harrison Park, 2:30 pm Tom Howe
THE Mariah Carey Ride!! Let’s ride around blasting Mariah to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her first album release! Ankeny Rainbow Road, 5:30 pm Rocks Zayda
Bleeps & Bloops Ride! Strap your sound machine to your fun machine, and ride around in a swarm of sound!
Normandale Park, 6 pm mykle
Rose Ride Ride with us to stop and smell the roses, listen to rose-themed songs and poetry to honor our city of roses. Peninsula Park, 6 pm Ada FRi, June 13
Sidewalk Joy Ride ♥ Ride to sidewalk galleries, exchanges, displays along the Sidewalk Joy Map pdxsidewalkjoy.com
Laurelhurst Park, 6 pm Lynn & Viv
Taylor Swift Ride We’ll be riding through the whole Eras Tour setlist as we relive the memories and make some new ones along the way. Colonel Summers Park, 6 pm Cruel Summer Swifties
Rubiks Cube Clothes Swap Dress in Rubiks Cube colors. At stops, ask to swap clothes to become one color. You might not get your clothes back. Laurelhurst Park, 7 pm Fancy & Bootsie
Friday the 13th Ride Ride ya bike. See ya in the circle. Ladds Circle, 7:30 pm Aaron Sat, June 14
NE Streetcar History Back again with a new route and even more transit awesome, get ready for NE Portland Streetcar History Part Deux. King School Park, 11 am Don Iler Bookstore Bike Ride N At a leisurely pace we will make our way North, ending in St Johns. Lloyd Center Double Tree, 12 pm Tom Murray
The Going Gallop Don thy horsiest attire - jockeys, riders, equiinified individuals, cowpokes, hobby horbikesand bikegallop down NE Going. 12:15 pm space
Tenant Union Celebration Are you part of a tenants union or wanna organize one? Cool. This ride is for you. Reed College, 1 pm Revolutionary Bicycle Club & PDX Unions
Ginger Cult Ride Join the Cult. Come celebrate our 1st anniversary! Bring lights,
Art by Arielle Wilkins
Is a Loop ♥ Family Friendly Covid Safety Plan Adults Only
Kidical Mass FroYo ♥ Ride to Director Park, where we can get self-serve frozen yogurt. Tanner Springs Park, 2 pm Kidical Mass PDX
Severance Ride
Reintegrate your innie and outie selves as we ride around town enjoying a Milchick-approved MDE playlist! Oregon Park, 4:30 pm Christine S.
Club House Ravin Roll
A house music rave ride. Taylor Electric, 7 pm Chocklitsauce
Sun, June 15
Three Speed Day Tour
CLACKAMAS 25mi cruise to Oregon City via three speeds! Register for info. 10 am Society of Three Speeds
WeBike WTFNB+ Ride A slow, stay-together, and mostly flat 10-mile loop for women, trans, and non-binary folks.
With snacks! The Street Trust HUB at Lloyd Center, 11 am
Madi Carlson & The Street Trust
Gilligan’s Island Ride A bike ride that pays homage to the 1960s television show by going to a desert island in SE Portland. Clinton City Park, 11:30 am Tom Howe
Dad’s on Vacation Put on your best Dad Hat, and sunscreen your nose. Extra points for socks and sandals. Peninsula Park Rose Garden, 1 pm Lex
Geocache Smash We’ll bike around to a few locations to look for geocaches placed for the ride. Bring a phone with a map app. Laurelhurst Park, 3 pm Katie MC
Wicked Wheelz Ride One short day ride-because even Elphaba would ditch her broom for a bike in Portland! Colonel Summers Park, 5 pm @cass13rush
Jazbot’s Jazz Ride Ya like jazz?
Gonna spin a wild selection of old school and new school.
Ladd Circle, 6:30 pm Jazbot
mon, June 16
PizzaPalooza Eat pizza and ride bikes. Lone Fir Cemetery, 6 pm Dalemonaco Tue, June 17
See repeating rides. wed, June 18
SE Cookie Ride A mid-day cookie crawl. Piccolo Park, 12:30 pm eric
Lloyd Commuter Ride Meet fellow Lloyd commuters and get to know each other.
Hassalo Plaza, 5 pm LLOYD!
6th Annual Cat Ride ♥
Hello cat lovers! Bring your cat or dress as a cat for the 6th Annual Cat Ride! Colonel Summers Park, 6:30 pm Amy thu, June 19
The Ping Pong Ride ♥ Ride to play ping pong out side and then at the Table Tennis Club Colonel Summers Park, 5:30 pm Carey Booth
Black Liberation Ride A Juneteenth celebration for Black + Brown Portlanders, honoring freedom, joy, and community on wheels. Irving Park, 6 pm Laryea & Prince Rocky Butte Picnic Picnic and dance party at the most scenic spot in Portland! Irving Park, 6 pm Logan V
fri, June 20
Senior Ride Vintage tunes, ending with sweet treats and warm vibes. Holladay Park, 10 am LLOYD!
Bleeps & Bloops Ride! Special TEARDOWN edition of the monthly acoustic adventure ride! Holladay Park, 6 pm mykle
Solstice Skate/Bike Ride
Third annual Flower Power
Skate/Bike Ride, all wheels
welcome! Laurelhurst Park, 6:30 pm DustyTeacup
Gravel Witch A scenic, all-levels gravel ride. No one gets left behind. Skidmore Bluffs, 7 pm Anna Dewitt
JAWS 50th Anniversary We’ll cruise to a 1975 soundtrack, make a snack stop, then settle in for an outdoor screening. Laurelhurst Park, 7 pm Benjamin Rosen
Trash Pop Ride Wear your trashiest, poppiest costumes and join us for a fun filled ride for folks with absolutely no musical taste. Irving Park, 7 pm DJ Cupcake Extravaganza & Bria Bee
Solstice Ride Cycle into summer on the shortest night of the year! Sunset to sunrise.
Crank on! People’s Food Co-op, 7:30 pm Mr. Friday sat, June 21
Texas 4000 Ride Along Join the longest annual charity bike ride as we pass through PDX on our way from Austin, TX to Anchorage, AK. Couch Park, NW 20th & Glisan, 7:30 am Sara Milliken
All Day Naked Ride Ride naked, or nearly so, all day in an effort to bring attention to important issues of concern. Irving Park, 8:30 am Past Tire, D’Glass & P’Pedal
Morning Naked Ride Celebrate Body Freedom and your right to seek redress of grievances. Slow and steady pace. Irving Park, 8:30 am D’Glass, Past Tire & P’Pedal
Laurelhurst Yard Sale
Treasure hunt to explore the Laurelhurst yard & garage sales by bike. Crema Coffee, 9:30 am dudeluna
FOPO Garden Tour Ride Check out gardens via bike at the annual FOPO garden tour. Meet outside the community garden, 3519 SE 62nd Ave, 9:45 am Small Fry & Big Baz
Grilled By Bike X You know what to do, strap a grill to your bike and bar-bee-queue. This time, all day long. #rideonfire Ladd Circle. 11 am Eric & Ivy
Sunny Naked Ride It’s June! It might be sunny! Celebrate the 232nd anniversary of the 1st Amendment with your concerns and your body. Coe Circle, 12 pm Past Tire, D’Glass & P’Pedal
Cycle Homies Perreo Ride We’ll wrap up our adventure at Away Days Brewing for dancing and brews. Wallace Park, 3 pm Alexis Vazquez, Cycle Homies
Leif Erikson Naked Ride
Beautiful ride through Forest Park on a gravel trail. Good for shy people who want to be naked in nature. Leif Erickson Trailhead 1/4 mile beyond the Thurman St. gate, 3:30 pm D’Glass, P’Pedal & Past Tire
Booty Shorts R2R Squeeze into those tiny shorts and roll with us to the Daft Punk vs. LCD Sound System ride.
Colonel Summers Park, 5 pm
Brian McGloin
Daft Punk vs LCD S.S. Two rides celebrate the music of LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk and converge into one epic dance party with a DJ at the end.
6:30 pm Logan V & Friends
St Johns Naked Ride Roll from a secluded beach up to Willamette Blvd’s new bike lanes. Then a slow sunset-roll through N/NE Portland. Burlington Beach, 7 pm P’Pedal, D’Glass & Past Tire
Longest (Day of the Year)
Lesbian Bday Come celebrate our lovely lesbians, Laura and Lore, with a birthday ride on the Summer Solstice! Colonel Summer’s Park, 7 pm Mary Ford
1st Day of Summer Naked Ride
Summers are hot! Let’s ride naked, and protest climate change. Clothing optional, good spirits required. Colonel Summers Park, 9 pm P’Pedal, D’Glass, Past Tire & Virtuous Kernel
sun, June 22
Bike Milwaukie Ride ♥
CLACKAMAS Explore and discover possibilities for future greenways and other bike connections to build out a connected bike network. Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod, 10 am Maitri & Jacob
Mompano Romp Join Bicycle Kitty for a somewhat challenging road ride. 45 miles, 3000’ gain. Pace will be 12-14mph on flats. Northern end of the Trolley Trail, SE 18th & SE Ochoco, 10 am Maria
Places & Possibilities ♥
Explore the transformative power of community-led creative reclamation of public areas into shared spaces Irving Park, 11:30 am City Repair (Daniel Te)
Yarn Bomb Ride Let’s go see some cool yarn bombed locations. Peninsula Park, 12 pm Courtney Dowell
Myspace Ride Ride like it’s 2005. Come dressed as your myspace profile picture (or Tom if you didn’t have one) and pick your top 8. Tanner Springs Park, 2 pm AnomaLily
Shark-Naito 2 EatTheRich A Sharknado on Naito! Dress like a shark, ride in circles to make a sharknado, compete for Best Shark trophy. Shark. Salmon Street Springs, 2:30 pm Sabs
BikeLoud Fun Ride ♥ We will ride for around an hour, at a family friendly pace. Irving Park, 5 pm Martin C, BikeLoud PDX mon, June 23
Bike Camp Cookout Hang out with other folks while making dinner on camping stoves. We’ll be in East Picnic Area south of tennis courts. Mount Tabor Park, East Picnic Area, 6:30 pm Urban Adventure League Tue, June 24
Bike Maintenance The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is hosting a basic bike maintenance workshop. Central Library, Community Room 1B, 2 pm Portland By Cycle
High Rocks Ride Bike to High Rocks in Gladstone for a sunset swim before biking back. Colonel Summers Park, 5:30 pm Neel
Vegan Dinner by Bike Ride with us to eat free vegan food from 5 businesses that are on the Portland to Palestine small business directory. Kenilworth Park, 6 pm Revolutionary Bicycle Club
Hill Killerz Social Ride
Join an easy hilly romp around Johnson Creek ending at Foster food carts & start of Foster Night Ride. We hate hillz! Top of the hill, SE 52nd & Flavel Drive - NW corner, 6:15 pm Maria the Bicycle Kitty wed, June 25 By the Slice! Indulge in some of the best pizza slice offerings. Pizza Thief, 12 pm Zack P.B. LGBTQ+ Artists Ride Let’s have a gay time riding to LGBTQ+ musical artists. Irving Park, 6:15 pm Em Seem thu, June 26
Street Books’ Revelry Celebrate another year of books and care on the streets of Portland! Entertainment, Food, reading by Karen Russell! South Park Blocks, 5:30 pm Street Books, Diana Rempe
Gays Getting Wet Be gay, ride bike, swim river. All queer people welcome. Allies tolerated. Bring a towel. Colonel Summer Park, 6 pm Sabs, aka Unicorn Floatie Girl Skeleton Scavenger Hunt Have you ever noticed Portland’s obsession with skeletons? Let’s find some together! Ankeny Rainbow Rd Plaza, 6:30 pm AMilianAdventures
‘Froadin’ ‘Round Hillsbo WESTSIDE After rave reviews last year this ride returns for a second go. The route is largely the same. Hatfield Government Center MAX Station, 7 pm Tim fri, June 27
KMHD Ride! ♥ Do you love jazz? Do you love KMHD? Do you love... riding bikes? THEN THIS IS THE RIDE FOR YOU! Ladd Circle, 4:30 pm Meg & Nicole
Apocalypse Ride! Too soon? Too late! We’re gonna ride through the waste in search of supplies and good (end) times anyway. At the entrance to the Springwater by the old cement factory, 7 pm Dee Railer
Karen Convention Don your sharpest bob wigs and Live Laugh Love blouses, it’s time to finally let loose your greatest complaints. Oregon Park, 7 pm The Appreciation Society
Kendrick vs Drake Let’s settle this beef once and for all! Join the Dirtbags as we ride the streets listening to Drake and Kendrick. Irving Park, 7:30 pm Teenage Dirtbag Bike Club sat, June 28
Juice Box Bike Club ♥ A ride for people who need to get their tiny humans napped by noon-ish, but still want to have a good Bike Summer. Seawallcrest Park, 10 am Alex Oak Grove Festival Ride ♥ CLACKAMAS Ride from downtown Milwaukie to Oak Grove in celebration of the annual Oak Grove Festival. Milwaukie Bay Park, 10:45 am Maitri
Mom’s on Vacation! Take a break, Mom! Bring your pearls, your favorite nail polish, and your finest mom hat! Peninsula Park Rose Garden, 11 am Sole Sunshine
Pi-Cycle Two-pi Ride Join us for a circular journey celebrating everyone’s favorite irrational number! Reservoir 5 Building Mt Tabor Park, 5 pm Michael & Naomi
26” or Die! - Day One A celebration of the 26” wheel and the fun bikes that roll on them! See Shift Calendar for details! Something Cycles, 6:30 pm Something Cycles
Galactic Disco Greetings, Groove-o-nauts! Ride the disco waves on a far out space mission. Costumes advised! Colonel Summers Park, 6:30 pm Captain Goldilost Loud n Lit Bring out your most loud n lit bikes and getups. Irving park, 8:30 pm Dutch, Sysfail sun, June 29
Chap’s Birthday Ride Come noodle around the city as we celebrate Chap’s 9th Earth rotation! Where Steel is Real, Steel Bridge Friendship, 8:30 am El Chap E Chapo & Family Birding by Bike *3rd Annual*
Let’s ride bikes & find birds! Mellow ride with stops in N Portland. Bring binoculars if you have them. Farragut City Park, 10 am Becky
NE Cully Sunday Parkways
♥ Participants can walk, bike, or roll the 6-mile route until 4pm. Fernhill Park, Wellington Park, Kʰunamokwst Park, and Roseway Parkway, 11 am
Portland Bureau of Transportation
Kidical Mass to Parkways ♥ Kids and family ride to Northeast Cully Sunday Parkways open streets event. Irving Park Playground, 11:30 am Kidical Mass PDX 26” or Die! - Day Two A celebration of the 26” wheel and the fun bikes that roll on them! See Shift Calendar for details! Something Cycles, 12 pm Something Cycles
Robyn Ride Calling all cyclists, robotboys, fembots, and dancehall queens - celebrate the beloved Swedish pop star Robyn. Irving Park, 6:30 pm Peter Pansy
Sunday Bike Party A casual-paced ride inspired by Bike Parties in other cities. A rolling party with music. Ladd Circle Park, 7 pm Lloyd mon, June 30
Bike-A-Sketch 1 Draw collaborative sketches by riding your bike. Bring a smartphone and be prepared to enable location sharing. Ladd Circle, 7 pm Aaron Kuehn
tue, July 1
The Ghost Ride We wish to inform you of a Ritual on bicycle, celebrating the rich history of the band Ghost.
Oregon Park, 7 pm Pit Princette wed, July 2
Bike Maintenance The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is hosting a bike maintenance education booth. Montavilla Plaza, 4 pm Portland By Cycle
Lloyd to Duckworth Dock This short ride will take you on a fun route to the best little central city swimming hole ya ever did see! Hassalo Plaza, 5pm LLOYD!
I Bike for Ice Cream This route has been meticulously sculpted to not only be fun, but to also look cool, AND to include ice cream stops! Kenilworth Park, 7 pm AMilianAdventures thu, July 3
Postponed Ride I have this really cool idea for a ride, but I might not feel like leading it, so it may or may not happen. Ladd Crcle, 5:30 pm yvIcirE
Lloyd to Duckworth Dock This short ride will take you on a fun route to the best little central city swimming hole ya ever did see! Hassalo Plaza, 5pm LLOYD! fri, July 4
*Half Century Ride Note the asterisk! This ride is not a half century in distance, but in age! Nossa Famila Coffee, 10 am dudeluna
Welsh National Bike Ride Come celebrate independence by being Welsh for an evening. Riding empty streets. Going to the fireworks. Colonel Summers Park, 6:30 pm NakedHearts:PDX sat, July 5 Doe>Coe>Doe w/ Joe & Moe Meet @ Doe for donuts, ice cream, and beverages. Ride Doe to Coe (Circle) & back to Doe w/ Joe and Moe. Doe Donuts, 11 am Vegan Bike Club PDX
Green Loop — Eastside Help bring this planning concept to life by riding sections of the Green Loop today and exploring what it connects. Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest, 1 pm Aaron Kuehn
The Chappell Roan Ride Amythest leads again and gets the job done feat. music from Chappell Roan, Kim Petras, Sabrina Carpenter, Remi Wolf, etc. Colonel Summers Park, 7 pm NakedHearts:PDX (Amethyst leads)
The Hyperpop Ride Join us for a Saturday night party ride celebrating one of the most exciting new genres of music: Hyperpop! Colonel Summers Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin) sun, July 6
Pasta Costume Lunch n Ride Make a macaroni necklace, wear a ziti cape or penne crown, take a ride with your noodlehead friends to a classy luncheon. Washington High School, 12 pm Em, Rome PDX Sidewalk Joy Ride ♥ Join us for the most family friendly ride of the summer exploring PDX’s community of interactive sidewalk installations. Grant Park, 1 pm PDX Dinorama
Macho Man Ride The cream always rises to the top YEAH!!! Bring your best impressions and dress up as we ride around for Macho Man day Irving Park, 2 pm Tink
The Judas Priest Ride Join us in a celebration Judas Priest, Metal legends. Ride ends at Karaoke Bar. Heavy Metal attire encouraged! Oregon Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin) mon, July 7 Ride 4 Genital Autonomy Harmful child genital cutting like circumcision, impacts more than just boys! Ride for Intersectional Genital Autonomy! McCoy Park, 11 am Alliana Arshad
Private Investigator Ride with real PI’s. We will show you some cool stuff around Portland. Ride at 6:30pm. Colonel Summers Park, 6 pm Erin Howell tue, July 8
Bici Bachata If you like to bike and to dance, especially to Latin music, come join us! 100% bachata! Abernathy Elementary, 6:30 pm Adelaide, Julianne, Evan & Jose
Naked Waxing Gibbous Ditch the cars, ditch the clothes—join us for a glowing protest ride. Coe Circle, 8:30 pm D’Glass, P’Pedal, Virtuous Kernel & Past Tire
Bike Happy Hour All-year! Join other bike-minded folks for cheap drinks, great food, and “immaculate vibes.” Not a ride.
Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza, every Wednesday, from 3 to 6pm Jonathan Maus
Bike Polo All-year! Think horse polo + hockey + bikes. Primarily single-speed fixed-gear. Pickup games with mixed skill levels. Not playing June 15th. Alberta Park, every Sunday, meet at noon
Portland Bike Polo
Breakfast on the Bridges All-year! Free coffee and goodies for people crossing Portland’s bridges (bike, walk, scooter, skate). Blumenauer North, Flanders East, Steel East, Tilikum West, generally the last Friday every month, 7am to 9am-ish Dr. Doughnut
Coffee to Books to Beer This fun, laid-back social ride is the best way to start the weekend, discover new spots, and have a good time. Location varies, second Saturday of the month, meet at 9:45am, ride at 10:30am Peter
Corvidae Bike Club All-year! Each month led by different member, rides on greenways, group etiquette, no-drop. Peninsula Park, second Sunday of every month, meet at 1pm, ride at 2pm Corvidae BC
Cycle Vancouver Happy Hour VANCOUVER
All-year A bi-weekly happy hour for good banter, food, drinks, and discussions on all things transportation. Tap Union Freehouse, every other Tuesday, meet at 6:30pm, ride at 6:15pm Cycle
Dead Baby Bike Club All-year! Freak bike friendly, downhill route. Location varies, first Saturday of every month, meet at 7:30pm, ride at 9pm Dead Baby Bike Club
Flip Side Vegan Market Join us for about a 5-mile ride from Vera Katz statue to Hail Snail for the Flip Side Vegan Market (12–5pm)! Bring $! Last Saturday of the month, meet at 11:15am, ride at 11:30am Vegan Bike Club PDX
Foster Night Ride All-year! A fun ride with a party pace. Bring lights, locks, and spare tubes. Eat, drink, and be merry. Foster Food Carts, every other Tuesday, meet at 7pm, ride at 8pm Radrich
Friday Night Ride All-year! Casual pace, extra zip, 10-20ish mile rides with store/park/art stops. Not necessarily no-drop. Rain meetup at Abernethy Elementary covered area. Ladd Circle Park, every Friday, meet at 7ish, ride at 8pmish AW
Hill Killerz Lunch Killz ♥ Ride FIVE repeats from Harney to Flavel - earn a shiny sticker. Meet “in motion” anywhere on the hill. SE 52nd from Harney to Flavel every Tuesday, meet at 12:30pm Maria the Bicycle Kitty
wed, July 9
City Bike Bus Commute with us! Nine unique routes start in different neighborhoods and arrive at Salmon Street Springs at 8:15am. See routes online.
7:15 am Portland Bureau of Transportation
Ben Folds Five Ride Join a group of BF5 enthusiasts to celebrate one of the greatest piano rock trios to have ever piano rocked. Ladd Circle, 6:30 pm Nicole
Health & Friends Ride Ride to the music of Health... and their friends! Irving Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin) thu, July 10
Bike Back The Night Ride to support Call to Safety. Raffle prizes, community connection, and conversations on abuse awareness and support. Dots Cafe, 5:15 pm Call to Safety / PNX Bags
Bleeps & Bloops Ride! Strap your sound machine to your fun machine, and ride around in a swarm of sound. Ladd Circle Park, 6 pm mykle
Rides that Repeat
King Farmer's Market Ride ♥ All-year!
Community ride to the King Farmers Market to support local food systems while enjoying our neighborhood greenway network. Alberta Park, every Sunday, meet at 9:30am, ride at 10am Team Appuggalypse
Mellow Mondays ♥ All-year Weekly themed rides. Different ride leaders each week, but you can expect the ride to be social paced, no drop, safe and welcoming. Abernethy Elementary School, every Monday, meet at 7pm, ride at 7:30pm NakedHearts:PDX
Midday Mystery Ride Sort of like the other MMR, except in the middle of the day, and on a weekday. Location varies, last Monday of the month, meet at noon Team Midday
Midnight Mystery Ride All-year!
Different monthly mystery destinations. Follow the leader. Location varies, second Friday of every month at midnight, we ride! Team Midnight
Overlook Neighborhood Ride All-year! Coffee and conversation, then ride discussing neighborhood transportation issues, focusing on walking, biking, transit. Stacks Coffeehouse, second Sunday of every month, meet at 9:30am, ride at 10:15am Nic Cota
PDX Coffee Outside All-year! Super casual event where we meet at different parks and socialize over coffee. Location varies, every Saturday, often meets around 9am Brian McGloin
PSU Farmer's Market Ride ♥ All-year! Support our farmers! SE Clinton & SE 41st, every Saturday, meet at 10am, or 10:30am at Tilikum Bridge The Community
PSU Farmer's Market Ride NW All-year!
A fun and slow group ride to the farmers market. Rain or shine! Chapman Elementary, meet at north side Last Saturday of the month, ride at 10:30am Strong Towns PDX
RideSafe: Outside the Lines
All-year! A weekly, themed, community-centered bike ride. All bodies, all wheels, all together Typically at Irving Park, every Sunday, meet at 2:30pm, ride at 3pm Ride Safe PDX
Shift Board Meeting All-year! Online meeting for shift2bikes community calendar creators. Meetings are monthly except for June (skipped) and Nov/Dec (combined into 1 meeting). Not a ride. Online (email for Zoom link), typically Thursdays, meet at 5:30pm Shift Board
Dress Like Your Bike! Ride your bike while dressed like your bike! Get creative, have fun, and show your bike how much you love it. Irving Park, 6:30 pm Ride Safe PDX
Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play
BackStreets+Backstreets
Cruise Portland’s tiny streets with the Backstreet Boys jams you know and love. Rock your body, rock your bicycle. Vera Katz Statue, 7 pm Nick Carter
Sunset/Moonrise Ride Five-ish mile ride to see sunset then moonrise. Bring lights, layers, snack/beverage. Montavilla Plaza, 7:30 pm Pizza Bandit fri, July 11
Roasty Toasty Lloyd Coffee A buzzy, toasty tour of some of the best coffee roasters. Hassalo Plaza, 10 am LLOYD!
Bici Cumbia Come ride and listen to cumbias. Holladay Park, 6 pm DJ SeBrujo
Sorella Forte Ride All-year! A group of women, trans, and non-binary cyclists who share a passion for riding their bikes. They ride 25-40 miles at approximately 11-16 mph. River City Bicycles, every Saturday, meet at 9:30am, ride around 10am Sorella Forte Springwater Bike Bus Let's commute to downtown together! Feel free to hop on anywhere along the route. Final stop is Salmon Street Springs. Johnson Creek intersection on the Springwater Corridor Trail, every Tuesday, meet at 7:45am-ish, ride at 8am Taylor Pasquariello
Taco Tuesday Ride Ride for about 8-12 miles and end up at a taco shop. Salmon Street Springs, every Tuesday, meet at 6:30pm, ride at 7pm Ernesto Taking Back 2sDay All-year! Party paced to swifter at times with regroups and a real no drop mentality. Irving Park, every other Tuesday, meet at 6:45pm, ride at 7:30pm Mashins
Tapas Tuesdays All-year! Join other bike-minded folks for good wine, great tapas, and Spaniard vibes. Not a ride. Bar Botellon, every Tuesday, meet at 4pm Joseph Bicycles
Thursday Night Ride All-year! A weekly social ride. Routes and rides leader change weekly. Rain or shine. Salmon Street Springs, every Thursday, meet at 7pm, announcements at 7:30pm Thursday Night Ride
Westside Wednesday Ride
BEAVERTON All-year! Faster paced and adventurous group ride with a no drop mentality. Beaverton Transit Center, Every other Wednesday, Meet at 7:30pm, ride at 8pm Cycle Cats PDX Bike to Swim in the Willamette ♥ Bike in your bathing suit, spin to swim at Duckworth Dock. Food, music, & family fun. Ankeny Rainbow Plaza (Wednesdays) & Migration Brewing (Thursdays), arrive at 4pm for happy hour, ride at 6:15pm Joseph Bicycles
Monthly E-Bike Ride All-year! Come with a full battery to ride with the ease only an electric bike can offer. We'll meander around interesting city terrain. Nomad Cycles, every third Wednesday, meet at 6pm, ride at 6:30pm Nomad Cycles
Westside Bike Happy Hour WESTSIDE All-year! Meet new friends and old, hang out, grab am beverage, grab some food, and let's talk bikes! BGs Food Cartel, every 2nd and 4th Monday, from 4:30pm - 7pm Ride Westside
Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play
80s Glam Rock Celebrating
80s Glam Rock and Heavy Metal. Colonel Summers Park, 8 pm Linus Pumpkin Guys sat, July 12
100% True Portland Tour
Impress your friends! Confuse your enemies! Inner eastside, 10 am Viv & Shawn
Bikes & Film Cameras Ride 10mi and shoot with film cameras. Register for details. 10 am Bikes & Film Cameras Club
East Portland Bike Fair ♥
Learn to ride a bike and practice your bike safety skills. Menlo Park Elementary School, 10 am Portland Bureau of Transportation
Swim Across Portland Ride, swim, repeat! We’ll go to a public pool, a public beach and a secret swimming hole. Water Avenue Coffee, 10 am Maria the Bicycle Kitty
Superhero/Cosplay Ride It’s like Comic-Con, but on bikes! Wear your favorite fandom, grab your bike, and visit comics shops on the way! Books with Pictures, 3:30 pm Joyanna Jock Jams Ride You Ready to Rumble? Join us for a ride of athletic challenges, dance offs and Jock Jams! Sewallcrest park, 4 pm Teenage Dirtbag Bike Club Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun! TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play
Soulection Bike Ride
Bring your speaker and bump your favorite Soulection set— Afrobeats, R&B, amapiano, jazz, house, and more. Ladd Circle, 6:45 pm Pablooooo Artist’s Ride! Since the beginning of time, humans strive to create! Whatever your medium, this is an art installation in motion. Peninsula Park, 7 pm Christine Dazed and Confused Ride Alright, alright, alright! Dress up and jam down on this ride to the party at the moon tower. School’s out forever! Oregon Park, 7 pm Hot Won’t Quit
sun, July 13
Bread & Butter Ride Get your gluten AND your glutes on! a morning tour of some of Portland’s best sourdough bread bakeries. Franz Bakery, 8 am Vera Brosgol
Library Ride - North ♥ Let’s check out all the libraries North of the Hawthorne Bridge (W + E of the river). Oregon Park, 1 pm Holden Regnier Pupperpalooza Meet by the gazebo for a dog-friendly bike ride. Peninsula Park, 1 pm Corvidae BC
Contra Dance Join us for a night of lively folk dance with smiley humans as we ride and dance our way around Portland. Buckman Elementary, 5 pm Carissa & Ryan
Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play mon, July 14
Sweet & Savory Social Drinks, pastries, and sammies! Roll at 11, back around 2. Grendel’s Coffee House, 10:30 am Seb
Sparkle & Shine, Baby! We’re here to glitter and glow, so wear some sequins, glitter and sparkles and let’s ride!
Abernethy Elementary School playground, 5 pm Lauren & Carissa
Inn Between Ride #2
Bars named “inn,” or in an inn, via in-between spaces. NoPo/ VanWA, ~15 mi. Bring $ for drinks/ food. Your Inn, 5:30 pm Josh tue, July 15
Cargopalooza This time with polo! A fun, social cruise for cargo bikes and the cargocurious! Mt Hood Brewing, 5:30 pm Zack P.B
7th Annual Teal Ride The love for teal is real! It’s a little green...it’s a little blue. It’s perfect. Laurelhurst Park, 6 pm Teal Squad
Secret Tiny Parks of NE
Just a fun route around NE that goes through a bunch of tiny parks. Peninsula Park, 6 pm Courtney Dowell wed, July 16
Midweek Gorge Ride/Camp EAST PORTLAND Ride 20-50mi into the Columbia Gorge, camping option. Register to get start point, 9:30 am Urban Adventure League
Vibe Coding Code up dreams while we pedal? It’s that easy. Fun paced, park stop, coding optional. Ladd Circle, 6 pm Chris Anderson
All Bodies on Bikes Ride
We will be hosting an inclusive no-drop group ride to celebrate and get All Bodies on Bikes! Irving Park, 6:30 pm All Bodies on Bikes
The Twilight Saga Ride
Hoa-hoa-hoa season is all year! Don your Team Edward or Team Jacob gear and let’s ride. Irving Park, 6:30 pm Elizabeth thu, July 17
We <3 Trees - 350PDX Our 4th annual ride bringing joy, curiosity, and attention to our beloved Tree neighbors and how we can help them! SW Corner of Lents Park, to Laurelhurst Park, 6 pm Tyler Gilmore
Architecture Tour We’ll explore the impact that human development and natural features have had on the streets of our city. Oregon Park, 6 pm Erin Bailie
Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play
The Portland Music Ride
Celebrate local history with a playlist of exclusively Portland musicians. Irving Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin) fri, July 18
Baldwin v. Malcolm X ~100 years ago these two titans of liberty were born. This ride will celebrate their lives... By any means necessary. North Park Blocks, 5 pm revphil ITYSL Ride Come join us to celebrate our favorite skit TV show, I Think You Should Leave! Kenilworth Park, 5 pm Hazel Bernabe
Milwaukie PorchFest Ride ♥ Join Bike Milwaukie for a ride to three PorchFest locations. Listen to free music and celebrate community.
Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod, 5:45 pm Maitri & Will Fiesta on Bikes 2.0 Food, fun, piñata, ride. Laurelhurst Park, 6:30 pm Jax (Cycle Homies)
Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play
The Goth Ride 5th Anniversary! Goth, Industrial, Darkwave, Shoegaze. Ride at dusk! Lone Fir Cemetery, 7:45 pm Linus
Pumpkin Guys sat, July 19
History Bike Ride Join us for our second annual history tour through North and Northeast Portland. Penisula Park, 10 am John
One Piece - Pirate Ride Mustering One Piece and Pirate mateys for a rollicking roll around the wild Willamette! Costumes? Aye! Geekeasy Anime Cafe, 10 am Bee_Riden Portland Movie Tour Visit locations where critically acclaimed movies have been filmed! Oregon Park, 1 pm Pit Princette (Calvin)
Vegan Potluck Ride Bring vegan food/drink to share, dish, & utensils. We’ll bike to another park and have a store stop. Colonel Summers Park, 1 pm Vegan Bike Club PDX Al-Tree Cat A 2.5 hr treethemed alley cat / scavenger hunt / educational activi-trees! Top scorers win prizes, eternal glor-tree. Irving Park, 3 pm Casey, Kiah & David
The Princess B(ride) Visit the cliffs of insanity, wrestle a giant, choose poison or wine, swim with the shrieking eels! Get married? Mocks Crest, 3 pm Ryan Mottau
Nevernudes Ride Are you feeling a little blue? In need of a nu start? Then don your finest jorts and join dozens of us! Couch Park, 5:30 pm Glameron Bike Play Part bike ride, part original outdoor theater. Bike from location to location for a show full of songs, dance, and fun. TBA, 6:45 pm Bike Play Beyoncé or Bust Join us for the second annual ride! Let’s celebrate the greatest living performer! Ladd Circle Park, 7 pm Holden Regnier
Clueless Movie Ride As if! Throw on your best ’90s fit and join us bumping all the top 1995 jams. Laurelhurst Park, 7 pm Benjamin Rosen
Bassment Ravin Roll A bass music (EDM) rave ride. Overlook Park, 7:30 pm Chocklitsauce
sun, July 20
Vegan Ice Cream Ride We will ride to a few businesses that make their own vegan ice cream. Grant Park, 1 pm John & Lauren
Bad Art Ride Make bad art!
Draw terrible portraits & collab on monstrous inventions.
eVeRyBoDy’S sO cReAtIvE! Irving Park, 2:30 pm Sabs
PETALpalooza! Join us for the inaugural PETALpalooza! Ride to Leach Botanical Garden.
Tabor Community Garden Grassy Field, 3:30 pm Max Meyers, & Sima Seumalo
BikeLoud Fun Ride ♥ We will ride for around an hour, at a family friendly pace. Irving Park, 5 pm Martin C with BikeLoud Schwinn Ride! Let’s ride our Schwinns, new and old. Colonel Summers Park, 6 pm Colin mon, July 21
Bike-A-Sketch 2 Draw collaborative sketches by riding your bike. Bring a smartphone and be prepared to enable location sharing. Ladd Circle, 7 pm Aaron Kuehn tue, July 22
Staircase Exploration!!! Hop on/hop off ride climbing up/ down the staircases of NW Portland. Awards for heaviest bike and best bunny impression! NW Glisan & 24th Ave 5:30 pm Rocks Zayda
Hill Killerz Social Ride
Join an easy hilly romp around Johnson Creek ending at Foster food carts & start of Foster Night Ride. We hate hillz! Top of the hill, SE 52nd & SE Flavel Drive, 6:30 pm Maria the Bicycle Kitty
The Price is Ride COME ON DOWN to bid low on thrift store junk. Nail the price to claim it. Botch it to spin the Wheel of Consequences... Colonel Summers Park, 6:30 pm WhatWhatWhat
wed, July 23
Lloyd EcoDist Pedal Tour
Come discover the hidden gems of the Lloyd EcoDistrict— ride ends at Lloyd Live at Duckworth Dock! Holladay Park, 4:30 pm Lloyd EcoDistrict Talking Heads Ride
Come celebrate the music of one of the weirdest but funkiest bands of all time, The Talking Heads! Wilshire Park, 7:30 pm River Phlows thu, July 24
Grunge/Alt rock Rollin’ to the sounds of 80s and early 90s flannel and boots rock. Ladd Circle, 6:30 pm Kurt Nochain fri, July 25
Adoptees of Color Ride ♥
This chill, no drop ride is for BIPOC adoptees to connect, share space, and enjoy riding bikes together! See you soon <3 Salmon Street Springs, 5:30 pm Mai Li O’Keefe
The Riot Grrrl Ride Chill pace ride playing Riot Grrrl and Riot Grrrl inspired music.
1990’s feminist punk vibes!
Irving Park, 7 pm Megan & Sarah (NakedHearts:pdx) sat, July 26
Ride Around Clark County ♥ VANCOUVER Explore the beauty of Clark County with our scenic routes, designed for all skill levels. Register and pay at: vbc-usa.com/racc Bike Clark County Bike Store, 6 am Vancouver Bike Club
Sunny Naked Ride Celebrate the 233rd birthday of Bill of Rights!—speech, expression, and the right to assemble— naked! Coe Circle, 12 pm
P’Pedal, D’Glass, Virtous Kernel & Past Tire
Indigenous People Ride
Celebrate Indigenous peoples and *not* code-switch, together! Cathedral Park, Cathedral Park area by the river, 4 pm @soyalexisvaz & @omarp.mp3
KGLW Ride Are you a Lizard, or a Wizard? Take Le Risque!
LADD Circle, 6 pm Robin Go Fast Don’t Die
World Naked Bike Ride Come as bare as you dare - clothing is optional. TBA, 8:30 pm
PDXWNBR Planning Committee sun, July 27
Bike to Skate Ride Bike between locations and skate at various skateparks/street spots! Eastbank Esplanade, 11 am DustyTeacup
East Sunday Parkways ♥
Participants can walk, bike, or roll the 4.5-mile route until 4pm. East Portland - Gateway Discovery, Ventura Park, Lincoln Park, and Parklane Park, 11 am Portland Bureau of Transportation
Solidarity with Immigrants ♥ Ride in solidarity with immigrant communities, come reject the narratives of hate!
Family friendly bike ride in solidarity with immigrant communities! Colonel Summers Park, 2 pm Solidarity
Cycling Crew
Wrestlemania: The Ride The greatest ride in Pedalpalooza cause Stone Cold said so! a party ride with costumes, promos and body slams.
Laurelhurst Park Pond, 4 pm
Teenage Dirtbag Bike Club
Opera in the Park Channel your most tortured, dramatic, lesbian musical genius energy and join us for a leisurely, vibe-heavy ride with a classical soundtrack. Peninsula Park, 4:30 pm Jess Nelson
Broadway Showtune Banger
Playlist of musical showstoppers. Terry Schrunk Plaza, 6 pm Amy Kula mon, July 28
Societe des Rambleneurs 10mi mixed surface, chill-paced ride east of 205. Will end at spot to watch sunset.Gateway Discovery Park, 5:30 pm Urban Adventure League tue, July 29
Critical Dress! Come ride. Come play! Degender fashion! Dresses and skirts or really anything not pants! Wilshire Park, 6 pm chrysanthemum wed, July 30
RideSafePDX Skate/Bike
Mellow ride on a Wednesday.
Skate and bike friendly route! Irving Park, 6:30 pm DustyTeacup thu, July 31
Book Lovers Ride Celebrate bikes, books & community. Bring a well-loved book for a community book exchange at the end. Irving Park, 6 pm Street Books
Rocky Butte Picnic Picnic and dance party at the most scenic spot in Portland! Irving Park, 6 pm Logan V fri, August 1
Pedal to the Metal Ride
The HEAVIEST ride of the summer. Sewallcrest Park, 7 pm Kyle
Leather & Latex Join us for the 4th annual ride. Come dressed to impress. Ride adheres to principles of consent. Colonel Summers Park, 8 pm Lady on Fire
Mayhem Ride Let’s ride the night away to Gaga’s MAYHEM! Lewks encouraged! Oregon Park, 8 pm Zombieboy sat, August 2
Cooperative Bike Ride Let’s ride together to visit local co-ops and worker-owned shops. Win Prizes! Socializing and drinks after! Alberta Park 11 am Equal Exchange
Stationery Store Day It’s like record store day but for stationery! 9 mile ride to several stationery stores, ends with a swap and fun! Paper Epiphanies, 12:30 pm AnomaLily
Bicycle Kitty Alley Catty
Ride or race to gather clues in this alley cat style race. No digital wayfinding. Bring a pen and your hippocampus!
Brentwood Park, 2:30 pm Maria the Bicycle Kitty
The Beatbox Ride Riding your bike and wish you had a soundtrack? Make your own through beatboxing! Easy to pick up, hard to master. Ladd Circle, 3:30 pm Beatbox PDX
80s Mixtape Ri de! This is the ride where YOU make the playlist! Add your 80s tunes and join us! Dance stops, sing-a-longs, trivia! SE 2nd Place and SE Caruthers, 8 pm PamelaSchpamela Sun, August 3
Tandem Ride Bring your tandem! See which duo is most coordinated with a series of partner challenges. Two Plum Park, 2 pm Mr. Pants, Fancy & Mr. David
Mon, August 4
Ride 4 Genital Autonomy
Harmful child genital cutting like circumcision, impacts more than just boys! Ride for Intersectional Genital Autonomy! McCoy Park, 11 am Alliana Arshad
Tue, August 5
Bike Maintenance The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is hosting a bike maintenance education booth. Arleta Triangle Square, 4 pm Portland By Cycle
Salmon Life Cycle Ride for salmon and the removal of the Lower Snake River Dams! a fun ride centered on environmental activism. Laurelhurst Park, 6 pm Greater Hells Canyon Council, Save Our Wild Salmon & Pacific Rivers
Hill Killerz Social Ride Join an easy hilly romp around Johnson Creek ending at Mercado food carts & start of Foster Night Ride. We hate hillz!
Top of the hill, SE 52nd & SE Flavel Drive, 6:15 pm Maria the Bicycle Kitty
wed, August 6
Lloyd to Duckworth Dock This short ride will take you on a fun route to the best little central city swimming hole ya ever did see! Hassalo Plaza, 5pm LLOYD! Waxing Gibbous Naked Ride Protesting car dominance. And having a good time! Coe Circle, 8 pm P’Pedal, D’Glass, Virtuous Kernel & Past Tire
thu, August 7
Lloyd to Duckworth Dock This short ride will take you on a fun route to the best little central city swimming hole ya ever did see! Hassalo Plaza, 5pm LLOYD!
The Cake Ride Do you love CAKE (the band)? Do you love cake (the food)? This is the ride for you. Let’s go the distance by bike! Ladd Circle, 6 pm Jess & Tim fri, August 8
Jason + Kerry + FSM = ♥ Jason + Kerry are tying the knot with help from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Jamison Square, 5 pm JK
The Hawaii Ride! Celebrating Hawaii and it’s local culture in the PNW. Sellwood Park, 5 pm Chocklitsauce
The 2nd Annual Cone Ride
Let’s celebrate the lowly traffic cone! Dress in cone-stume, devise cone puns, and call cones out when you seen em! Irving Park, 6:30 pm Ride Safe PDX sat, August 9
Lloyd Neighbor Ride New or longtime resident of Lloyd, Albina, or Sullivan’s Gulch? Come ride with us! Holladay Park, 10 am LLOYD!
Sunny Naked Ride Celebrate the 233rd birthday of Bill of Rights!—speech, expression, and the right to assemble— naked! Coe Circle, 12 pm D’Glass, Past Tire, P’Pedal & Virtual Kernel Ride To High Rocks From Sellwood to High Rocks Park for swimming/cliff diving. Hall Pond, 1:30 pm Ryan
Art in the Bikelane Come dressed up as your chosen piece of thermoplastic street art and let’s get together and bike about it! Oregon Park, 2 pm Whitney Ska Bike Ride No matter which wave you like, this is the ride for any Ska lover. 5th Annual Ride! Penisula Park, 6 pm Nick sun, August 10
Cargopalooza!!! A chill social ride for cargo bikers and the cargo-curious. Come with us to dig for buried treasure at The Bins!
Splendid Cycles, 9 am Zack P.B. The Forgotten Br idges We’re going to cross the bridges that the Bridge Pedal skips. Burnside, Broadway, Morrison and St John’s. Salmon Street Springs, 10 am Chris Deviled Egg Ride Let’s celebrate the joy of deviled eggs! We’ll meet at the park and eat some deviled eggs and then go for a ride! Kenilworth Park, 2 pm Jenn Poetry Post Pedal ♥ We visit and read aloud from the poems in several streetside poetry posts along our route, and end with a picnic. Wilshire Park, 3 pm JocelynOberon
Remix Contra Dance Join us for a night of lively folk dance with smiley humans as we ride and dance our way around Portland. Buckman Elementary, 5 pm Carissa & Ryan
Spice Girls Ride Colors of the world - spice up your bike! Slam it to the left if you’re having a good time, and shake it on your bike. Peninsula Park Rose Garden, 6:30 pm Peter Pany mon, August 11 Inn Between Ride #3 Bars named “inn,” or in an inn, via in-between spaces. SW/S/SE, ~12 mi. Bring $ for drinks/food. Pizza Schmizza (at Downtown Value Inn), 5:30 pm Josh tue, August 12
Bikechata & Salsa Hit the streets and gorgeous parks of NE Portland to listen and dance to bachata and salsa music!! Peninsula Park, 6:30 pm Evan, Jose & Adelaide wed, August 13
City Bike Bus Commute with us!
Nine unique routes start in different neighborhoods and arrive at Salmon Street Springs at 8:15am. See routes online. Salmon Street Springs, 7:15 am Portland Bureau of Transportation
The Luca Guadagnino Ride
Celebrate Luca Guadagnino’s tender and lavish films while enjoying the music that accompanies them. Laurelhurst Park, 7 pm Pit Princette
Ween Ride Let’s paint this town Boognish Brown! Ladd Circle, 7:30 pm River Phlows thu, August 14
Pure Moods Ride: Vol II
BiciBuds bring back the 90s with a dreamy, no-drop cruise through synth-soaked nostalgia, 8–10 mellow miles at 7–8 mph. Irving Park, 7 pm BiciBuds (Máximo, & Bryson) fri, August 15
It’s Your Birthday! We love birthdays, you love birthdays, so ride around with us and do birthday things (whether or not it’s your birthday). Ladd Circle, 6:15 pm Moly & the birthday crew sat, August 16
Bike Milwaukie Ride CLACKAMAS Willamette River Loop Ride. Exact details posted later. Milwaukie Bay Park, 9:45 am Maitri
Live Fwys Goes Camping Live Freeways goes Camping. Ride ~35 miles on US 26 and BV Trail to Stub Stewart SP. Goose Hollow MAX Station, 11 am Bureau of John Russell
Bici Cumbia Come ride and listen to cumbias. Holladay Park, 6 pm DJ SeBrujo
Lord of the Rings Ride Mount up, brave riders! Join our fellowship on a magical quest to the Mt. Tabor Caldera Amphitheater! Sewallcrest Park, 6 pm Viv American Flyers Ride Underdog sports drama, synth jams, and Kevin Costner on wheels?! Laurelhurst Park, 6:30 pm Benjamin Rosen sun, August 17
Ex-Boyfriend Music Ride
Honor & mourn the musically pretentious indie hipster we’ve all dated—dress like your ex and bike to Speck’s. Laurelhurst Park, SE César E. Chávez Blvd. & Stark St., 11 am Priscilla & Lucy
PaddleCanooza Leisurely bike ride to Ross Island for snacks and lawn games. Did we say bike? We meant canoe. Bring your own canoe! Oaks Park Kayak Launch/ Sellwood Riverfront Park, 12 pm Ross Island Yacht Club mon, August 18
Stark St. Mileposts 10mi ride exploring 19th century stone mile markers on Stark. Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza, 5:30 pm Urban Adventure League Bingo Ride Bike and play Bingo! Bring a no-cost & vegan-friendly item for the prize table if you can, but join either way.
Laurelhurst Park, 5:45 pm Vegan Bike Club PDX tue, August 19
Metallica/Megadeth Ride
Ride to a playlist alternating between these two rival bands. Colonel Summers Park, 7 pm Pit Princette (Calvin) wed, August 20
New to (North) Portland Join PBOT in exploring bike routes of North Portland! TBA, 5:30 pm Portland By Cycle
Bleeps & Bloops Ride! Strap your sound machine to your fun machine, and ride around in a swarm of sound. Migration Brewing, 6 pm mykle thu, August 21
Rocky Butte Picnic Picnic and dance party at the most scenic spot in Portland! Irving Park, 6 pm Logan V fri, August 22
NakedHearts:PDX Art Show
We’re hosting an art fundraiser 8/22 to 8/23. Not a ride The Roll Up, 12pm NakedHearts: PDX
NHPDX: Ride to Art Show Ride ends at The Roll Up for our art show fundraiser. Join us or meet at the show! Irving Park, 5 pm
NakedHearts: PDX sat, August 23
NHPDX: Ride to Art Show Ride ends at The Roll Up for our art show fundraiser. Join us or meet at the show! Irving Park, 4 pm NakedHearts: PDX
NHPDX: Family Art Ride Family Friendly ride to our fundraiser event at The Roll Up. Join us or meet at gallery at any time! Irving Park, 1 pm NakedHearts: PDX
Chappell Roan Ride Pt. 2 Amythest leads a second Chappell Roan ride to wrap up Pedalpalooza! Ends at an art fundraiser and drag show. Colonel Summers Park, 7 pm NakedHearts:PDX (Amethyst leads) sun, August 24
Field Day (3rd Annual) Hop on your bike, limber up for sack racing, and grab your favorite three-legged race buddy. It’s FIELD DAY! Clinton Park, 12 pm Smash & Friends Library Ride S of Hawthorne ♥ We will do our best to bike to each of the Multnomah County Library locations South of Hawthorne! Oregon Park, 1 pm Holden Regnier
3rd Annual Space Cat Ride
Perfect for all skill levels, dress up or come as you are. It’s a chill slight down hill ride with fun stops. The end of SE Main Street on the West side of Tabor right before the Tennis Courts, 5:30 pm @Lyra__ mon, August 25
Bike-A-Sketch 3 Draw collaborative sketches by riding your bike. Bring a smartphone and be prepared to enable location sharing. Ladds Circle, 7 pm Aaron Kuehn tue, August 26
Eastside Mural RIde Murals and street art moments around Lloyd and the Central eastside. Hassalo Plaza, 4 pm LLOYD! wed, August 27
80s Retro Boombox Ride Music & exercise with a dance stop at Oregon Park. Irving Park, 7 pm Beautiful Portland thu, August 28
The Cider Ride Cider & fruit lovers - join a leisurely roll from tree to glass. Share cider, admire fruit trees, & visit cideries. Mocks Crest Apple Tree, 5 pm Emily Becker, Nat West & Chris Leimena fri, August 29
Rhythm of the Ride Celebrate the high-energy hits that ruled clubs worldwide—from Snap! and La Bouche to Aqua and Cascada. Irving Park, 8 pm SHRIMP sat, August 30
Russellquist Bridal Velo Ride to camp at the Russellquist wedding in Cascade Lox with Sugarpine lunch stop. RSVP for details is.gd/russellquist Bureau of John Russell
Headliner Ravin Roll EDM Rave Ride Central Eastside, 6 pm Chocklitsauce sun, August 31
Mañanitas Ride Riding in the morning blasting music our moms wake us up with to clean. Holladay Park, 7 am DJ SeBrujo Bike Summer Appreciation End the summer in style! Come dressed as your favorite Bike Summer ride of 2025. Irving Park, 2:30 pm Ride Safe PDX
Strawberry Art Forever
Zuckercreme’s strawberry mania reaches a fever pitch at its themed festival.
BY KATRINA YENTCH
For many Portlanders, strawberry season is the official kickoff to summer. Embracing the battle for flats of bright red Hoods at U-pick farms, they emerge with buckets out and gardening gloves on, ready to pluck berries fresh off the plant.
But for cutesy Montavilla cafe Zuckercreme, the strawberry frenzy is a yearround state of mind. Here, a collection of strawberry-themed items crafted by local makers and bakers decorate the petite yet packed retail space. Orchestrated by native Hoosier Brittany Sigal, Zuckercreme is an ode to the Pacific Northwest’s early-season berry in the form of a pastry shop and “museum,” which hosts a monthlong schedule of strawberry-themed events each June.
Even on a gloomy day in January, a stop into Zuckercreme could remedy seasonal depression. The ceiling is decked with string lights, a disco ball, and lined with pink tinsel curtains. The walls are covered in embroidery, punch needle, illustrations, and murals (painted by artist Brianna Vizcaino) dedicated to strawberries. When Sigal started personalizing the space, acquired in October 2021, she found herself in a bit of a rabbit hole. “I just started finding so much strawberry art,” she explains. “I had no idea how much cute strawberry art existed in the world, especially in Portland.” Sigal wasn’t always a strawberry fiend. Prior to moving to Portland, she spent a harvest season at a strawberry-lavender farm in Montana. She completed a tradeswoman program in Portland, but pivoted to bake sales when she got laid off during the first months of the pandemic. “I’ve always been a seasonal cooking person,” she says. After making connections in the local baking community, Sigal eventually landed a food operations role at the now-closed modern European restaurant KüchenHaus.
When KüchenHaus started hosting vendor markets in May 2021, Sigal staged the first edition of the strawberry festival, which received an overwhelmingly positive response. “The strawberries found me in a way,” she says. “It was the right time, right place, kind of situation and the time of the year.” Collaborating with a handful of vendors she met through the bake sales, Sigal launched with one condition—make it strawberry-themed. “I had no idea that people were gonna like it,” she says. “It was lined around the block; we sold out every weekend in June. It just took off from there.” After hosting a few more vendor mar -
kets at KüchenHaus, Sigal opened her own space in Montavilla. She cites hosting hot dog bingo parties and adult Easter egg hunts as precursors for what exists today at Zuckercreme: an event-heavy community space. “I’ve thrown themed parties for my friends and I love a curated vibe,” she explains. “That’s the inspiration for everything I do.” A few early attempts at themes like “summer camp” and “coun -
Sigal wants to keep building the museum concept within the store. “I want to keep layering it and layering it till it’s just insane,” she says.
try fair” proved to Sigal that strawberries were always going to be the crowd pleaser. “I figured out what the business was going to be and then let it evolve naturally,” she explains. “Strawberry was the winner and the one I was most excited about.”
Zuckercreme is an ever-evolving space, so Sigal jokes that customers are unsure of whether or not they’re in the same space
with each new visit. Since its opening, she has stocked the shop’s shelves with stickers, stationary, mugs, hair clips, you name it—all adorned with strawberries. Several racks hold berry-patterned clothing and purses, and there’s even a strawberry-painted mailbox where visitors can drop cards for USPS. All of the products for sale are supplied by local artists who don’t have their own permanent retail space.
Beyond its giftier items, Zuckercreme’s dessert offerings are also sourced from the community. Sigal has created what she’s coined a “consignment program” for emerging bakers. “I work with a lot of people who have their cottage businesses and want to get experience with wholesale and being in a store, so I do a lot of the recipe development with them,” she explains. Under this model, pastry selections rotate out frequently, so each visit to the cafe will likely guarantee the chance to try a new treat on the shelf.
Alongside the pastry program, there’s also an anchor menu of sundaes, soft serve, beverages, and ice cream, the latter of which is churned by Geneva Chaplar of Hound Dog Ice Cream. Sundaes are emblematic of the fruity cheer that Zuckercreme brings to the Montavilla neighborhood, topped with glittery strawberry milk powder, shortcake crumble, and shots of bright green matcha over affogatos.
BETH JENSEN
Zuckercreme hosts its fifth annual season of strawberry celebrations this year. In the past, visitors have partaken in events like strawberry fashion shows, felt crafting workshops, and running a strawberry shortcake special as part of the James Beard Public Market’s Strawberry Shortcake Week. This year, the festival launches June 6, and will feature strawberry tattoos from Double Gemini, face painting by PDX Transformations, and a reprise of the popular needle felting workshops, among other crafts. “Every year there are new vendors and events,” Sigal says. “It’s always different. It’s just evolved. I never know what to expect.”
Beyond its summer festivities, Sigal wants to keep building the museum concept within the store. “I want to keep layering it and layering it till it’s just insane,” she says. For her, the best part of the experience has been seeing the surprise in people’s faces when they walk into her explosively bright space. “There’s not a day that someone doesn’t come in here and is like, ‘WOW what is this? This is so cool! It’s so cute!’ It’s really great that this space sparks joy as soon as you walk in, to the point where you verbally have to say ‘wow’.” ■
Portland Strawberry Museum starts June 6; Zuckercreme, 414 SE 81st, zuckercreme.com
A Pod Grows in Brooklyn
Southeast’s new food cart destination is a prime example of next-generation, souped-up pods.
BY MERCURY STAFF
Food cart pods have a rich history here in Portland, popping up organically in the early-to-mid 2010s due to a combo platter of rising commercial rents, creative chefs looking to try something new, and the insatiable appetite of city dwellers. They’ve become a symbol of the city, and with dozens of pods scattered in every quadrant and the surrounding suburbs, it’s no surprise that these pods continue to evolve, adding more amenities to make the outdoor dining experience more comfortable for customers.
The newest example of these upscale pods is Brooklyn Carreta , which now occupies the triangular corner of Highway 99 East and Holgate in Southeast Portland’s Brooklyn neighborhood. The brainchild of Garner and Danielle Moody, the married co-owners of Lloyd Development—a residential and commercial contracting company—Brooklyn Carreta was designed with the comfort (and fun) of customers in mind.
According to Danielle Moody, the vision behind Brooklyn Carreta was to provide Southeast Portlanders with “a nice place with a community atmosphere—where parents can relax with a beer that’s also kid friendly, and everyone can find something to eat that they’ll enjoy.”
Carreta’s “soft opening” in April proved to be a success, with a steady stream of customers floating in throughout the
month, eating, chatting, and working on their laptops on the many picnic tables, drinking at the bar, or grabbing some sun in the middle of the indoor/outdoor courtyard. The clever triangular design, by Brian Cavanaugh of Architecture for Building Culture, matches the shape of the lot that for decades was formerly home to the eye-popping yellow paint job of family Mexican restaurant La Carreta—which the pod nods to in its name. The place is packed with ample all-weather seating, the aforementioned bar, a Moody’s coffee shop, kids’ area, and a game room featuring classic and new pinball games, showing that Brooklyn Carreta has put as much thought into its amenities as its roster of carts. Not unimportantly, they also provide 48 parking spaces behind the pod as well as a lot across the street, with a promise of even more bike parking on the way.
Despite these impressive creature comforts, pods rise or fall on the merits of its food, and Brooklyn Carreta doesn’t skimp on this either, featuring a very diverse selection of edible genres including Korean, Thai, Himalayan, Japanese, Indian, Cuban, Oaxacan, and American cuisine as well, including burgers, cheesesteaks, and other various fried delights.
ian options as it does for the carnivores. Easily susceptible to visual advertising, I ordered the shrimp coconut korma and was deeply pleased with my choice—the five-star spice was spicy without being too hot, the rice was fragrant, and the portions were absolutely something to write home about. I literally texted my mom about this place. The veggie samosas were huge and tasty and the mango lassi was fresh as all get out. On top of all this, the several people running the cart were incredibly nice—every single food service joint should be taking notes. Two thumbs way up from this music editor who, humble brag, has been eating food for years! NOLAN PARKER
KOREAN TIGER
What follows are quick reviews of just a few of Brooklyn Carreta’s excellent carts, and as a preview, the owners are already planning another amenity-forward pod in the Hollywood District (permits pending)—so stay tuned while trying to control your drool. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
BOLLYWOOD DHABA
When the Mercury crew pulled up to Brooklyn Carreta, scattering to claim what we wanted to eat and write about, I booked it straight for the Bollywood Dhaba cart. The vast menu includes all the meaty favorites simmered and sauced in vindaloo, saag, and tikka masala. The big draw for me was that the cart offers almost as many pescatarian and vegetar -
In my neck of the woods (holla back, Sellwood!), it is sadly a bulgogi desert. It doesn’t help that I’m annoyingly picky about this extremely flavorful Korean dish, which consists of thinly sliced meat (usually beef) marinated in a sweet and savory soy-based sauce. When I get a hankering, I’m usually forced to drive to 82nd Avenue (poor me) to get the best bulgogi in Portland at K-Town. However, when I saw Korean Tiger’s offerings at Brooklyn Carreta, my heart leapt and then leapt even higher when this friendly cart’s bulgogi gave K-Town a run for its money. I chose the best of two worlds with the bulgogi beef bibimbap—a startlingly huge bowl of delights including the aforementioned bulgogi on a bed of rice with pickled seaweed, cucumbers, carrots, corn, kimchi, and the requisite fried egg on top. Mix ‘em all together and it makes a combo so delicious and complementary, I wish the entire world could get along this well. (Plus, the gargantuan portion provides at least one more meal to enjoy the next day.) It would also behoove one to try their red bean buns, which is a perfectly sweet dessert/delight, and if you’ve never tried a Korean corn dog? Get one before you perish, or consider your life to be at least a partial waste. Korean Tiger’s corn dog has a crunchy breaded exterior, and is stuffed to the gills with cheese, a small sausage, and a drizzle of ketchup and mustard. Absolutely sublime . I’ll be going back to try their kimchi fried rice, kimchi & pork dumplings, and kimbap (seaweed-wrapped rice rolls). And why shouldn’t I? It’s literally five minutes away from my house! WSH
Korean Tiger’s bulgogi beef bibimbap bowl.
The new Brooklyn Carreta arrives with amenities you may not find at other food cart pods.
TAYLOR GRIGGS
TAYLOR GRIGGS
HAVANA STATION
At Havana Station, I mulled through the menu, considering the shrimp dishes as well as the ropa vieja (shredded beef). Ultimately though, I opted for a Cuban sandwich, which many online reviewers have opined is the best in town. Now I’m no Cubano connoisseur, but I think it’s a fair assertion. It’s an absolutely huge sandwich, packed with flavorful roasted pork topped by a layer of ham, melted Swiss cheese, pickles, and honey mustard, served warm on good, toasty bread. The arroz moro (rice with beans and pork rind), which I got on the side, was a little dry, but the flavor was good. I couldn’t possibly scarf the two down in one sitting—the portion sizes at all of the carts were impressive. So I did the best I could and washed it down with a nice Thai iced tea from neighboring cart Nour Thai—this array of options for one meal is why food cart pods are so great. Havana Station has been a beloved fixture in Portland’s limited Cuban food scene for a while, and was previously located at the Portland Mercado, which is currently rebuilding following a disastrous fire It’s well worth checking out this excellent cart at its new digs.
TAYLOR GRIGGS
HELLO PHILLY
If you’re looking for a food coma in a bun, have I got the cart for you. Hello Philly has one of the largest menus among the carts at Brooklyn Carreta, but to the surprise of no one, its signature dish is the classic Philly cheesesteak sandwich, absolutely packed with tender shredded beef, bell peppers, onion, and (of course) tons of melty cheese. I went with provolone (though no one will die if you prefer Swiss or a classic squirt of canned Cheez Whiz) to top this delightful mess that’s cradled in a long, softly steamed bun. But cheesesteaks
(also available with either lamb or chicken) are just the tip of this menu’s iceberg. Of considerable note are Hello Philly’s hot dogs, which come in the New York, Chicago, and Seattle variety, lamb steak over fries, and if you have picky children, it’s the one cart at Carreta that has corn dogs, cheesy fries, grilled cheese, and burgers. By the way, this is the second Portland location for the popular Hello Philly cart—the other taking up residence downtown at the Midtown Beer Garden at the corner of Southwest Harvey Milk and Oak—and a testament to its growing popularity. My only constructive criticism? Each meal should come with a couch, so the customer has a place to land when the unavoidable Philly cheesesteak coma kicks in WSH
NAMO BUDDHA
Among the cornucopia of globally inspired offerings at Brooklyn Carreta is Namo Buddha, a cart that slings generous portions of Himalayan cuisine ranging from momos (steamed dumplings), to chow mein, fried rice, salad rolls, roti wraps, and curried chicken or tofu bowls. Namo Buddha recently relocated from The Heist food pod in the Woodstock neighborhood, and the menu is refreshingly vegan-friendly, with several items offering vegan versions made with curried or sautéed tofu. The tofu chow mein, for example, featured perfectly spongy fried tofu over a heaping pile of noodles and cabbage. For those looking for a little heat without feeling like you’re in an episode of Hot Ones , a spice level of two offers a medium kick, and pairs perfectly with the iced chai to complement and balance the spice. Come hungry or be prepared for leftovers. COURTNEY VAUGHN
BROOKLYN CARRETA BAR
Along with a stellar collection of carts, the ability to get a top-rate cocktail along with delish food is an amenity all pods should realize is essential. The surprising num -
ber of high-quality cocktails at Brooklyn Carreta make you realize that this bar wasn’t a second-thought… the menu alone makes it worth a stop even if you aren’t eating food. They feature a fairly deep selection of creative cocktails, including a honking huge $26 fishbowl margarita, meant to satisfy two-to-three people (or just one if you prefer an ambulance ride home). According to co-owner Danielle Moody, the gargantuan ‘rita is a tip of the hat to the site’s former restaurant, La Carreta. However, slushie fan that I am, I went with the Carreta Crusher, a frozen delight made with pineapple, lime, and (be still, my seven-year-old heart) Tang. You can get it with or without alcohol, but I was steered in the correct direction of dark rum, which transformed it into a sweet/sour dreamboat of a drink. I enjoyed the Crusher’s lip-puckering sourness which later smoothed out to a tangy sweetness, reminding me of my favorite days at beachfront bars. My prediction? Whether one is going to Brooklyn Carreta for the food, cocktails, or both, this summer is going to be a very busy time for this new, impressive pod. WSH ■
The margarita is a tip of the hat to the corner’s former tenant, La Carreta. Havana Station’s famous Cuban sandwich.
Getting some sun in Brooklyn Carreta’s indoor/outdoor patio.
TAYLOR GRIGGS
TAYLOR GRIGGS
COURTESY BROOKLYN CARRETA
The Farm Forward Appeal of 82 Acres
The new-ish bistro takes up residence in a well-loved space on SE Clinton.
BY ANDREA DAMEWOOD
Sitting on the back patio at the new 82 Acres on a lovely warm evening, I couldn’t help but think of the four delightful restaurants that tried to make it work in this very same spot on Southeast Clinton. In 2011, Block’s Café opened, then closed; followed by the beloved Tuscan ristorante, Burrasca; and most recently, the high-end prix fixe Quaintrelle.
from Abbey Road, though there is a small selection of other options. Abbey Road’s wines have steadily improved, particularly under Morgan Haire, their new-ish winemaker. I like the gamay, which is light and fruity, and the grüner, an easy-drinking white. Cocktails, beer and a few non-alcoholic options round out the drinks.
While 82 Acres and Quaintrelle share the same ownership, I still hope they smudged or otherwise de-jujued the kitchen.
Now it’s exec chef Will Preisch and his crew’s turn to make a go at it, choosing a PNW farm-to-table approach that brings in fresh produce from its sister farm and winery, Abbey Road Farm in Carlton. Preisch has been running the food program at Abbey Road since the 2020 closure of his much-lauded fine dining experience Holdfast.
At 82 Acres, he takes those haute techniques to the masses, veering hard into zhuzhing up simple ingredients with all sorts of sauces, textures and treatments. This approach works–most of the time. The appetizers and sides skew veg-heavy, naturally, and it’s a good place to be. Tender early asparagus is served with gribiche, a French emulsified egg and mustard sauce, that gives richness and acidity. Hazelnuts and lardons add crunch and more fatty saltiness.
Carrot falafel are a fresh take on the chickpea-based fritters, served with a dollop of yogurt sauce and some chili crisp for zing. But a recent purple sprouted broccoli dish was much better looking than tasting. Adorned with breadcrumbs, a foamy fondue, and pickled mild habanada peppers, the stems were so woody that eating it was a chore.
The wine menu leans heavily on supply
After an interlude of farm egg, deviled with tomato aioli and topped with both chicken skin and smoked salmon roe (be still my heart), I cruised into the mains.
To rank all four from best to “skip it,” it would go: steak frites, burger, roasted chicken, and the lobster. The steak frites are solid and simple, with a bit of chili crisp tucked into a hollandaise sauce. The burger goes against the smash burger trend, instead offering a thick medium rare patty on a rye bun from local baker Tooth Butter, doused in burger sauce with caramelized onions and gouda.
The roasted chicken is great for sharing, but the bread on a panzanella salad side was tooth-breakingly hard. The lobster? Oh sweetie, she is small. If I ordered it as my sole entree, to be greeted with two shrimpsized slivers of shellfish, I’d be a sad lady.
Desserts are solid, especially a chocolate crémeux french toast tumbling with white chocolate espresso crumble and a hit of olive oil, which adds depth to the sweetness.
There’s a niche that 82 Acres could easily fill in Portland: It’s not too expensive, the space is inviting, and there is something on the menu that will please everyone, from a tentative boomer mom to a diner like me looking for spark and originality. With a few tweaks, I hope 82 Acres will be on Southeast Clinton for a long time to come. ■
2032 SE Clinton, Wed-Sun, 5 pm-close, 503200-5787, 82acrespdx.com
Purple sprouting broccolini and asparagus dishes at 82 Acres. ANDREA DAMEWOOD
Stone Soup PDX Provides Food— and a Path Forward
The new Northeast Portland cafe trains those in need, to “help repair the world.”
BY EM CHAN
In early June, a new cafe in the Montavilla neighborhood will start serving breakfast pastries and coffee in the mornings and grab-and-go soups, sandwiches, and salads in the afternoon. Its offerings all sound pretty standard, but this isn’t the average Portland cafe.
Behind the counter, Stone Soup PDX is helping the next wave of food industry workers find their footing.
The cafe, which has been in the works for the last two years, is a public-facing initiative of Stone Soup PDX , a nonprofit culinary workforce development program that supports people seeking to enter the food industry. Stone Soup trainees also make free community meals, a weekly service that began at the beginning of the pandemic and has continued.
The nonprofit’s philosophy is that everyone should have food and be nourished by it. Portland’s restaurant industry has a shortage of skilled workers, but there’s also a large barrier to entry—particularly due to the lack of culinary institutions for adults, says executive director Ellen Damaschino. Stone Soup’s programs are a direct solution to fulfilling that need in the city.
“I learned so much here,” says recent program graduate Lily Todd. “Even as far as holding a knife—I’d never known there was a proper way to hold it.” She learned of the program while homeless for a year; Once she found stable housing, she completed the program. She is now looking for a career in the organic and vegan dining scene.
Stone Soup founders Craig and Ronit Gerard have backgrounds in food service. Both are Jewish, and grew up living by “tikkun olam,” a Judaic concept that roughly translates to “helping to repair the world.” The couple lived in eight cities during Ronit’s 15-year stint as an international aid worker. When they settled down in Portland, they wanted to combine their love of food and service to contribute to the city.
its education into three tiers, depending on their prior experience with food service. The curriculum includes hands-on experience in the kitchen and also focuses on career-building skills such as writing resumes, networking, and interviewing.
“I learned so much here,” says recent program graduate Lily Todd. “Even as far as holding a knife—I’d never known there was a proper way to hold it.”
The nonprofit’s workforce program only accepts adult participants and divides
Tier one teaches foundational skills like food safety, knife handling, and cooking techniques. Participants build on that foundation in tier two as they prepare meals for the cafe and catering clients. In tier three, participants fine-tune all the skills they’ve learned by preparing community meals at Stone Soup’s Powell Boulevard production facility.
“When I was transitioning into stability in my life, I wasn’t able to afford a culinary course, but wanted to take responsibility for providing for myself,” says tier one participant Jason Whitworth. Finishing
tier one has helped Whitworth grow his confidence and self-esteem in the kitchen environment. Despite working in the food service industry his whole life, he has previously only held busser, dishwasher, and server roles.
In addition to the curriculum, Stone Soup also supplies participants with a pair of work pants, an apron, and a stipend of $2,500, plus gas money or a Hop pass. Damaschino says the stipend and gas money/Hop pass helps participants offset the cost of living and helps them stay in class.
Whitworth has also been homeless and previously battled addiction, which led him to seek support from programs like the Blanchet House of Hospitality, a nonprofit social services organization in Old Town. His goal is to find a job at an organization where he can support food insecurity programming, in the spirit of reciprocity toward the programs that supported him.
Damaschino’s long-term vision is for Stone Soup PDX to be the premier culinary workforce development program in Portland, continuing its mission of supporting folks looking to enter the industry while building comprehensive community pro-
Participant Donovan Willeto makes enchiladas inside Stone Soup PDX’s production facility.
EM CHAN
gramming. This would include teaching how to budget for meals, navigating grocery stores, and other ways to help those who lack access to food resources.
Since Stone Soup began its community meal program in 2020 it has provided over 50,000 meals to organizations like the Community for Positive Aging, Albertina Kerr, and Nexus Family Healing, plus more mental health facilities, senior communities, schools, and shelters that support Portlanders facing food, income, or housing insecurity.
Since its inception in 2019, the nonprofit has grown significantly. Stone Soup’s permanent staff is composed of 15 employees, but approximately 400 volunteers have contributed their time and skills, from drivers delivering meals to guest chefs offering their expertise. Over 80 participants graduated from the training program in 2024, and Damaschino projects having over 100 graduates in 2025. The executive direc-
In February 2025, homeless service director Dan Field announced the budget had a $104 million shortfall; or about a quarter of the annual budget. As a result, services provided by the department would see a 25% reduction, and the proposed 2026 fiscal year budget completely eliminated the Employment Services funding line.
Without the yearly contract, Stone Soup’s support services manager may no longer be funded. This individual is a dedicated resource officer, helping participants with purchasing basic needs to stay in the program, navigating community resource programs, and more. With a restricted budget, the program would also have to limit the number of its participants.
Stone Soup is part of a coalition with other social services organizations, including Central City Concern, Cultivate Initiatives, Ground Score Association, PDX Saints Love, Hygiene 4 All and Outside the Frame, that is advocating for
tor herself started at Stone Soup as a volunteer, primarily delivering meals in 2020.
“It feels good to be one piece of a bigger chain,” says April Parker, a volunteer and Montavilla resident. She learned about the nonprofit through a neighborhood newsletter announcing the Stone Soup PDX Cafe opening.
Granet says they plan on opening more opportunities for volunteers, specifically bringing in more industry folks to cook and show their skills throughout the training program. Additionally, the cafe hopes to add a barista training program come fall, plus more front-of-house service opportunities.
The nonprofit is funded through a few avenues, from individual donations and partner organizations to contracts and grants with the city and county. For the last couple of fiscal years, the Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services contract has provided between $50,000 to $60,000.
funding to be reinstated in the proposed budget. In a joint letter to the county commissioners and Metro council members outlining, the coalition writes that eliminating the funding would be a severe setback to program operators and recipients.
“Once this infrastructure is gone, it will be incredibly difficult and far more costly to rebuild,” the letter reads.
“We’re just helping folks who need 12 weeks of training and stipend to get back on their feet to get to wealth growth,” says director of development Christina Putterman. “We’re looking to help people get to a place that finds a job that has a living wage, then benefits and a 401k, not just scraping by…. So it’s not just, ‘Let’s get you a minimum wage job,’ but ‘Here’s the soft and hard skills so you and your family don’t have to face that insecurity again.’” ■
Stone Soup PDX Cafe, 7400 NE Glisan; opens June 2, Tuesday–Friday 7 am–2 pm
Kitchen operations manager Laurel Gunderson and volunteer April Park load a food delivery.
EM CHAN
Process Over Product
Artist Meech Boakye on decay, labor, and food as a gift.
BY LINDSAY COSTELLO
Meech Boakye’s lush, organic, and often edible artworks find their footing in floral, fungal, and microbial relationships.
The Portland-based artist, originally from Winnipeg, views these relationships as “armatures for learning how to be in a community.” This leads them to share everything from abundant “digital gardens” and recipes for nettle rennet and fig sap cheese to foraging walks and fermentation workshops. Boakye is also the co-founder of the annual Garlic Fest, a “community-rooted love letter to garlic” previously hosted at two urban micro-farms.
I chatted with the artist to learn more about their food-focused practice. This interview has been condensed for length and clarity.
MERCURY: Hi, Meech! I’d love to start by hearing about what you’re working on currently.
MEECH BOAKYE: Well, I would say my practice is kind of nebulous. But at the moment, the one constant for going on three years is Garlic Fest, which I work on with local artist and dear friend, Jade Novarino. Its silliness is kind of its strength. It’s
inspired by [Les Blank’s 1980 film] Garlic is as Good as 10 Mothers and modeled after the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California. We wanted to honor that legacy and bring it to Portland as garlic growers ourselves and as lovers of garlic.
A lot of my work recently has been virtual, like cookbooks. I worked on a project called Research Poems based on foraging rennet for cheesemaking, as well as ways to make cheese without using animal rennet, through nettles, fig sap, and thistle stamens.
Your work feels more about process than product. On the other hand, there’s an element of “product” in it, since so much of your art is consumable in the end. How do you think about the product of edible art?
It’s difficult being in the contemporary art world. You do need to create work that sells,
sometimes. And I haven’t quite figured that out. I don’t know if I ever will, and I think that’s okay. It just means that my work is exhibited in different ways. Maybe it’s an installation, or it’s a workshop. It’s been fun to create ephemeral work because it leans more into performance than anything else. It just can be . I’m interested in that method of making, because my artistic training isn’t in anything traditional.
When it comes to food… it’s never really about the food. It’s about bringing people together, mostly for free events. The food is meant to be a gift. Making food for people means that I can exhibit care. All this has been twisted and tainted in ways that I probably should have anticipated. There’s a return to trad wives, crunchy nationalism, and granola moms who are also maybe white nationalists. It’s wild to watch it happen in real time.
Your food work aims to foster connection, ultimately. I’m thinking of your screening of Foragers [Jumana Manna’s film highlighting Palestinian foraging restrictions under Israeli conservation law] as part of a wider ritual, with foraged food gifts and reflections on US property law. You also staged a cheesemaking workshop within an art space in Toronto. These are gestures of care, rather than talking about care. It’s the opposite of Uber Eats contactless delivery.
That’s a wonderful way to frame it, because that is what freaks me out.
Back in December, you also made holiday treat boxes [with Alley Frey] to raise funds for the New Seasons Labor Union. I wonder if you think about the invisibility of labor and food industries in your work.
Yeah, absolutely. What drew me originally was not understanding where my food came from. I spent high school in Brazil, so I understand the disconnect and the distance between the places from which we’re getting foods. Gardening, foraging, working at a farmers market—this kind of work has been really helpful for me to understand who makes my food.
Thinking about invisible labor is the thing that got me into [my practice], as well as invisible knowledge. A lot of the research that I do on foraging thinks about the kinds of labor and knowledge that weren’t passed down to me because it was forcibly assimilated away. I’m thinking about what my grandparents have taught me, or not taught me, because those cultural things weren’t deemed necessary or helpful. Even starting a
MEECH BOAKYE
MEECH BOAKYE
Tablescape at CAMPO’s agroecology screening of Chão (Landless), 2021.
“the new day digs an even deeper hole,” found textbook and e-commerce imagery, 2022.
garden can be an integral learning process. I never realized how many different nutrients and microbes and worms go into a garden. That is what’s creating my zucchini. It’s not just me doing the work—it’s all of these different parts that come together. I work alongside my partner Ava Robins, who is co-chair of the New Seasons Labor Union. There are these microcosms in which we cooperate to make something much bigger than ourselves. Gardening is one of the best ways to learn about labor. Being on a picket line is another way.
Do you feel like decay or digestion is part of your artistic process? Does your work shapeshift when the edible part is gone?
I love decay. I love decomposition. I’m interested in using decay as a way to understand death. When I make bioplastics, I often let them decompose in my garden.
Transness, I think, is a lot about shapeshifting. We have textbook definitions of what a transition might be, but it’s so different on every personal level. Shapeshifting can be a state of becoming that doesn’t stop. Transition continuously happens, whether we end surgery or hormones. It’s a state of becoming.
So I think of myself a lot like a shapeshifter. It comforts me when my work does the same thing that I’m doing. In a lot of ways, I am decaying. Thinking about decay is a way to think about death and aging and my own body moving through the world. Working with fermentation is similar—food is being preserved, but there is a decay that’s happening. Things soften, texture changes.
Since your work focuses on ritual and rhythm and decay, how do the changing seasons in Portland show up in your creative process? Are there materials you’re excited to work with this spring?
Season is a big part of living here! Portland allows you to sit in each season for a little bit. Cherry blossoms are some of my favorite things in the world. I love all of the spring shoots that come up. When it comes to summer, I’m so overwhelmed by all of the abundance that I just run with it, and move, and preserve, and capture everything that I can. Summer is frantic. I think it allows me to cook better. It allows me to be with people. Fall and winter is when I’m planning upcoming projects. As soon as spring comes, I put my computer away. I’m outside and I’m trying to capture as much as I can.
Do you walk a lot?
All the time. I don’t have a car, so I walk and take transit everywhere.
Any favorite routes? Places that feel creatively potent?
One of my favorite things to do is to walk in one direction for like, two and a half hours, if I can. I take as many alleyways as possible because I can often forage a little bit. I love Peninsula Park. Portland has neighborhoods with really beautiful landscaping, amazing ornamentals and edibles. In the fall, my favorite thing about walking is smelling the fires lit in people’s homes.
Who’s been nourishing your practice in the community lately, artistically or emotionally or politically?
Jade Novarino has been a big inspiration for me. Her practice is so rich because she is so grounded in real labor work at CAMPO Collective , doing the work of teaching, farming, calligraphy, and mail art. And the friends I forage with, who are also the ones I go dancing with. Dancing, foraging, and farming—these are quintessential Portland things that bring me so much joy. Without these moments of bliss, it would be a stressful time to be here. It’s like, okay, I’m on the dance floor, and now I’m doing my taxes, and now I’m seeing the news, and now I’m at the picket line, and now I’m in the garden. The people and plants here create a container in which I can oscillate without losing my mind completely. I feel held by Portland in a way I didn’t expect [when I moved here from Canada].
How can our readers tap into your work?
Garlic Fest will be at the end of garlic harvesting season, likely late August or September. It’s a one-day gathering to celebrate those who love garlic, who cook with garlic, who grow garlic. It’s a love letter to garlic. We’re not looking to bring in more traditional festival things—there are no food carts, for instance—it’s just a way to get together based on shared love of garlic. There’s an educational component, plus tote bags and little prints, maybe a garlic flag! But most of all, I love talking to people. The best way to reach me is to get a meal together. ■
Find Meech at meechboakye.com or on Instagram @ghostyboi.
MEECH BOAKYE
“Sunflower Head,” a seedy head left outside for the birds, 2023.
Summer Festival SZN
is Upon Us, Y’all!
What do Mannequin Pussy, Nonbinary Girlfriend, Portugal. The Man, and Outta Pocket all have in common?
BY NOLAN PARKER
Portland doesn’t play host to anything like Coachella or Primavera or Glastonbury, and thank god for that. Those dark carnivals are so blown out—they’re more for being seen and “influencing” instead of the actual music. What Portland does have is a bunch of music festivals that pull big names while also highlighting local and up-and-coming artists in more intimate (in festival terms) settings, allowing festival goers to connect more deeply with the music and each other. It’s completely understandable when people say they’re not into music festivals, though I think those who say that are picturing those monster fests with 100,000+ people all trying to see Taylor xcx or whoever the fuck. There’s a lot to be said for being able to find your pals after standing in the beer and merch lines, especially when that cap is starting to hit.
Start mapping out your summer with this handy breakdown of some Portland-area music festival favorites. We’ll see you front and center!
Homie Fest
June 27–28
The homies behind Homie Fest took a seven-year sabbatical, but they’re back, baby! The much beloved, sorely missed festival has found a perfect home at Central Eastside favorite Swan Dive, and will be hosting two stages between the two floors. Homie Fest’s sixth iteration pops off June 27 and 28 and—in collaboration with the booker buds at Lonely God—a pretty stellar lineup has been announced. Featuring Portland-area bands exclusively, the fest serves as a crash course in local music with professors Nonbinary Girlfriend, Snugsworth, and Public Pleasure learnin’ us good. Julimar, Saloli, and E.M.A. are also enrolled in this School of Rock, and as upper classmen, they’re gonna teach us something, too. Puerta Negra and Orquestra Pacífico Tropical, the late night headliners (deans in this analogy)
of this Portland Music University, play at 1 am on their respective nights, setting a very groovy tone that will carry the sock hop into the wee hours. I better hear you say “present” when your name’s called at Homie Fest roll call. (Swan Dive, June 27–28, 21+)
Project Pabst
July 26–27
Back for its second year after taking a break between 2017 and 2024, Project Pabst takes over Tom McCall Waterfront Park on July 26 and 27. If, like me, you thought the 2024 lineup was pretty mid with a few highlights, wipe those tears away! PP is back with a vengeance this year, hungry to prove that it’s Portland’s favorite music festival. The lineup is unbelievably stacked with a conscious energy switch between the two days, allowing you to choose your own adventure between the more punk rock sets of day one and the indie/emo joy of day two. I’ll be there with bells on both days to catch some longtime favorites I thought I would never see live as well as checking out some new artists I’ve been digging on in recent
years. First day fest faves include Iggy Pop, Devo, the Damned, the Exploding Hearts, and Mannequin Pussy—these headliners are bonkers in-and-of-themselves, but the fact we’re being treated to an Exploding Hearts reunion show is not only exploding my heart but my mind as well! Day two’s lineup is the perfect comedown from the high octane of day one, featuring sets by Death Cab for Cutie, Cap’n Jazz, Dustbunny, and more. I don’t care what you too-cool-for-school jabronis say about Death Cab, they rip; I never thought I would get the chance to see Cap’n Jazz live; and Dustbunny are one of Portland’s best bands right now. Leave the kids at home for this one, it’s 21+ and sponsored by thee working class beer. (Tom McCall Waterfront Park, July 26–27, 21+)
Pickathon
July 31–August 3
There’s a special place in my heart for campout festivals and Pickathon is for sure one of the region’s premiere examples. Tucked back into the woods at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, I frequently hear Pickathon described
as magical, immersive, and so, so sweet. The lineup this year is pretty nail-on-thehead Portland with bigger names including local heroes Portugal. The Man and the once Portland-based dreamer Haley Heynderickx. One thing Pickathon is especially good at is booking heaps of local talent to complement the headliners— some of this year’s favorite smaller acts include Jenny Don’t and the Spurs, Dougie Poole, and J.R.C.G. If there’s a lineup conflict where two bands you’re dying to see are playing at the same time, don’t worry: every act plays twice so you’ll be able to catch everyone you’re trying to see! I would be remiss not to mention that the person I was most looking forward to this year has now split the scene forever: Michael Hurley passed away in April and will be sorely missed at this year’s festival. Beyond the fun lineup, Pickathon is full of art, a wildly diverse selection of food, and truly just a good time. PRO TIP: Our Arts & Culture editor Suzette Smith is a big fan of biking out to Pendarvis! She tells me that biking is a great way to a) beat traffic leaving the fest, b) get some exercise, and c) help Mother (Earth). (Pendarvis Farm, July 31–Aug 3, all ages)
Northwest Hardcore Fest
August 16–17
Portland and the greater Pacific Northwest bioregion is host to some of the best hardcore punk music in the world, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our fair city hosts Northwest Hardcore Fest. Since 2023, under the programming direction of Chip Nooo, the fest has been bringing the best and brightest (AKA toughest and loudest) touring hardcore bands to Portland while simultaneously giving platform to the region’s smartest and wittiest (AKA fastest and most punishing) acts. This year, Chip has teamed up with Friends of Noise and the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) to present a summit of hardcore like we’ve never seen and are likely never to see again
ANTHONY KEO
(at least until the next fest). New Jersey’s Bayway, the Bay Area’s Outta Pocket, and SLC’s Mask are confirmed and ready to rip some heads off while regional bands like Eugene’s Boltcutter with Portland’s Dry Socket and 2 The Teeth are ready to chop it up over the two days in mid-August. Don’t look like a n00b—get your battle vests ready, lace up those New Balances, and always remember… WALL TO WALL OR NOT AT ALL! (PICA, Aug 16–17, all ages)
PDX Pop Now!
September 12–14
Back again at Midtown Beer Garden, PDX Pop Now! is expanding this year and will be shutting down SW Harvey Milk between 4th and 5th for outdoor activities as well as taking over the JK Gill Building to offer two stages, an artist and makers market, local food vendors, interactive family activities, and a street fair! Though the lineup hasn’t been announced yet, I have it on good authority that 25+ bands will serenade us over the three-day celebration. If previous years’ lineups are anything to go by, it’ll be a real treat for the eyes and ears. As always, PDX Pop Now! is free, all ages, and open to the public—the Holy Trinity of accessibility. (Midtown Beer Garden, Sept 12–14, all ages)
Out of towners:
We Portlanders love a weekend getaway, whether it’s out to the coast, over the mountain to Central Oregon, or up to visit our big sister Seattle. With the love we have for exploring the PNW in mind, I’m including a couple favorite festivals further afield. Load up the Subaru, queue the summer playlist, and hit the dusty trails to catch these worthwhile festivals outside the tri-county area.
FairWell Festival (Redmond,
OR)
July 18–19
What might not be apparent to readers is that I’m a huge country head—there’s a separate section in my record library for country albums, and one of my biggest, most visible tattoos is a Patsy Cline piece (shout out to Kimber Fowler). That
said, Redmond, Oregon’s FairWell Festival is deeply up this cowgirl’s alley. This year, the fest’s most exciting headliner is Sturgill Simpson performing as Johnny Blue Skies, a moniker he adopted last year allowing him to release new music with less fanfare. Classic country fans also have cause for celebration with the inclusion of Dwight Yoakam, Tanya Tucker, and Marty Stuart playing across the two-day festival. Hilariously (and perfectly), Ludacris—yes, thee Luda—is also playing this country music hayride. That might come as a shock to some, but I lived in Bend for four years and this lineup is a spot-on reflection of Central Oregon’s music taste. (Deschutes County Fairgrounds, July 18–19, all ages)
Bumbershoot (Seattle, WA)
August 30–31
Growing up in Seattle in the ’90s, Bumbershoot was ubiquitous. My first B-shoot was 2005, when I saw the New York Dolls and lost a shoe crowd surfing for the first time in the Stooges pit. To this day, one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make was choosing to see the Blood Brothers over AFI when they were booked at the same time at Bumbershoot 2006, but I digress. Post the late-’00s, Bumbershoot felt like it was becoming one of those big blown-out festivals pouring too much money and focus into big touring acts and I stopped going. The fest shut down in 2020 (planned before the pandemic) before relaunching under new management in 2023. I made the pilgrimage last year for the classic Labor Day festival, and it truly felt like a homecoming—the festival had downsized and created a scene that felt more like the community-oriented festival the PNW knew was still in there. I’ve got big, big love for Bumbershoot, and the festival’s lineup this year is a whopper...Weezer, Scowl, and Bob the Drag Queen are the most exciting touring acts. As always, the festival has booked some Seattle jewels, this year’s diamonds include Pretty Girls Make Graves, Digable Planets, the Murder City Devils, and Capitol Hill’s own Fleetwood Snack. (Seattle Center, Aug 30–31, all ages) ■
ANTHONY KEO
EverOut’s Summer 2025 Food Events Calendar
BY JULIANNE BELL, LINDSAY COSTELLO, SHANNON LUBETICH, JANEY WONG
OMSI After Dark: Brunch Club
WED MAY 28
If your middle school field trip got a grown-up makeover, it would be this 21+ event. Traipse through OMSI at night while sipping mimosas or bloody Marys, trying samples from artisan food and drink vendors, and learning about the science behind your favorite brunch flavors. The evening will feature demos, speakers, hands-on activities, live performances, and DJ tunes. Your ticket gets you six cocktail tastes, access to a bountiful brunch buffet, and a commemorative sampling glass. (OMSI) JULIANNE BELL
3rd Annual Grand Lodge Brewfest
SAT MAY 31
Trek out to Forest Grove for a loungy lawn day filled with every type of brew you can imagine: beer, cider, wine, fermented drinks, and even cold brew coffee. Prefer something mixed? Bartenders will serve up a
variety of tasty cocktails and mocktails (I love a house made shrub). The party mood will continue with a set from DJ Sonny Phono, plus live tunes from psyche delic art rockers Moon Music and genre-bending jam band Family Mystic. You can bring your dog, but leave the kids at home; this one’s strictly 21-and-over. (McMenamins Grand Lodge) SHANNON LUBETICH
SAT MAY 31
Holi is traditionally celebrated in March, but I don’t mind that Topaz Farm honors the festival of life and rebirth in May. After all, the arrival of spring definitely varies in the Pacific Northwest. The harvest fest
Sat June 28
returns bigger and better for its fourth year with an early access time slot and more South Asian food and drink vendors than ever. Dance along to beats from DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid and experience the vibrant joy of pelting strangers with organic colored powders imported from India (for the full effect, wear white clothes you don’t care about staying white). I can’t wait to get revved up on chai and cool down with some kulfi. (Topaz Farm) SL
PDX Urban Wine Experience
SUN JUNE 1
As an unofficial wine connoisseur (I no longer buy two-buck Chuck), the yearly PDX Urban Wine Experience definitely appeals. Featuring wines by 14 members of the PDX Urban Winery Association, attendees can indulge in pours from almost every AVA in Oregon. (I’ll save you a Google—that’s American Viticultural Area.) It’s a good fit for more seasoned sippers or those who ask their server for “something not too sweet.” Plus, you’ll score “curated charcuterie cups”
Score: A Baker Fair
SUN JUNE 8
Score: A Baker Fair spotlights the small-scale bakers that shape Portland’s pastry and bread scene, but the one-day event isn’t your typical bake sale. Staged at Zenger Farm, visitors will meet bakers, shop fresh goods, enter raffles, sip free Proud Mary coffee, and participate in “hands-on minicooking classes.” I can already smell the intoxicating mix of drip coffee and sugary, yeasted treats. June is the perfect time to explore the working urban farm, which should be especially green and spirit-raising at this time of year. (Zenger Farm) LC
from Charcuterie Me—I’m picturing a cup made out of prosciutto, to be honest—and decadent dessert bites. A portion of event admissions and bottles sold will be donated to Ahivoy Oregon, a nonprofit that aims to “empower vineyard stewards through education.” (Easton Broad) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Veganizer Asian Market
SUN JUNE 1
I loved the sights, smells, and palpable excitement at BC’s destination Richmond Night Market, but as a vegan, I could only participate in a portion of it. This June, I can’t wait to be overwhelmed by choice at Veganizer’s all plant-based Asian night market featuring over 50 vendors; I’m hoping for rice cakes, fake meat skewers, fried potatoes, mango sticky rice, boba, and creations beyond my imagination. Between bites, check out a lion dance and craft vendors alongside miso and dumpling-making demonstrations. Admission is free with suggested donation, or you can splurge on a $45 VIP ticket that includes a welcome snack and drink, tote bag, and exclusive access to a vegetable tasting with Masafresh. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to local Asian-advocacy nonprofit APANO (The Redd on Salmon) SL
events including a “Paint Your Own Strawbebby Friend” workshop with trippy artist Wokeface, a strawberry moon celebration, a summer solstice snail mail party, needle felting with Penfelt Studio, and strawberry brunches. As is customary for the celebration, the shop and cafe will be stocking hundreds of new limited-edition strawberry items made by local vendors in addition to offering rotating specials that feature local strawberries from Pablo Munoz Farms. (Zuckercreme) JANEY WONG
The Bloody Mary Festival
SAT JUNE 7
With its savory vodka-spiked tomato juice base and garnishes ranging from the humble (celery) to outlandish (mini cheeseburgers), the bloody Mary is a bona fide brunch classic. At this event, you’ll get to enjoy an unlimited supply of the umami-rich cocktail in a myriad of iterations from local bars and restaurants, not to mention coffee, food and drink samples, temporary tattoos, photo opportunities, and more. Plus, cast a vote for your favorite bloody Mary to win the People’s Choice Award. (The Redd on Salmon) JB
Boba Dash
SAT JUNE 7
Whether you call it boba or bubble tea or chewy balls (no joke, my cousin worked at a store by that name), this crawl through Beaverton will satisfy your thirsty cravings with four-ounce samples from 10 shops. Dashers get an enamel pin, reusable glass boba straw, souvenir cup, and tote bag to help fuel your future bubble tea adventures. Several stops will host vendors selling adorable hand-crafted items, and you can snap pics at pop-up photo spots along the way. Contrary to my first thought, the dash has no running component, which is for the best given the amount of liquid and tapioca that’s bound to be sloshing around in your stomach.
(Various locations ) SL
James Beard
Portland Strawberry Museum
JUNE 6–30
‘Tis the season for Zuckercreme’s annual strawberry-palooza. This year, the Portland Strawberry Museum presents a month-long slate of themed
Author Talk: Dylan Hollis, Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip
WED JUNE 18
Bermuda-raised, Wyoming-based social media personality B. Dylan Hollis has earned scores of fans for his videos exploring the “wild, wacky, and wonderful” world of vintage recipes, from jellied meatloaf to Jell-O rings, and from SpaghettiOs to Depression-era peanut butter bread. His 2023 cookbook Baking Yesteryear was one of the most pre-ordered books in the history of Penguin Random House and debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list, remaining there for an additional 14 weeks. Now he’s back with his follow-up, Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip, which takes readers on a trip through the country with regional recipes like Boston cream pie, beignets, and date cream.
(Powell’s City of Books) JB
Taste of Thailand
JUNE 21–22
Created last year as a collaboration between the Yard Apartments, the Thai Royal Consulate, and Prosper Portland, this new annual festival aims to uplift Thai culture and cuisine and shine a light on Portland’s Thai culinary scene, from the “spicy dishes of Northern Thailand to the coconut-rich curries of the South.” Enjoy street food grub, desserts, traditional dance performances, Thai boxing demonstrations, music, local Thai-owned businesses, and more. (Yard Apartments) JB
Strawberry Shortcake Week
JUNE 9-15
Aside from being one of summer’s finest sweet treats, strawberry shortcake has a place in the lore of Oregon culinary son James Beard. According to nonprofit farm directory Oregon Taste, Beard did not publish his mother’s shortcake recipe in any of his 20+ cookbooks. But lucky for us, the recipe and its secret ingredient were divulged to a friend of his. Now, each year, restaurants across Portland pay tribute to the dish with their own renditions using juicy, sweet local strawberries. (Various locations) JW
WasabiFest PDX
SAT JUNE 14
If you’re a fan of the sharp horseradish best known as the moss-green condiment that accompanies sushi and sashimi, the inaugural WasabiFest is the food festival for you. The Oregon Coast is one of the few places that cultivates the native Japanese plant, so festival organizers SakéOne are celebrating the undersung ingredient in numerous ways: guests will try wasabi-infused bites from local food purveyors like Kate’s Ice Cream, HAB Sauce, and Pizza Jerk; tastings of Oregon and Japanese saké will be poured; and Markus Mead, co-owner of Oregon Coast Wasabi farm, will present live demonstrations. Get ready to clear your sinuses! (The Redd on Salmon) JW
Oregon Midsummer Festival
JUNE 27–28
Sunshine, flower crowns, maypole dancing. The Oregon Midsummer Festival is like stepping into Ari Aster’s Midsommar with none of the body horror (Florence Pugh sadly not included either) and all of the lovely bits. Raise your beverage of choice with a hearty exclamation of “skål!” at this two-day festival celebrating all things Scandinavian. Hosts Nordic Northwest invite folks to beat the crowds on Friday night with a dance-filled evening and bonfire for Saint John’s Eve. While the campus’s restaurant Broder Söder will be open on Saturday with its requisite Swedish fare, hungry revelers can also enjoy baked goods from Jamie’s Kafferep, Hygge Chocolates, and Swedish pancakes made by Harmoni Lodge. (Nordic Northwest) JW
Picklefest: Portland Pickles vs. Ridgefield Raptors
SAT JUNE 28
Time to GET PICKLED at the Portland Pickles’ annual Picklefest. Our favorite unhinged briny baseball team will take on the Ridgefield Raptors as fans enjoy local craft beers and sample tasty treats. Aside from all that dillicious goodness, get excited for activities like a hopscotch pickle juice chug and Dave’s Hot Chicken race. (Both of which sound messy as all get out, so I’ll be watching from the bleachers, thank you very much.) You can even prove your fandom by getting inked with a pickle tattoo from Anatomy Tattoo (Walker Stadium) JW
TeaFestPDX 2025
SAT JUNE 28
I’m usually all for spilling the tea, but at this annual festival of Camellia sinensis, not a drop should go to waste. Taking place in the verdant environs of Washington Park, tea purveyors, appreciators, and
COURTESY SCORE: A BAKER FAIR
COURTESY ZUCKERCREME
educators will gather to celebrate Portland’s tea culture. (It’s not all coffee all the time here, people!) You’ll experience tea in many ways: through tastings, tea ceremonies, workshops, and more. Of course, there will also be a dizzying variety of teas available for purchase. (World Forestry Center) JW
Queer Wine Fest 2025
SUN JUNE 29
The LGBTQ+ community doesn’t often get its due in the wine world, but that’s where this annual wine festival comes in. The picturesque Willamette Valley winery Remy Wines will host 20 queer producers from Oregon, Washington, and California at this al fresco tasting and Pride celebration, accompanied by international cuisine and live music from the local New Wave pop duo Camp Crush. A portion of proceeds will support the nonprofit Wine Country Pride, which “creates visible celebrations of the queer community while connecting all people through education and economic activity.” (Remy Wines) JB
MXPDX Fiesta de la Cerveza
SAT JULY 19
Did you know that Portland has nine sister cities (and one friendship city)?! You do now, but I’ll raise you one better: we’re about to get a sister beer
festival. Coordinated by Portland’s Beer Friends and Mexico City-based beer pros Jose Fernando Rincón and Diego Lara, the inaugural MXPDX Fiesta de la Cerveza will celebrate the cities’ favorite suds and Mexican culture at large with a pop-up mercado, street food, live music, luchador wrestling, and more. Come thirsty, because 26 beers will be on tap—13 beer and cider collaborations between Mexican and Oregon craft breweries and 13 imported Mexican craft beers—alongside a bebidas bar slinging Straightaway Cocktails, Mexican American-made local wines, and non-alcoholic aguas frescas. (The Redd on Salmon) JW
8th Annual PDX Hot Sauce Expo
Each August, the PDX Hot Sauce Expo turns up the heat by bringing together hot sauce companies from across North America. Set your mouth on fire at the hottest ticket in town with free hot sauce tastings, then temper the spice with craft beers and specialty cocktails. If you’re an avid Hot Ones viewer, you’ll want to grab a seat by the Stage of Doom, where fearless (foolish?) competitors will scarf down “doughnuts of death,” “spicy tacos of hell,” “slaytanic burritos,” and Carolina Reapers. YIKES. The expo also features wrestling, ‘cause why not? Seems like a healthy way for folks to burn off some of that chile-charged energy. Bridge Lot at OMSI (Aug 9–10) JW
The Portland Mercury’s Nacho Week 2025
JUNE 23–29
Not only are nachos the Platonic ideal of bar food, they also present a wonderful canvas for creativity: Crunchy tortilla chips (or tots or what have you) provide a base for whatever toppings your heart desires. The Portland Mercury’s annual Nacho Week demonstrates the impressive versatility of the beloved Tex-Mex dish with exclusive specials created by chefs all over Portland for a mere $10 each. Plot your itinerary, round up some friends, and go share some full-sized plates of hearty nachos smothered in melty cheese until you fist-fight over the last bite. (Various locations) JB
COURTESY BOKE BOWL
Savage Love
BY DAN SAVAGE
Hurt People
I’m a 33-year-old gay man in a big city. I am currently in a five-month relationship with a wonderful, sweet man who loves me very much. I love him too. Prior to this I was in a throuple for three years. That relationship was toxic. I was the new addition to the throuple, and I was more in love with one of them. There were a lot of jealousy issues, and a lot of hurt that took me a long time to get over when I finally moved on. Truthfully, even when that relationship ended, I was still very much in love with my main partner from that throuple. Our sexual chemistry was unlike anything else, and the deep passion we have for each other was unmatched. But we did break up. And I spent a lot of time healing. And now I met this wonderful man.
My main ex from the throuple—the one I loved most—just reached out to let me know that he and his other partner broke up and he wants me back. All of a sudden, my ex is telling me how much he loves me, how much he wants me, and how he wants to be my only partner—all of the things I would’ve killed to hear him say a year ago. I now find myself torn between my new boyfriend, who has done nothing wrong, and my ex, a man I love so much and have this INCREDIBLE sexual chemistry with but who really hurt me. It should be noted that I am incredibly submissive in bed, and although my new partner tries to be dominant, it doesn’t come naturally to him. My ex was fantastic in that role. And if I’m being honest, I have to admit that that kind of sexual play is something I need in a relationship. I’m torn and don’t know what to do. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but find myself in the impossible position of choosing between two people I care deeply about. Help!
you moved on, you met someone else. And now the relationship gods have decided to fuck with you: the man you wanted is single and now he wants you and only you—so, your prayers have been answered, but a year too late.
Let’s rewind.
while not-so-subtly fantasizing about peeling off his boyfriend… that’s not just an awkward vibe or a price-of-admission power imbalance a person can learn to tolerate. That’s an existential threat. Whether the other guy—the guy your dream man just dumped—was always the
you’ll start sabotaging things with notso-new-anymore guy and blow that relationship up to get back with an ex who might not have waited for you.
So, while staying with the nice guy sounds like the nice thing to do—while it sounds like the decent thing to do—stay-
You joined a couple as a third—as their third—but you weren’t a perfectly balanced third. You were more into one than the other, TOXIC, which you most likely realized going in. That happens in lots of relationships; even in couples, one part -
problem or he became a problem when he sensed not just what you wanted, TOXIC, but what his original partner also wanted… it’s easy to understand why he was unhappy. It’s a situation that could bring out the worst in anybody—you included.
Anyway!
Tormented Over X In Chicago
“When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.”—Oscar Wilde
You spent three years in a throuple that turned toxic—or maybe was toxic from the start—and when it ended, all you wanted was for the one guy you loved (most or at all) to choose you… and he didn’t. So, you did what people are supposed to do when a relationship ends: you moved out,
All of a sudden, my ex is telling me how much he loves me, how much he wants me, and how he wants to be my only partner—all of the things I would’ve killed to hear him say a year ago.
ner is often more invested/besotted/committed than the other. “Perfectly balanced” relationships are rare. But an imbalance hits different—it’s more destabilizing—in a triad. If the partner you weren’t into could tell you were only tolerating him
Your throuple ended! You did the work! You found someone new! Someone kind! Someone who loves you! Someone you love… kinda… but not as much as you love the man who just walked back into your life.
As much as it pains me to say this— because the only person we know for sure is blameless in all this is the lovely man you’ve been seeing for the last six months—you should dump the new guy. You’re already comparing the new guy to your ex… and the new can’t meet your needs the same way your ex did… which means you’re going to be thinking about your ex each and every time the new guy tries and fails. And the longer you go on measuring the meh sex you have with your current boyfriend against the insanely hot sex you had with your ex, TOXIC, the more you’re going to miss your ex and find yourself fantasizing about what might’ve been.
And then—a year from now? two?—
ing with someone to avoid hurting their feelings only sets them up for more hurt down the road. But while you won’t be able to avoid hurting your current boyfriend’s feelings, TOXIC, you can avoid wasting his time by ending things cleanly and soon instead of drawing it out. But don’t move right back in—or pick up right where you left off—with your ex. Date him. Take it slow. You may have fantasized about being with your ex on his own, TOXIC, but you’ve never known him on his own.
P.S. You’re faced with a choice between two men you love—your ex from that disastrous throuple and the man you’ve been seeing for six months—and you’re hesitating, in much the same way your ex faced a choice between you and his original partner and hesitated. So, if you’re still angry with your ex about hesitating… maybe you get it now and can let that anger go? ■
GOT PROBLEMS? YES, YOU DO!
Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love
JOE NEWTON
M e r c u r y
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