On April 8, hundreds of children gathered for Concordia’s annual Spring Egg Hunt in Fern Hill Park.
Category Archives: Events
Social column – Hunt a success; Cinco de Mayo event set
I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who lent their time and support to Concordia’s Spring Egg Hunt.
On April 8, the Concordia Neighborhood Association hosted a double event, a neighborhood clean-up followed by our annual egg hunt, and I am happy to report that both events were a resounding success!
I want to give a special shout-out to all those who helped fill the eggs. Your hard work and dedication brought smiles and happiness to hundreds of local kids.
I want to especially thank James, our youngest volunteer, 5 years old, who coordinated with his parents and showed up at 10 a.m. sharp to help hide the eggs. He was more interested in setting up for other kids than he was in finding eggs, and for that, he earned one of the gift cards from Gabbiano’s and a special thank you from the neighborhood.
Another big thank you to Darcy Gabriel and her husband Sam, who showed up and helped during setup. They earned the second gift card from Gabbiano’s.
I also want to recognize Gina Levine, who helped with the neighborhood cleanup and made sure that Concordia is a bit cleaner. Levine also helped stuff thousands of eggs with her children and other young volunteers, earning her a gift card from The Knock Back for her time and efforts. The second Knock Back gift card was earned by Sigrid Casey, who donated her time and truck to pick up large items of trash from our streets.
We hid around 6,000 eggs and gave away around 10,000 pieces of candy and an assortment of prizes. Thank you to POP Cart, who was there with music and helping us direct the event.
Thank you to Flour Market for the delicious pastries for our volunteers, and to Kiss Coffee for their donation of coffee for the clean-up and 100 hot chocolate coupons for the egg hunt!
I also want to give a big shoutout to the board members who helped so much. Brittany Van Der Salm, our vice chair, and her husband Paul were instrumental in taking charge of the lost and found, bringing a lot of peace of mind to our neighbors. Rich Bruton, chair of our Land Use and Transportation Committee (LUTC), helped set up the borders of the hunt according to ages. Astrid Fustner, our board member for East 2, and her family took charge of the prize booth. Megan Gobble, our board member for SW2, gathered her family and made sure the park was ready and clean for the event. Patricia McMahon, AL2, was there setting up and laying eggs, and helping with the pickup. John McSherry, AL3, helped with release forms and picking up. Heather Pashley, our treasurer, helped with the cleanup. Kieran Lee, our chair, brought tables to set up.
To all of the other volunteers, too many of you to name here, my most heartfelt thanks for your time and effort.
First Fridays
On a separate note, I want to share when the social committee will be meeting and how you can get involved. Starting in May, we will be meeting on the first Friday of each month, and we will be rotating locations. Please email me at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org or call/ text me at 503-343-5561 for locations.
Our first meeting takes place at 2 p.m. Friday, May 5, at Chilango, 2217 NE Alberta St. Members of the social committee will each get a free taco. Speaking of Cinco de Mayo, Concordia residents are in for a treat: Chilango, a vegan Mexican restaurant, will be hosting a special party that day from 3–7 p.m. The party will kick off after the social committee meeting. Attendees can indulge in the restaurant’s delicious tacos while enjoying live entertainment. Chilango [See related feature Pag
e 5] has been a part of the community for many years, and this event is an excellent opportunity for residents to celebrate the culture and diversity of their neighborhood. Don’t miss out on the fun and festivities!
Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.
Social Column – Volunteers needed for April 8 Egg Hunt
Greetings to all Concordia residents! We want to start by expressing our gratitude for the amazing feedback we have received. It is always our pleasure to hear from you and learn how we can make our community better. We value your input and look forward to continuing to serve you.
As we move forward, we have some exciting events planned for the coming weeks.
Eggzitement!
We are thrilled to announce that the Spring Egg Hunt is finally here! On Saturday, April 1, at 10 a.m., we will meet in the community room at Kennedy School for the “fill the eggs” event. We are looking for volunteers to help us with this fun-filled event. It’s going to be a blast, so bring your friends and family along! Then on Saturday, April 8, we will host the neighborhood clean-up in partnership with SOLVE and the actual egg hunt.
The clean-up will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Fernhill Park, and we will be setting up in the area by the track. Please make sure to register for this event at SolveOregon.org.
We are looking for volunteers, preferably with a truck, to help take the supplies from the community room to Fernhill Park by 9:30 a.m. We also need help setting up the eggs, starting around 10 a.m., and assisting with picking up after the event.
After the clean-up, we’ll be kicking off the Easter weekend with an exciting egg hunt at noon. Don’t forget to bring your baskets!
Our proposed schedule for the egg hunt on April 8 is as follows: We will meet between 9:30 to 10 a.m., set up the eggs from 10 a.m. to noon, and the egg hunt will begin at noon. It’s going to be a fantastic day, and we can’t wait to see you all there!
Walking club
Speaking of community involvement, we want to give a special shoutout to Megan Gobble, our SW1 representative and the head of our official walking club. Megan is a passionate walker and a member of the Columbia River Volkssports Club (CRVC). We’re thrilled to have the CRVC as one of our community partners, and we encourage everyone to check them out at Walking4Fun.org.
Cinco de Mayo
Finally, mark your calendars for our upcoming Cinco de Mayo party at Chilango’s, 2217 N.E. Alberta St. Our newest vegan restaurant, which is Latino-owned, will be hosting this year’s celebration from 2–7 p.m. Friday, May 5. Come join us for delicious $3 tacos and entertainment as we celebrate our community’s diversity.
Thank you for being part of our community and supporting our events. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please stay in touch, follow us in Instagram & Facebook @CNAPDX.
Social Column – Upcoming year packed with events
Get ready for an exciting year filled with community events and initiatives! We are continuing last year’s efforts to keep Concordia clean. The neighborhood cleanups are back. This year we have scheduled three cleanups, on March 4, June 3 and Oct 7. We are meeting at Alberta Park each date at 9 a.m. sharp. The committee invites all community members to join in and help keep our neighborhood clean.
Makers Market
On Saturday, March 18, the community room at Kennedy School will host the Makers Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity for local artists and the public to connect. The gathering features local residents showcasing and selling their handmade items such as music instruments, wood art, glass art, and more. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to participate.
Coming up
The Concordia Neighborhood Association will also host a range of exciting events, including the annual Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. (location to be determined).
We are coming together as a neighborhood to fill the eggs at 4 p.m. Friday, April 7, in the community room at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave. The committee invites all community members and local businesses to participate or donate.
Year ahead
For the first time ever, CNA will host an official Pride event in June at Bonne Chance, 2209 NE Alberta St. More details to follow in the upcoming months. The committee is also bringing back National Night Out, Yard Sale (likely over Labor Day weekend), Halloween and a Holiday Party. We do need volunteers for all of these events.
The new initiative “Partners in Concordia” aims to bring volunteers and community members together to tackle small tasks such as gardening, painting fences and changing bulbs. The committee is collecting names of volunteers and tasks they prefer to do and hopes to match them up with community members in need of help. The date for this initiative is set for some time in the summer.

Sabin meeting
On Feb. 8, the Sabin Community Association invited CNA board members as well as Concordia neighbors to attend one of their meetings at Sabin Elementary School, where Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) representatives addressed a recent fatal crash involving a single vehicle, on Dec. 5, that drove into a utility pole. The automobile was speeding on Prescott at 90 mph at the corner of NE 14th Avenue and Prescott Street, lost control and crashed. The meeting was an opportunity for the community to voice their concerns and thoughts on the issue of traffic safety in the neighborhood.
During the meeting, a large number of neighbors shared their concerns about the use of Prescott as a “speed track” and how drivers, even though it’s a two-way street, illegally pass cars. It was brought to our attention that the speed limit on Prescott is 25 mph, but some drivers ignore this, putting themselves and others in danger.
In light of these concerns, PBOT shared that the more letters the community sends the bureau, the faster it can respond to the issue. I would like to invite all Concordia neighbors to write a letter addressing any and all concerns about traffic safety in the neighborhood. These letters can be sent to me at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org or to our Land Use and Transportation Committee at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.
I would also like to take a moment to thank Rachel Lee, the chair of Sabin Land Use and Transportation Committee, for the invitation to the meeting and for her efforts in ensuring that the community’s voice is heard.
Let’s work together to make Concordia a safer and more peaceful place for all, let’s come together and make Concordia a stronger and more vibrant community! If you own a business in Concordia or want to give a shoutout, please tag us @CNAPDX and use #SocialConcordiaPDX.
Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.
Social Column – CNA invites neighbors to party
The holidays are here, and we’d like to invite all of our neighbors to Concordia’s holiday party! This year we are having our holiday party from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Teote Alberta, 2700 NE Alberta St. CNA will provide a buffet-style dinner, and the bar will be open for adult beverages.
In addition, we are lucky to have Robin Jackson and Lewis Childs performing holiday music for us from 5 p.m. onward. We will have some candy and prizes for children attending.
We plan to have a silent auction to raise funds for CNA, including art and gift certificates donated by our local businesses. Thank you, Astrid Furstner, for all your help and collaboration getting this silent auction ready and organized.
Vaccination cards are not required this year, but vaccines are heavily encouraged. Please RSVP at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org for a head count, as we would like to make sure we have enough food for everyone.
Alberta Gnome
CNA would like to thank Maquette Reeverts, local artist and CNews contributing writer, as well as her team, for putting together this year’s Alberta “Gnome for the Holidays.” This is a fun free event for an opportunity to win prizes.
Grab a “Gnome Card” at Frock Boutique, 1439 NE Alberta St., Mimosa Pottery Studios, 1718 NE Alberta St. or Alberta Street Gallery, 1829 NE Alberta St. and hunt for gnomes. From Dec. 2–26, walk Northeast Alberta from NE 13th to NE 30th avenues and look for hidden gnomes at participant businesses listed on the Gnome Cards. Each gnome has a letter next to it, so write down the letter on the corresponding business square and reveal a hidden message.
Return your completed gnome card to any of the drop-off locations, including any of the locations mentioned above, and enter for an opportunity to win. You do not need to find them all to participate in the raffle, which takes place Dec. 27.
Last Thursday on Alberta
It was brought to my attention that Last Thursdays on Alberta are year-round affairs among our artists and galleries and do not take place only during the summer months.
Share the Road
On a more serious note, we’d like to remind our drivers to please follow the speed limits on our streets. Remember that Alberta Street and 42nd Street are our commercial areas, and we have a lot of pedestrians walking those streets. We have seen some drivers in a rush and/ or at high speed at Prescott and Killingsworth unnecessarily putting in danger the lives of our neighbors. Slow down, and let’s share our streets with bikers and pedestrians alike.
As we wrap up this year, we’d like to thank all the people who made this year a success for our neighborhood. CNA hosted Bi-Monthly neighborhood pickups, and we picked up over 15 tons of trash from our street. We brought back our Annual Easter Egg Hunt, Concerts in the park, National Night Out, Annual Yard Sales and other fun events.
Thank you to our Social Committee volunteers and businesses who have made 2022 a success, and Happy New Year!
Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.
Social Column – Yard sales a success, Halloween bash set

Thank you very much for all your support and help bringing events back to Concordia. I am happy to report that the annual yard sales event, Sept. 2 to 4, was a success. We had 34 official addresses on the roster this year, plus a few neighbors who decided to jump in and hold their yard sales lastminute.
During the yard sales, I had the opportunity to meet many neighbors who happily shared different businesses in Concordia and adjacent neighborhoods in Northeast Portland that they feel are worth giving a shout out here.
Mis Tacones, 1670 NE Killingsworth St., was brought up several times as a great option for vegan food. Green Bean Books, 1600 NE Alberta St., was also mentioned a few times as a great option for our younger readers. Thank you to those businesses for being an important part of our neighborhood, and thank you to the residents who took time to talk to me and share their experiences and feedback.
I’d also like to thank Jessica Chace and Michelle Fitzgerald who helped me put this event together. Thank you to Andrea Boyd, a graphic designer who came up with the map and made it easier for us to locate the participants’ homes and, of course, thank you to all the participants and/or residents and shoppers who were key to the success of this event.
A special thank you to Madeleine Chace, who shared her art work with our neighbors and elevated our yard sales to a walk of art.
Up Next
Moving on with our agenda, our next neighborhood Litter Pickup is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. We are meeting at Alberta Park, at the corner of Northeast Ainsworth and Northeast 22nd Avenue.
These events are in coordination with SOLVE as well as our neighbors. At this point, we have picked up over 12 tons of trash from the streets of Concordia. Thank you to Gina Levine, our neighbor who has helped with this project for a year.
Halloween Treats
Our next party event is our Halloween Party, Monday, Oct. 31. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Bar Cala, 2703 NE Alberta St., which is hosting our festivities.
This year’s theme is “Masquerade,” and we will be at Bar Cala passing candy out to the neighborhood kids and will have prizes for the children. The party will be held from 5–8 p.m. Stop by to celebrate with us and wear your best costume. We will be having a costume contest.
Room for Rent
We also like to remind everyone that Concordia Neighborhood Association is funded mainly by the rentals of the community room at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave.
The room is available to be rented by the hour with special rates for nonprofit organizations. All proceeds from the room are used to keep funding more events, Concordia News and other important projects for Concordia.
We currently need volunteers. Please reach out to me at 503.343.5561 or Social@ConcordiaPDX.org for volunteer opportunities.
Follow us in Instagram @CNAPDX and use #SocialConcordiaPDX for shoutouts. We also have a Facebook page @ConcordiaPDX for updates.
Javier Puga-Phillips holds the At Large 4 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.
Last Thursday is back!
Thousands of folks returned to Northeast Alberta Street June 30 to mark the return of Last Thursday, a monthly summer event. Small businesses, galleries, restaurants, and bars come together to celebrate the Alberta Art District community as artists, musicians, and performers lined the street from NE 15th through NE 30th Ave. Last Thursday takes place again Aug. 25. Photos by Isaac Puga-Phillips and Rob Cullivan
Last Thursdays on Alberta return this month
Thank you again to all the volunteers and for all of the support from our community during the Spring Egg Hunt. The winners of the egg hunt raffle were Donna Amrein, Katie Schaumleffle, Brian Jensen, Michael French, and Catherine Swanson.
Last Thursdays
June is a great month for social events, including the return of last Thursdays on Alberta Street. The plan is to celebrate on Alberta Street between NE 15th Ave. and NE 30th Ave. from 6-9 p.m. every last Thursday of the month. Make sure to mark your calendars and show up to support our local businesses and vendors.
Black United Fund will open up their lot (corner of Alberta St. & NE 29th Ave.) to host several tents supporting our BIPOC community. Alberta Art Works (NE 19th St & Alberta St) will also be hosting live performances, art and many more surprises.
Additionally, Blind Insect (corner of NE 29th Ave. & Alberta St., across the street from Black United Fund) will host “Barrio Parties” on Last Thursdays from June to September, with a different theme each month:
- June: African Party
- July: Argentinian Party
- August: Brazilian Party
- September: Cabaret theme
Several other businesses on Alberta are getting ready to celebrate Last Thursdays, among them:
Bonne Chance (corner of Alberta Street and NE 22nd Ave.) will be celebrating with an eclectic selection of music and adult beverages.
DB Desserts (Alberta St. between NE 26th & NE 27th Avenues) is offering specials on some of their sweet treats to celebrate.
Holy Beanz Coffee (next door to DB Desserts) will host their “After Sundown Spoken Word & Poetry” from 7-9 p.m.
JRJ Skillets (on Alberta St. between NE 25th & NE 26th Avenues) will offer “Aguas Frescas, Tamales, Elotes, Tacos & Nachos” for the whole family on its brand-new patio.
Free concerts
Also coming this summer, the Concordia Neighborhood Association will collaborate with the City of Portland to bring back “Summer at the Park” concerts. The first band, Son de Cuba, a Latin jazz/merengue/salsa group, performs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 15, at Alberta Park. Please stay tuned to next month’s column for more details.
Litter pick-up events
Moving on with neighborhood updates, the neighborhood litter pick-ups have been incredibly successful. Thanks to our many volunteers we have picked up more than 9,000 pounds of trash from Concordia’s streets. We still have work to do though, so please sign up for our next litter pick-up event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 4, at Alberta Park. See Page 2 for more details. If you cannot make it to this one, we have future litter pick-ups scheduled on Aug. 6, Oct. 1 and Dec. 1.
Yard sales
A quick survey for residents: We have received several requests for different events. One of them is a coordinated “Neighborhood Yard Sale” where neighbors can set up their own yard sales. If you are interested in this event please email with the subject “Yard Sale.” Depending on the response we will plan to help coordinate.
Clary Sage
The Concordia Neighborhood Association would like to highlight Clary Sage Herbarium, 2901 Alberta St., which opened in 2011 and changed ownership in 2021. Kara Maymi is the entrepreneur currently behind the shop.
Maymi started her herbarium education as an intern at Clary Sage. Later, when an opportunity to join the management for Clary Sage materialized, the pandemic hit. Instead of letting the business close, Maymi decided to purchase the shop and continued following her passion for medicinal plants.
According to Maymi, her calling is the plant world. The shop has a large variety of medicinal plants, some sourced locally. Sharing knowledge of plants f rom scient if ic, spiritual and practical points of view with customers is a priority.
“We love to see how people express themselves through plants,” Maymi said. In addition to plants, Clary Sage offers house-made essential oils , candles, crystals, incense, body care and many other natural products. They are also proud of the quality of their teas and herbal extracts.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Maymi now considers herself a Portlander at heart, and said she finds Concordia to be her community. Community is one of the pillars of the Clary Sage approach. Plants, like people, live in diverse communities, she said. “When we engage with plants, we can learn how important community is and their relationships among themselves and even with humans.”
Volunteers needed
The social committee needs volunteers for all events. Please email social@ConcordiaPDX.org, or call/text Javier Puga-Phillips, chair of the social committee, at 323.573.1516. Finally, make sure to follow us on instagram @CNAPDX and use #SocialConcordiaPDX to get a shoutout.
Javier Puga-Phillips holds the At Large 4 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.
Add your voice to selecting board members – and the name of – Concordia Neighborhood Association!
Wednesday, Nov. 4, is the CNA annual meeting. Six board positions and the chair are up for election/re-election, beginning at 7 p.m. Nominate yourself or others. 2020 chair Astrid Furstner details the qualifications at Concordiapdx.org/2020/11/chairs-corner-dont-forget-to-also-vote-in-cna-election.
Then stay tuned to discuss whether consideration should be given to changing the name of the Concordia Neighborhood Association. We were named for the university located here, and it’s now gone. Should we keep its name or consider others?
Details for joining the Google Meet session are at ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAMeetings.
Does Portland need police reform?
Have you lost confidence in the Portland Police Bureau? Your Concordia Neighborhood Association wants your opinion. Make your voice heard at the virtual association general meeting Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. Read the draft letter on Page 6 of the October CNews or online: Draft letter to Portland city leadership.
To attend the virtual meeting at 7 p.m on Wednesday:
Web: https://meet.google.com/jwb-ivfb-mcv
Phone: +1 413-779-5435 PIN: 246824040#
Please join your neighbors for this important meeting!