Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

Category Archives: Events

Get Involved At The March General Meeting!

Posted on by Posted in Archive, CNA, Events

The themes of the March General Meeting (Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00 P.M.) are sharing and learning: we want you to share your opinion on a wide variety of issues that the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) is addressing while you learn more about our current opportunities to get involved.

To accomplish this, we will have presentations from leaders within CNA plus presentations and from our neighborhood community policing officer. In addition, Concordia University will present their concept for streetlight banners to be installed throughout the area surrounding campus.

Greg Harris, Director of Marketing for Concordia University, will present their proposal. Mr. Harris shared the preliminary design for the banners along with a map of proposed locations to CNA board members at the January CNA board meeting. Aside from the Concordia University logo, each banner would have a word associated with the university. These themes include “Think,” “Faith,” “Transform,” “Respect,” and “Serve.”

The CNA board asked Mr. Harris to present at the March general meeting before it took a formal position on the banners and their placement. In general, individual board members found the banner designs attractive while some expressed concerns about the placement of the banners on Ainsworth Avenue. We want to hear from you, so please listen to what our neighbors at Concordia University are proposing and share your thoughts.

Continue reading →

Summer Concerts in Fernhill Park Needs Y-O-U!

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events

Is there be a better way to spend a summer evening than gathering with your neighbors at Fernhill park for music, dancing, food and family fun? Thanks to the generous sponsorship of local businesses and individuals the free Concerts at Fernhill Park have become a much anticipated summer tradition in Concordia.

The Fernhill Concert Committee is already hard at work making plans to fill Fernhill Park with incredible music and family fun on every Friday in July following Independence Day and on National Night Out in August. In addition to the work of volunteers, the concerts can’t happen without support from local businesses and individuals. We especially count on the generosity and community spirit of our business neighbors to help raise the dollars we need to produce the free concerts at Fernhill.
So even though summer is a few months away, please consider becoming a sponsor of the Fernhill Summer Concerts or providing support at any level. It doesn’t matter if you are a business-owner, a family, or an individual, we need you to make the concerts happen!

For information on supporting the Fernhill Concerts, please don’t hesitate to contact Tony Fuentes at 971-570-6930, Milagros@milagrosboutique.com or Katie Ugolini at 503 – 296-7839, kugolini@earthlink.net. Check back here to download sponsorship forms directly from our website.

Columbia Slough Awards Celebration, February 1

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events, Land Use & Transportation

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 Watershed Council Awards. The awards will be presented at the Council’s Ninth Annual Awards Celebration and Silent Auction on Friday, February 1, 2008 from 6:00 until 9:00 P.M. “These community leaders remind us how important the Columbia Slough Watershed is to our region and the health of our ecosystem,” said Jane Van Dyke, CSWC Executive Director. “It is important to take time to recognize their dedication and contribution to improving our community and watershed.”

2007 Leadership Award Winners

The Council’s Leadership Awards recognize “individuals who demonstrate an extraordinary and long-term commitment to the watershed”.

  • Erwin Bergman – Council Member – Neighborhood Advocate
  • Richard and Gyrid Towle – Columbia Children’s Arboretum Advocates

2007 Achievement Award Winners

The Council’s Achievement Awards recognize “extraordinary projects or project-related efforts”.

  • City of Gresham – Keri Handaly and Kris Rein – Fairview Creek-Burnside to Stark Restoration Project
  • Multnomah Youth Cooperative – Rose Sandy and Jeff Walker – Youth Watershed Restoration Crew
  • Northwest Discoveries – Ken Barker and Jerry Lanz – Canoe Week and Explorando el Columbia Slough Paddle Guides
  • New Columbia – Housing Authority of Portland, Steve Fancher and KPFF Consulting Engineers – Green Streets and Stormwater Facilities

This year’s celebration will be held at the Acadian Ballroom at 1829 NE Alberta Street in Portland. The celebration will include dinner, silent auction, entertainment, and presentation of the awards. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased online at www.columbiaslough.org or by calling 503.281.1132. Reservation deadline is January 25th at 4:00 P.M.

To learn more about the event, visit the Columbia Slough Watershed Council.

For more information contact:
Katie Meckes, 503.281.1132, katie.meckes@columbiaslough.org

Continue reading →

Faubion PTA Family Night, January 30

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events, Schools

In November, our PTA had the privilege to meet with Oregon PTA President Anita Olsen at one of our functions. Anita was apparently impressed with our effort and wrote a complimentary article about Faubion PTA in the December/January 2008 Newsletter. I am pleased to share excerpts from the newsletter with our neighbors here:

“I am privileged to receive invitations to visit from PTAs all over the state – and I try to visit as many as I am able. Last month, I was invited to Faubion PTA in Northeast Portland. Faubion is a PTA with the same challenges many (other PTAs) have: how to get parents and families into the school to see the importance of their involvement while at the same time going on to their jobs during the day and preparing their children for the next school day each evening. And, after two years of struggling, Faubion is finding the answer. I was invited to an old fashioned kaffeeklatch before school one Friday morning. In and among the coffee and doughnuts, I met about a dozen wonderful folks – moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas. They told me about family nights they organized: a craft night in October, a bingo night in November. Each event was designed to bring families into the school and it did just that – 40 to 50 people – often different families at each event, who heard about the importance of family involvement at their school while enjoying their children’s and one another’s company.”

Thank you, Anita, for your attendance and kind words. Faubion is “living the idea of Family-School Partnerships” and the results are heartening. We had a lot of fun at bingo night and from its reception, there will be more of the same in the future.

Our next Family Night event will be Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 6:30 P.M. We haven’t decided on which type of event yet (our PTA business meeting on December 20 will attend to that) but it will be advertised and it will be – again – family fun. Watch for it and please attend. You don’t have to be a PTA member; you don’t even have to have kids at Faubion. It is an opportunity to see our school and neighborhood, meet some of its members and have a good time.

Faubion PTA and the 350 wonderful kids who attend our neighborhood public school wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

Stop Car Idling for Kids, Environment

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events, Land Use & Transportation

In cold weather and in school parking lots, we see a lot of car idling. The City of Portland urges you to reduce car idling, which has a negative impact on children’s health and air quality in the Concordia neighborhood.

All of us have idled our vehicles while waiting to pick up kids from school, waiting at the drive-up window, or waiting for a bridge. Part of the reason is that when we were just beginning to drive, the mindset was that it’s better to leave the car running rather than turn it on and off.

Well, maybe that was true then, but it’s certainly not true now. As a matter of fact, it’s actually better for your vehicle to turn it off if it’s going to be idling for more than 10 seconds.

This fact leads to the top ten reasons to turn off your vehicle when you’re not moving:

  1. Studies have shown a direct link between contaminants in vehicle emissions and significant respiratory health effects.
  2. Vehicle exhaust is the leading source of toxic air pollution in Oregon.
  3. Excessive idling can be hard on your engine. Because it isn’t working at peak operating temperature, fuel doesn’t undergo complete combustion, leaving spark plugs dirty, which can increase fuel consumption by 4 to 5%. Also, the engine oil becomes contaminated by idling.
  4. According to Ford and the Auto Alliance, vehicles produced after the mid-‘80s don’t require additional time to heat a “cold engine.” The best way to warm up your vehicle is to drive it, even in cold weather.
  5. Besides, idling warms only the engine, not the wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission, and tires. These parts warm up when the vehicle is driven.
  6. Frequent restarting has little impact on engine parts such as the battery and starter motor. The wear on components that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to your costs. This is money that you’ll likely recover several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.
  7. More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.
  8. Toxic air pollutants account for an additional 700 cases of cancer for every million residents.
  9. Children breathe 50% more air per pound than adults, and their asthma symptoms increase as a result of car exhaust.
  10. When you idle you get 0 miles per gallon.

    11. For education resources and for any questions, contact Donna Green at the Portland Office of Transportation at 503.823.6114, donna.green@pdxtrans.org.

Radon: Is your home safe?

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events

If you live in the Concordia Neighborhood, there is almost a 50% likelihood that the radon level inside your home is higher than the EPA’s recommended action level potentially putting your family at unnecessary risk of lung cancer.

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, concentrates inside buildings. Nationally, radon is responsible for 15,000-22,000 lung cancer deaths every year—more deaths than caused by drunk driving and drowning combined. The second leading cause of lung cancer in America, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

According to a Portland State University study, nearly the half the homes (old, new, with or without a crawlspace or basement) in the Concordia Neighborhood have indoor radon levels exceeding EPA’s recommended action level of 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter of air). That’s the bad news. The good news is that testing for radon is simple and inexpensive and that, when needed, reducing indoor radon to safer concentrations is affordable.

Continue reading →

Northeast Portland Kwanzaa Events, December 26 – January 1

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events

[Ed. note – Apologies for not getting this posted before some of the events have taken place; events will go through year-end however…]

Kwanzaa, December 26 through January 1, is a unique holiday celebrating the strengths and accomplishments of the African American community. Kwanzaa activities will be featured at two Portland Parks and Recreation sites – the Matt Dishman Community Center and the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC).

On Wednesday, December 26, the Matt Dishman Community Center (77 NE Knott) will honor the first day of Kwanzaa, Umoja (Unity) with a presentation of the Feast of the Seven Tables, a performance by Liquid Moves Entertainment. The event runs from 5:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M., with the candle lighting at 6:30 P.M.

The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (340 N. Interstate) honors Kujichagulia (self-determination), the second day of Kwanzaa week, with live performances by poets and drummers throughout the Gallery from 4:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. on Thursday, December 27. The candle lighting ceremony will be held at 6:30 P.M.

In addition, IFCC is presenting a Kwanzaa Marketplace from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. on Saturdays and Sundays through December 30. The Marketplace will also be open during the Kujichagulia celebration on December 27. Great gifts and art finds by African American artists will be available, as well as art supplies, décor, and ideas for creating one’s own Kwanzaa Celebration. Artists featured at the Marketplace include Donna Smith, Renee Mitchell, Kemi Arigibon, Vivienne Mathis, Kahunya Wario, Marsalis Brown, GG, Romaine Harris, Jaime Lee Christiana, Wanda Wright, and Blacque Butterfly.

The IFCC Gallery will feature the works of artists GG, Mo, Art Alexander, Raymond Alexander, Adriene Cruz, Helen Montgomery, and Wanda Wright, each of whom have created an altar dedicated to each of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. Connected to The Center for Black Studies at Portland State University, Senator Avel Gordly, Reverend Dr. W.G. Hardy Jr., and Dr. Dalton Miller-Jones share their photos from a recent trip to Ghana. The works will be on view in the Gallery from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M., Tuesday – Friday, and 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. Saturday and Sunday, through December 31.

For more information, visit portlandparks.org.

4th Annual Tannenbaum Madness Begins November 29

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events

The 4th Annual Tannenbaum Madness event will open during the upcoming Last Thursday, November 29th. Sponsored by Art on Alberta, businesses up and down NE Alberta Street will create a walking tour of whimsical, artistic, and unique holiday trees on display in their front windows.

This year’s trees include Frock’s “Glitter Dolls,” “Le Petit Prince” at Tour de Crepes, “Silly Faces” at Guardino Gallery, “Tinseltown Tree” at Videorama, “Puestos de la Loteria” at Random Order Coffehouse, “All Things Bright and Beautiful” at Onda Gallery, “Tree for World Peace” at Enterbeing, and “Haute Hanukkah” at Foundation Garments. A complete list of participating businesses, as well as where to find printed directories will be available at the Arts on Alberta website.

Take a tour of this community celebration, and make sure to vote on your favorite tree during opening weekend. Ballot boxes will be distributed throughout the event with special prizes awarded for the top three trees. This event will run through December 31st.

Annual CNA Holiday Party, December 4

Posted on by Posted in Archive, CNA, Events

Mark your calendars for the annual CNA Holiday Party! The party will be held Tuesday, December 4, 2007 in the Community Room at the Kennedy School in lieu of our December General Meeting. This year the festivities will begin at 6:30 pm instead of 7:00 pm. There will be food, children’s activities, free prizes from local businesses, and plenty of good cheer and conversation. We are also pleased to announce that the Portland Recorder Society will be performing for our listening pleasure. Everyone is invited to come out and meet your neighbors in a fun and festive atmosphere! Please contact Katie at 503-296-7839 if you are interested in helping with the Holiday Party.

Neighborhood Mural Workshop, October 20

Posted on by Posted in Archive, Events

In Estacada, Jenny Joyce and Kolieha Bush paint as members of Artback (an artists collective). The group paints one large-scale, outdoor mural each summer. Artback’s mural-in-a-weekend is a featured attraction each year as part of the town’s annual Estacada Summer Fest, a 3-day city-wide arts festival that features music, crafts, activities for children, dance performances, and food booths. The town’s enthusiasm for the first mural (over 12 years ago), led directly to the growth of the arts in this small town.

Both women exhibit their personal artwork in area galleries and are recognized for their more that 20 years of experience in doing community murals. On Saturday, October 20, they will host a workshop featuring a slide presentation of Estacada’s murals and some recent Portland murals.

Where: Concordia Neighborhood Community Room, McMenamin’s Kennedy School
When: October 20th, 10am to 12:30pm

There will be time for questions and answers and refreshments will be provided. If you are thinking about doing a mural in your neighborhood this workshop will help you begin to think about the how’s and whys of doing community murals. Grant opportunities are currently available through the Neighborhood Small Grants Program that may accept community arts projects as part of a community building project in the neighborhoods.

Proposals are due on November 1, 2007.

To learn more about the small grants program visit Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement.