Music, food, battleships: sunshine fun in Portland

You can’t tell from the weather, but summer is only a few weeks away. For those sticking around Portland there is a plethora of things to do. Portland is playing host to several unique events this summer that should please almost anyone. Hopefully the warm weather will follow.

A great place to start is the Portland Saturday Market. Open since March, the market really comes to life when the sun comes out. Completely free to stroll around, you can look at and purchase the work of local artists. Additionally, for budding artists there is the unique opportunity to sell your own work. As always, there’s great live music and lots of food at the International Food Court. Alternately, the Portland Farmers Market features more than 200 vendors from Oregon and Washington—including farmers, bakeries, nurseries, meat and seafood providers, cheese makers and specialty food producers.

The Bite of Oregon is a weekend event featuring dozens of the state’s top restaurants preparing close to 100 savory food items. Along with all the food there are also stages where 60 performances, including Iron Chef Oregon Competitions, take place. It is an all-out event sure to please any gastronome. Produced annually by Special Olympics Oregon, all proceeds go to a good cause. The Bite will be the weekend of Aug 8.

The pirates of LC can’t miss Fleet Week along the waterfront. Two double-masted brigs, Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, will be on display. They have appeared in countless movies and documentaries including “Pirates of the Carribean.” Check out these famous maritime vessels that celebrate the golden age of ocean exploration during the Rose Festival.

Portland Art Museum will feature an exhibit on German artist Klaus Moje this summer starting in the end of May. Trained as a glass cutter and grinder at his family’s workshop in Germany, Moje is internationally acknowledged as the father of the contemporary kiln-glass movement. The exhibition celebrates Moje’s works and teachings, which have influenced glass artists around the world.

While former LC ceramics professor Ken Shores is being featured at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in his retrospective “Generations: Ken Shores.” The exhibition places Shores’s work within the context of his life including his home, travels, and experiences. The show juxtaposes wall-sized images of his home with his own artwork, promoting connections between ancient objects and archetypal forms and Shores’s personal vocabulary.

Closet fans of Troy Bolton have reason to cheer as Disney’s High School Musical is coming to Portland from May 27 to April 1. From the people who produced The Lion King, the popular TV movie is next in line to be adapted to the stage. Also coming to town is the Tony-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q from June 24-29. It has the distinct advantage of being heavily inspired by Sesame Street, a claim that only a few shows can make. Both shows are being staged at the Keller Auditorium by the Portland Opera.

Bike enthusiasts need not worry, there’s plenty for you to do. The Urban Assault Ride on May 25 is a funky bike scavenger hunt that involves street-smart riding, obstacle courses, and a huge after party. Mental muscle is just as important as bike skills as teams of two choose their own course to checkpoints around the city. Also help usher in the hottest day of the year by participating in a 15-mile bike ride in the appropriately named the Hottest Day of the Year Ride. Waiting for you at the finish line is the city’s largest water fight and a make-your-own sundae bar.

One of the more bizarre events to happen this summer is the Portland Highland Games. Taking place on July 18-19, the games foster and preserve traditional Scottish Highland culture. This is done through the several contests including piping, drumming and dancing. Kilt not required.

The annual Rose Festival is the crown jewel of the summer. This year the festival will celebrate its 100th year of festivities with the usual fireworks, parades and lots of boats on the water, but there will be numerous special events added for the centennial. What is usually a week or more of partying outdoors becomes an entire month of celebration. The whole affair is kicked off with a fireworks extravaganza on the waterfront, tall ships display and starlight parade on Friday, June 1. Additionally, Trail Blazer Brandon Roy will serve as Grand Marshall of the Grand Floral Parade, the premier event of the 2008 Portland Rose Festival, on Saturday, June 7.

So there you have it, just some of the diverse and bizarre things going around town this summer. This is just a sampling really—the internet has dozens more events and happenings listed to suit your many interests, all of which are quite affordable. Be sure to take advantage of what Portland has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.