Mary Ann is a St. Johns resident since 1990, small business owner, and tireless volunteer in this community. She is the owner of Waterlink Web, a website design and development firm specializing in eCommerce and eLearning websites for small businesses, teachers, and nonprofit organizations.
Do you love to dance? Do you love moving your body? The Aspire Project located at 8426 N. Lombard Street offers over 55 dance and fitness classes a week for students ages 3 years to 83 years old!
Affordable and Accessible Dance Classes
Since 2009, The Aspire Project has provided affordable and accessible dance programs for Portland’s youth and in 2015, The Aspire Project found their permanent home in downtown St. Johns. They currently offer classes for all ages in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, yoga, Pilates and cardio classes, as well as a youth academic lab.
No Student is Turned Away
At The Aspire Project, no student is turned away. The organization aims to provide programs for students who could otherwise not afford the opportunity. Currently, 50% of students in the studio program receive discounted tuition as based on financial need and the outreach program offers classes in five North Portland schools, Assumption Village and the Rosewood Initiative.
2nd Annual Fundraising Gala October 13th
On October 13, 2018, The Aspire Project is hosting their 2nd annual gala, Raising The Barre from 5:00-8:30 pm at the Village Ballroom. This money this gala raises helps to provide affordable and accessible programs for ALL. Will you join us and support The Aspire Project? Stop by The Aspire Project to inquire or buy tickets here.
Ron Steen on drums at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This month’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival will feature two new events that benefit local food banks!
Pancake Brunch and Bloody Mary Challenge
Sunday morning, July 22nd, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Pancake Brunch
The Jazz Festival will host their first-ever Pancake Brunch from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. The cost is $7.00 for adults. Children accompanied by a paying adult eat for free. This will also be in Cathedral Park. Look for the tent with the Pancake Brunch sign.
Bloody Mary Challenge
Meanwhile, adults over 21 can build their own Bloody Mary between 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Deschutes Brewery Beer Garden. Cost is $8.00 per person. Tomato juice, garnishes, and a short of vodka will be provided. At 11:00 a.m. in the beer garden, six bartenders from Portland establishments will compete in front of a panel of judges for “Best of the Fest Bloody Mary” honors. This event is sponsored by Everett West and Tito’s Vodka.
Proceeds Benefit Local Food Banks
While admission to the festival itself is free, everyone is urged to bring two nonperishable food items. Donated non-perishable food and proceeds from the Pancake Brunch and Bloody Mary Challenge will benefit local food banks including:
The St. Johns banners team is proud to announce that we sold all 51 weeks available to advertise in the header of the St. Johns Boosters website.
Banners Grant
To catch you up, in the fall of 2017 the Boosters applied for a placemaking grant from Venture Portland to design, print, and install banners in St. Johns. The grant of $3,000 required matching funds. We were hoping to raise $2,000 in matching funds by selling advertising in the website header. Ultimately, we raised $2,900 from businesses who purchased 3, 5, or 9 weeks of advertising. These ads will be seen by the hundreds of site visitors who are looking for restaurants, shops, and services in St. Johns.
Another $500 was raised in-kind matching services donated by Shiref Eksander, owner of Alshiref Design and Print, who worked with the Boosters Banners Team to design the banner.
This means that the Boosters made a profit of $400! The money will go to support lighting the St. Johns business district trees with lights during the holiday season.
St. Johns banners team. Left to right, front row: Mary Ann Aschenbrenner, Liz Smith. Back row, Allison Kirley, Leah Dowling.
Banners Team
The St. Johns Banners Team includes Mary Ann Aschenbrenner, President of Waterlink Web and the site designer for the Boosters, Liz Smith of Bizzy Lizzie and the social media rep for the Boosters, Allison Kirley of Delicious Life Wellness, and Leah Dowling of Leah Dowling Real Estate. Banners Team members not pictured here include Berdine Jordan of St. Johns Clay Collective and Brandon Rivera, a U of P student who wrote most of the grant application.
The team deserves a BIG thank you for working with the designer, PGE, City of Portland, the Boosters Board, and the printer/installer, Able Sage LLC to bring these 20 cheerful banners to St. Johns. In all, the project required about 100 hours of volunteer time.
Want to Advertise?
If you want to advertise in the website header, check back in March/April 2019 when we will be scheduling ads that begin May 11, 2019. Advertising runs week to week from Saturday to Friday. Ad charges are as follows:
Need an auto loan? Use Oregonians Credit Union and help the St. Johns Booster get a new marquee sign! The St. Johns Boosters have successfully replaced one Marquee sign and hope to replace the other two. In an effort to help raise money for the project, Oregonians Credit Union will be running an auto loan fundraiser.
For a limited time, Oregonians will donate 1% of the balance of your new auto loan to the marquee fund. This offer is valid for new or used auto loans, as well as the refinance of auto loans not currently with Oregonians CU.
Rebate will be credited to St. Johns Boosters within 30 days of loan disbursement. CUDL loans financed directly at a dealership are not eligible. Loan must remain at OCU for a minimum of 180 days or rebate amount will be added to the loan upon payoff. Minimum loan amount of $5,000. Maximum cash back of $500 per financed loan. Refinances of existing OCU loans do not qualify for this offer. We reserve the right to decline a loan request due to credit conditions, collateral value/condition. Rates and terms depend on the individual creditworthiness and collateral of each borrower. No other offers/discounts apply. OCU reserves the right to amend, suspend, or discontinue offer at any time.
Portland, Oregon, May 1, 2018 – The Jazz Society of Oregon’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival (CPJF) has announced its lineup of jazz, blues, R&B and soul performances for the three-day free event, Friday, July 20, Saturday July 21, and Sunday July 22, 2018, held in Cathedral Park under the historic St Johns Bridge in Portland.
“This is the 38 th consecutive year of the festival, which was started by a group of volunteers looking to commemorate the construction of spectacular Cathedral Park – one of the city’s most beautiful settings,” said Rita Rega, CPJF artistic director. “It has evolved into a celebration of Portland’s diverse music scene. It’s an ‘old Portland’ hang where everyone is welcome because it’s still free and still run by volunteers. It is also the longest-running community event in the Greater Portland area.”
In all, 15 jazz and blue bands will be performing. Youth groups open each day of the festival.
Friday afternoon and evening performances feature some of Portland’s top blues artists, including Norman Sylvester, Reggie Houston, Timothy James, and the NW Women Rhythm
and Blues.
Saturday is a showcase for the women of the Portland jazz community, featuring five female-led groups from the big band of Jessika Smith to the country swing of Becky Kilgore.
Sunday opens with a young jazz guitar hero and ends with a tribute to Ray Charles.
The CPJF planning committee is still looking for community sponsors and volunteers to fill a variety of positions. Sponsors may contact the festival planning committee by emailing
sponsors@jazzoregon.com. Also check Jazz Oregon website sponsorship page.
Allen Hinds playing at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
3-day performance schedule
Friday, July 20
5:00pm: Timothy James and the Portland Blues Revival – Strong vocals, instrumentals and arrangements got this talented group of young artists to the prestigious International Blues
Competition in Memphis in January this year.
6:00 pm: Reggie Houston – Former long-time band leader for Fats Domino and Charmaine Neville, Houston is a world-class artists of Blues, New Orleans Jazz and R&B.
7:30 pm: NW Women Rhythm and Blues – Sonny Hess brings together a powerful band of award-winning NW performers, including Joanne Broh, Lady Kat, Leah Hinchcliff, Kathryn Grimm and Kelly Pierce.
9:00 pm: Norman Sylvester Band, featuring Lenanne Miller & Renato Caranto – Show-stopping energy from Oregon Music Hall of Fame member, multiple CBA Muddy Award-winning, Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester and his 6-piece band.
Finale sees Timothy James and Taylor Newville join the “old dogs”.
Saturday, July 21
1:00 pm: Roosevelt High School Jazz Band under the direction of Jason Margolis.
2:30 pm: Becky Kilgore & the Cowhands (presented by JoBar)- Nationally recognized interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Kilgore brings her playful approach to Western swing and country with a taste of gypsy jazz. James Mason on fiddle, Doc Stein on Hawaiian steel guitar, Pete Lampe on upright bass.
4pm: Jessika Smith Big Band – Composer, saxophonist and music educator, Smith was lead alto saxophonist in the award-winning Oregon Jazz Ensemble and has performed at the Montreux, Vienne, Umbria and La Spezia jazz festivals. Here she has hand-picked 17 outstanding musicians from around the Northwest to fuel her powerhouse big band.
5:30pm: Catarina New & Brazilian Touch – Swedish-born saxophonist and vocalist, Catarina New’s sound is a perfect match for Brazil’s sultry Bossa Nova beat. Performing with her are some of Portland’s top Latin musicians, including her husband-percussionist Al Martin and Cuban born electric bassist Al Criado.
7pm: Quadraphonnes – This all-female saxophone quartet delivers both the sweetest harmonies and the hottest dance music. Spirited playing and dynamic vocals break all the boundaries of the usual sax quartet.
8:30pm: Tahira Memory – Following in the footsteps of her Grammy-winning father, Thara Memory, vocalist and band leader Tahira Memory is one of the most popular vocalists to come out of Portland. She has been praised as having “a love for old Soul, an open ear for all music, and a respect for current Rhythm & Blues.”
Sunday, July 22
1pm: Enzo Irace – Young composer-arranger, jazz guitarist and student of Dan Balmer.
2:30 pm: Under the Lake: On the heels of their success at this year’s PDX Jazz Festival, Under The Lake will satisfy those fans of funk, neo-soul and jazz with their groove and attitude. The 6-member group has four internationally-distributed albums.
4pm: Randy Porter Trio with Nancy King – Portland’s Randy Porter and Nancy King were both nominated for Grammys again this year and are two of the country’s best improvisers. They will take us on a trip through the music of Cole Porter, sampling the material from the recent release, “Porter Plays Porter”
5:30pm: David Evans Quartet – Portland saxophonist and clarinetist David Evans has shared the bandstand with Pete Fountain, B.B. King and Mose Allison, among others, but here he will lead his own quartet, including Randy Porter (piano), Tim Gilson (bass) and Charlie Doggett (drums).
7pm: Remembering Ray- Something audiences won’t experience anywhere else, this tribute to Ray Charles, “the father of Soul” is led by soul singer, Sean Holmes, and backed by Ray Charles sideman, saxophonist Dan Wilensky and organist King Louis.
Background – Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This year marks the 38 th consecutive year of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, which has been managed for the past five years by the Jazz Society of Oregon.
“This is a free, non-profit festival that provides the best jazz, blues, R&B and soul music from around the region to the greater Portland/Vancouver community,” said Rega. “In fact, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is both the longest-running free annual jazz festival west of the Mississippi – and Portland’s longest-running annual community event.”
About the Jazz Society of Oregon
The Jazz Society of Oregon is an all-volunteer non-profit organization 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote the local jazz scene in Portland and the rest of Oregon. The Society supports jazz education, as well as fostering a greater appreciation of this thoroughly American art form. Information on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, including news on sponsorships, poster contest, volunteer opportunities and talent, can be found at Jazz Oregon.
Welcome to St Johns! And nothing says welcome better than a Boosters Basket.
Exciting Welcoming Gifts
For the first time, the St Johns Boosters are welcoming newcomers to our community with a basket filled to the brim with gifts from 27 local businesses. Gift highlights include free initiation at West Coast Fitness, incense and candles from Shanti Om, a flower pot from Metamorphic, a shoehorn from The Man’s Shop, and a comic book from Comic Cave. Gifts also included notebooks, magnets, beer cozies, and 20% to 30% off coupons.
The first Boosters Basket will be delivered to new residents of The Union at St. Johns, but we are hoping to expand the welcome basket campaign over the next few months to new homeowners, new employees, and other new residents within the St. Johns Business District.
Our members stepped up to the challenge to make this basket an amazing value. Showing once again, that St. Johns is a neighborhood that has you covered!
If you are a member of the St. Johns Boosters and interested in being in the Booster Basket, look for an email about our next campaign or contact Jean Schwartz, owner of Metamorphic, at BoostersBasket@StJohnsBoosters.org.
For over 30 years students from all over the world have taken part in Integral Yoga Teacher Training Programs, part of the Basic Hatha Yoga Teacher Training. This summer, the Integral Yoga training will be offered at Shanti Om in St. Johns.
Integral Yoga
Integral Yoga is a complete science that cultivates and maintains the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of the individual. The non-competitive approach and meditative exploration of the Integral Yoga practices create an in-drawn awareness that allows each student to reconnect with deeper and more subtle aspects of being.
Founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev), one of the most revered Yoga masters of our time, Integral Yoga is a complete Yoga that integrates all aspects of life and maintains our natural condition of an easeful body, peaceful mind and useful life. It encompasses the whole person: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Integral Yoga includes the physical postures, breathing practices (Pranayama), relaxation techniques (Yoga Nidra), selfless service (Karma Yoga), devotion and prayer (Bhakti Yoga), meditation techniques (Raja Yoga), mantra repetition (Japa Yoga), and Self-inquiry (Jnana Yoga).
Instructors
Swami Divyananda Ma, the director of the Integral Yoga Institute in Coimbatore, India, will lead this training alongside Tilak Pyle and Shanti Om’s Bhakti Foster-Purvine. Tilak teaches yoga in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and leads national workshops and international retreats. He holds degrees in Religious Studies, Literature & Religion, and has studied Sanskrit at the American Sanskrit Institute.
This comprehensive certification program provides a strong foundation for personal and spiritual development, an appreciation for nurturing a personal practice and the skills to become a knowledgeable and professional Yoga teacher. The Integral Yoga training process fosters the teacher’s sensitivities to help create a safe environment for their students that allows them to realize their potential, gain self respect and learn to be of greater service to others.
Registration
The 200-hour course begins June 15th. [button link=”http://shantiom.com/teacher-training/”]More information and registration[/button]
Bhakti Foster-Purvine
Bhakti Foster-Purvine
After my first Integral Yoga class in the mid 90’s, I knew right away that I was hooked.
–Bhakti Foster-Purvine
Since then, her love and passion for yoga has continued to deepen and mature. She is a graduate in Integral Yoga through the Satchidananda Ashram and has spent a lot of time in India practicing, teaching, and learning Yoga traditions. Bhakti has led retreats to India, Costa Rica and Guatemala but India remains her favorite as it is the birth place to yoga and she loves to bring that spirit back to Shanti Om Yoga.
Making the World a Better Place
Bhakti is passionate about supporting the orphanage, Families for Children, near Coimbatore, India where she does service work and also brings back beautiful bags for yoga mats made by the women’s coop out of recycled materials. She sells these at Shanti Om and uses the funds to help support the orphanage. In addition, she founded and teaches at her own yoga studio for over 6 years, Shanti Om Yoga in St Johns.
Yoga Teacher Training
Bhakti never felt like she wanted to offer a yoga teacher training but while in India her teacher, Swami Divyananda, suggested that an Integral Yoga training would be of good service to the Shanti Om Community. After she offered to come co-teach, Bhakti decided that Integral Yoga is exactly what Portland needs. It is an old lineage and a traditional practice that incorporates not only the physical aspects of yoga but more focus on meditation and philosophy. This particular training has been taught for over 50 years!
Ayurveda Wellness
Bhakti is also a Certified Ayurveda Wellness Counselor at the 500 hour level and is working towards Practitioner at the 1600 hour level. She incorporates Ayurveda into her own life practices as well as her yoga classes. Ayurveda consultations and treatments are available at the Shanti Annex.
Please call 503-201-1614 or email her at bhaktipurvine@gmail.com for more information on the Integral Yoga Teacher Training, supporting the orphanage in Coimbatore, or her Ayurveda Services.
Thank you St. Johns! Despite a late start, the community support for the Brighten Up St. Johns campaign was amazing.
We were able to light 50 trees, including 5 new trees along Burlington Avenue, making our downtown business district inviting and safe even on dark winter nights.
Brighten Up St. Johns Totals
The totals for 2017 are in for the Brighten Up St. Johns campaign:
GoFundMe — $950
Donations into cans at local merchants — $1,219
Metamorphic Sock Sale — $250
Ace Hardware round up campaign — $571
Grand Total: $3,486!
We didn’t reach our goal of $5,000 but will be back next fall with more lights and plans to start raising funds earlier in the season.
2018 Sponsor(s) Needed
We are looking for a corporate sponsor for the 2018 Brighten Up St. Johns campaign. The sponsor or sponsors will receive marketing and promotions opportunities as well as the thanks of the St. Johns community. Let us know if you are an interested business by sending the St. Johns Boosters an email.
Enjoy the lights as they continue to shine throughout the dark winter season.
We all love the tree lights that the St. Johns Boosters install and update annually. During the dark days of winter they beautify our downtown business district, improve pedestrian safety, and encourage shopping and dining at local businesses.
That holiday glow extends into the spring until the trees start leafing out. These lights we all love, however, need funding.
Ace Hardware donated 175 strands this year to replace light strands that had burned out. Some business owners also donate to cover the cost of lighting the trees in front of their store or restaurant. Still, the cost is up to $5,000 each year for the permit, installation, and lift rental.
After a good start in this year’s fund raising, we are coming up short. As of December 13th, the community has donated $2354 toward the $5,000 needed:
Ace Hardware’s “round up” campaign brought in $571 in November.
Metamorphic’s sock sale, with the proceeds going to the Brighten Up St. Johns campaign and St. Johns’ Food Share, brought in $250.
Donations into the GoFundMe campaign are at $810.
Donations into cans left at local merchants are at $723 at last count.
Please donate through the GoFundMe Brighten Up St. Johns campaign or by giving when shopping at local merchants. Donation cans are set near the cash registers at about 40 local businesses.
It’s the generosity of our community that keeps the lights going each year. Let’s keep this St. Johns tradition alive.
We are on our way to raising the $5,000 necessary to replace burned out light strings and add lights to 5 more trees along N. Burlington Ave.
Shoppers are donating in the cans set out at local businesses, folks online are donating via the GoFundMe campaign, and the recent “round up to the nearest $1.00” campaign week sponsored by St. Johns Ace Hardware showed how much everyone in St. Johns appreciates the holiday lights.
Donations as of Nov. 28th
GoFundMe campaign: $785
St. Johns Ace, Round Up to the Nearest dollar: $571
Donation cans at local businesses: $323
In all, we have raised $1679 toward our goal. We still have over $3,000 to raise! Please be generous.
Even as I write this a crew is out adding lights to the trees in St. Johns. Donate today, #GivingTuesday.
Thank you St. Johns!