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.
Organized by Beth Preciso and Kert Wright, Night on the Town + 1 is one of the favorite St. Johns events. Above, a 2016 winner with a gift basket of goodies donated by local merchants.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
Stop by one of the 60+ participating businesses to pick up your FREE shopping passport and visit at least eight businesses to be eligible to win a basket full of local goodies.
When: Friday, November 17th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 18th all day!
Total Value of Baskets = $1,200
No purchase is required. Just check in with local merchants to get your passport stamped.
Street Opening Party!
When: Saturday, November 18th from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Townsquare at Richmond and Lombard.
Featuring: live music, Cake Luck, and a firetruck!
The St. Johns Boosters need your help making the holiday season shine. Everybody loves the lights on the downtown trees that improve public safety and bring shoppers out to local merchants and restaurants.
We have 45 cans out at local merchants. If you would like to host a donation can at your place of business, contact Beth Preciso at The Man’s Shop, 503-286-3514.
We will keep this campaign up through the holiday season. Please donate early and donate often.
Our tax identification number is 93-6031813. Thank you.
Or donate today via our Go Fund Me Campaign, Brighten Up St. Johns. [button link=”https://www.gofundme.com/brighten-up-st-johns”]Go Fund Me[/button]
The Aspire Project is celebrating eight years of serving the Portland Community with their first annual gala fundraiser, Raising the Barre.
Through generous individual donor support, no student is turned away at The Aspire Project. This dance program has grown from offering four classes a week in 2009 to 49 classes a week today. Each term 300 students take ballet, tap, and jazz dance classes. In addition to the youth and adult dance and fitness classes, The Aspire Project offers academic tutoring and computer programming.
Located in the heart of the St. Johns business district, this program is making a difference in our community and deserves our support.
Raising the Barre, First Annual Gala
The gala fundraiser will be Saturday, October 21st beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Laurelhurst Club, 3721 SE Ankeny St., in Portland. It includes a silent auction, dinner, and refreshments, program, and more.
Cost is $50 per person or come with your friends and reserve a table for eight for $400.
Photo by Joe Alcala. Taken in 2016 of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in beautiful Cathedral Park.
Photo by Joe Alcala. Taken in 2016 of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in beautiful Cathedral Park.
The Jazz Society of Oregon’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival (CPJF) has finalized the lineup and schedule of jazz, blues, R&B, and soul performances for all three days of this year’s free event. Held in Cathedral Park, under the historic St. Johns Bridge in Portland, this is the 37th year for this annual event.
The CPJF was started by a group of volunteers looking to commemorate the construction of spectacular Cathedral Park — one of Portland’s most beautiful settings. It has evolved into a celebration of Portland’s diverse music scene. It is still free and still run by volunteers. In fact, this is the longest-running community event in the Greater Portland area.
Performers include both nationally recognized artists, such as Manuel Valera, Joe Powers, and Ezra Weiss, as well as local artists, including two youth groups.
Performance Schedule
Friday evening, July 14th
5 – 5:30 p.m. — United By Music North America: Professional musicians mentor a program for musically-talented people with developmental and intellectual challenges.
6 – 6:45 p.m. — Julie Amici: jazz singer Julie Yanko, blues bass player Dean Mueller with guitarist Dan Gildea, drummer Carlton Jackson and special guest Mary Kadderly.
7:15 – 8:15 p.m. — Rose City Kings: One of Portland’s top blues bands with 5 critically acclaimed albums, including last year’s A Love So Strong, which stayed 7 months on the Top 50 Blues Album chart.
8:45 – 10 p.m. — Andy Stokes: The Northwest’s “King of Soul”, with a smooth R&B style and gritty emotion.
Saturday afternoon and evening, July 15th
1 – 2 p.m. – Roosevelt High School Jazz Band: North Portland is home to this swinging group of student musicians.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – The Bylines Quartet: Song stylist Marianna Thielen and pianist Reece Marshburn write together and perform jazz-inspired, story-driven tunes.
4 – 5 p.m. – Midnight Serenaders: The hot, retro swing group, but very different from your grandparents’ swing; ukulele and Hawaiian steel guitar give them a Hawaiian accent.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Shirley Nanette: Veteran Portland vocalist pays tribute to the late Ernestine Anderson in a quartet featuring tenor star Renato Caranto.
7 – 8 p.m. — Manuel Valera Trio: Grammy-nominated NYC-based, Cuban-born pianist-composer Valera plays his sophisticated blend of Latin and jazz, called Forma Nueva.
8:30 – 10 p.m. — Ural Thomas and the Pain: Thomas topped the soul charts in the 1960s, and a group of young Portland musicians brought him back to the live music scene. A showcase for vintage soul and funk that will get the audience dancing.
Sunday afternoon and evening, July 16th
1 – 2 p.m. – Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra Vanguard Alumni Band: Alumni from 16 years of PYJO bands mixed in with talented high school musicians perform Ellington, Coltrane, Woody Shaw and more.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Clay Giberson Quartet: One of the most sought-after sidemen in Portland, composer-pianist Giberson showcases his sensitive style of jazz.
4 – 5 p.m. – The Ezra Weiss Big Band: Composer-pianist Ezra Weiss leads some of the best players in town in Portland’s most popular homegrown big band.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Joe Powers & Friends: Harmonica wizard and international Tango artist, Joe Powers, celebrates the music of his mentor Toots Thielemans.
7 – 8:15 p.m. – Michael Beatzilla Whitmore & The Store of Funk: A horn- driven blend of jazz, rock, soul, funk and R&B, this music is eminently danceable.
Background on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
This year marks the 37th consecutive year of the Cathedral Park jazz Festival, which has been managed for the past four 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. 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.
Margie Smith
Managing Director
Volunteers Needed
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 at sponsor@jazzoregon.com.
The Jazz Society of Oregon is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, 501(c)(3), whose mission is to promote jazz music in the Pacific Northwest. The Society supports jazz education as well as fostering a greater appreciation of this thoroughlyAmerican art form.
Information on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, including news on sponsorships, poster contest, volunteer opportunities and talent, can be found at the Jazz Society of Oregon website.
Last week we ran a Doodle Poll to determine the best time for the Boosters Networking and Business Building (BNBB) group to meet. The response was terrific and determined the best time is Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
This group is intended for professionals and artists who want to share ideas about business strategy in order to increase profits. The atmosphere is supportive and we work to mentor each other and provide accountability.
BNBB will meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard. June 15th will be the inaugural meeting at the new time, 10:00 a.m. In July we will meet on the 6th and again on the 20th.
Come prepared to introduce your business and share ways to manage a business, reduce expenses, and improve profits. Bring your questions and your business cards.
Art Burst 2017, June 2nd 3rd in St. Johns, Portland, Oregon
St. Johns, is home to talented artists and an active art scene. June 2nd and 3rd we celebrate the creative spirit of our neighborhood with St. Johns ArtBurst, a weekend of art events.
St. Johns Art Walk
Friday, June 2nd — St. Johns Downtown and Cathedral Park Place
Enjoy artist receptions and demonstrations at local businesses along N. Lombard, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. From 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. dance to live music at the artist reception at Cathedral Park Place Gallery, located at 6635 N. Baltimore.
Event details and let them know you are attending: Facebook Event Page. Light snacks will be provided.
Art Constitutional
Saturday, June 3rd — US Bank Parking Lot, N Lombard & Philadelphia
On Saturday, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., come out for the family-friendly St. Johns Art Constitutional. The Art Constitutional joins the St. Johns Farmers Market by bringing together art, music, and food. The Art Constitutional offers a combination of artworks, demonstrations, hands-on art making, and performances.
Arts/Crafts Vendors
Connect and shop with local artists and crafts people including painters, illustrators, jewelry designers, woodworkers, fabric artists, glass artists, and more. Some will be doing live demonstrations!
Music/Performances
Enjoy music from St. Johns locals and a diverse array of genres. Thank you to Multnomah County Cultural Coalition and the Oregon Cultural Trust for supporting our diverse musical performances this year!
Community Happiness Art Project
St. Johns Center for Opportunity wants to know what makes St. Johns residents happy. They are asking residents to paint their own canvas flags with a representation of what makes them happy. The canvas flags will be collected and displayed at neighborhood events and during the September Art Walk.
It’s been a long winter, but it’s finally time for the St. Johns Farmers Market!
Saturday, May 20th we open the market season in the St. Johns Plaza, located at N. Lombard and N. Philadelphia. The market goes from 9am-2pm every Saturday through October 28th.
This Saturday, come out for fresh and local produce, baked goods, cheeses, salsa and hummus, meat and eggs, fish, plant starts, and more! Have brunch or lunch at the market with a crepe, tamale, sausage, or steamed pork bun – even bring a deck of cards and stay for a while!
Music
Of course there’s always music, and on opening day we’ll have Jeremy Fama (a high energy busker-supreme who has some stories to tell) and Twenty Three Suns (known for their otherworldly tunes designed to move you).
Demos and Community Offerings
New Seasons at the demo booth showing you how you can use those spring vegetables! Also at the market this year: a kids corner where little ones can read and color, a community booth to learn more about our neighborhood organizations, and a swap station where community members can share gently-used clothes, shoes, and books.
SNAP Accepted and Doubled
At the St. Johns Farmers Market, you can double your SNAP dollars! For every $1 of SNAP funds redeemed at the market, a matching $1 in Double Up Food Bucks is provided (up to a $10 match each visit) to purchase additional fruits and vegetables from local farmers and producers. See the info booth at the market to redeem.
Is your business interested in offering a retirement savings option to its employees but lacks the resources? The Oregon State Treasury is starting a new program called OregonSaves to create an easier, less-costly way for employers to help their employees save and take responsibility for their own financial futures.
Research shows that employees are more productive when they have less finance-related stress. They are also 15 times more likely to save for retirement if an option is available at work.
Oregon State Treasury is looking for employers to join a pilot program of OregonSaves this summer. Pilot employers will get:
Early access to the program
Hands-on assistance getting started
The satisfaction of helping to ensure that the program works well for everyone.
Being able to offer an easy retirement savings option will also help you retain and attract good employees.
About OregonSaves
Key features:
Workers automatically save part of their paycheck in their own professionally managed accounts.
Employers will not have any financial obligations nor make matching contributions.
The employer role is limited, mostly to passing along information about the plan and making payroll deductions for participating employees.
Background on the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
Last week we ran a Doodle Poll to determine the best time for the Boosters Networking and Business Building (BNBB) group to meet. The response was terrific and determined the best time is Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
It’s been a long winter, but it’s finally time for the St. Johns Farmers Market!
Is your business interested in offering a retirement savings option to its employees but lacks the resources? The Oregon State Treasury is starting a new program called OregonSaves to create an easier, less-costly way for employers to help their employees save and take responsibility for their own financial futures.