Community

Serving warm food, warm smiles

Happy Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on everything you’ve been given, and be grateful for all that you have.

Take the time to give thanks for all that’s good in your life -- and give to others who may not share the same good fortune this Thanksgiving.

Give from the heart

Help brighten the holiday for someone in need.

• Donate time or money to a local charity or food pantry
• Donate a Thanksgiving basket to a neighbor in need
• Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter
• Deliver Thanksgiving meals to housebound seniors

Volunteer this holiday, and share the season!

Have a safe Thanksgiving weekend.

Portland 34th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Pioneer Courthouse Square: Fri Nov 23, 2018 5:30PM-6:30PM

Come and Join the Fun! When: Fri, Nov 23, 2018 5PM-6:30PM Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square 701 SW 6th Ave Portland, OR Get Map!

The day after Thanksgiving, thousands of Portlanders will gather at the Square to celebrate the lighting of the spectacular 75' Douglas-fir tree provided by Stimson Lumber Company.

Join us for a community sing-a-long curated by Portland’s own Thomas Lauderdale, with members of Pink Martini and friends. Limited edition holiday songbooks will be available at the event or for download on our website. Pre-show entertainment begins at 5pm.

With a big tree, over 14,000 colorful lights and Portland’s largest community sing-a-long, this is an event you won’t want to miss!

Strobe lights will be used during this event.

Come and Join the Fun! When: Sat, Nov 24, 2018 5PM-6:30PM Where: Arts Plaza 401 NE Second St. Get Map!

The 27th Annual Spirit of Christmas tree lighting one of the communitys most popular events rings in Greshams holiday season with a family-friendly program that includes music, photos with Santa, refreshments and the lighting of the 60-foot Ponderosa pine on the Arts Plaza.

Watch for fun activities beforehand in Historic Downtown in the afternoon leading up to the tree lighting festivities on the Arts Plaza.

For more information, contact Event Coordinator Shannon Chisom at Shannon.Chisom@gmail.com or 503-750-3785.

Read more about the Spirit of Christmas event.

When: Sat, Nov 24, 2018 6AM-10PM Where: Throughout Gresham Get Map!

Black Friday? No, Shop Small Saturday! Support your local businesses of Gresham on November 24. Stay tuned for a list of participating businesses in the Gresham area. Visit the Gresham Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Why do we shop small?

1. Small and local businesses give back more to your community. According to Civic Economics, "On average, 48% of each purchase at local independent businesses is recirculated locally, compared to the less than 14% of purchases at chain stores."
2. Small businesses make a major economic impact in our City. According to the SBA, since 1990, small businesses have added 9 million jobs. The more you shop local, the more local job opportunities will increase.
3. Small businesses create a sense of community. Check out the City's Spirit of Christmas event. Events like this are made possible because of participating local Gresham businesses.

For more information about this event, contact Shelley Write at 503-665-1131 or shelleyw@greshamchamber.org.

Peaceful Solutions When: Tue, Nov 27, 2018 6PM-7:30PM Where: Wood Village City Hall 2055 NE 238th Dr. Wood Village OR Get Map!

The holidays can be a joyous and wonderful time for families and friends to gather and celebrate. However, tough topics like politics and religion can make those gatherings difficult.

This 1.5-hour training is an introduction on how to utilize conflict management skills to enhance learning experiences around tough topics like religion and politics. Participants will be actively engaged throughout the training with the help of experts that will provide coaching through hands on practice.

This training is free to those who live or work in Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village or unincorporated east Multnomah County. $10 fee for those who are outside of east county.

Contact East Metro Mediation at 503-618-3247 or Mediate@GreshamOregon.gov to register.

Distance shown is from downtown Portland to the event location.
Click the link in each activity for event details.

		Halloween Fantasy Trail October 01-30, 2018 26 miles SE Families love the lighted Halloween Fantasy Trail, with its decorated castle, suspension bridge, tunnel, and maze at Wenzel family farm in Oregon City. 7-10PM Daily. 19754 South Ridge Rd, Oregon City, 503-631-2047
		Davis Graveyard October 01-31, 2018 6 miles SE Visit Davis Graveyard in Milwaukie any day, or after dusk to see the lights, or wait for special effects Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Excellent sights and sounds!! Free. SE 43rd Ave & Johnson Creek Blvd, Milwaukie.
		Halloween Pumpkin Patches October 01-31, 2018 Greater Portland area Enjoy pumpkin patches, hayrides, and corn mazes. Beaverton, Tualatin, and west McMinnville, Salem, and south Portland, Sauvie Island, and east
		Portland Greek Festival October 05-07, 2018 2.8 miles east Portland Greek Festival has Greek food, crafts, music, and dance at NE 32nd Ave. & NE Glisan St. Free.
		Apple Tasting October 12-14 and 19-21, 2018 3.8 miles east Taste and buy 60 kinds of apples and pears, visit a kids’ tent, see cider making, and hear live music at Apple Tasting at Portland Nursery on Stark St. Free. Apples still only $0.99 LB!
		Doll Asylum October 26-28 and 31, 2018 96 miles north (Worth the drive!) Doll Asylum. See 700 creepy and gory dolls in an Astoria home. A must see!! Donations of dolls are welcome. Free!
		Howloween at the Zoo Sat, October 20, 2018 9:30AM-3PM 3 miles west Kids 3 to 11 will enjoy scavenger hunts, goody bags, and activities like watching animals eat pumpkins during Howloween at the Oregon Zoo.
		CORN MAZES Bella Organic 16205 NW Gillihan Rd Portland, OR 97231 www.bellaorganic.com/pumpkin-patch/ Daily thru Oct 31, 2017 Fazio Farms Corn Maze & More 8433 NE 13th Ave Portland, OR 97211 www.faziofarms.com (503)289-2020 Kruger's Farm 17100 NW Sauvie Island Road Portland, OR 97231 www.krugersfarm.com (503)621-3789 The Pumpkin Patch 16525 N.W. Gillihan Rd Sauvie Island, OR 97231 www.portlandmaze.com (503)621-7110 Portland Pumpkin Farm 16205 NW Gillihan Rd Portland, OR 97231 www.portlandpumpkinfarm.com (503)621-9545

Free Event! Bring one- Take one When: Sat Oct 13, 2018 10AM-12PM Where: Eastrose Fellowship Church 1133 NE 181st Ave Get Map!

Neighborhood Plant Swap
Want to add to your garden plants & at the same time share some of your over populated plants!

In an effort to connect with our community and encourage camaraderie amongst us gardeners, Eastrose Fellowship is hosting a plant swap on Saturday, October 13th, 10 am - noon.

How it Works
Pot up the extra plants in your yard and bring them over. Be sure to label plants with their name and best growing conditions. Pick up some cool new treasures for your garden. This is a fun way to introduce more diversity into your garden.

Feel free to bring these to swap: plants, seeds, houseplants, tools, decor, mason bee houses, etc. No invasive plants please.

Join us for this fun, community affirming event!

More Info
For more info, contact Karen Pyle kpyle23@gmail.com

Happy Gardening!!!

Click to enlarge		Save the Date! When: Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:30PM-9:00PM Where: Gresham City Hall Conference Center 1333 NW Eastman Pkwy Get Map!

Meeting the Council Candidates
Come hear from the candidates running for Gresham City Council! The Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations is hosting a candidate forum.

The schedule will be:

This is a non-partisan event, organized by volunteers from the Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations.

In each section, the candidates will first give brief intros, then answer a few questions that the Coalition is providing in advance of the forum, followed by audience questions which will be submitted on notecards at the forum.

Please join us to meet your neighbors & become a more informed voter!

Aztec Dancer

It is time for the 8th Annual Nadaka Community Festival! When: Sat Aug 18, 2018 12PM-3PM Where: Nadaka Nature Park 17615 NE Glisan St Gresham, OR 97230 Get Map!

This fun and exciting event will be at Nadaka Nature Park in Gresham on Saturday, August 18th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM!

This is a free event for the community with:

• Aztec Dancers
• Free food (while supplies last)
• Nature & sports activities for all ages
• Portland Audubon’s live educational birds
• Community booths with information and activities
• Face painting
• Live music

Entrances & Parking: NE 175th & NE Pacific has parking in the neighborhood or NE 175th & NE Glisan with parking in St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church parking lot. Parking is also available on the south side of NE Glisan at NE 176th in the neighborhood. Crosswalk available across NE Glisan.

NO SMOKING – There is absolutely no smoking on site.

More Info
Questions prior to and/or during the event contact 503-956-8558.