Here’s pumpkin to talk about 🎃

Gourd big or gourd home at these Portland area pumpkin patches

Several different kinds of pumpkins and squash are inside a wheelbarrow at a farm.

Oh my gourd, there are so many kinds of pumpkins + squash to choose from. | Photo by PDXtoday

Sweater weather is fast approaching and neighborhood trees are starting to decorate lawns + cars with crunchy leaves. It’s about time for a trip or two (or several) to a local pumpkin patch. So we’re going fall in by sharing six farms to visit around the Portland area.

Plumper Pumpkin Patch & Tree Farm | 11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd.

Wed.-Sun., 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Fall in love with the farm animals, turn the kids loose on the forest-inspired playground, get lost (in the best way) in the corn and hay mazes, and take home a pumpkin from this 65-acre former dairy farm. There’s also a hydraulic cannon for launching apples and squash.

Topaz Farm | 17100 NW Sauvie Island Rd.

Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri.-Sun., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
The Sauvie Island farm partnered with Laika Studios for this year’s corn maze honoring the 10th anniversary of “ParaNorman.” Don’t miss the caramel Honeycrisp apples. Pro tip: Visit on a weekday or be ready to pay the $20 vehicle entrance fee on weekends.

A tractor pulls a wagon full of people past pumpkins. — Take a hay ride to Bella Organic Farm’s pumpkin patch during the month of October.

Roloff Farms | 23985 NW Grossen Dr., Hillsboro

Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
There’s enough to do at the home of TLC’s “Little People, Big World” to take up a whole day. Ride a train, try a wagon tour, launch balls from a powerful air cannon, or pick out souvenirs from inside a 100-year-old barn. Pumpkins of every shape and size are available, along with food, treats, and drinks to wash it all down. Pro tip: You’ll need to make a reservation before visiting.

If you’re a gourd big or gourd home kind of person + you just can’t get enough pumpkins in your life, carve out some time for the Killer Pumpkin Fest on Sat., Oct. 29 at Rogue Ales & Spirits (928 SE 9th Ave.).

3 MORE PUMPKIN PATCHES

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Today

Low Bar Chorale Presents: Back to Schoolhouse Rock | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. | $20+ | Sing along to the classroom hits of Gen-X’s formative years, from “Conjunction Junction” to “Interplanet Janet.” 🚌
St. Johns Bites | Now-Thurs., Oct. 20 | Times vary | Locations vary | Prices vary | Post a picture of a meal from any St. Johns food establishment with #stjohnsbites for a chance to win one of three $50 gift certificates every week. 🍽️
Soovin Kim, Anna Lee & Amadeus Chamber Orchestra | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Patricia Reser Center for the Arts | $14+ | Violinist Anna Lee + CMNW Artistic Director Soovin Kim team up to play Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. 🎻

Friday

15th Annual “Dancing in the Square” American Indian Day Celebration | Fri., Sept. 30 | 12 p.m. | Pioneer Courthouse Square | Free | This social gathering features dancing, project booths + a Native-led mobile vaccination clinic.
Portland Night Market | Fri., Sept. 30-Sat., Oct. 1 | 100 SE Alder St. | Free+ | Have your fortune read, snuggle baby goats, play bingo, enjoy snacks + drinks, and shop your favorite local brands. 🌜
ScareGrounds PDX | Fri., Sept. 30-Mon., Oct. 31 | Times vary | Oaks Amusement Park | $15+ | Get into the swing of spooky season with three haunted walk-through attractions, rides, mini golf, roller skating + more. 👻

Saturday

Ankeny Alleyway Makers Market | Sat., Oct. 1 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Southwest Ankeny Street | Free | Shop a rotating selection of local artists and makers in this popular alley tucked into historic Old Town. 🛒
Portland Winterhawks vs. Tri-City Americans | Sat., Oct. 1 | 6 p.m. | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | $30+ | Portland’s junior ice hockey team is swooping into the home opener with two victories under their wings. 🏒
Paddy’s Oktoberfest | Sat., Oct. 1 | 12 p.m. | Paddy’s Bar & Grill, 65 SW Yamhill St. | $10 | The bar’s inaugural Oktoberfest will serve up German food, beer, music, and a chance to win a getaway to Leavenworth, WA. 🍻

Sunday

50th Portland Marathon | Sun., Oct. 2 | 7:10 a.m. | 1000 SW Naito Pkwy. | $139.99+ | Experience these scenic half- and full-marathon routes and you’ll forget you’re even running. Well, maybe not, but this is a great way to see Portland’s beauty. 👟

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

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IT'S BEEN REAL, SEPTEMBER

Weather

70º | Morning showers, partly cloudy afternoon | 44% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:06 a.m.
Set: 6:54 p.m.

Environment

Ride on the electric school bus. Portland General Electric has awarded six electric school buses to Portland-area school districts committed to supporting underserved communities + educating students about climate science. The state-funded Electric School Bus Fund can also grant up to $50,000 for charging infrastructure. 🔋 (KOIN)

Closing

Captain Ankeny’s Pizza & Pub is putting a cap on nearly four decades of business in Portland. Stop by the dive bar at 116 SW Pine St. before it closes on Fri., Sept. 30; owner Jon Abrahamson said you can still find his pies at the Portland Saturday Market. 🍕 (Willamette Week)

Community

Local comic book shop owners, artists, professors + others are working to open a pop-up museum dedicated to their craft in downtown Portland. Organizers hope to open the Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts in June of 2023 and keep it running through September. A location is still TBD. 💬 (Portland Mercury)
Exclusive birthday deals, shoutouts on our member wall, insider information from our team, discounts from our online shop — that’s just a few of the perks you get when you join the PDXtoday Membership Program. Learn more + sign up for this new way to support local journalism. 💻

Development

A project that’s been a quarter-of-a-century in the making is finally taking off. Ten city blocks at the southern end of Vancouver’s Main Street will get the glow-up treatment, with construction slated to begin in 2024 and end before 2026. City officials are now seeking public feedback on the design process. 🏗️ (The Columbian)

Cause

“What saves lives is opportunity.” A pilot program that pays people $20 an hour to pick up trash in Portland is being hailed a success. Ground Score Association, a partnership between local nonprofit Trash for Peace + the City of Portland, hopes to receive funding to continue through the next fiscal year. 🗑️ (KGW)
After being released from prison, Brandon Morlock opened a space in Portland where people can learn and develop a craft or trade. Now, Brandon’s place — Past Lives — has received funding from Glenn Dahl, the co-founder of Dave’s Killer Bread. “I’m passionate about giving people extra chances in life,” Glenn said. 💸 (KGW)

Outdoors

The timed ticket system that throttled traffic in the Columbia River Gorge’s 18-mile-long “Waterfall Corridor” this summer will likely return next year. Officials said the pilot program successfully slashed congestion in the popular tourist area, with 49,633 permits issued online + another 1,532 issued in person. 🚗 (The Portland Tribune)

Tech

A Seattle-based startup has raised $8 million to continue its creation of robots that learn the espresso arts from human baristas. You can see one of Artly’s arm-like machines make various drinks — like an iced mocha or matcha latte — using computer vision + deep learning at MUJI Portland (621 SW Fifth Ave.). 🦾 (Portland Business Journal)

Sports

We want to make sure that you’re catching all the sports coverage you need to join the conversation. As the fall season gets going, tell us what kind of sports content you want to see in PDXtoday. By completing the survey, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win team-branded swag up to $100 in value. ⚽

Travel

Picture this: you’re staying in a luxury California coastline home, you’ve just finished dinner after spending the day at Cooks Beach (just a five minute walk away), and you’re enjoying a mug of tea while you watch the sunset along the ocean. Make that dream a reality at this seafront escape. *

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Let’s get personal 🏋

Superpower Studios offers personal training in intimate North Portland space

Personal trainer Caitlin Lavelle holds a fitness pose inside her new Superpower Studios space in North Portland.

Caitlin demonstrates a kettlebell windmill. | Photo by PDXtoday

City Editor Cambrie here — I was recently invited to swing by Superpower Studios on North Williams Avenue to meet Caitlin Lavelle, the general manager and head coach, ahead of its grand opening on Sat., Oct. 1 in the Boise neighborhood.

Caitlin is on a mission to create a safe space where people can ask questions, find community + receive top-notch personal training in an intimate setting she likens to a sanctuary. “It’s important to me that we meet them where they are at their level and continue to help them build up their confidence and their skills at the same time,” she said.

I got to try a 45-minute session with Caitlin and really enjoyed learning several low-impact exercises that I’d never tried before. Unlike open gyms I’ve been to in the past, I didn’t feel awkward about asking questions and I didn’t worry about how I looked while crawling on the floor like Spider-Man (that guy makes it look so easy). Caitlin pointed out little ways to improve my technique but didn’t hit me with an overwhelming amount of feedback. She celebrated my progress and helped me feel motivated to continue.

Also, the moves weren’t just endless repetitions that left me feeling exhausted — I was challenged but not strained. And I walked away knowing how to lift a kettlebell like someone who knows what she’s doing. That’s a win if you ask me.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Cambrie.

Editor’s pick: Hopefully you aren’t tired of hearing about my quest for good chai lattes by now, but I found a particularly scrumptious one yesterday at Either/Or (4003 N. Williams Ave.). It’s surprisingly fiery + perfectly sweet.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Go hunting for vintage clothing at these local spots.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Terri Kiesenhofer | Advertise with us.

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