Festivals

Flower events

• Manicure Week | Monday, March 18-Tuesday, March 26 | Times vary | Locations vary | Free | Visit a participating woman-owned salon in the Portland metro area for a complimentary manicure or other discounted service.
• Senator Jeff Merkley & Mike Zamore in Conversation With Laural Porter | Monday, March 18 | 7 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St., Portland | Free | Hear from the Oregon senator and his chief of staff as they talk about their book “Filibustered!” — an insiders’ account of the political procedure’s past impacts and its future potential.

• Vegan Junk Food Pop-Up | Tuesday, March 19 | 4-8 p.m. | Food Fight! Grocery, 11155 NE Halsey St., Portland | Price of purchase | Get your hands on one of Vuture Food’s popular (and entirely plant-based) Crispy Chik’n Sandwiches. Would you like fries with that?

• Spring Garden Park Volunteer Event | Wednesday, March 20 | 9-11 a.m. | Spring Garden Park, 3332 SW Spring Garden St., Portland | Free | Spend time in the gardens helping Portland Parks & Recreation with planting, removing litter, and pulling invasive species.
• OMSI After Dark: Fantasy & Folklore | Wednesday, March 20 | 6-10 p.m. | OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland | $25 | Explore the museum after hours at this 21-and-over only themed experience with beer, wine, food, DJs, and science demos that will teach you how to navigate by the stars and defend a castle.

• Oregon’s men’s basketball team defeated Colorado 75-68 to win the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas over the weekend. It’s the Ducks’ sixth Pac-12 Tournament championship and first since 2019. Oregon is a No. 11 seed and will play No. 6 South Carolina on Thursday, March 21. (KGW)

• If you believe meat is a dish best served rare, then Westward Whiskey has a treat for you: Portland Tartare Week. Today through Sunday, March 24, visit five participating restaurants and bars to try tartare specials and cocktail pairings; a portion of proceeds will benefit local food-focused charities.

• Two scoops are always better than one — and so are two Kate’s Ice Cream locations. The plant-based and gluten-free ice cream shop in North Portland announced it will expand to the other side of the Willamette River, opening a new location on Northwest 23rd Avenue this summer.

• Playing on your cellphone in a theater is typically not a great way to make new friends, but “The Smartphone Orchestra” is an exception. The multimedia experience coming to PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater April 5-6 brings the audience together through their phones to create one-of-a-kind stories, music, and connections.

• Nine hundred Dog Mountain hiking permits for wildflower season weekends were released last week… and sold out in a single day. If you didn’t snag one, there’s still hope: 40 additional daily permits will be released three days ahead of every hiking date. Or try a different dreamy destination. (KOIN)

• What has webbed feet, waddles, and will one day don a permanent tuxedo? This Humboldt penguin chick that recently hatched at the Oregon Zoo. The fuzzy, palm-sized baby is the 194th chick to hatch since the zoo started its Humboldt breeding program in the 1980s.

• With a forestry museum, zoo, arboretum, archery range, trails, recreational areas, and gardens galore, “the crown jewel of Portland” has a special place in our hearts. If you feel the same, then vote for Washington Park in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards — winners will be announced April 17.

• The Trail Blazers lost to the Knicks last week, but Deandre Ayton was a force to be reckoned with despite a shorthanded roster. Hear more about the game — and which college players Locked On Blazers host Mike Richman had his eye on for NBA potential during the weekend’s NCAA tournaments.

• A new maintenance shop
• A new greenhouse and fenced areas for plants and trees
• A new bike path and multi-use trail at Southeast 64th Avenue and Division Street expected to open around April 1
• New native plant landscaping, including 100+ new trees
• A public art installation