Walk it out

By bike

• Bard Bingo | Tuesday, May 7 | 7-9 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 8811 N. Lombard St., Portland | Free | Hear ye, hear ye — Gerard the Bard will host a raucous night of games and chance, where each card will cost five gold pieces.
• OMSI Science Pub: SWARMED! | Tuesday, May 7 | 7-9 p.m. | OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland | $5 | Urban beekeeper Mandy Shaw leads this talk examining the fascinating — and often misunderstood — honeybee behavior.

• History Pub - The Legacy of Tabitha Moffat Brown | Wednesday, May 8 | 7 p.m. | McMenamins Grand Lodge, 3505 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove | $5 | Learn about the “Mother of Oregon” — a woman who survived the Oregon Trail at the age of 66 and founded a local university — from living history reenactor Mary Jo Morelli.

• Best of Portland Anniversary Cruises | Thursday, May 9, Thursday, May 23 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Salmon Springs Dock, 1010 SW Naito Pkwy., Portland | $30 | Celebrate Portland Spirit’s 30th anniversary with a 1990s-themed sunset cruise showcasing local food + drink purveyors and familiar faces, like The Unipiper and Una the Mermaid.
• “Legally Blonde The Musical” | Thursday, May 9-Sunday, May 19 | Times vary | Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland | $31.75-$62.25 | The 2001 romcom film has been given the musical makeover — but don’t worry, it’s still as pink, upbeat, and delightfully dedicated to self-discovery as ever.

• Trailkeepers of Oregon Open House | Friday, May 10 | 6-8 p.m. | TKO Office and Courtyard, 2500 NE Sandy Blvd., Ste. C, Portland | Free | If you love hiking, then consider joining this dedicated group of volunteers who work to maintain local public trails.

• Oregon contributes the third-fewest nursing graduates per capita in the US, but Concordia University St. Paul’s Portland campus is shoring up that shortage. The school’s 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program combines online coursework with in-person lab experience and accepts 80-100 new students three times a year. (KGW)

• The University of Oregon has joined forces with other West Coast universities to create a new wildfire monitoring technology. ALERTWest is a network of 1,200 cameras in the western US monitored with artificial intelligence capable of delivering alerts to firefighters when a new fire is detected, improving response time. (KOIN)

• The Portland metro area’s employment rate reportedly fell 1.5% in February 2024 compared to February 2023 — the largest loss among the country’s top 50 metro areas, according to state economist Jake Procino. “There aren’t as many people immigrating to the region to be hired as in the past,” Procino said. (Willamette Week)

• One of two bronze plaques will be installed today in recognition of the South Park Blocks’ 2022 listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The 12-block greenspace was dedicated in 1852 as Portland’s first official open public space. Portland Parks & Recreation will install the first plaque in Shemanski Park.

• Take advantage of the upcoming sunny shift in weather with Metro’s free parking days. On Wednesday, May 16, park without paying at places that normally require a fee (think: Oxbow and Blue Lake regional parks, Broughton Beach, and Chinook Landing Marine Park). There are 11 additional dates throughout 2024.

• An international film festival showcasing “dance that happens in the public realm — outside of studios and off traditional stages” sashays into Portland this Thursday, May 9-Saturday, May 11. Live performances will be held before select screenings at BodyVox Dance Center; tickets for Dare to Dance in Public are $15.

• B Local PDX unites and supports the nearly 170 Certified B Corporations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The organization’s biggest event, the B Corp Leadership Development PNW Conference, is set for Friday, June 7 at the Leftbank Annex. All are invited to network and learn about the “work in progress” movement.

• The Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts returns with a whimsical roar for its 61st year Friday, June 21-Sunday, June 23. This year’s featured exhibit, “The Imagination Menagerie,” features works in varying mediums by professional artists who reinterpreted drawings of imaginary animals by local K-8 students.

• The Trail Blazers have three coaching positions to fill; plus, the NBA Draft Lottery is less than a week away. Get the biggest stories every day from the local Trail Blazers experts with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

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