Plus: Attend the Oregon Bigfoot Festival and Beyond.
 
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A hobby with sedimental value

Portland pursuits: Hiding painted rocks ‘adds beauty, kindness, and joy’
An open hand holds three painted rocks with the words "Love Hard."
Some of Benson’s favorite rocks were ones she painted during the pandemic with the logos of local bars and restaurants, then gifted to them when they reopened. | Photo by @kb_rocks_pdx
In the spirit of enriching Portland’s vast and vibrant tapestry of talent, we’re starting a new series to shine a light on hobbies pursued by locals like you. You’ll hear from folks who are passionate about what they do outside of work and maybe — just maybe — you’ll be inspired to try something new.

Before you sigh and think there’s no way you’ll ever find time for one more interest… just wait. Our first hobby spotlight is one that requires almost no investment. And unless you’ve been living under a you-know-what, you likely already know about it. Who wants to paint some rocks?

Kacy Benson does.

“Beauty, kindness, and joy”

Benson is a member of local Facebook rock painting groups like NW Rocks and Portland Rocks, but her enthusiasm for the activity extends beyond the PNW. A childhood spent decorating rocks for her aunt’s garden evolved around 2017 when she started painting and hiding rocks in public places with her mom in Florida.

“After that I was hooked and started painting my own in Portland,” Benson said. She has since spread her tiny works of art in states like New York and Alaska.

A collection of rocks painted in shades of pink and blue on a table.

“Whether it be in a tree in a city park, on a bench in Mount Tabor Park, or on a gas pump, hiding rocks somewhere that people will be able to find it without too much difficulty is what I do,” Benson said.

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Photo by @kb_rocks_pdx

Stumbling across a painted rock in the wild means someone took the time to paint it and leave it there to bring joy to a stranger’s day, often without ever knowing the outcome.

Benson’s most memorable rock was one she’d painted at Timothy Lake, then hidden in Seaside. It was found and relocated multiple times, with online posts documenting its journey all the way to Southern California.

“This activity is important to the community because it adds beauty, kindness, and joy in places that can otherwise be mundane,” said Benson. “Think of how boring it is to go to the bank or the post office, then finding a beautiful painted rock! It always improves my mood whenever I find one. I just found one at the airport the other day, which helped my flight delay not be so bad!”
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What do you do for a hobby in Portland?
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Events
Friday, June 28
  • Oregon Midsummer Festival | Friday, June 28-Saturday, June 29 | Times vary | Nordic Northwest Campus, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland | $5-$19 | Bring the whole family to experience Scandinavian festivities steeped in centuries-old traditions, like pole raising, flower crown making, and dancing ‘round a bonfire.
Saturday, June 29
  • Oregon Bigfoot Festival and Beyond | Saturday, June 29 | 12-6 p.m. | Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland | $30 | Probe the mysteries and legends of the PNW alongside celebrity Bigfoot hunters and paranormal investigators.
  • Picklefest | Saturday, June 29 | 7:05 p.m. | Walker Stadium, 4727 SE 92nd Ave., Portland | $14-$30 | It’s a homerun of locally made beer, baseball, and live music as the Pickles All-Stars take on the Gresham Greywolves.
  • Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival | Saturday, June 29-Sunday, July 28 | Times vary | Locations vary, Portland | $5-$67.50 | Experience “the Beethoven effect” during this monthlong celebration of classical music.
  • Outdoor Movies | Saturday, June 29 | 9 p.m. | Interstate 84, Corbett | Free | Pack a picnic and head to Rooster Rock State Park for a screening under the stars of “Return to Oz.”
Sunday, June 30
  • 18th Annual Latino Cultural Festival | Sunday, June 30 | 12-7 p.m. | Hillsboro Ballpark, 4460 NE Century Blvd., Hillsboro | Free | Food, art, live entertainment, and futsal come together for a celebration of culture and community.
Saturday, July 20
  • “The Little Prince” | Saturday, July 20-Sunday, Aug. 4 | Times vary | The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts, 1000 Southwest Broadway, T-100, Portland | $5-$35 | Unlock your imagination and embark on a journey through the galaxy with two unlikely companions, The Aviator and the mysterious Little Prince, during this live production.*
Events calendar here
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Portland Art Museum
 
News Notes
Community
  • Do Good Multnomah held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a $9.4 million renovation of Arbor Lodge Shelter on North Lombard Street and Denver Avenue. The site will open to visitors within the coming weeks, offering 106 beds, 18 tiny homes, a kitchen, bathroom, and access to wraparound services. (KGW)
Coming Soon
  • 99 Ranch Market will expand into Portland. The California-based Asian grocery store chain known for fresh produce, meats, seafood, and specialty imports will open a 40,000-sqft location at 10544 SE Washington St. near Mall 205. A date hasn’t been announced. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Plan Ahead
  • The inaugural Portland E-Prix raced into town last year — this Saturday, June 29-Sunday, June 30, the event returns for a second lap at Portland International Raceway. See the world’s fastest, regulated electric road-course racing cars and enjoy live music, a gaming area, and food and drinks.
Real Estate
  • With its origami-inspired roof, hand-carved cantilever staircase, rain shower, and midcentury-modern architecture, The Folded Roof is a one-of-a-kind home. Located near Multnomah Village, it’s listed as a “perfect blend of Northwest Contemporary architecture, Japanese Zen, and Scandinavian hygge” and comes with your own personal arboretum, art studio, and woodshop.
Closing
  • Secondhand shoppers, now is the time to pay one last visit to The Program Shop. The “eclectic vintage and secondhand vendor collective and shop” on Southeast Division Street is closing. Tuesday, July 23 will be the store’s last day.
Ranked
  • No matter how you slice it, Portland is a pizza work. Italy-based 50 Top Pizza named Ken’s Artisan Pizza the No. 5 pizzeria in the US (it placed No. 18 on the world charts last year). Grana and Nostrana also got a piece of the pie, placing No. 27 and 30 respectively. (50 Top Pizza)
Sports
  • The first night of the NBA Draft was an eventful one for the Trail Blazers, who traded for Deni Avdija and landed Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick. Did you miss the action? Get up to speed with Locked On Blazers’ recap.
Arts
  • Calling all art enthusiasts: “Monet to Matisse: French Moderns” showcases ~60 works of art considered to be modernist masterpieces. Focusing on France in the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, the exhibition features paintings + sculpture from Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, and more. Grab tickets.*
Finance
  • Did you know you could finance your fixer-upper with home equity? You could get up to $50K with a HELOC — calculate your payment.*
Eat
  • Looking to dine out out-of-town this weekend? According to OpenTable, top-loved restaurants this month include DEDIKo for food and Brick Hall for ambience.*
 
Outdoors

🌸 Getting to the root of restoration

Metro helps 2 PNW wildflowers recover from threatened status
Magenta- and pink-colored flowers bloom on long stems.
Nelson’s checker-mallow provides nectar for the Fender’s blue butterfly, a species recently reclassified from endangered to threatened. | Photo via Metro
Two Pacific Northwest wildflowers are rare success stories in the 51-year history of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, joining the ranks of other plants and animals that have recovered enough to no longer be considered threatened.

Golden paintbrush

As an upland prairie dweller, golden paintbrush grew scarce as its habitats were developed or used for grazing — eventually disappearing from Oregon entirely. It was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. As part of its recovery plan, Metro planted golden paintbrush at Howell Territorial Park, Graham Oaks Nature Park, and Cooper Mountain Nature Park and by 2018, nearly 50,000 plants were alive and thriving.

Nelson’s checker-mallow

Unmanaged wetlands, habitat loss from logging and agriculture, and competition from invasive species led to Nelson’s checker-mallow’s threatened listing in 1993. Seeds provided by Metro’s Native Plant Center were planted by recovery groups, helping boost the flower’s population from as few as 7,100 at the time of its listing to 334,968 in 2021.
The Buy

The Buy 6.28.24 (Affiliate)
A Prime membership — because Amazon Prime Day is coming Tuesday, July 16 + Wednesday, July 17. You need a membership to be eligible for the sale prices (which are usually pretty great).
 
The Wrap
 
Cambrie Juarez headshot

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie
From the editor
The future looks cleaner for Portland’s bike lanes because PBOT is in the process of buying a new electric sweeper designed for narrow spaces. Just think how long it would take to sweep every bike path in the city...
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