Plus: Providence Park scores gold for going green.
 
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Sunrise 6:46 a.m. | Sunset 7:25 p.m.
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Full steam ahead

Efforts to restore the historic Washington Park and Zoo Railway are back on track
A 5/8th scale steam locomotive painted in red, green, gold, and black on tracks in a forest.
The Oregon No. 1, a classic iron horse steam locomotive custom built in 1959 for the railway. | Photo courtesy of The Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway
A miniature railway embodying Portland’s spirit of ingenuity once carried millions of passengers through Washington Park. It connected popular attractions and provided the backdrop for what many Portlanders now consider to be core childhood memories.

For over a decade, most of the route has been quiet, empty of train engines pulling cars packed with kids and kids-at-heart — but it hasn’t been forgotten.

It may even run again one day soon.

The backstory

The Washington Park Zoo and Railway initially opened as a loop in 1958 through what would become the Oregon Zoo’s campus the following year.

A second, longer segment running to the International Rose Test Garden was added in 1960. Both segments closed in 2013 for zoo construction; a shortened zoo loop opened the next year, but Metro decided to not reopen the branch to the rose gardens.

Zooliner_train_-_Washington_Park_&_Zoo_Railway,_cropped.jpg

Local children picked the Zooliner engine design, which was hand built in Portland. It was the talk of the town and beyond, with Portland’s pride in the project evidenced by US Sen. Richard Neuberger.

|

Photo by Steve Morgan

“The old ride took about 20 minutes,” said Kathy Goeddel, president of the Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway. “It goes through the woods, it has a ziggy-zaggy path as it goes through the canyons, and then it ends up at the Washington Park Station where there used to be a really big view of the mountains. It was glorious. No matter how old you were, it was something to behold.”

Now, the nonprofit Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway is leading the charge to restore the train’s route running to the rose gardens.

Not-so-fast track

After learning Metro had no intention of ever reopening the route, advocates for its restoration got busy. They testified before Portland City Council, gathered the support of neighborhood associations, and tasked historic rail groups and experts with determining what it would take to get the train back on track. Progress was derailed, so to speak, by the pandemic.

In June, the Metro Council passed a budget amendment to fund a facilitator for a Washington Park Train Task Force.
What's next + how to help
Asked

Which statement about the Washington Park and Zoo Railway is false?
A. John F. Kennedy rode the zoo train when it served the Oregon Centennial site in 1959
B. In its heyday, the railway had five trains, two stations, and an engine house
C. In 1961, the railway became a rolling post office + a mail slot was installed on the Zooliner
D. It inspired the railroad in Disneyland
Can you engineer the answer?
 
Events
Wednesday, Sept. 11
  • Geek Week PDX | Wednesday, Sept. 11-Sunday, Sept. 15 | Times vary | Locations vary | Prices vary | From cosplay events to trivia and game nights, this citywide celebration turns the fun level up to extreme.
  • Swift Watch | Wednesday, Sept. 11-Monday, Sept. 30 | 6:30-9 p.m. | Chapman Elementary School | Free | Thousands of migrating birds circle the skies over the school before funneling into a chimney to roost every evening during this incredible must-see seasonal spectacle.
Thursday, Sept. 12
  • “Monet to Matisse: French Moderns” | Thursday, Sept. 12-Sunday, Sept. 15 | 10 a.m. | Portland Art Museum | $0+ | See 60 modernist masterpieces by Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others on loan from the Brooklyn Museum.
  • Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival | Thursday, Sept. 12-Sunday, Sept. 22 | Times vary | Locations vary | $0+ | “Encounter the unexpected and experience what you haven’t before” at the 21st edition of this all-encompassing celebration of contemporary art.
Friday, Sept. 13
  • Brian Regan | Friday, Sept. 13 | 8 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | $38+ | This stand-up comedian brings “the perfect balance of sophisticated writing and physicality,” plus his sets are profanity-free.
Saturday, Sept. 14
  • Emergency Resilience Indigenous Event | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | 4880 NE 104th Ave. | $0+ | Take a safety/defense workshop with Damsel In Defense, learn about plant and medicine identification with Mad Bear LLC, and meet Portland Indigenous Marketplace vendors.
  • The Bloody Mary Festival | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. | The Redd on Salmon | $29+ | Pick yourself a bushel of bottomless tomato-based cocktails from some of the craftiest mixologists around.
Sunday, Sept. 15
  • Eco Garden Fest | Sunday, Sept. 15 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | SymbiOp Garden Shop | Free | There’s something for gardeners of every skill level, with dozens of educational booths, workshops with sliding-scale pricing, and plants for sale.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
Festival

📚 Have the best bookish time at the 2024 Portland Book Festival

a gif featuring images from a previous portland book festival
Calling all literary enthusiasts: Mark your calendars for this can’t-miss festival. | Photos courtesy of Literary Arts; GIF by 6AM City
Where can you find thousands of books, dozens of authors, and countless literature lovers in one place? At the Portland Book Festival, happening on Saturday, Nov. 2, of course.

The all-ages fest features writing workshops, storytime, a book fair, and a day of thoughtfully curated stories and discussions with local + national authors, including:
  • Ani DiFranco
  • Richard Powers
  • Renée Watson
  • and more
General admission passes are $18 in advance ($25 day-of) and include a $5 book fair voucher. Bonus: Youth 17 and under receive free general admission.
Consider that weekend booked
News Notes
Biz
  • República Hospitality co-owner Angel Medina hopes the third time’s a charm for his latest attempt at launching a production + media company. Todos Media aims to share short-form stories of BIPOC- and women-owned businesses, particularly those within the hospitality industry. Early episodes feature Deadstock Coffee, Orox, and HeyDay Doughnuts. (Portland Inno)
Closing
  • One of Portland’s original brick-and-mortar taquerias is putting a cap on 35 years of business. Santa Fe Taqueria on Northwest 23rd Avenue will close on Monday, Sept. 30. Owner Danny Cardoso, who started selling tacos in the area four decades ago, said he’s looking forward to having more family time. (KGW)
Cause
  • Southeast Portland has a new, permanent food pantry. The Woodstock Pantry, spearheaded by All Saints Episcopal Church, started as a temporary resource during the pandemic. Organizers said they’ve seen demand skyrocket and they are “now serving over $1.6 million of food each year.” (KOIN)
Edu
  • “I can’t wait to go through the year, but I’m ready to be done,” said a David Douglas senior on their first last day of high school. They’re one of 27 students OPB has followed since first grade to track Oregon’s goal: a 100% high school graduation rate starting in 2025. (OPB)
Film
  • A Portland-based author’s memoir is being adapted for the big screen, and the project’s director already knows a thing or two about life in the PNW. Kristin Stewart’s feature filmmaking debut is based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s “The Chronology of Water” — a story “about turning trauma into art.” (Variety)
Sports
  • The University of Oregon and Oregon State are both 2-0 heading into this weekend’s rivalry game. Will it be a dog fight… er, aquatic animal fight... or will UO nip their early-season issues in the bud and pull off their first win in Corvallis since 2018? Locked On Ducks speculates. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Fun Fact
  • You can advertise in this newsletter with no long-term commitment or contract. Your message could be right here in as little as two days. Secure your spot.
 
Sports

🏅 Gold for going green

Providence Park is greener than ever after achieving LEED Gold certification
The view from Providence Parks' Tanner Ridge seating area shows an elevated view of the stadium and the tops of the hills in the distance. The Portland Thorns warm up for a game in the 2022 Women's International Champions Cup against Monterrey.
Providence Park reached LEED Gold standing nearly 100 years after the stadium was first built. | Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday
The home of the green and gold is looking extra green. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded Providence Park one of the highest environmental architecture awards: LEED Gold certification.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a green building rating system recognized worldwide, providing “a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.” There are four levels — certified, silver, gold, and platinum — with points awarded across several categories like transportation, innovation, and water efficiency. The Moda Center is the only other sports venue in Portland with a LEED designation.

Providence Park achieved LEED Silver certification in 2011; the stadium’s east side was upgraded to Gold following the 2019 expansion project.

The Timbers attributed the full stadium’s LEED Gold status to:
  • Diverting 44% of park waste from landfills in the last year with the help of COR Disposal & Recycling
  • New LED lighting
  • Free public transportation on gamedays in partnership with TriMet
  • A new reusable drinkware program
The Buy

The Buy 9.12.24 (Affiliate)
The cutest ghost pillow to get your couch ready for fall and Halloween. Psst — choose your favorite size or get all three for an adorable trio.
More worth The Buy
 
The Wrap
 
Cambrie Juarez headshot

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie
From the editor
Oh, today’s high temperature is 70 degrees? Excuse me while I jump for joy and pull every sweater out of my closet. The first official day of fall is still over a week away, but if you’re as eager as I am to start the season, here’s a refresher on what to expect.
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