Plus: Record coho salmon runs in the Willamette River.
 
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🪴 A tree-mendous celebration

How to celebrate Portland Arbor Day this fall
A tree mascot high fives kids at a forested park in Portland.
Bring the whole family for storytelling, facepainting, games, and even farm-fresh vegetables. | Photo via Portland Parks & Recreation
October isn’t just about candy and pumpkin patches. In Portland, it’s also the time to celebrate trees (beyond leaf-peeping) for Arbor Day.

You may be scratching your head and thinking — Arbor Day… in October? National Arbor Day is indeed celebrated every year in April, but in true Portland fashion, the City of Roses branches out and observes the day in October. There’s a reason for this treeson.

A season for success

Portland has celebrated Arbor Day since 1889 — about 300 years after a village in Spain held the world’s first documented arbor plantation festival, and just 17 years after the first American Arbor Day was held in Nebraska.

The City of Portland moved Arbor Day to October several years ago in response to our changing climate. While planting young trees in the spring was once no sweat, today’s hotter, drier summers have made it harder for trees to develop strong root systems and become established. Planting between October and April is recommended.

Two people pose with trees to take home.

Urban Forestry is giving away 3,000 trees to Portlanders this fall — and 100 at this event.

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Photo via Portland Parks & Recreation

Some heroes wear leaves

There are 1.2 million trees growing in Portland parks, 220,000 growing along streets, and many — and we mean many — growing on private property. Together, they provide a trunk-load of benefits to the city, from controlling erosion and filtering stormwater to reducing air pollution and mitigating heat islands.

“Science has shown that trees not only cool the environment but also play a substantial role in the larger fight against climate change,” said Portland Parks Commissioner Carmen Rubio.

Spruce up the city

This year, Portland will observe Arbor Day on Saturday, Oct. 12. Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry department will host a celebration from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Glenfair Park (Northeast 154th Avenue and Couch Court). A ceremony to honor the winners of the Bill Naito Community Trees Awards will also take place.

All ages are invited to stop by to help plant new trees in the park — just be sure to register ahead of time. There will also be food available from local vendors, and free activities like bucket truck rides and face painting. Portlanders can also sign up in advance to take home a free yard tree.
Literary Arts
 
Events
Friday, Oct. 11
  • Fall Harvest Festival | Friday, Oct. 11-Sunday, Oct. 27 | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Topaz Farm | $12+ | Embrace the season at this Sauvie Island farm with lots of animals, hay rides, duck races, u-pick pumpkins + flowers, food, and a market.
  • Serenading the Departed | Friday, Oct. 11 + Saturday, Oct. 12 | 6-8 p.m. | Lone Fir Cemetery, Block 14 (southwest corner) | Free | During the Double Ninth Festival (a Chinese holiday dedicated to remembering the deceased), storytelling + musical performances will be livestreamed and projected among the tombstones.
  • Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour | Friday, Oct. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | $40+ | See a performance by one of Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America” whose career spans 20+ years.
  • No-School-Days Fall Workshops | Friday, Oct. 11-Wednesday, Nov. 27 | Times vary | One River School of Arts & Design, Lake Oswego | No school days don’t have to be scary for parents — explore this full-day workshop series featuring fairy lantern art, a digital illustration of a bone-chilling town landmark, tiny desserts, and more.*
Saturday, Oct. 12
  • The Halloween Ball | Saturday, Oct. 12-Sunday, Oct. 27 | Times vary | The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts | $15 | Bring the kiddos for a costumed parade, interactive live storytime, singing + dancing, and of course, sweet treats.
  • Roller Derby: Break Neck Betties vs Black Diaspora | Saturday, Oct. 12 | 4-5:30 p.m. | Rose City Rollers Hangar at Oaks Amusement Park | $22 | Roller derby bouts are typically tight scoring and action-packed — don’t miss the fast-paced fun where food + drinks will be available for purchase.
Sunday, Oct. 13
  • Wood & Other Wonders Market | Sunday, Oct. 13 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Urbanite | Free | Timber Joey will mill a Timbers “victory log” into planks at this community market featuring vendors + activities (think: chair-building workshops, laser woodworking, and more).
Events calendar here
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News Notes
Real Estate
  • Next stop: new ownership. Northwest Portland’s Union Station needs ~$250 million in updates to its aging infrastructure, but the station’s owner — city economic development agency Prosper Portland — hasn’t secured the funding. A search is underway for “an entity with a transportation mission” that’s up to the task. Hint, hint Amtrak. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Community
  • Headwaters Farm in Gresham supports up-and-coming farmers through an incubator program offering crucial hands-on skills and business development. Students who enroll in the 5-year program lease farm acreage and solar-powered equipment and learn how to plant + manage the land. Applications for next year’s cohort are due by Saturday, Nov. 30. (KGW)
Sports
  • The Portland Thorns need a new general manager. Current GM and former Thorns goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc plans to step down from the position at the end of this season and transition to a new role within Raj Sports — the owners of both the Thorns and Portland’s incoming WNBA franchise. (KGW)
Biz
  • While we’re on the topic… the Portland Thorns and the unnamed WNBA team have their first joint sponsorship partner: First Tech Federal Credit Union. The California-based business said it was inspired by Portland’s emergence as a leader in professional women’s sports and wants to boost STEM education opportunities for girls. (Portland Business Journal)
Furry Friday
  • Open your heart (and purr-haps your home?) as we revive this concept of sharing local pets in need of fur-ever homes. Today, we’re featuring Nimbus, a 3-year-old kitty with a PhD in purring, and Balto, a super friendly Husky pup looking for a best friend with an active lifestyle.
Outdoors
  • Record numbers of wild coho salmon are swimming up the Willamette River. Experts estimate more than 40,000 coho — approx. 10,000 more than last year — have already passed Willamette Falls. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the river hasn’t been stocked with coho since the 1990s. (OPB)
Listen
  • What if every Trail Blazer added a new skill during the NBA off-season? Locked On Blazers’ host Mike Richman entertains the idea, analyzing the weaknesses of the team’s 15-player roster and sharing his what-ifs.
Job
  • We’re looking for two sales executives — one for our PDXtoday market and one for our SEAtoday market — to identify and secure new advertising partnerships and grow existing client relationships. Apply to join.
Read
  • Want unbiased, fact-centric national news delivered to your inbox daily? Subscribe to 1440’s free newsletter for neutral reporting on business, entertainment, sports, culture, and more.*
Try This
Finance
  • During economic times like these, balance transfers can really make a difference. Here’s how they work (hint: 18 months with 0% interest, plus 2% cash back) and why experts recommend this specific card.*
 
Community

The state of Portland’s statues

Portland Monuments Symposium to examine the past, present, future of commemorative public works
A golden statue of Joan of Arc, seated upon a prancing horse and holding a banner, sits atop a stone pedestal in the center of a large traffic circle.
This Joan of Arc statue at the center of Coe Circle in the Laurelhurst neighborhood is an exact replica of one commissioned by Napoleon III following the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. | Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday
What do you think about the monuments currently occupying Portland’s public spaces?

That’s one of the questions the city’s Office of Arts & Culture wants you to think about at the Portland Monuments Symposium taking place Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12.

The event, hosted by Converge 45 at Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, will feature panel discussions and keynote speakers who seek to encourage public engagement and expand dialogues around the topic of public art + monuments. Community members, artists, and arts administrators are invited to attend and learn about the history of public monuments — including those removed or damaged in 2020 + 2021 — and discuss their place moving forward.

Learn more about the ongoing Portland Monuments Project or register for the symposium. Tickets are free for students and members of the community.
The Buy
 
Half Baked Harvest’s “Super Simple Cookbook.” Get inspired by this New York Times best seller with over 125 recipes for hassle-free meals — from spinach and artichoke mac and cheese to slow roasted salmon.
 
 
The Wrap
 
Cambrie Juarez headshot

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie
From the editor
Portland is full of unique creatures, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen a white fox here before. Reddit user kimanatee posted a video showing the ethereal-looking animal wandering near train tracks. We reached out to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for their take on the sighting — was it a leucistic gray fox, or a shiny Pokemon? We’ll let you know their professional opinion if they respond.
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