January 2012 enewsletter

Portland has become a haven for foodies of all stripes. From high-end dining in Downtown and the Pearl District to noshing at the city's ubiquitous food cart pods, Portland is blazing a gastronomical trail. And now you can satisfy your winter farm to fork cravings with the launch of Portland Farmers Market's inaugural Winter Market. The Winter Market at Shemanski Park (bordered by S.W. Salmon and Main streets) will be open every Saturday in January & February from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. So stock up on all your favorite local foods and visit the farmers and food artisans who produce them. Expect to find hearty greens, apples, leeks, potatoes, onions, meats, cheeses, seafood, baked goods, wine, honey, jam, hot food, soul-warming soups and more! And don't worry: there will be plenty of covered spaces so you can stay warm and dry.

If you love pairing your favorite meal with a glass of Oregon Pinot noir or a hearty winter ale, you won't want to miss the Oregon Wine Food & Brew Festival from Jan. 13-14 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Your appetite will be sated with over 35 Oregon wineries, craft microbrews and the full gamut of culinary delights. Admission is $10 at the door and includes complimentary parking (tasting and samples are additional).

Now that we have your stomach's attention, those New Year's resolutions will have to wait! Savor the finest chocolate from the Northwest and beyond at the Seventh Annual ChocolateFest. Enjoy chocolate and wine pairings and become a chocolate aficionado with presentations and demonstrations Jan. 20-22 at the Oregon Convention Center. Best of all, by attending the event, eating some chocolate and having fun, you are helping to support the World Forestry Center, a local non-profit dedicated to educating the public about forests, trees and environmental sustainability.

The RiverCity Music Festival 2012 presents some of the country's most talented bluegrass artists on fiddle, mandolin, dobro, pedal steel, accordion, acoustic or electric guitar—and every combination therein.

Join Brewvana Portland Brewery Tours for a special Saturday Imbibing Tour from 12-4 p.m. The fun kicks off at Coalition, continues to Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) —Portland's first eco-brewpub that offers handcrafted, organic beers in a sustainably built and operating building—heads north to Breakside Brewery, with one last stop at Lompoc's Side Bar. Click here to purchase tickets.

The Japanese New Year, or O-Shogatsu, is the most important festival of the year in Japan. Visit Portland Japanese Garden and take part in kakizome, the writing of the first calligraphy of the New Year.

Portland Center Stage presents North Plan. After a ruthless cabal seizes power in Washington, Carlton Berg, a bureaucrat for the State Department, runs off with the new regime's top secret Enemies List. Unfortunately for Carlton, the chase has come to an end in a police station in the Ozark town of Lodus.

Artists Repertory Theatre presents (I am Still) The Duchess of Malfi. Laced with violence and shocking wit, this macabre, plot-twisting, back-stabbing saga of murder, sex and betrayal doesn't come to a pretty end.

Lakewood Theatre Company presents Deadly Murder. Camille Dargus has fought her way up the ladder of success. She has beauty, talent and a limitless supply of money. She also has secrets, which threaten her charmed life. A suspenseful and exciting thriller.

Rock star violinist Joshua Bell returns to Oregon Symphony! Sparks will fly as Joshua Bell takes on Brahms – and the orchestra responds with Handel's rousing Royal Fireworks Music. Click here for tickets.

America's best idea—the national parks—gets even better with fee-free days over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees, including Oregon's Crater Lake National Park (pictured) and Lewis & Clark National Historical Park.

Portland Art Museum presents Chris Burden: Ghost Ships, a trio of actual sailboats that have been reconfigured and programmed by the artist to periodically unfurl sails, pivot rudders and simulate navigation. Three Ghost Ships (1991) epitomizes Chris Burden's masterful fusion of real machinery and complex metaphor that has made him one of the United States' most important sculptors.

Join Lan Su Chinese Garden in celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon. This annual event for families and kids of all ages includes lion and dragon dances each weekend, martial arts demonstrations, feng shui talks, dance and music performances, plant talks and much more.