City Cast Portland
A new motto for Portland on 503 Day
May 3, 2024 · — Rachel Monahan
Happy 503 Day, Portland! We’ve designated today as a totally real holiday to celebrate our city. (To explain, it’s 5/03 — chosen for our area code 503.)
To celebrate, we’re retiring Portland’s slogan — “The city that works” — in favor of one written by a reader and selected by popular vote. It’s completely suitable. We are now:
“The city that’s working on it.”
What's CITY Talking About?
End of Portland State Library Showdown
On Thursday morning, Portland police cleared the protesters who’d occupied Portland State University’s library since Monday night. Police moved in and passed slowly through the building, arresting several people while others fled. The PSU library occupation was just one of the nationwide student protests this week seeking a ceasefire in Gaza. [Oregonian]
Mixed Outlook for Fire Season
Most of Oregon has seen a normal level of rain and other precipitation this year. That’s good news for fire season this summer. But there are still worrying indicators, say utility company Pacific Power’s meteorologists: Forecasts suggest this summer will be “hotter and drier.” Parts of eastern Oregon are also experiencing a long-term drought, and in our part of the state, January’s ice and snow storms brought down a lot of trees and tree limbs — potential fuel for fires this summer. [KGW]
No Oregon Office of the First Lady
Gov. Tina Kotek has reversed course: She won’t create an official Office of the First Lady in Oregon, backtracking on the plan that included hiring a chief of staff for her wife Aimee Kotek Wilson. But Gov. Kotek has not said whether Kotek Wilson will stop having regular meetings with state employees and contractors. [Willamette Week]
Giving Citizens a Say in the Budget
On this Friday’s news roundup, there’s an effort under way to allow ordinary citizens to help craft Portland’s budget. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
What To Do
Friday, May 3
- 🎨 Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market (pre-show party) | 5 - 9 p.m. | $25 | Oregon Convention Center
- 🇲🇽 Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta | 10 a.m. - 10:45 p.m. | $14.96 | Tom McCall Waterfront Park
- 🎥 ‘The People's Joker’ (pre-show stand-up with Roland Mechanik) | 7 p.m. | $15 | Tomorrow Theater
- 😆 Ali Siddiq | 7 p.m. | $39.14+ | Revolution Hall
- 🎵 Las Cafeteras | 7:30 p.m. | $30+ | The Reser (Beaverton)
- 🕺 Open Ended // Empress Archer | 7:30 p.m. (various times through Sunday) | $30.75+ | BodyVox (Northwest)
Saturday, May 4
- 🦸 Free Comic Book Day | All Day | Free | Various Locations
- 🫛 St. Johns Farmers Market (opening day) | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Free admission | St. Johns neighborhood
- 💗 Oregon Rises Above Hate (kick off day)| 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Free | Lan Su Chinese Garden (Old Town)
- 🇲🇽 Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta | 11 a.m. - 10:45 p.m. | $14.96 | Tom McCall Waterfront Park
- 🎨 Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. | $4 | Oregon Convention Center
- 🎵 ”Legally Blonde: The Musical” | 7:30 p.m. (and various times through May 19) | $47.50+ | Downtown
- 🎭 ’Coriolanus’ | 7:30 p.m. (various times through May 19) | $25+ | Portland Center Stage
- 🎭 ’Passing Strange’ | 7:30 p.m. (various times through May 26) | $30 | Portland Playhouse (King neighborhood)
Sunday, May 5
- 🇲🇽 Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta | 10 a.m. - 10:45 p.m. | $14.96 | Tom McCall Waterfront Park
- 🥬 King Farmers Market (opening day) | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Free admission | King School
- 🎥 ‘Godzilla’ (70th anniversary) | 4 p.m. | $15 | Tomorrow Theater (Richmond neighborhood)
- 🎵 Smash Into Pieces | 6 p.m. | $26.19 | Dante’s (Old Town neighborhood)
- 📚 Ivan McClellan I 7 p.m. | Free | Powell’s (Pearl District)
Monday, May 6
- 🐦 Bird Song Walks | 7 a.m. (weekly through May 20) | Free | Canemah Bluff Nature Park (Oregon City)
- 🥬 Come Thru Market (Black and Indigenous market) | 3 -7 p.m. | Free Admission | The Redd (Buckman neighborhood)
- 🎥 ‘Wings of Desire’ | 7 p.m. (through Thursday) | $14 | Hollywood Theatre
- 📸 ‘Vision of Place’ | Various Times (through June 10) | $21.95 | Portland Japanese Garden
Today on City Cast
I like the idea of a little treat fund: ‘You get a little treat in Southwest! You get a little treat in North Portland!’
503 Day Good News: City Money for Portlanders, Biking Improvements, and Reclassifying Cannabis
Happy 503 Day, everyone! Here’s some good news on Portland Bureau of Transportation’s planned greenway additions, what the upcoming federal reclassification of cannabis would mean to our local industry, and the participatory budgeting campaign currently gathering signatures. Willamette Week’s Potlander column author, Brianna Wheeler joins City Cast Portland host Claudia Meza and executive producer John Notarianni.
Thank you to everyone who sent in ideas for new city slogans and 503 Day traditions! I loved reading your ideas — and getting your takes on what’s great and flawed about Portland right now.
And now I’m taking the rest of 503 Day off! I’ll see you next week.
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