4 • The Southwest Portland Post
BUSINESS
August 2013
Village businesses roll out the green carpet for Multnomah Days
THE COUNTRY STORE
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
Every third Saturday of August, the
Multnomah Village Business Associa-
tion rolls out the red carpet for neigh-
bors and tourists alike for the annual
Multnomah Days festivities. But this
year it’s a green carpet, so to speak.
Organizers decided to have a green
theme for the parade and street fair in
recognition of the unveiling of the new
sidewalks, stormwater facilities, street
furniture and trees.
Note: At press time, some adjustment to
the sewers still had to be made; trees needed
to be planted; and the stormwater drains
still needed to be landscaped.
The theme includes: recycling bottles
and paper; composting food items; and
suggesting a green item to distribute
along the parade route. Organizers
also decided to make Multnomah Days
smokefree.
“Secondhand smoke does not mix
at family events,” said one of the orga-
nizers. “There will be a lot of children,
teens and elderly present. Even a slight
whiff can induce an asthma attack.”
Recent festivals like the Waterfront
Blues Festival and the Mississippi
Street festivals had thousands and
thousands of people, very little smok-
ing, and out of the way areas if smokers
needed to light up.
Business association members re-
mained guarded for the entire green
street project to be done in time for the
weekend festivities.
“The Jersey barriers are gone [along
with the chain link fencing]!” ex-
claimed Randy Bonella, Venture Port-
land representative for the MVBA.
“That’s good news.
“Businesses who wish to have side-
walk tables and chairs need to apply
to the city right away. It takes about a
month to process.”
It’s anyone’s guess what might hap-
pen next. Several business owners
have said that the main street will not
be paved. There are also some cracks
in cement that need patching as well.
Despite setbacks and delays, the
show will go on: done or not done.
To volunteer for Multnomah Days,
please contact Joan Steinbach at Thinker
Toys or email multnomahparade@gmail.
com
Multnomah Village gardens open
to tourists on August 17
The Multnomah Garden Club
will be holding tours
through seven lo-
cal area gardens on
Saturday, August 17,
during Multnomah
Days.
Take a break from
the vendors and
stroll through a vari-
ety of yards for both
beauty and use by
children and pets.
“The entire tour is
about two hours,”
The Multnomah Arts Center's pottery sale is a perennial fa- explained Shay Nofs-
vorite at the Multnomah Days Festival. (Post file photo by Don inger, secretary of the
Snedecor)
club. “There will be a
The petting zoo pig was very popular with children at the Multnomah Days festival last
year. The pig, however, didn't seem particularly happy. (Post file photo by Don Snedecor)
variety of ideas on how to work with
hills, nature friendly backyards, and
solutions for no grass habitats.”
The Multnomah Garden Club was
established in 1925 and is a member of
the National Garden Clubs INS. Chari-
table work has included designing and
planting of the VA Hospital flower
beds, raising funds to maintain local
gardens and donations for Neighbor-
hood House.
Many of the members teach garden
crafts and provide education for local
preschoolers, local nursing homes and
retirement centers.
The tours will run between 12:00 and
4:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for
$15 at Handy Andy’s and Jacqueline’s
Found & Fabulous.
Tickets will also be available at the
Multnomah Village information booth
and at any of the houses on the tour.
Cash and checks only.
Children under 12 are free. Sorry, no
dogs are allowed. For more information,
contact Shay Nofsinger at 503-704-0913.
Premier viticulturist to make
appearance at Vine & Dine
And if that wasn’t enough, on Sun-
day, August 18, the first Multnomah Vil-
lage Vine and Dine will be held on Moss
Street (behind Grand Central Bakery).
Tickets are still available for $50 at
1:00 p.m. VIP entry and $30 for general
entry at 3:00 p.m.
Sample outstanding wine and a
variety of bites from artisan vendors.
Alan Busacca, a premier geologist and
viticulturist will give a presentation to
the VIP ticket holders
“I’m very happy to partner with our
major sponsor, Safeway,” said Jill Cre-
craft, owner of Sip D’Vine, who is also
sponsoring and organizing the event.
Proceeds will benefit the Multnomah
Village Bloc’s Initiative, a new 501c3
organization helping the community
be financially successful.
For more information and to obtain tick-
ets, please visit www.VineAndDineTickets.
eventbrite.com.
Parsons produce stand thrives in second season in Multnomah Village
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
When Multnomah Village attempted
a farmer’s market several years ago,
organizers were hopeful and elated to
offer fresh, local produce, flowers, and
tasty meals mid-week.
Located under the basketball court
roof of the Multnomah Arts Center, the
small market operated every Thursday
from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. At the time, it
seemed like a great idea. You can build
it but will they come? Apparently not.
Perhaps it was the hours; maybe
the fact that a Sunset Magazine award
winning farmers’ market was right up
the road in Hillsdale. The fact was the
market didn’t last two seasons.
Fast forward to 2013: Parsons Family
Farms, located in Canby, has estab-
lished five produce stands in the re-
gion, one of them prominently placed
in the center of Multnomah Village.
Specializing in local, fresh berries
and vegetables, the produce stand is
open daily from approximately 10:30
a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Although not certified organic, ber-
ries are not sprayed. Healthy stalks
of rhubarb, bunches of scallions, and
baskets of berries dotted the racks. The
corn was a little thin, but then it is still
early in the season.
Prices also appeared lower than
nearby supermarkets and even farm-
ers’ markets.
The farm was founded in 1980 by
the late Jacques Parsons, who had a
strong will to move to the northwest
with a definite goal to bring the fresh-
est produce to Oregonians.
Starting out with one farm and one
stand, the farm has expanded to three
expansive farms and five stands. They
attend several weekly farmers’ mar-
kets in Tigard, Vancouver, Canby, and
Oregon City.
Katy McDonald, a Portland Com-
munity College student pursuing
chemistry, has worked for the Parsons
family for a year now.
“Multnomah is my favorite,” she
said as she weighed summer squash
and large radishes for an elderly
couple.
Katy did not know how many people
came through in a day, but it seemed
like she was always busy, especially in
the morning.
“That’s when the strawberries are
available,” Katy told the Post. “Straw-
berry season is just about over and they
are the most popular!”
A Parsons produce stand is even
located at the Southwest Community
Center every Friday- Sunday available
from the youngest child to the oldest
senior citizen.
“There’s nothing like a fresh peach
after a great workout,” commented a
mother in a running outfit. “My kids
love them and we don’t have to run
out to the market all the time.” Come
autumn, the stand will have late sum-
mer squash, apples and, of course,
pumpkins.
The Multnomah Village stand is
located on the corner of Southwest
Multnomah Boulevard at 35th Avenue
(in the lot by Keith’s Automotive).
It’s open from Memorial Day until
Halloween. It reopens the day after
Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve sell-
ing Christmas trees and greens.
"Multnomah is my favorite stand to work!" said Katy McDonald, who enjoys summer
employment with Parsons Family Farms. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)