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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2014)
October 2014 THE COUNTRY STORE By Erik Vidstrand The Southwest Portland Post Sunshine and Mustangs make Raleigh Hills Community Fair a success The fourth annual Raleigh Hills Community Fair was held on Sept. 7 and according to the folks in the Raleigh Hills Business Association a grand time was had by all. Twenty- seven booth spaces and 13 classic Ford Mustangs were present. Brian Jarrett and his 1967 Mustang Fastback took top honors with four ribbons starting with Best of Show. “In all it was a really good fair without the rain we had last year,” FEATURES The Southwest Portland Post • 5 said Michael Chase, board member. “Over 700 raffle sales were made but we really did not keep count of the total number of visitors.” Former Pagenwood building gets remodeled for two new businesses The former Pagenwood building on Southwest Capitol Highway at 35th Avenue in Multnomah Vil- lage has been empty for years. But recently work has begun creating a place to get a haircut then get some- thing to eat next door. BMK Construction has shored up the back wall and is waiting for city permits for next steps as water and sewer lines are installed. The upper lot where garbage bins are stored has been remodeled and will provide some off street parking. Accuracy is important to Multnomah mystery writer April Henry By KC Cowan The Southwest Portland Post April Henry said that when she was a little girl in southern Oregon, she want- ed to be a writer when she grew up. However, she also didn’t think it was possible that someone from Medford could ever be a “real author.” As an adult, she composed informational medical piec- es, ad copy and press re- leases. But the dream to be an author never left her. “And then in my thirties, I read a book that was re- ally bad, and it was pub- lished and I thought, well, I could write a book that bad!” Henry said. “So I started writing.” Henry completed her first book and set about finding April Henry holds The Body in the Woods, her latest an agent. She got rejection book for young adult readers. after rejection. (Post photo by KC Cowan) She wrote a second book and tried again, eventually approach- If you read Henry’s books, you’ll ing an agent she read about in a maga- often notice references to Portland zine. The agent loved her book and locations, restaurants and businesses. signed Henry as her client. A Multnomah Village resident, she Unfortunately, no publishing house loves to sprinkle her books with lo- bought Henry’s book. So she wrote cal places. another one. It also didn’t sell. But in In addition, accuracy is very impor- 1997, her fourth book, titled “Circles tant to her. Her favorite source of ma- of Confusion,” sold in three days. terial is the Writers Police Academy, Henry was off and running and has held annually on the grounds of a real published 17 books since. On Feb. 1, police academy in North Carolina. 2008 she was able to quit her day job “It’s like a summer camp for mys- and has been making a living as an tery writers. It was started by a retired author ever since. cop, (who was) tired of mystery writ- She doesn’t get huge advances, but ers making mistakes in their books. as she puts it: “I’m doing OK. I’m do- Getting police procedure wrong, ing pretty good!” getting all sorts of things wrong,” she Henry writes mysteries and thrill- said. ers for adults and young adults. In a “And a lot of the lectures are hands- mystery, the identity of the bad guy is on. For example, presumptive blood kept hidden from the reader and “red testing. They might have a class where herrings” abound. you are given something with red on However, in a thriller, Henry said it and then you’re given the equip- both she and the reader know who did ment and then you test it.” it, so the plotting is different. “And you can see, ‘Oh! It smells like “With thrillers, you just have to vinegar when you snap this little vial.’ keep throwing bad things at (the Details that you would never get even hero) and you know they’re going if you looked at a catalogue showing to be all right at the end. So you just that equipment.” keep going.” (Continued on Page 6) Visitors admire the Mustangs at the Raleigh Hills Community Fair on Sept. 7. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand) On the west side of the building will be Bishops Barbershop. Cel- ebrating almost 14 years, Bishops began in Seattle and has grown to 13 locations including Seattle, and Bend, Ore. Most are in Portland. While there are several hair salons and barbershops in the immediate area, Bishops draws a different cli- entele according to several stylists in the village. “It is competition for sure, but competition is healthy,” said Ta- mara Marshall of Fusion Cut and Color. “We have just celebrated 11 years in Multnomah Village,” Marshall said, “and we have been best eco- friendly and organic hair salon five years in a row.” A representative of BMK Con- struction said Bishops should be open by the end of November. Next door, Tastebud, which cre- ates wood-fired baked goods, will be opening east of Bishops in the same building. Many folks were fortunate to get a sample of their food during Multnomah Days, but they sold out early. Tastebud began as a sustainable farm, but after building a brick oven, found their niche in cooking bagels and pizzas. They have a variety of food carts around Portland and are at the Hillsdale Farmers Market year round. They are expected to open their doors in February.
