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OCT. I, 1997
Committed to cultural diversity.
Volum e X X V II, Num ber 40
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Kids need coats
You can help needy children in the
Portland area stay warm this winter through
the Salvation Army “Coats tor Kids” drive.
Donations in all sizes are needed. Dry
cleaners throughout the area are collect
ing and cleaning the coats through O cto
ber. Look for posters in neighborhood
cleaners are call the Salvation Army at
234-0825.
Sky shows at M t. Hood
“Exploring the Autumn Sky, the first
planetarium show of the year for Mt.
Hood Community College opens Satur
day at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the MHCC
Planetarium Sky Theater. Admission is
one dollar. The theater is located on the
main campus beneath the library.
Help for depression
Is someone in your family depressed?
Camerawork IBehavior Health Services,
a joint program of area hospitals will
provide free check-ups as part ot Na
tional Depression Day, Thursday, Oct. 9
Adult screenings will take place from 7-
8:30 p.m. at Legacy Good Samaritan,
1040 N.W. 22 Ave. Adolescent screen
ings will take place from 4-6 p.m. at
Boise-Eliot School, 620 N. Fremont. Pre
registration is required by calling 335-
3500.
Gandhi opens series
Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahandas
K. "M ahatma” Gandhi, will kick-off the
Reed College W omen’s Committee lec
ture series. Conscience and Community,
Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vollum Lecture
Hall. Gandhi will discuss aspects of com
munity living, both in India and world
wide. Tony Hopson of Self Enhancement,
Inc. is the invited speaker on Oct. 23.
W alk for diabetes
W alktoberfest, A m erica’s W alk for
Diabetes, takes place Saturday at Holladay
Park near the Lloyd Center. Participants
will support a prevention and cure for this
serious chronic illness. For more infor
mation or to register to walk or volunteer
call 1-800-254-W ALK.
Sauerkraut festival
1
Pumpkin decorating, quit raffle, cotton
candy and crafts is just a fraction of the things
you’ll findatSteinfield’sScappoose Sauerkraut
Festival, Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. at Scappoose Heritage Park.
S h a n ic ^ rig h u ie ft^ in ^ ia ir r^ ra tc h e rb o th o f northeast Portland, joke with Sunflower the Clown at Northwest Festival o f Clowns
Clowns smile
on all
B y N eil H eilpern
he Northwest Festival o f Clowns
Saturday provided northeast Port
land with a cornucopia o f gags,
giggles, smiles and cases o f the sillies.
Several hundred clowns came to this three
day conference for training, workshops, per
form ances, coaching and com petitions.
Saturday’s event, sponsored by the Rose
City Clowns, saw numerous colorful charac
ters parading their stuff for the public.
The clowns were an assortment o f unique,
comical characters who used their appear
ances, actions and skills to entertain.
Some wore white face, others had the
“A uguste” skin tone make up and others
wore character specialty faces.
T
As they paraded and frolicked in and
around the Holiday Inn at the airport, it was
obvious they shared a philosophy o f going
beyond cultural differences to give every
one a chance to laugh and create laughter.
“N o one is prejudiced around a clown, no
racial barriers,” said parade judge Angel
Ocasio, o f Vancouver, also known as “W illy”
the clown. He told The Portland Observer he
was “ impressed with the growth o f quality
clowns.”
“At one time clowns were a male domi
nated role,” noted Ocasio. “Now a lot o f
women are clowns, adding more dimension
to the role.”
Ocasio was also selling educational com
edy magazines and videotapes in the “deal-
(Photo by Nell Hell pern)
'One advantage of being a clown is you are no
longer white, black, yellow or red,’ - Harley
the Clown, also known as Bob Benson of
northeast Portland
to the role."
Ocasio was also selling educational com
edy magazines and videotapes in the "deal
ers" room, which was filled with fake eye
lashes and makeup, silly stickers, multi
colored clown shoes, and zany wigs, masks,
magic tricks and funny ties.
Just as Ocasio, a Puerto Rican from New
York City, noted that Hispanics have an
“ incredible passion for clowning," Gina
Hernandez Wollrabe, o f northeast Portland,
walked through the door.
“That’s where we start getting our looks,"
she said to a visitor, pointing to the many
booths. "Out comes the wallet." she pro
claimed, heading for the plastic noses. “ A
new red nose for Cha Cha and a flesh colored
nose for my new character Gramma Rose,
the old lady.”
C haC haistheclow nnam e forherCarm an
Mirands look, complete with bunches o f
grapes and other fruit When she got into
costume and headed out for the parade, her
comedy kept people laughing.
She walked up to people, carrying a cov
ered bird cage, and asking, "W ould you like
to see my Tucan? Her name is Rosarita and
she comes from the south aisle o f Safeway,”
Once people nibbled at the gag, she uncov
ered the cage to reveal two cans o f Rosarita
refried beans.
Gina chose the name Cha Cha (short for
Continued to page B4
Scouts sell popcorn
Area Boy Scouts will go out into area
neighborhoods during October to con
duct a fundraising drive delicious T rail’s
End gourmet popcorn. Sixty-eight per
cent o f the purchase price goes directly
to scouting in the local area.
Church organist needed
North/northeast Portland’s Immaculate
Heart Church seeks a pianist/organist for it’s
youth gospel choir. The position requires 10
to 12 hours a month playing a weekly practice
and 2-3 services a month. Call 287-3724 for
information.
Support for kids, parents
Common Bond, a partnership o f Volun
teers of America and the Urban League of
Portland, offers free playgroup, parenting
classes, monthly field trips and health nurse
services to northeast Portland residents with
children 0 to 3 years. For information contact
Lesie or Ime at 280-1616.
Home maintenance tips
Instruction on home maintenance issues
take place during a Portland Housing Center
class O ct 9 from 6:30 p.m to 8:30 p m at
Terrell Hall, Room 201 on the PCC Cascade
Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth. The class is
presented by the Portland Housing Center, a
non-profit group.
Vibrant youth banners on
Alberta need protection
ave you noticed the colorful
banners Hying on Northeast
Alberta Street?
The banners were created by nine youth
employed in Sabin Community Develop
ment Corporation's Summer Youth Em
ployment Program.
“T he b a n n e rs
represent a resur
gence of LIFEalong
the Alberta Corri
d o r” said Roslyn
H ill of R o sly n ’s
Coffee House, an
Alberta Street busi
ness.
Now. the orga
nization needs the
com m unity's help
to keep the banners
h anging in good
shape. Since the or
ganization hung the
banners in late Au
gust, two of the ban
ners have d isa p
peared, and several
have com e down
and been recovered
“Il would be a shame to lose any of the
banners. The young artists were very proud
H
ol their work, and most wanted to keep (he
banners they created It was a big step for
them to release ownership of their work to
share with the community a sense of pride,
beauty, and promise. ' said Cruz.
One of the missing banners has a tur
quoise background
with a brown figures
and the words “Sky
Goddess." The other
missing banner has a
fuschia background
with the words “Love
is the Key to Life."
The organization
asks an y o n e who
knows any thing about
the missing banners
to give them a call
287-3496. In addi
tio n ,
p e o p le can
watch the condition
of the banners and if
they see any of them
com ing loose, call
Sabin CDC
“We appreciate the
com m unity's help in
keeping the youth's beautiful banners fly
ing high on Alberta said Eric Beene ol
Sabin CDC
Area residents continue to set priorities for the future look of Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard
(Photo by M. Washington)
Common
ground on
M IK
mittee.
Overall, there was agreement to remove
selected mediums along the boulevard to
support commercial business development
while protecting residential areas
The participants were in favor of retain
ing trees where possible and adding new
ones were appropriate.
The group also emphasized the impor
tance of keeping as much through traffic out
of the neighborhoods and slow ing traffic for
articipants in the second public
businesses and for pedestrian safety.
meeting on the future of Martin
There was also common ground on sup
Luther King Jr Boulevard gener
improved access to businesses, in
ally supported several design concepts porting
lor
cluding safe bicycle and pedestrian cross
the street.
ings and bicycle parking along the corridor.
About 70 area residents and business
Improved lighting, benches and covered
owners attended the session to review a
bus stops were also promoted.
report by the MLK Project Advisory Com-
P