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Committed to Cultural Diversity
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www.portlandobserver.com
June 20, 2001
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Festivities Commemorate Freedom
Em ployers Show case
W orkshops
Y ou are cordially invited to participate in
the Second A nnual E m ploym ent Showcase
W orkshops on M onday, June 25 and T ues­
day, June 26. T he w orkshops will be about
learning skills to get a job. The Show case
w ill be held at the Skill C enter, on June 27.
Thirty em ployers w ill be on hand to hear
from the jo b seekers as they do their presen­
tation. Call 503/978-5341.
State Fair Concert Lineup
T he O regon State F air has booked the
first four big-nam e acts for the 2001 annual
fair. T he concerts, all scheduled for 7 p.m .,
will be held in the L.B. D ay A m phitheatre in
Salem . Presale fair adm ission tickets are
available now through Aug. 22. Some o f the
perform ers include T oby K eith, T he Beach
B oys and Jo D ee M essina. C all 503/947-
3 2 4 7 o r v is it th e ir w e b s ite at
W W W , oregonstatgfair.org
P hotos by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
A Juneteenth celebration Saturday brings young people to a parade
down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Other activities included a
neighborhood party Tuesday at Yam Yam's restaurant. Juneteenth, also
known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual holiday
celebrated on June 19 in the United States to commemorate the ending
of slavery. For more than a century, Juneteenth was observed mainly in
Texas and parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. In recent
decades, communities across the nation have adopted the holiday.
Safeway Waterfront Blues
Festival
O ver 1,000 volunteers w ill help run O r­
egon F ood B a n k ’s biggest fundraising
event o f the year. C atch a great concert,
enjoy the holiday w eekend, and fight hun­
ger at the sam e time! V olunteers take dona­
tions o f food and funds at the gates, box and
load food, and do a w ide variety o f other
tasks that m ake it all happen. C all 503/282-
0555,ext. 259.
B lock Party Showcases
Sassy & Friends
Big Wheels Tour for Tots
D esigned for kids up to 6 years old with
an adult, bring your big w heels and other
rolling toys and explore the Eastbank Espla­
nade. Sponsored by Portland Parks O ut­
door Recreation Program. Call 503/823-5132
for m ore inform ation. T his is a free event.
B y F lecia T rader
4th of July Fireworks
Join the com m unity w ith an old-fash­
ioned celebration. B ring the fam ily to enjoy
good food, live m usic and a spectacular
firew orks display on W ednesday, July 4 at
the Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview. At
the event will be great m usic and lots o f food
for all. Firew orks w ill begin at 10 p.m. Call
Bruce Tarbet at 360/695-2442.
“Adopt-A-Pet Fair”
The Oregon H um ane Society wi 11 be hav­
ing their 5,h A nnual “A dopt-A -P et Fair”
July 27-29 at the society’s shelter and
grounds, located at 1067 N .E. Colum bia
Blvd. Experts will be on hand to talk about
pet care. T here w ill be over 200 anim als
available for adoption. Call 503/285-7722.
Self-Motivate Your Teen
L eant from D r John P. O da about “ The
Seven T echniques o f H ighly Self-M oti­
vated Teens. T his four-day lecture series
will be held July 1 0 ,1 1 ,12,from 6-9p.m .and
on July 14, from 10a.rn .-l p.m. Seating is
limited, so act now. Call 503/471 -2954.
Rec ’n Roll Bus
Portland Parks & R ecreation’s bright
green Tri-M et bus will be rolling into neigh­
borhoods this sum m er! All you need to do
is show up and get ready for fun! The
recreation sta ff w ill have lots o f gam es and
crafts foryou to try. T he Bus will be in these
areas: G lenw ood Park, N orthgate Park,
A rgayPark, Villa de Clara Vista, and W ater­
front Park. Call 503/823-PLA Y for more in­
formation.
Summer Tennis Camp
Kids N ’ Tennis, Inc. and Portland After
School Tennis will sponsor summ er tennis
cam p s at tw o site s: Irv in g P ark and
Eastmoreland Park. There will be several ses­
sions to choose from. A limited num ber o f
scholarships are available for children at
each campsite. C am p at both parks goes from
9:30a.m. to 11:30a.m. Call 503/880-0582.
Fast Friends Duet
If you share a special m usical talent with
your cat or dog, you are invited to the
A dvantage T opical Solution nationw ide
contest called "A dvantage Fast Friends
D uet." F or those looking for a new four­
legged fam ily m em ber to love, O regon H u­
m ane Society w ill also offer pets for adop­
tion. T he contest w ill be held at the Pioneer
C ourthouse Square on Saturday, June 30.
Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. Call Ste-
fanie, H odge-L is, E delm an W orldw ide a,
312/233-1280officeor630/728-7049.
P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Sassy along with fellow performer Kirk Green enjoy the festivities at this years
sunnyJuneteeth celebration.
T he P ortland O bserver
It was summ er, summer, sum ­
mertime! Saturday as Galore Com ­
m unications, 3213 N.E. M artin
L u th e r K ing Jr. B lv d ., 2W ay
Records, fans, friends and people
cam e out to enjoy a block party that
delivered a healthy dose o f soul
elixir.
G alore patrons and passer bys
were treated to the sounds o f the
city, including Sassy, Colin England,
the Kirk G reen Band, Bro Luv and
Friends, G hetto Romeo, Jus Q and
more. Free soul food and activities
Campaign for Jobs, Worker Legalization
The attention goes to a group of
Multnomah County janitors who may lose
their jobs to ja il work crews, and
immigrant worker rights issues, at a
demonstration Friday in downtown
Portland. "We've discovered the county
commissioners have re-opened the plan
to take away our jobs, ’ said Esteban
Luna, a county janitor and member of
SEIU Local 49. The activists are also
calling for support for legalization of
undocumented immigrants who have
worked and paid taxes in the United
States for 5 years or more.
P h o to
by
M ark W a sh in g t o n / T he
P o r t l a n d O bse r v e r
School Wins
Praise for
Closing Gap
The sta ff at north/northeast
Portland's Humboldt Elementary
School was presented with a Trail
Blazer Award last week for their
efforts to close the achievement gap
and become a high performing
school. The Blazers and the
Portland Schools Foundation
teamed up to give 9 awards to local
educators and 8 awards to schools
In the district. The nominations
came from students, parents and
other teachers.
fo r kids o f all ages w ere also
popular.A showcase o f the after­
noon was the exciting and vocal
enlightening Sassy, as G alore’s Dan
Dain put it best, the m ost exciting
diva to hit the scene in years.
This up and com ing crooner is
about to go from W estside to w orld­
wide with a new CD.
If you haven’t heard, as the say­
ing goes, you better ask somebody.
The Sassy Project has been blas­
tin ’ airw aves, boom boxes and
beamers with a mix o f an angelic
and alto voice, stage presence and
personal artistry.
Developer
Proposed for
Urban Renewal
By L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserv er
I f som eone wants to create housing, build an
office building or expand their business in the
Max Light Rail/Interstate Urban Renewal area,
there may soon be someone to steer them
through the red tape. A citizen's group sug­
gests that a proposed ombudsperson with a
$25,000 annual salary, could help landowners
develop property, offer advice on required
permits and act as advocates before city bu­
reaucrats. “ It’s nothing more than a proposal at
this point, and even as a proposal it's flexible,”
said Portland Development Commission staffer
ElissaGertler. Real estate agent James Broadous
thinks the idea is a good one.
“M any people don’t know which steps to
take, and city staff people get in the way,” he
says. “PDC people can do some o f that, but
they have other things to do.”
Carl Flipper o f the Humboldt Target Area
Program likes the idea, but wonders if i, can be
done. “I d o n ’t doubt that an ombudsperson
would be extrem ely valuable in helping prop­
erty ow ners navigate the extremely com pli­
cated routes they need to go through to de­
velop their property,” he told the Portland
Observer. “M y concern was whether we could
spend tax increment money on a non-’bricks
and m ortar’ program.” “T hat’s a very good
question," G ertler says, one that is being re­
viewed by city experts The citizens group is
also considering al locating $200,000 a year for
P D C ’s storefront improvement program
At issue is how to allocate the money among
the renewal district’s lOcommercial areas.