C o fliiiiitlcd to Cultural Diversity
www.portl3ndobserver.con1
Inly 26. 2 0 0 6
Retreat Unites AH Faiths
M etro
Lineup set for
Women Empowering
Women conference
íl!l JJortíanb (Observer
See Religion, page B5
SECTION
/c o m m u n ity
C a le n d a r
Drums, Dance for Kids
C hata A ddy offers drum m ing and
d a n c e c la s s e s fo r c h ild r e n ,
W ednesdays through Aug. 30 at
N orth S tar B allroom . 635 N.
K illingsw orthC t. Participants can
learn the sounds and rhythm o f
G hana, W est A frica. H ealthy
lunches and snacks are catered.
For m ore inform ation and to sign
up, em ai I chata @ pac ifier.com .
Northeast Peace Gathering
Beginning at 7:30p.m. on W ednes­
day, July 26, a group o f churches
in northeast Portland will gather
at A lberta Park, N E 20th and
K illingsw orth, to unite for peace
in our neighborhoods, com m uni­
ties and the world. This Interfaith
Peace gathering is open to any­
one and participants are invited to
have discussions with their peers.
Rose City Ghost Walk
Join the R ose C ity R oam ers S a t­
u rday, Ju ly 29 and S un d ay , July
30 fo r a w alk/run alo n g m any
north P ortlan d g host sites, in ­
clu d in g the in fam o u sly h aunted
sites o f the W hite E agle S aloon
an d th e F a lc o n A p a rtm e n ts.
P artic ip an ts can e ith e r w alk or
ru n a 5 K , 10K, 1 5 K o r2 0 K ro u te
E v en t start tim es are 8 a.m . to
p.m . at O v erlo o k Park and ends
at 4 p.m . at the sam e location
For more inform ation call N oreen
Kirk at 503-285-2915.
Columbia Slough Race
Join the 12th A nnual C olum bia
Slough Sm all C raft Regatta, S un­
day, July 3 0from 9a.m . to 1 p.m. at
the Portland W ater Bureau Canoe
Launch, 16550 N.E. A irport Way.
Racers can reserve a canoe or
kay ak , p a d d le s and p erso n a l
floatation devices, or m ay bring
their own boat and equipm ent for
a $5 donation. For m ore inform a­
tio n ,
v is it
w w w .colum biaslough.org.
P i l o r o COI RTESY OF THF PORTLAND POLICE B l REAl
Police Open Precinct Doors
Portland Police Officer Kenneth Reynolds strikes up a friendship with
Ja 'Shayla Schlafle during a North Precinct open house. Future precinct open
houses, which introduce the community to police officers and specialized
units like the mounted patrol and explosive disposal units, are scheduled
for the Northeast Precinct on Saturday, July 29 from noon to 4 p.m., and
Central Precinct, Saturday, Aug. 12 from noon to 3 p.m.
■MM
Free Internet
Teen Summit at IFCC
Construction
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural
C enter will host Teen Sum m it, a
live television show for and by
A frican A m erican teens. Satur­
day, July 29. T o be a m em ber of the
studio audience, call 971-235-
5197.
Begins
Network will
blanket city
Adopt a Cat or Dog
The O regon H um ane Society will
host several adoption events for
those w ishing to bring a dog. cat
o r possibly a rabbit into their
h o m e s, S a tu rd a y , A ug. 5 at
Furever Pets. 1902 N.E. B road­
way, and Sunday, Aug. 6 at W ild
O ats, 2825 N.E. Burnside. Both
events are from noon to 4 p.m.
C o n stru ctio n has started on a W i-F i
netw ork that w ill m ak e free Internet
W eb access av a ila b le in alm o st all o f
P ortland.
S ilico n V alley s ta rtu p M etro F i Inc.
b e g a n b u ild in g th e n e tw o rk T h u r s ­
d ay im m e d ia te ly a f te r th e P o rtla n d
C ity C o u n c il a p p ro v e d a c o n tra c t.
T h e c o n s tru c tio n w ill c o s t le ss th a n
$ 1 0 m illio n , a c c o rd in g to M e tro F i
c h ie f e x e c u tiv e C h u c k H aas. T h e
Body Rocks!
T he O regon C hildren’s M useum
presents Body Rocks! T he cel­
ebration o f physical fitness, m ove­
m ent and athleticism continues
through July 30. For m ore infor­
m a tio n ,
v is it
w w w . portlandcm .org.
rivers are pretty dangerous for swimming.
Old and new visitors to Blue Lake Park
c o m p a n y w ill fin a n c e an d o p e ra te
th e n e tw o rk its e lf, m a k in g m o n e y
fro m a d v e rtis in g a n d by p ro v id in g
p riv a te n e tw o rk s e rv ic e s to th e c ity
o f P o rtla n d .
M etroFi w on the co n tra ct o v e r tw o
co m p etin g fin alists, P o rtla n d -b a se d
V eriL A N Inc. an d n ational Internet
serv ice p ro v id er E arth L in k Inc.
V e r iL A N 's C l iv e C o o k s a id
M e tr o F i's a d - s u p p o r te d n e tw o r k
“d o e sn 't seem to pencil o u t in m y
m in d ."
P ortland o fficials ack n o w led g ed the
gam ble, but said it's an o p p o rtu n ity to
m ak e th e In tern et m o re affo rd a b le
w ithout sp en d in g tax p ay e r m oney on
n etw o rk c o n stru c tio n .
“It's a bet. We don't know w hether this
will work or not." C om m issioner Erik
Sten said. "I have my fingers crossed,
have loved this great new addition."
and my laptop ready to turn on."
offers a fantastic new activity for residents
All wateractivities are free with park vehicle
entry fee. Ride TriM et's Blue Lake Shuttle to
Blue Lake Regional Park and get in free. For
more inform ation, visit m etro-region.org/
in the area who do not sw im .’ said Metro
bluelakeorcall 503-797-1850.
Councilor Rixl Park. “ In the Portland metro
Blue I .ake Regional Park is located between
Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard off North­
east 223rd Avenue. From Interstate 84. take
the Fairview exit 14 anil go north on 207th
Avenue to Sandy Boulevard. Turn right onto
Sandy and travel east to 223rd and turn left.
Proceed north to Blue I .ake R< >ad anil the park.
D esign w ork for P o rtla n d ’s W i-F i
netw ork has been u n d er w ay fo r se v ­
eral w eeks.
P lans call fo r d o w n lo ad sp eed s o f I
m egabit per seco n d , and u pload sp eed s
o f 256 kilo b its p er seco n d — slo w e r
than m ost cab le an d D S L access, b ut
m uch faster th an dial-up.
Interstate Farmers Market
T he Interstate F arm ers M arket
fea tu re s a variety o f fresh local
produce, baked goods, cut flo w ­
ers, artisan ch e ese, m eal and
fish each e ach W ednesday from
3 p.m. to 7 p.m ., next to O verlook
Park acro ss the street from K ai­
ser P erm an en te In terstate C a m ­
p u s.
WellBelng Sunday Brunch
Individuals living with HI V/AIDS
are invited to W ellB eing's S un­
day Brunch, open every Sunday
from 3 p.m. to6p.m . with free home
cooked m eals served at 4 p.m. in
the historic Mt. Olivet building,
1734 N.E. First Ave.
•'community service
There s no better way to cool o ff and have fun than with water that will spray, gush, dump and pour from colorful and
whimsical devices at the new water spray ground at Blue Lake Regional Park.
Blue Lake Antidote to Hot Weather
Park offers new, old
ways to keep cool
A revamped Blue Lake Regional Park just
off Northeast Marine Drive in outer north­
east Portland is offering a perfect antidote to
this sum m er's hot weather.
The park’s new spray ground is open
every day 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. until mid
October.
Designed for children ages one to 10, the
water spray ground is lively and fun. Fea­
tures include interactive and accessible over­
sized nozzles, buckets, cannons and arches.
S w im m erscanalsojum pintothecool, spring-
fed waters o f Blue Lake. W ater is provided
from the park's wells and local aquifer and
recycled through an on-site water treatment
facility to ensure that the water is safe for play.
"T he addition o f the water spray ground
area, particularly in East Multnomah
County, there are very few opportunities for
water-related outdixir recreation. Other than
Blue Lake, there is no other nearby lake, few
public swimming pools, and the two major
The Associated Press contributed
to this report.
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