www. port landobserver. com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
October 24. 2007
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/com m unity
C a le n d a r
Girl Scouts Beyond Bars
A fundraiser to celebrate 10 years o f G irl
Scouts Beyond Bars, a program fo r girls
ages 5-17 w ith mothers at the Coffee
Creek Correctional F a cility, takes place
Tuesday, Oct. 25 fro m 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the
H o sp ita lity Suite on the Fourth F lo o r o f
the N W Natural bu ild in g , 220 N .W . Sec
ond Ave. G irl Scouts and their mothers
submitted their favorite recipes fo racook-
book to be sold at the event. For more
inform ation, call 503-977-6805.
Ballot Measure Forum
Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., the League o f
W om en Voters and the National C ouncil
o f Jewish Women w ill present a forum to
discuss B allot Measures 49 and 50. The
p ublic is invited to this free event at 501
S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
Home Buying Fair
Saturday, Oct. 27, fro m 10 a.m. to 2:30
p.m., the Portland Development C om m is
sion w ill be sponsoring an A frican-A m eri
can H o u s in g F a ir to p ro m o te
hom eow nership o p p o rtu n itie s at the
Emanuel H ospital M e d ica l B u ild in g
A triu m , 501 N. Graham St. V is it pdc.us/
housing or call 503-823-3400 fo r more
inform ation.
Sorority Waffle Breakfast
Saturday, Oct. 27, fro m 9 a.m. to noon,
Delta Sigma Theta w ill serve delicious
w affles w ith a sm ile at the Augustana
Lutheran Church, 2710 N.E. 14th; $5 tic k
ets are available at the door.
Widmer Evening Out
Tuesday, Oct. 30, fro m 4 to 11 p.m ., fans
o f W id m e r B rew ing and the W idm er
Gasthaus, 929 N. Russell, can spend an
enjoyable evening out w hile helping to
feed homebound seniors; h a lf o f all pro
ceeds benefit the M L K Loaves & Fishes
Center. Call 503-281 -3333 fo r reservations.
St. Charles Spaghetti
Sunday, Nov. 4, fro m noon to 6:30 p.m.,
St. Charles Church, 5310 N.E. 42nd, in
vites guest to enjoy the delicious four-
course spaghetti dinner and raffle. Take
out service is available; adults $9, kids $5;
fo r more inform ation, contact 503-281-
6461.
Weatherization Workshops
Thursday, Oct. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., the
C o m m u n ity Energy Project, 422 N.E.
A lberta, w ill host free educational w o rk
shops to self-w eatherize your home;
q u a lifyin g participants w ill receive a free
w eatherizing kit. Free weatherization is
available for seniors. Call 503-284-6827 to
register.
in World Series
Boston to open
series at home
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* community service
see Sports page B6, inside
Restoring
a Community Legend
Entertain nent
night to support
Billy Webb Elks
by R aymond R endleman
T he P ortland O bserver
A liv in g institution o f com m unity pride
is getting some help to refurbish its b u ild
ing and continue its historic mission for
years to come.
One by one, longtim e landmarks o f
Portland’ s A frican-A m erican com m unity
have disappeared o r lost their original
owners. The B illy Webb Elks Lodge on
North T illa m o o k Street, one o f the oldest
such buildings, faces the prospect o f this
fate w ith a determination to persevere.
T h a t’ s w h y Jennifer D ishm an, the
lodge’ s manager, has enlisted the help o f
Wanda B roadous-M ills, a local entertain
ment promoter, to schedule a series o f
special fundraisers at the lodge, including
this Friday, Oct. 26 at 9:30 p.m. w ith live
music, DJs, raffles and food. A $5 cover
and all other donations w ill go to the B illy
Webb Elks Lodge 1050restoration project.
B roadous-M ills sent out a mass letter
emphasizing the fun that everyone could
have w h ile m aking the e ffo rt to restore the
legendary space.
“ We are asking fo r your help in keeping
gentrification from com ing in and taking
our N orth Portland Elks away from the
people,” B roadous-M ills says. “ I t ’ s our
last watering hole and place fo r live enter
tainment o f all kinds. When i t ’ s gone i t ’ s
gone.”
The lodge has been identified as one o f
the most vulnerable A frican-A m erican
landmarks in the w hole Pacific Northwest.
B u ilt in 1921, the bu ilding served as an
A frican-A m erican Y W C A and a meeting
place fo r the N A A C P before the E lk s c iv ic
group took over its management. The Elks
s till give o r rent out the large meeting
space inside fo r many types o f concerts
and events.
The b u ild in g ’ s leadership now fears
that, barring m ajor structural renovations,
the c o m m u n ity’ s meeting space faces sig
n ificant structural risk.
“ The bottom line is that w e’ re in dire
need o f a roof,” says Dishman. "R ig h t now
that’ s the main issue, because w ithout a
ro o f you can’ t do m uch.”
photo in
M ark W ashington / T iie P ortland O bserver
Jennifer Dishman welcomes the public to the Elks Lodge chapter she manages on North Tillamook
Street at Williams Avenue.
Annual Rummage Sale
The G atlin Gable Rummage Sale opens
Thursday evening, N ov. 1. and co n tin
ues w ith 10 a.m. openings through Sun
day. N ov. 4 at the Portland Expo Center.
A dm ission is free.
Green Gift That Grows
Friends o f Trees is o ffe rin g the g ift that
keeps on grow ing, plant a tree o r a grove
i n honor or memory o f someone; fo r more
inform ation, visit friendsoftrees.org.
Raymond Alexander Art
Thursday, Oct. 25, at 6:30p.m . and Satur
day, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m., the T a lkin g Drum
Bookstore, 446 N.E. K illin g s w o rth , in
vites guests to experience a special ap
pearance o f Raymond Alexander, who
has shown mastery o f Abaca A rt; fo r
more inform ation,call 503-288-4106.
Kenton Puppet Shows
Penny’ s Puppet Productions and the his
toric Kenton Fire House, 8105 N. Bran
don A ve., team up to present regular
puppet shows featuring: ‘ Sweet Tooth
the G host’ on Friday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m.
and 11:15 a.m. V is it PennyPuppets.com
orcal 1503-282-9207 fo r more information.
Learn to Make Recycled Art
Portland C om m unity College offers a
hands-on training to create art from re
cycled materials;classes w ill be held at the
R eBuilding Center, 3625 N. Mississippi;
call 503-731 -6622 for more information.
Literacy Volunteers Needed
The V olunteer Literacy Program at Port
land Com m unity Col lege’ s Cascade Cam
pus needs volunteer tutors to provide
free individualized instruction in basic
literacy, English language and math skills.
For more inform ation, contact 503-244-
3898 o r visit oregonlitcracy.org.
phoios a> R aymond
R endi
eaian /T iie
P ortland O bserver
A police officer stands guard and U.S. Army personnel march in the evacuated Lloyd District following a bomb scare at the Doubletree hotel last Thursday
that shut down Benson High School and the Max lines that run through the area.
Midtown Lockdown
Drill becomes
real thing in
Lloyd District
by R aymond R endleman
T he P orti . and O bserver
Federal o ffic ia ls warned o f possible
disruptions related to last week’ s terror
ism drills, hut apparently no one was count
ing on shutting down a half-dozen central
streets just before rush hour.
When three police dogs indicated the
presence o f an explosive device in the
parking structure at the Doubletree I .loyd
Center hotel, a quarter-m ile radius was
closed o ff and evacuated Thursday, sepa
rating hundreds o f government workers
from their cars, and fo r the afternoon shut
ting down Benson High School and Max
lines through the area.
Getting a taste o f the potential fo r actual
responses to terrorism, busloads o f com
s
muters anil students shuttled around
the site w hile confusion reigned along
the police lines. Various workers and
shoppers who could not get to their cars
in parking lots repeatedly asked officers
if or when they could retrieve their ve
hicles. Som etimesexplaining that it was
a d rill and sometimes indicating a bomb
threat, officers told them to come back
continued
on pone H.i