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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2008)
Art Driven to Extremes Advocate Takes Charge Mixed media art by Serena Barton and Bonnie Meitzer at Onda Gallery. Paige Coleman is the new interim director o f the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods. See inside, page AIO See inside, page A3 ‘City of Roses’ AJ Established in 1970 Volume XXXVIII, Number 28 z^oni m u n ity C a le n d a r Annual Community Garden Tour www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Wednesday • July 16. 2008 Historic Albina Dome Refurbished Saturday, July 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m „ take a tour o f six com m unity gardens via van and ear pool; call 5 03-823-1612 to reserve your seal. Represents proud past for African Americans Camp SCRAP July 21 thru July 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m ., children ages6-10 wi 11 learn new skills from local artist at Camp SC R A P; activities include tile m osaics, bike part wind chim es, and reuse art projects all week, with field trips to several local re cyclers. Call 503-294-0763 for dis counts and scholarships. “Held Day - A Day in the Life of the Water Bureau” T h u rsd ay , July 24, the W ater B ureau invites the public to p a r tic ip a te in this free event fea tu r ing the o p eratio n and m ain te n an ce o f P o rtla n d ’s d rin k in g w ater system , for m ore in fo rm a tion call 503-823-7637. West African Dance Saturdays, currently thru July 26, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Richard Sokpor, a form er m em ber o f the National Dance Company o f Ghana will instru ctclassesfo rag e 14and up at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N. Interstate Ave. To register, call 503-823-4322 or ju st drop in! ‘Viva La Raza’ Rebel Reading Wednesdays, currently thru July 30, at 7 p.m. at the Bread & Roses Center, 819 N. Killingsworth St., discover the stolen history o f defi ant organizing by farm workers, stu dents and Chicana feminists in the telling o f their dramatic story; for more i nformation cal1503-240-4462. MHCC Par Excellence Golf Tuesday, Aug. 5, starting at 7:30 a.m., at the Stone Creek G olf Club in Oregon City, spend the day golfing for a good cause the event benefits the Mt. Hood Com munity College Scholarship Fund; $ 150fee includes green fees, cart, and more; for more information call 503-491 -7206. Student Exchange Host Needed The nonprofit international stu dent exchange program, AFS-US A is currently seeking local volun teers to host students in high school; volunteers are also needed as liaisons to w ork locally with fam ilies and their hosted students; to learn more visit afs.org/usa/ hostfamily. Guide to Summer Stargazing T he second M onday o f each month the Mt. H ood C om m unity College Planetarium Sky Theater g u id es sta rg azers through the m ysteries o f the universe, shows a re a , 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.; $ I adm is sion, for more inform ation visit planetarium skytheater.com or call 503-491-7297. Interstate Farmers Market T he Interstate Farm ers M arket with its rich variety o f quality fresh local produce, baked goods, cut flowers, artisan cheese, m eat and fish, is held each W ednesday through Sept. 24 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. just off Interstate Avenue between O verlook Park and the Interstate K aiser W est Building. Breaking the Cycle Every 1st and 3rd Friday o f the month, at the C alvary Christian Church, I26N .E. Alberta, Brother Eric Carson, invites men of all walks o f life to join a safe and confiden tial m en 's forum exam ining issues and struggles that arrive in life, netw orking together. For more in formation, call 50.3-422-8573. Student Summer Jobs Portland Public Schools has posi tions open for high school stu dents to work as custodial help ers. For in format ion, cal 150 3 -9 16- 3544 or visit hr.pps.k 12.or.us. photo m M ark W \ s h im ; ton /T he P or it . and O bserver Serena Stoudamire Wesley (left), Albina Rotary president, celebrate the rededication of the Dawson Park Gazebo,and Harold Will iams, local business owner and community activist. The structure one adorned a building on North Williams and Russell in the heart of a former African American business district. A rea resid en ts are invited to celeb rate the red ed icatio n o f the D aw son Park G azebo during a com m unity concert featu rin g lo cal m usician P atrick L am b on W ednesday, July 16 from 6 p.m . to 8:30 p.m. T he park is located on the c o r ner o f N orth S tanton S treet an< N orth V an co u v er A venue. The beautiful dom e and brick flooring o f the D aw son Park G a zebo w ere salv ag ed from the Hill B uilding, last located on North R ussell S treet during the early 1970s in the last days o f a sig n ifi cant business d istrict for the A f rican A m erican co m m u n ity b e fore d isp lacem en t by the ex p a n sion o f E m anual H ospital. T h e d o m e w a s p la c e d in D aw son Park in 1978. T he Hill B uilding w as built in 1890 and w as once a co rn ersto n e o f the fo rm e r c ity o f A lb in a . T h e Daw son Park G azebo serves as a rem inder o f the A lbina o f y ester day. T h e P o rtlan d D ev e lo p m e n t C o m m issio n fin a n c e d all the g a z e b o ’s re n o v a tio n an d im provem ents using tax increm ent proceeds from the Interstate C o r rid o r Urban R enew al A rea. T h e re n o v a te d g a z e b o e n hances and pro tects the historic dom e and brings focus to the cultural significance o f the dom e. All o f the ren o v atio n w as c a re fully planned w ith P ortland Parks & R ecreation; the A lbina R otary and Eliot N eig h b o rh o o d A sso ciation co m m u n ity partn ers; w ho have en co u rag ed and supported the renovation o f the gazebo. Billy Webb Elks Lodge to receive a $1 million face-lift! > Preserving historic African American heritage T he N ational A ssociation o f the p roject will do n ate their tim e M inority C ontractors o f Oregon and labor. T he group has o rg a (N A M C O ) announced its plans to nized a Project M anagem ent Team remodel the Billy W ebb Elks Lodge and is asking for help with m ate on T illam ook Street in Northeast rial co n trib u tio n s, new fu rn ish Portland. N A M CO will work with ings, tlo o rin g and carp etin g , re s Hoffman C onstruction, C’J Jackson tau ran t eq u ip m en t and cash c o n C onstruction, Portland D evelop tributions from org an izatio n s and ment Com m ission, IBFW local 48, con tin tied on page A 2 W a lsh C o n s tr u c tio n , L eg a cy Health System , Stacy W itbeckG eneral Engi neering, NW Natural G as and other local partners on the project. Built in the early 19 0 0 's, the historic Elks Lodge was known then as the YW CA and to day is one o f the few re m a in in g A fric a n American owned build ings. T he Elks Lodge, currently ow ned hy the local lodge m em ber ship. serves as a place for e v e n ts, birth d ay parties and wedding re ceptions; however, the entire building is in need o f im m ediate re pairs and NA M CO has w illingly stepped for ward to organize a team that can assist w ith m trm m M \ rk WA shington /T iii P orii smi O bsik \ m Jennifer Dishman in front of the North renovations. C o n tracto rs for Tillamook Street Elks Lodge Billy Webb Elks Club History Built as The Colored YW CA in 1921, the building was first co n structed as a portable structure like a portable classroom . In 1926, Mrs. E.S.Collinsaw hite woman donated $ 12,(XX) to bu i Id a permanent YWCA. Some city offi cial tried to block construction. T he feeling was that black females d id n ’t need a YW CA. The YW CA was m anaged by a I black w om an’s group The building had a gym, boys and girls lockers, stage and office. All o f the black social clubs used the Y for their social functions, in cluding the Black USO for service men and woman. Dick Bogle, form ercity com m is sioner, and Mrs. Hepburn, were chaperons at teenage dances. NA ACPmeetings were held here. Several w om en’s groups, such as the Oregon Federation o f co l ored W omen, used the facility for scholarship teas. Bethel African M ethodist Episcopal Church, lo cated at N ortheast M cM illan and Larrabee, used the site to host for mal dinners. T oday the W illiam A venue YW CA iscalled the Billy Ebb Elks Lodge IPBOE.