Page 4 The Skanner December 6, 2017 News Events & Announcements Community Calendar 2017 Visit us at a store near you Portland Metro THURSDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 31 MEIER & FRANK’S SANTALAND: Generations of Oregonians have fond memories of the downtown Portland Meier & Frank’s de- partment store Santaland, a ride on the iconic monorail and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap. Since the closure of Macy’s down- town, items were donated to the Oregon Historical Society. OHS is pleased to announce that Santa will be visiting Santaland from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in December. Admission to view Santaland is free. Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave. Holiday Bike Drive On Dec. 3, the Community Cycling Center held its 22nd annual Holiday Bike Drive, which provides bicycles to children from families living on lower incomes. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (pictured here with the recipient of a new bike) and Sen. Ron Wyden joined the celebration. More than 400 children, their families, and 175 volunteers convened at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s Atrium, participated in a series of bike safety lessons and received a personally fitted helmet before choosing their first bike. PHOTO COURTESY OF EARL BLUMENAUER’S OFFICE brought to you by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 RSVP FOR ALLEN TEMPLE FUNDRAISING CELEBRATIOn: RSVP by Dec. 8 for the Dec. 13 holiday social, “Stabilizing Our Community: Restore The Historic Allen Temple CME Church. This event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at PCRI Office, 6329 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Please call (503) 548-3083. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 NAACP HOLIDAY SOCIAL GATHERING: The NAACP invites the community to its annual holiday social gathering in lieu of its monthly meeting. President JoAnn Hardesty and executive leadership will provide short updates about current and future initiatives. Noon – 2 p.m., Kevin Modica Community Room, North Police Precinct, 449 NE Emerson St. CHRISTMAS AT FORT VANCOUVER: Step back in time and experi- ence the sights and sounds of the 1940s holiday season at Fort Vancouver. Enjoy wreath making activities, holiday beverages, caroling and more. $5 for people ages 16 and up, free for chil- dren age 15 and under. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Fort Vancouver, 1001 E. 5th St., Vancouver. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 ANNUAL KWANZAA CELEBRATION: Friends and Family welcome (all ages). Hor d’ euvres, dessert, beverages, raffle/prizes. Free for everyone to enjoy. Space is limited. RSVP before noon on Dec. 8 to whitney.b.pettigrew@kp.org please include how many people will attend with you. 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Kaiser Per- manente Town Hall, 3704 N. Interstate Ave. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 SANTA CUTS: The Salvation Army and Hands of Favor are pro- viding free haircuts to underprivileged youth ages 0 – 18. There will also be free hair products, hair care education, and a visit from Santa. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., The Salvation Army, Moore Street Community & Workshop Center, 5325 N. Williams Ave. KWANZAA CELEBRATION: Join us for a free community Kwanzaa celebration and a ticketed Karamu feast. The celebration is free. The Karamu feast is $20 for 7 years and older, $6 for children 4 to 6, free for children 3 and under. To purchase tickets call (360) 991-7389. 3 p.m., New Direction Community Church, 5300 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver. COOKIES WITH SANTA: This is an event where the members of our chapter come together to ensure the children of our com- munity enjoy the Christmas holiday. This year we are serving the Rosa Parks Elementary Community in N. Portland. Free. 10 a.m. – noon, June Key Delta Community Center, 5940 N. Albina St. NAACP MONTHLY MEETING: After a short potluck, the business meeting will begin and guests will speak. All are welcome! 10 a.m. Vancouver Housing Authority, 2500 Main St., Vancouver. Seattle Metro SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 2ND ANNUAL DOWTOWN TACOMA HOLIDAY HAUL CRAWL: Shop ‘til you drop at the 2nd Annual Downtown Tacoma Holiday Haul Crawl. Visit local museums, restaurants and shops to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy the season’s festivities! 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. SILVER BELLS CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: Come support craft and small business vendors. Free admission and free parking. You can See Community Calendar on page 5 Portland News Briefs NAACP Portland Branch Invites Community to Holiday Gathering Dec. 9 The NAACP Portland branch invites the communi- ty to its community holiday social gathering in lieu of the monthly general membership meeting. The event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Kev- in Modica Community Room (formerly known as the North Precinct Community Room) at the North Police Precinct, 449 NE Emerson Street. All current and prospective members of the NAACP are invited to attend. President Jo Ann Hardesty and executive leadership will provide short updates about current and future initiatives. This is an op- portunity to connect with Portland NAACP’s work in advancing racial justice in the community and with each other as we end our 2017 work and look forward to 2018. The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the po- litical, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. The vision of the NAACP is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial dis- crimination. CONNECT WITH PORTLAND NAACP online at www.portlandnaacp1120.org, on Facebook (www. facebook.com/PDXNAACP), or via email (pdxnaacp@ gmail.com). Oregonians Who Buy Their Own Coverage Must Buy By Dec. 15 The dead- line is near for people who want health insur- ance in 2018, but don’t get cover- age through their job or another pro- gram. Open enrollment at HealthCare.gov ends at midnight on Dec. 15, about two weeks away. “If you haven’t focused on your health insurance yet, now is the time to do it,” said Chiqui Flowers, ad- ministrator of the Oregon Health Insurance Market- place. “A licensed insurance agent or an expert from a certified community group can help you enroll, and their assistance is free.” Oregonians can find insurance agencies and orga- nizations offering free enrollment help listed at Ore- gonHealthCare.gov/gethelp. The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, a di- vision of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, has these tips for consumers: • See if you qualify for help paying for your cover- age, even if you did not qualify last year. The in- come qualifications adjust upward each year, and rising premiums can mean greater assistance for those who qualify for subsidies. Go to HealthCare. gov and start an application to find out if you can save money. • Be aware of the Dec. 15 deadline in Oregon. There are other deadlines for insurance customers in Cal- ifornia and Washington, but here in Oregon, the last day for most people to get individual or family coverage is Dec. 15. • If you already have a 2017 health plan through HealthCare.gov, go back to your account to update your income information and shop for a 2018 plan. You may be counting on HealthCare.gov to auto- matically re-enroll you in coverage for next year. That works as a backup plan; however, there may be plans that are better for you and your budget. Plan prices and benefits change each year, and your in- come or household size may have changed, too. Log in to your HealthCare.gov account, update your information, and look at the 2018 plans to find the best fit for you or your family. The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, the state-level partner to HealthCare.gov, can answer general questions about enrollment and connect people to in-person enrollment assistance. Call 1-855- 268-3767 (toll-free) or visit OregonHealthCare.gov. Santaland on Display at Oregon Historical Society OHS Exhibit Features Santa’s Throne, Rudolph, and Elves From the Meier & Frank’s Santaland Generations of Oregonians have fond memories of the downtown Portland Meier & Frank department store’s Santaland. A ride on the iconic Monorail and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap became a Christmas tradition for many families. Following the closure of Macy’s downtown store (which pur- chased Mei- er & Frank in 2005) this past year, items from San- taland were donated to the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Business Alliance. This holiday season, the OHS Santaland is on display until Dec. 31 and features Santa’s throne, Rudolph, animatronic elves, and a decorated Christmas tree. Santa’s Coming OHS is pleased to announce that Santa will be visit- ing Santaland from 12 – 4 p.m.: • Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 9 & 10 • Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 16 & 17 • Saturday, Dec. 23 Admission to view the Santaland display is free, and See Briefs on page 5