Page 4 The Skanner December 6, 2017
News
Events & Announcements
Community
Calendar 2017
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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