This fall, as the leaves are turning, the grapes are gathered and farmers’ fields yield to the harvest, it’s time to discover Oregon Bounty. Come meet vintners, chefs, and farmers; travel down roads you’ve never driven; sample what these artisans make, grow and catch; and spend a night or two so you can discover more. There are myriad ways to get a taste of Oregon Bounty in Washington County:
VISIT A WINERY
Tour Washington County wineries— more than 20 in all—many of which are conveniently located along the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route. Follow the signs on this driving journey that winds through quaint towns in the county known for their ideal grape growing conditions and outstanding finished products: wines!
SEE WHAT CHEFS DO
Taste the autumn bounty that’s abundant in Pacific Northwest flavor palates. Visit our site for details about the restaurants in the county that specialize in regional cuisine.
BE TOUCHED BY SPRITS SakéOne, the world’s only American-owned saké brewery, produces Momokawa brand premium saké and Moonstone brand fruit-infused saké. These high quality Ginjo sakés are intended to be enjoyed cold on their own and with your favorite foods. Sakétini Saturday happens on the third Saturday of each month; the tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
October 10:Great Onion Festival, Sherwood. This classic community event pays homage to the onion farmers of Sherwood, with a barbecue and assorted activities. Visit sherwoodchamber.org.
October 10:Oregon Heritage Farms hosts its annual Apple Fest. Enjoy the harvest of apple season with this festival–complete with country music, face painting, pony rides and hay rides. Plus, all proceeds benefit local students.
October 18:Heirloom Apple Festival, Hillsboro. Sample more than 20 varieties of heirloom and modern apples and pears fresh from the orchard. Enjoy freshly dipped caramel apples, hot apple cider and homemade apple pie made from an assortment of different apple varieties, all while enjoying live music. Kids’ activities will include a straw maze, face painting, petting goats and pumpkin gathering. Visit www.smithberrybarn.com.
October 31:West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, Tualatin. Come cheer on 1,000 lb. pumpkin boats as people paddle across the lake at Tualatin Commons in races that are often wet and always entertaining. Visit ci.tualatin.or.us.
For a comprehensive culinary planning resource, visit TravelOregon.com/bounty, where you’ll find all that there is to see, do and taste. Oregon Bounty is produced by the Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, in partnership with Oregon’s many destination marketing organizations and industry guilds. Discover Oregon’s Bounty with special fly/stay/drive packages from Horizon Air.
Saturday, Sept. 12: A demonstration of “Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest: A Discovery Guide” by Tami Parr. Parr’s Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog has become the preeminent source for local cheese news, producer profiles, and cheese reviews. Her guide, Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest, was released this spring, and she will be signing copies.
Saturday, Sept. 19: The 52nd Annual Beaverton Celebration parade kicks off at 10 a.m. and can be viewed from the west end of the market.
Saturday, Sept. 26: The market transforms for “Medieval Market Day.” Enjoy medieval activities, games and demonstrations.
Saturday, Oct. 3: A demonstration of “Deep, Dark Chocolate” by Sara Perry, a food columnist for The Oregonian and author of 12 cookbooks, including the latest about chocolate–what she calls “one of the most important food groups.”
On July 25, Saturday, thousands of cyclists will ride through scenic Washington County – including stretches of the new Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route – for the annual Tour de Cure, the American Diabetes Association’s nationwide fundraising event.
This is the first time the annual ride comes to Washington County. In previous years, the event, formerly titled “Summit to Surf,” has taken place in the Mt. Hood Territory. “We are thrilled to have this year’s Tour de Cure in Washington County,” said Ruthie Reinert, president and CEO of the Washington County Visitors Association. “The Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route is an exceptional complement to the event, and will give riders a variety of scenic views and terrains unlike any other.”
While you’re out riding and supporting the American Diabetes Association, take some pictures and enter our Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route photo contest. There are nice prizes to be won.
To participate, riders must raise a minimum of $150, plus submit a registration fee. Proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association’s mission to “prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.” All monies raised will be used for research, information, advocacy and local programs. Come one – come all! Riders of all levels are welcome, there’s something for everyone.
I fell in love at the annual Concours d’Elegance , which was held last Sunday on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove. The objects of my affection were the beautifully restored cars representing the many eras of automobile history, from the refined elegance and timeless classic cars from the 1930s and fun convertibles from the 1950s to the cool sophistication of sports cars from the 1960s and beyond.
And, yes, there were the “muscle” cars, much to the delight of the thousands who gathered to see the hundreds of classic cars on display. I laughed when I caught a glimpse of the 70s- and 80s-era cars, such as the Chevy Camaro, and Trans-Am, both of which bring to mind the long hair, mullets and denim cut-off shorts of yesteryear. If only the Concours had an AMC Pacer or Gremlin, then my trip to the memory lane would have been complete.
But the Concours is all about elegance, and my favorite car at the show was the BMW Isetta, a mini-car reminiscent of stylish 1950s Europe. This nifty little car, which looks like a big bubble, reminded me of a toy car, complete with seating for two very small people, the only door being the front of the “bubble,” and an escape hatch, er, I mean sunroof on top. A passerby commented that he once saw a Sophia Loren flick with her exiting an Isetta. If it is classy enough for Sophia Loren, then, certainly, it must have been a pretty cool car back in the day.
My daughter and I had a ball at the “exotic used car lot,” where dozens of classic cars were on sale to interested buyers. As expected, there were plenty of 60s-era Ford Mustangs, Mercedes from the 1980s (in the requisite muddy brown color that was ever so popular at the time) and even a muscle car or two; however, two cars caught our eyes, attention and laughter: an AMC Delorean (best known as the time-traveling car in the film “Back to the Future”) and a 1950-something Ford pick-up truck my daughter and I lovingly called the “Sanford and Son” truck.
Before we left, we couldn’t help but notice a BMW Isetta on the used car lot. The owner was asking $15,000 for this once-pristine vehicle, which, to my surprise, gets 60-80 miles per gallon. For a brief moment, I imagined myself, a la Sophia Loren, glamorously driving around Washington County in an Isetta. Then I came back to my senses and hopped into my own version of Euro-coolness: my Volkswagon Rabbit.
This past weekend, Cherie and I were lucky enough to staff a visitor information booth along with the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce at the 10th Annual Dressage at DevonWood event. For three days, riders from across the northwestern U.S. and southwestern Canada competed in dressage, which we overheard being compared to “ballet on horses.”
It’s a beautiful and very impressive thing to watch, as riders decked out in knee-high boots, jodhpurs, tailored jackets and top hats use nothing but their weight and legs to steer their well-trained mounts in a precise dance around the arena. The result is a very regal and graceful show that leaves you wishing you were the one on the horse! DevonWood Equestrian Centre hosts a variety of events throughout the year, most of which are open to the public with no admission fee and a $5 parking fee per car. The grounds alone are worth a visit, and you’ll be awed by the immaculate stables and multiple arenas, not to mention the beautiful views and towering Douglas Firs.
Watch local report at DevonWood Equestrian Centre.
Cherie Prochaska, DOS - manning the visitor information center for WCVA.
More than 20 lavender farms throughout the state opened their doors during the annual Oregon Lavender Festival. And what a weekend for this annual fest to explore the many lavender farms of Washington County! During the festival you can tour lavender farms, nurseries, and celebrate with a lavender-based Artisan Fair.
First we headed out to Mountainside Lavender Farm in Scholls, which has amazing views of the Cascade Mountains. There was a good-sized crowd at the farm, who were enjoying some live classic folk music while shopping the booths featuring local artisans and lavender products.
The kids really got a kick out of picking their own lavender(“U-pick” farms make for a great distraction for younger ones). The fresh-picked flowers are now proudly displayed on my kitchen counter. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to participate in the various ‘classes’, such as bouquet arrangement, wand and wreath making. We did have time, however, to catch a live demonstration on how lavender is distilled into oil.
Next up, was Helvetia Lavender Farm, in Helvetia, which overlooks the scenic Tualatin Valley. The farm was abundant with activity - people were in the u-pick fields, visiting artisan booths and enjoying tea time on the deck. We made a stop by the kids’ craft area, where we made paper lavender cards. The visit was accentuated with live music from a local country/folk musician singing fun songs that left us in stitches.
The highlight of the day, as the kids will tell you, was the zip-line, where they swung through the tree lines. How cool is that??!!
J O I N U S Friday, July 10 – Saturday, July 11 at Barnes & Noble to support Beaverton students participating in the Battle of the Books. Enjoy FREE in-store fun activities all day Friday and Saturday at the Tanasbourne location. Harry Potter Costume Party from 4pm – 6pm on Friday at Tanasbourne, including free wand making. Shop early during the Early Bird VIP Hour on Saturday from 8am – 9am. Meet local authors; Susan Fletcher – The Dragon Chronicles, Shadow Spinner Walk Across the Sea, Marianne Monson – Finding Fairies and Josie Seid, There’s a Frog in Swan Lake(authors scheduled Saturday from 1pm-2pm).…AND MUCH MORE!
Purchase/Donate a book off the Battle of the Books Wish List and receive a FREE gift, while supplies last!
Present this > bookfair code: 566901 prior to checkout at Barnes & Noble Tanasbourne or Barnes & Noble Washington Square and a percentage of the net sale will be donated to the Beaverton Education Foundation.*
Did you ever wonder how things went for Cinderella and Prince Charming in the Enchanted Kingdom after 20 years of marriage? Well then, do I have a theatre suggestion for you! “Happily Ever Once Upon” written by Virgina Kidd, is a delightful play that will be presented by the Beaverton Civic Theatre at the Beaverton City Library. This production is jam-packed with familiar fairy tale characters such as Goldilocks, Rumplestilskin, Red Riding Hood, Fairy Godmother, and Rapunzel.
When: July 9- July 23, 2009
7:30 p.m. Thursdays
8:00 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays
2:00 p.m. Sunday Matinees
Where: Beaverton Library Auditorium – 12375 SW 5th Street (5th & Hall) Beaverton OR 97005
For reservations call (503) 626-1936 or email beavertontheatre@gmail.com
Cost:
$15 General Admission
$12 Students, Seniors, and Groups
$5 Children ten and under
Community Partnership Performances :
Sunday, July 12: $5 ticket with donation of prom dress to Abby’s Closet
Friday, July 17: $5 ticket with used book, CD, or DVD donation to Friends of Beaverton Library.
Here is a little post from one of our stakeholders. Summer eves + wine + outdoor lounge + movie??!! I don’t drink much wine personally (I know, it’s a shame), but I’d go just for the outdoor lounge. It’s gorgeous!
Hi Friends, Thanks to everybody who made it out last Friday. It was a really nice evening of wine, garden time and one of our favorite movies, Cinema Paradiso. This week we are going to be open on both Friday and Saturday. Friday’s movie, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, is fun and represents a solid departure from most of our other selections. For those who haven’t seen Saturday’s movie, ‘Jean de’Florette’, you should, it’s beautiful and a great story.
A tale of your average day at the WCVA? A few weeks ago, a group of fun visitors stopped by our office looking for local hotel information- but that’s not all there is to this story. These weren’t your ordinary leisure travelers- they were engineering graduates from the University of Utah and they were here to race an electric car they’d built to compete in an “Electrathon” event. You won’t believe it by the photo- because they look as fresh as daisies- but they had just pulled an 11 hour overnight road trip after playing a brutal softball game the previous evening in Salt Lake City, Utah! One of them was also going to be interviewing for a job with a company located in the same building as our WCVA office.
The boys from Salt Lake City, UT. Hope they made it back in one piece!
Hopefully, they will see this blog and update us as to how they did on the race track! Thanks for stopping in guys!
This fall, as the leaves are turning, the grapes are gathered and farmers’ fields yield to the harvest, it’s time to discover Oregon Bounty. Come meet vintners, chefs, and farmers; travel down roads you’ve never driven; sample what these artisans make, grow and catch; and spend a night or two so you can discover more. There are myriad ways to get a taste of Oregon Bounty in Washington County:
October 31: West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, Tualatin. Come cheer on 1,000 lb. pumpkin boats as people paddle across the lake at Tualatin Commons in races that are often wet and always entertaining. Visit ci.tualatin.or.us.
J O I N U S Friday, July 10 – Saturday, July 11 at Barnes & Noble to support Beaverton students participating in the Battle of the Books. Enjoy FREE in-store fun activities all day Friday and Saturday at the Tanasbourne location. Harry Potter Costume Party from 4pm – 6pm on Friday at Tanasbourne, including free wand making. Shop early during the Early Bird VIP Hour on Saturday from 8am – 9am. Meet local authors; Susan Fletcher – The Dragon Chronicles, Shadow Spinner Walk Across the Sea, Marianne Monson – Finding Fairies and Josie Seid, There’s a Frog in Swan Lake(authors scheduled Saturday from 1pm-2pm).…AND MUCH MORE!
