April is winding down, but there are plenty of fun activities this week including several that will take you outside of Portland and into interesting parts of the region including the Columbia River Gorge, Astoria, and Corvallis. If you feel more like staying close to home, try the St. Johns Spring Fling or the home and garden fair in Ridgefield.
Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour
This year’s tour features 45 artists who live and work in diverse settings, whose medium or approach is uncommon or rare, and who are willing to open their studios to the public for a chance at connecting with those who value what is special about their work and the area in which it’s presented. Take the winding drive between studio stops from forests to fields, rivers to mountains, and moss to basalt cliffs. And enjoy a variety of media including painting, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, woodworking, photography, metalwork, and glass.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, April 26-28, at various locations around the Columbia River Gorge. For a map visit the website: gorgeartists.org; free.
Astoria/Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival
Seafood is best when it’s fresh. And you can’t get much fresher than Astoria, which sits on the most northern portion of the Oregon Coast and at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. This year’s festival boasts about 150 vendors offering hand-crafted arts, coastal cuisine, and Oregon wine and local brews. The festival is a major fundraiser for community organizations that participate in the event. Expect live entertainment daily, and plenty of food samples.
4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 26-28, Clatsop County Fair & Expo Center, 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria; admission $10-$20; astoriacrabfest.com.
“Legally Blond: The Musical”
Barbie isn’t the only smart girl dressed in pink in our culture’s lexicon. Elle Woods took movie theater audiences by storm in the early 2000s as a dumped girlfriend who gets into Harvard to win her boyfriend back, but ends up taking a voyage of self-discovery that helps bring down the establishment. Stumptown Stages brings the fabulous story to Portland stages in an award-winning musical version based on the movie.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, and continues 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 19, Winningstad Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway; tickets start at $29.50; stumptownstages.org/legally-blonde.
Portland Night Market
Celebrate area music, food, culture and more during this first of the spring Night Market events. More than 175 vendors are scheduled to take part. The market is rain-or-shine, so dress appropriately. No pets allowed.
4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 26-27, at 100 S.E. Alder St.; free admission; pdxnm.com.
“From a Hole in the Ground” — Corrib Theatre
Actor/playwright/poet/sorcerer Ken Yoshikawa summons monsters and malevolent forces straight from Irish mythology for his original thriller. Yoshikawa, who is biracial, said his playwriting partnership with Irish-focused Corrib Theatre company had sparked exploration of his own Irish roots. “‘From a Hole in the Ground’ is for me an opportunity to learn and do, to enter in, have a sense of being a guest, and accepting an opportunity to play and experiment,” he said. “Discovering and getting to know characters is a sweet and tender process, and the research is a curious dive into a winding river.”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, and continues 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 19, Alberta House, 5131 N.E. 23rd Ave.; tickets $25-$35; corribtheatre.org/from-a-hole-in-the-ground.
-- Lee Williams | Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive
St. Johns Spring Fling
Head to north Portland for a day to celebrate spring with art shows, live music, local business specials, raffles and drawings, story time and a pinata, and hanging out with your neighbors.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, St. Johns Plaza, 8606 N. Lombard St.; free; stjohnsboosters.org.
Clark Public Utilities Home & Garden Idea Fair
Ready to spruce up your home or yard? This southwest Washington one-stop source for creative inspiration, products and services may give you ideas on how to make your homes and gardens great. Check out the landscape showcase, plant sales, kids activities and more.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, April 27-28, Clark County Event Center, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield; admission is free, but there’s a charge for parking; clarkpublicutilities.com/event.
Corvallis Tweed Ride
No polyester cycling kit for this crowd. This biking event has been going strong since 2015 and harkens back to the days of slow-speed trips around town in an era when tweed was all the rage. This year’s theme is “Tour de Trees’' and features a scenic ride through the notable trees of Corvallis. The route is 12 miles, and participants should pack a lunch basket to enjoy during a break. An after-party will also be held at Treebeerd’s Taphouse upon completion of the ride.
10 a.m. Sunday, April 28, kicking off from Southwest Second Street and Washington Avenue; free; corvallistweedride.net.
Garcia Birthday Band
No, it’s not Jerry Garcia’s birthday (Aug. 1), but this band continues to cover the Grateful Dead and expand its fanbase beyond those who worshiped the band during its 30 years of touring. The Pacific Northwest’s GBB has been playing for 20 years and uses the Dead’s set lists as a springboard to even more improvisational tunes. Check it out for yourselves. Ages 21 and older only.
8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 N.E. Alberta St.; tickets $20 advance, $25 day of; etix.com/ticket.
Michelle Collins: The Big Natural Tour
Collins brings her one-woman show to seven cities across the U.S., and Portland is one of the lucky ones. She offers a lot of first-person stories, dates gone wrong, comedy songs, and plenty of riffs on being a 6′1 woman just living her tall life. She was a former host of “The View,” where she co-hosted alongside Whoopi Goldberg, and writes for “The Today Show.”
8 p.m. Thursday, May 2, Aladdin Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave.; tickets $45; etix.com/ticket.
- If you have events you’d like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly printed A&E section of The Oregonian, please email submissions to events@oregonian.com at least three weeks prior to the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.
— Rosemarie Stein
503-221-4376, events@oregonian.com; @trafficportland
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