Spotlight: Valentine’s Day Weekend

Weekend on the Cheap:

– Jenkins Estate in Beaverton hosts their 13th annual Chocolate Fantasy event on Friday from 3:00pm – 9:00pm. Admission is $5 and includes live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, door prizes and more.

– The 20th Cascade Festival of African Films continues its month-long run with films this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All films are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and show at the Hollywood Theater or at PCC Cascade. See web site for schedule and synopsis of films.

– ‘Love Your Heart’ Health Fair is this Saturday at Tuality Health Education Center in Hillsboro, 10:00am – 1:00pm. Free, though RSVP is requested. “Give yourself and those you love an early “Valentine” by joining in this fun and activity-packed family event presented by Tuality Healthcare and nursing students from Portland Community College. Come visit with community and national organizations to hear the latest on heart health.” American Volksport Association will also have a special free walk event from 8:00am – 1:00pm, see web site for details.

– KUIK’s 2010 Northwest Family and Kids’ Festival is this Saturday and Sunday at the Washington County Fair Complex, Main exhibit hall. Admission is $10 for the entire family. Includes pony rides, petting zoo, reptile display, arts & crafts, games, music and more.

– In celebration of Oregon Statehood Day, the Oregon Historical Society is offering free admission to the museum for all this Sunday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm . There will be special activities and free cake too!

– Here’s a recent submission for Portland’s Fun-A-Day Project and Show, happening this Saturday:

“… The concept is simple: participants from around Portland made one fun piece of artwork a day in January and this Saturday, February 13 from 7:00pm – 11:00pm all of their work is celebrated in a large group exhibit at 2800 SE Harrison Street. All ages and types of work are shown – poetry, fabric, songs, painting, etc. This is also a family friendly event and is .. FREE!”

– We stopped into our local Borders Bookstore earlier this week and found some incredible deals in their clearance bargains. For $9, we walked away with $73 worth of merchandise, all from their $1 section, including books such as “The 4-Hour Workweek” and “Dead Until Dark;” stationary; calendars; and much more. So drop by and browse, selection will vary by store!

– Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box features a comic release party, cheap drinks, a free concert, the Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund’s ninth annual “Tom and Mom Cat Special,” and more.

– Here’s a new taste test upcoming:

The Sensory and Consumer Group at the Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is looking for participants between the ages of 25-55 yrs. for a taste test to take place on Tuesday, February 23rd. The taste test will be about 30 minutes and the compensation is $25. Test times run from 11am to 4:30pm. If you are interested, please click on this link to submit a questionnaire. If you are selected to participate, we will contact you via email by Tuesday, February 16th, where you must confirm your intent to participate. We will then send you another reminder email the day before the test.

You will not hear back from us for each test as each consumer will not be selected every time. We only contact those who were selected to participate and will be sending out those confirmation emails by February 16th.

Photo ID WITH PROOF OF AGE will be required to participate in this test.
Consumers will be contacted ONLY if they are selected to participate. We do not accept walk-ins. You must have a scheduled appointment.

– Restaurant.com is running a Valentine’s Day promotion. They are once again offering up their gift certificates at an 80% savings—$25 gift certificates that normally sell for $10 are now discounted to $2. Take 80% off purchases and receive a $15 FTD® Floral Reward when you use the discount code “HEART”. Save on the $25 Gift Certificates, Dinner of the Month Club, and their new $25 Gift Cards. This offer is valid now until Sunday, February 14th.

– For more free events this weekend, get the run down from Aroundthesunblog

Spotlight: Valentine’s Day Weekend

Here’s a quick listing of Valentine’s Day weekend events:

– Special dinner menus and restaurant offerings from PortlandFoodandDrink.com

– “Romantic dining for Valentine’s Day: the elegant, the budget-minded, the creative, ” a short list from Oregonlive.com

– Here’s a listing of Valentine things to do from Oregonlive.com including tree planting, card-making, dinner shows, concerts and more.

– Picks from the Portland Mercury

– Event listing from Travel Portland, our local visitor’s bureau

– PDX Pipeline’s rundown of weekend events

ARTICLES

– “Valentines Day Portland – Most Romantic Places” from PortlandNeighborhood.com, also showcases romantic getaways and hotel packages

– “Valentine’s Day on a Budget” from KATU’s AM Northwest. Watch the 4-minute video here.

– “15 Cheap Valentine’s Day Dates” from Bargaineering.com

– “50 Cheap Valentine’s Day Gifts For Your Sweetheart (Without Looking Cheap)” from SmartMarriages.com; opens a PDF

– “Inexpensive Valentine’s Day Date Ideas” from Families.com

– “Creative Valentine’s Day Ideas” from TheRomantic.com

– “10 tips for a fun — but frugal — Valentine’s Day” from the Today show.

Enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading!

Use promo code ‘HEART’ for the additional savings and $15 FTD® Floral Reward