Spotlight: Portland Tax Help

Weekend on the Cheap:

– Washington County Museum Free Family Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm, located adjacent to PCC Rock Creek. The museum showcases Spring Kites and a Celebration of Hispanic Culture.

– Nike Hoop Summit this Saturday night at the Rose Garden, see Portland’s own 5A Player of the Year and Parade All-American Terrance Jones play against a World Select Team, comprised of top players 19-years-old or younger from around the world. Tickets are just $7.

– Bike Gallery’s annual spring sale, now through this weekend. Everything is on sale at all six area locations!

– 2010 Beaverton Neighborhood Summit: Living Greener this Saturday from 9:00am – 12:30pm. Over forty exhibitors, seminars, free refreshments, prize drawings and activities for children. Free.

– Trillium Festival and Native & Hardy Plant Sale at Tryon Creek State Park this Saturday and Sunday. The community event includes a native plant sale, guided nature hikes, children’s crafts and activities, local craft and edibles vendors, live music performances and more.

– Multnomah County Library Friends of the Library Spring Used Book Sale, this Saturday and Sunday at Gresham Town Fair Shopping Center inside the old Hollywood Video store.

– Pedal Nation Event – The Bicycle Show this Saturday and Sunday at the Oregon Convention Center. Admission is $7 for adults, those under 12 are free. There will be races, speakers, kids’ activities, stunt shows and over one hundred exhibitors.

– Hearing Voices 2010 Storytelling Festival kicks off this Sunday at 2:00pm at the Beaverton City Library with Oregon Shadow Theatre presenting ‘Thumbelina Shadow Puppet Show.’ Free admission to all events all week.

– Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box features a free class on pie crusts, an automotive swap meet, a free rap concert and more.

– For a list of other totally free events and happenings, please visit Aroundthesunblog, updated every Thursday evening.

SPOTLIGHT: PORTLAND TAX HELP

It’s just one week to go for our annual day of paying taxes—April 15th. Here are a collection of resources for last-minute tax filers (like us!):

FACE TO FACE:

– CASH Oregon, partnering with AARP Tax-Aide, offers free tax preparation service with no qualifications. See the web site for a list of locations, which includes senior centers, community centers, churches and more.

– Portland Taxpayer Assistance Center, open this Saturday from 9:00am – 2:00pm and Monday – Friday 8:30am- 5:30pm. No appointment is necessary – just walk in. If a same-day appointment is not available, a future appointment will be made within 5 business days. Multilingual assistance is available in every office.

– Five Washington County libraries are pairing with AARP volunteers to offer free tax assistance; these are very popular so go early to get a same-day appointment.

– Multnomah County Libraries offer tax help now until Thursday, April 15th. From the Events page, click on ‘Event Finder’ and use dates April 7 – April 15 with key word ‘tax’ for hit ‘SEARCH’ for a return listing of tax help.

– Call 2-1-1 on your telephone for additional information and referrals, or visit their web site here.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

– Bankrate.com. Major web site with a slew of tips and help with state and federal income taxes.

– Smartmoney.com. Comprehensive articles, videos and links to help with your tax questions.

– Yahoo Personal Finance page with how-to tax guide, articles, tools, stories and more.

– Article: “Still Haven’t Done Your Taxes? Here’s Some Advice for Last-Minute Filers
Expert Answers 5 Viewers’ Tax Filing Questions.” From ABC News (includes a video).