Spotlight: Portland Tax Day Freebies and Food Deals

We are posting this blog a day early to help you take advantage of all these super Thursday bargains. Enjoy!

WEEKEND ON THE CHEAP:

– Live, professional wrestling comes to Portland State University with “Rumble at the Stott” this Friday at 6:00pm. Tickets are just $5 and helps support the KPSU Radio Pledge Drive. All ages.

– The University of Oregon School of Music and Dance presents guest soprano Lucy Shelton and the University of Oregon faculty ensemble Beta Collide with a performance this Friday at the White Stag Building. 7:30pm, free!

– Portland’s Largest Garage Sale this Saturday at the Portland Expo Center with over 400 garage sale spaces. Admission is $3 from 8:00am – 3:00pm, then free for the final hours 3:00pm – 5:00pm.

– SOLV IT Statewide Event on Saturday from 9:00am – 1:00pm, please visit web site to see a full listing of volunteer opportunities.

– Oregon Historical Society Family Days with free admission for the entire family on Saturday from 10:00am – 5:00pm with special crafts and activities for the kids all afternoon. Oregon Attorney General John Kroger will also speak in the Miller Pavilion at 1:00pm.

– The Forest Grove Children’s Fair will be held this Saturday on the campus of Pacific University beginning at 9:00am for pre-parade festivities. Free admission and activities for the whole family.

– Submission: Hawthorne Family Playschool Annual Dance Party & Silent Auction this Saturday at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 4:00pm – 7:00pm. This free event features dancing, kids’ activities, an art show, entertainment and the auction. Come out and show your support!

– Cappella Nova Concert, “Looking for the Promised Land” this Saturday at 8:00pm at the Evans Music Auditorium on the campus of Lewis and Clark College. Free.

– The 9th Annual Northwest Pet & Companion Fair this Saturday and Sunday at the Portland Expo Center, please see web site for hours and discount admission coupons.

– Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s Plant Sale and Garden Festival this Saturday and Sunday at the Portland Expo Center. Free admission to over 100 specialty nurseries, garden artists, garden experts and book sales. 10:00am – 3:00pm.

– The Ultimate Open House New Home Tour concludes this Saturday and Sunday for the chance to tour new construction condos, town homes and custom-designed homes. Free.

– This is also the last weekend for the Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival with free performances in Portland, North Plains, Tigard, Sherwood and Tualatin.

– Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box includes a buy-one-get-one-free deal on tickets for Imago Theater’s “Frogz,” $69 rates at the Jupiter Hotel, a photo contest and more.

– For a complete rundown listing of totally free events this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog.

SPOTLIGHT: TAX DAY AND WEEKEND FOOD DEALS

Here you go! (and if we’ve missed one, please chime in and leave a comment)

THURSDAY

– Cinnabon: 6:00pm – 8:00pm, get two free bite-sized cupcakes while supplies last.

– McCormick & Schmick’s: in the bar only, get $10.40 dinner and drink specials plus everyone receives a $10.40 certificate good for your next visit (while supplies last).

– P.F. Chang’s: get 15% off dine-in or take out food purchases (sorry, not valid for alcoholic drinks or their great happy hour menu).

– Starbucks: bring in any reusable travel mug and get it filled with free brewed coffee.

– Taco Del Mar: free taco, but you must go to the web site to sign up and receive a coupon via email (note: you can opt out of giving up any personal information and still get the coupon with just an email address and zip code, nice touch).

– MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream and Treatery: get a free sample of their Ice Cream Pizza from 3:00pm – 7:00pm; the only Oregon location is at Washington Square, located near the Cinnabon so get there for both samples

– IHOP: get a free kid’s dinner for one child age 12 or younger with each adult meal purchased 4:00pm – 10:00pm (valid til April 30th).

– Baja Fresh: well, you gotta be a Baja Fresh Facebook Fan to download their coupon, good for a burrito for just $2. Choose from Veggie, Baja, Mexicano or Ultimo chicken, steak or carnitas.

– Downtown Portland’s West Cafe will offer up their happy hour menu from open til close.

– 50 Plates restaurant in the Pearl district will serve their happy hour menu all day in the bar.

– After getting your fill of all the food offers, head down to the Bhaktishop at SE 26th and Division for free yoga classes all day. See the web site for schedule, six session are offered on Thursday.

– Finally, check out one of these two talks on Thursday

“Your Money: The Missing Manual,” 7:00pm at Powell’s Technical Books. From web site

Keeping your financial house in order is now more important than ever, and J. D. Roth’s Your Money: The Missing Manual (O’Reilly) guides you every step of the way. You won’t find any get-rich-quick schemes here — just sensible advice for getting the most from your money. Roth, founder of GetRichSlowly.org, recently named the most inspiring money blog by Money magazine, covers all the money-management bases: saving, spending, getting out of debt, investing, and planning for retirement.

“On a Dollar a Day: One Couple’s Unlikely Adventures in Eating in America,” 7:30pm at Powell’s Books on Hawthorne. From web site

Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard’s On a Dollar a Day (Hyperion) examines how Americans eat and at what cost. With sections on eating the food-stamp diet, what it really costs to eat healthfully and organically, and how to find the best buys at the grocery store, this book is an ideal guide for getting through these challenging economic times.

FRIDAY
– Jack in the Box is promoting their new french fries with ‘Free Fryday’ at all locations—just ask for your free fries.

– Noah’s Bagels: get a free bagel every Friday from open until 11:00am with this coupon, now through May 22nd.

There you have it, tax day isn’t so bad…please post a comment if there are any other deals we may have missed and thank you for visiting!

Restaurant.com purchases are now discounted 70% off by using promo code “FEAST” at checkout, valid now until midnight, April 22nd.