Weekend on the Cheap:
– Aroundthesunblog and PDXPipeline have the total rundown for a great weekend on the cheap, so be sure to check them out! In addition to those listings, we’ve gleaned a few more for ya!
– Bimbo Bakeries Oroweat Outlet store grand reopening celebration, Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm at the Beaverton location, see our spotlight feature below for more details!
– Rethinking Psychiatry’s Winter Film Festival presents the films “Inside Outside” and “Walking in Recovery,” beginning 6:30pm Friday at First Unitarian Church. $5 – $15 donation requested; no one turned away for lack of funds. Complimentary popcorn and healthy drinks provided.
– Friends of the Tigard Library Used Book Sale, Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm and Saturday 9:00am – 3:00pm at the Tigard Library. Choose from books, DVDs, CDs and much more, come early for best selection.
– The Unscriptables final performance of Star Trek USS Improvise at 8:00pm Friday, and then Avenue PDX Saturday at 8:00pm. Avenue PDX is their improvised musical spoof of Avenue Q. All shows are “pay what you will†and cash only.
– Washington County Bridal Show, Saturday 9:00am – 3:00pm at the Meriwether National Golf Club in Hillsboro. Free admission and plenty of samples. If you are still in the wedding planning mood, continue on to the Open House at McMenamins Grand Lodge from 12:00pm – 3:00pm and take a group tour through the property.
– 19th Annual Hillsdale Brewfest, Saturday 11:00am – late at McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery and Public House, free admission for all ages.
– The Bach Cantata Vespers series continues with a free concert by the St. James Bach Choir and Orchestra on Sunday, 5:00pm at St. James Lutheran Church. Admission by donation.
– Sunday is the 84th Academy Awards and there are a handful of places showing the event on the big screen with varying admission costs (free to $15 per person); check out the Venetian Theater in Hillsboro, Mission Theater, Hollywood Theatre, Bagdad Theater, the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove and The East Burn.
– After the Oscars, check out AMC’s The Walking Dead screening at the Hollywood Theatre at 9:00pm as well as McMenamins St. John’s Theater and Pub. Free admission at both locations, 21 and over only.
– Typhoon Live At Mississipi Studios DVD Release Party, Sunday 9:00pm at the Clinton Street Theater, free admission.
SPOTLIGHT: OROWEAT BAKERY OUTLET STORE
We profiled the Franz Bakery Outlet a couple years back (here’s the link if you’d like to read further) and have always wanted to check out the Oroweat Bakery Outlet of Bimbo Bakeries USA. We finally made the trip after recently making a half-price deal purchase on Portland Perks — disclaimer — the $5 for $10 voucher is still available here and any purchase you make through our link helps to support this web site (just click on ‘All Deals’ to find the bakery outlet deal).
We rode the MAX and the #54 bus out to the Beaverton location, which is a short five-minute walk from the Uwajimaya on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway. You’ll see the big sign and there is ample parking and a wheelchair ramp.
Inside the store we were delighted to find a wide variety of bakery items including your standard sliced breads, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, muffins, bagels, English muffins, donuts, donut holes, cookies and sandwich thins. However, we were also surprised to find products that we’ve never heard of before: Rebanadas (frosted toast), Bimbunuelos (crispy wheels pastry), Caribenas (cookies) and !Sponch! In addition, they also stock crackers, chips, soup mix, biscuit mix, cinnamon rolls, tortillas, fruit cake and Danish Orchards jam. Oroweat brand names include Entenmann’s, Francisco, Old Country, Boboli, Thomas, Tia Rosa, Bimbo and Marinela.
The outlet store is roughly divided into four areas:
1. $2.99 section: bakery products that are over bakes, overages and overstocks direct from the bakery. These are generally the freshest items.
2. $2.50 section: bakery products in huge Costco-like quantities. Buy a second package of goods in this section and the second item price is just $2.00.
3. $1.65 section “Market Returns:” overstock products returned from the grocery store. Buy five or more of these items and the price drops down to $1.48 per item (great for freezing!).
4. $1.00 section: overstocked bakery products that are marked down to move quickly. These items are noted with the green sticker, and although their sell-by date is very near, Oroweat employees assured me that the items are guaranteed for one week later.
We stocked up on the $1.00 items and never used our voucher, which doesn’t expire until February 2013. At check-out, the cashier offered a sheet of money saving coupons to use during our next visit, and also stamped a frequent guest card that, once filled up with $30 worth of stamps, we can redeem for a free markdown item.
Oroweat Bakery Outlet is open Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm, and closed on Sunday. There are four locations in the greater Portland area: Vancouver, Beaverton, Gresham and Lake Oswego. This Friday, February 24th, the Beaverton location is having a grand reopening celebration from 9:00am – 4:00pm with free samples of Boboli pizza, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and an appearance by Bimbo Bear ‘Osito.’ The first 50 people will receive a free gift bag.
