Your no-frills source for Portland bargains, freebies and money saving deals

This is a busy weekend indeed, here are a few late additions for things to do tomorrow, Saturday May 1st!

- Opening day for the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market, 8:30am – 1:30pm in downtown Hillsboro featuring farm fresh produce, nursery products, arts and crafts, food and entertainment.

- Quilters’ Market Spring Sale in Tualatin, 10:00am – 4:00pm

- Women in Trades Career Fair 2010, 9:00am – 3:00pm. From web site:

“Meet employers and tradeswomen, participate in workshops and demonstrations, learn about training opportunities, and more! No registration required. Women seeking exciting careers are especially invited.

FREE Admission, FREE Parking, FREE Childcare, and FREE Shuttle from the Gateway Transit Center! The Gateway Transit Center is located at 9900 NE Multnomah, Portland, OR 97220.”

- May Day Celebration at McMenamins Kennedy School, 3:00pm – late. Free admission with live music, dancing and more.

- World Labyrinth Day Festival at Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, 9:00am – 3:00pm. Free and open to the public with special activities throughout the day.

- Kaleinani May Day Arts and Crafts Festival at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Vancouver, Washington. 11:00am – 7:00pm, $5 admission gets you arts, crafts, vendors and entertainment.

- Pouregon web site launch, celebrating Oregon wine, Oregon beer, coffee and the places that pour them. Become a Fan on Facebook or follow them on Twitter!

Have a great weekend and please post a comment if we have missed any other events, thanks for stopping by.

Article of the Week: From the October 8th Oregonian, “Losing job was sweet to lifelong learner,” showcases a new learning company here in the Portland area, Mindglo. Offering classes in cooking, business/finance, health/wellness, art, personal growth and more, this is a great alternative for community education.

Monday, October 12th:
- Free! Complimentary 12-ounce mochas or hot chocolate at area Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe locations. See web site for locations and hours.

Tuesday, October 13th:
- Second Tuesdays of the month at the Oregon Zoo means that gate admission is only $2 per person. This is a great time to catch the new exhibit “Predators of the Serengeti,” plus ride the MAX to the zoo and get an additional $1.50 off!

- OMSI Teacher Open House: hopefully you checked our calendar tab and signed up for OMSI’s educator open house, which offers free admission and activities for teachers from 3:00pm – 8:00pm. If you haven’t registered, give them a call to see if you can still sign up. Valid teachers’ ID will be required at the door.

Wednesday, October 14th:
- Powell’s book readings: two great authors and books to choose from. Sarah Vowell will be at the Cedar Crossing location at 7:00pm for “The Wordy Shipmates,” and Michael Chabon will be at the downtown location at 7:30pm for “Manhood for Amateurs.” Click here for the Oregonian’s review of Chabon’s book.

Thursday, October 15th:
- McMenamin’s Kennedy School 12th anniversary Back to School celebration with live music, food specials and kid’s fun. Music begins at 5:00pm.

- USS Blueback 50th Anniversary with free submarine tours available from 9:30am – 5:00pm. There will also be a special celebration in the OMSI lobby at 2:00 p.m.

- Today is the final day of new ticket releases for the Free Night of Theater promotion. If Death of a Salesman comes back up, we highly recommend it!

Save 80% off on every $25 Gift Certificate order at Restaurant.com. Use promo code FOUR and pay just $2 through Monday, October 12th:

Article of the Week: “The Dining Strategy: How to Eat Out for Less,” from Smart Money, offers up tips and suggestions for saving money when eating out.

Monday, September 28th:
- History Pub Mondays at McMenamins Kennedy School, 7:00pm. Free; bring canned goods to donate to Oregon Food Bank, all ages welcome. Tonight’s topic: “The Other Portland: Ethnic Groups and Workers in Portland’s North End during the 19th and 20th Centuries.”
- Camden Corner Block Party offers up free dinner eats and cheap drinks at Yakuza, Fats and DOC restaurants. 7:00pm – 10:00pm, NE Portland.

Tuesday, September 29th:
- OMSI Science Pub lecture @ McMenamins Mission Theater, 7:00pm. $2.00 suggested donation. Tonight’s topic: “Spider Venoms: Tools of Tiny Predators.”

Wednesday, September 30th:
- People’s Coop Harvest Festival, 2:00pm – 9:00pm, features a farmers market and craft fair, pie eating contest, beer garden, square dancing, live music and more.
- Friendly House Annual Street Party and Open House, 4:00pm – 7:00pm. Live music, children’s activities, food, raffle prizes, acupuncture clinic and more.
- In Cheap We Trust, book reading at Powell’s City of Books in downtown. “From dumpster-diving and the psychology of hoarding to Americans’ thrifty responses to war and recession, Lauren Weber’s In Cheap We Trust (Little, Brown) teases out the connotations behind the word “cheap” and explores the wisdom and pleasures of not spending every last penny.” Ah, perfect!

Thursday, October 1st
- Yes, it is First Thursday. But it is also the start of the Oregon Day of Culture, and Thursday kicks off a week of performances, film screenings, exhibits and special events taking place all around over the state. Check the web site for a complete listing of all the events and activities.

Article of the week: “Does Penny-Pinching Pay Off?” Short answer: start with some small steps and see where it takes ya!

Here’s your quick cheap guide for this week:

Monday, September 14th:
- OMSI Science Pub at the Bagdad Theater, 7:00pm. Suggested cover charge is $2.00 per person. This week’s topic: “Beer: A Tasty Blend of Art, History, and Science with Dr. Tom Shellhammer, Nor’Wester Professor of Fermentation Science and Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University.”

Tuesday, September 15th:
- Meet Ultrarunner Luis Escobar at Mountain Hard Wear, 5:00pm – 7:00pm. Hear his stories, view photographs and get some running tips. Admission is free and they have door prizes! 722 SW Taylor Street.

- Science Without Limits Symposium: Behavior, Perception and the Brain. Two days of free lectures and events at Lewis & Clark College. Click here for full schedule and description of events.

- “Myth of the White Stag,” storytelling program at the Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro. 7:00pm, free admission.

Wednesday, September 16th:
- McMenamins Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations with free music and Irish dancers at Edgefield, Kennedy School, Grand Lodge and Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. See web site for times and details.

Thursday, September 17th:
- It’s that time once again for the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest! Head south down to Mt. Angel for four stages of live music, arts and crafts, food and of course the beer gardens. If you come before 5:00pm on Thursday, you can get an all day festival pass for just $2.00, otherwise it will cost $6.00 after 5:00pm.

- Don’t forget, in celebration of our one-year anniversary, we’re giving away two tickets to the Portland Art Museum—just send an email to contest@portlandonthecheap.com with the subject heading “Portland Art” and we’ll randomly draw from all entries and announce the winner in our Thursday, September 17th post.

- Finally, Woody has amassed 500,000 fans on Facebook, which means those of us that signed up should soon expect a coupon for a free Jack Daniels burger at TGIF! Do note that the free burger will only be valid October 11th – October 14th, so get those calendars marked.