-Premiere of “Tick Tack Type” opens tonight, Thursday March 11th for four shows only. Performances will be March 11th, 12th and 13th at 8:00pm and March 14th at 3:00pm. All tickets are free and must be reserved by emailing imagotheatre@gmail.com. Limited to two tickets per request.

- Book reading of “You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up,” at Powell’s City of Books on Friday at 7:30pm, free.

- 20th annual Buckman Art Show and Sell this Friday and Saturday. General admission is $5 Friday 5:00pm – 9:00pm and $2 (suggested donation) on Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm.

- Free Family Day at Washington County Museum on Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm. From web site: “March 13: This month, find out about quilting and make your own quilt patterns with volunteers from the Westside Quilters Guild. Dress up in pioneer clothing and play with traditional toys such as Jacobs Ladders and pop-guns.

Local artists from the printmaking non-profit Print Arts Northwest will lead the art activities including “good luck books” with stamping, leprechaun Marionettes, green shamrock bookmarks, paper bag puppets. Free admission, cookies and juice. Donations welcome. Join us for a fun-filled day packed with art and history activities.”

- 2010 Portland Urban Iditarod runs this Saturday; though all slots have been filled, it is free to watch the adventure unfold as a spectator. See web site for route info and details. Keep Portland Weird, yay!

- Trinity Episcopal Cathedral will hold a Lenten Eucharist set to the music of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, this Saturday at 5:00pm. Free, but be sure to arrive at least a half hour early to ensure a seat!

- New Seasons Market weekend tastings for corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 5:00pm.

- It’s Ahnold in the kick-butt greatest film of his storied career!! Conan The Destroyer plays at 11:00pm Saturday night at McMenamins Bagdad Theater. Presented by SuperTrash, admission is just three bucks for this cinematic masterpiece!

- Portland Art Museum Family Day this Sunday with free admission for all from 12:00pm – 5:00pm and special family-friendly activities.

- Sunday night Curious Comedy Theater’s Stand Up Showcase & Open Mic, 9:00pm start time, free.

- Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box includes free introductory yoga classes, Ecoroof Portland 2010, a free concert and more.

- For a complete rundown of free events this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog

Spotlight: A Frugal Salute to Willamette Week

Willamette Week! One of Portland’s free weekly newspapers, available all around the metro area every Wednesday at transit centers, libraries, stores, restaurants and more. We look forward every week to Willamette Week, especially since we had to cancel our delivery of the Oregonian (due to budget belt-tightening constraints, but if we win that Powerball jackpot, we just may reconsider!). If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a recent copy, here’s a reminder of what you’ll find:

- Cheap Skate: The Best Cheap And Free Deals In Town
- Free stuff and giveaways like concert tickets, movie DVDs and more
- Ads for store sales and special clearance events
- Crossword!
- Classifieds for jobs, rentals, personals, for sale and more
- Feature cover stories on Portland politics, community, personalities, exposes and investigations
- Free movie screenings. We’ve seen three methods of Willamette Week offering free movie tickets: picking up complimentary passes at the office, sending an entry via mail for a drawing, or getting an internet code to download the passes online.
- Special sections throughout the year, including Best of Portland, Gift Guides, Summer Guide, Fall Arts Guide, Restaurant Guide and this week’s Cheap Eats 2010 (get your copy now!)

Here are two of our favorite past cover stories, and an extra bonus for golfing on the cheap!

- “Recession Busters: We put the city of Portland on sale”

- “How to Live Cheap in Portland”

BONUS
- “Of Tees And T-Shirts: Golf that won’t cost you your savings or your sanity”

And there you have it, plenty of reasons to pick up your FREE copy of Willamette Week, every Wednesday around the Portland area! Enjoy the weekend and thanks for visiting!

Monday, March 8th:
- See the Oscar-winning “Hurt Locker” on the big screen at the Academy Theater; tonight is Monday Movie Madness where you can watch any two consecutive movies for $6 ($5 children and seniors).

Tuesday, March 9th:
- Oregon Zoo second Tuesday each month offers discount admission of only $2. Show your MAX ticket at the gate and save an additional $1.50!

- “Lola’s Lounge” classic concert movie screening at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom. We don’t know what the movie is, but the description of this new series sounds good enough to include it here: “From 5 p.m. to close, Tuesday through Saturday, Lola’s Room offers a different adventure every night in a lounge setting: bands, dance parties, comedians, and big-screen viewing of sports and movies.” Free, ages 21 and over.

Wednesday, March 10th:
- Free single serving entree of Honey Walnut Shrimp from Panda Express. No purchase necessary, while supplies last. You must print this coupon and present it for the entree.

- Portland Metro Dealers 52nd RV Show starts its run at the Portland Expo Center through the weekend. Admission is $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for ages 50 and over and children under 16 admitted free with adult. Click here to print a two-for-one coupon, or click here for a four-pack of tickets for $18 from KGW’s Half Price Deals.

- Neon Sign Bike Tour, meet at 6:30pm at Old Town Pizza. Free.

- “Historic Photos of Oregon” book presentation at Powell’s City of Books, 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, March 11th:
- Music Millennium in-store performance: Shae Fiol at 6:00pm, free.

- Reed Arts Week 2010: ALCHEMY runs through this Sunday with visiting artists, performances, lectures, installation, and student art projects. Every day 12:00pm – 6:00pm, see web site for schedule of activities.

- Children’s Museum First Friday: free admission for all from 5:00pm – 8:00pm thanks to Target!

- Central Eastside Arts District presents First Friday Art Openings this Friday; see web site for map locations.

- Portland Saturday Market reopens this weekend with hours of 10:00am – 5:00pm Saturday and 11:00am – 4:30pm Sunday. Special activities for children include a make-your-own instrument for a 2:00pm parade and a roaming magician.

- 25th Annual Visitation School Rummage Sale in Forest Grove this Thursday – Saturday. Early bird sale on Thursday, March 4, from 7:30am to 9:00am for an entrance fee of $5. Regular sale hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm. Everything will be half price on Saturday, March 6th, with a $3 bag sale from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. The sale will be held at the Visitation Parish Center, located at 4285 NW Visitation Road, Forest Grove, 97116.

- The 20th annual Cascade Festival of African Films wraps up its month-long celebration with film screenings this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Free admission, please see web site for film descriptions.

- Bank of America Museums on Us free admission for card holders to the Portland Art Museum & Pittock Mansion this Saturday and Sunday. Just bring your photo ID and any Bank of America card to get in for free!

- McMenamins Grand Lodge 88th Birthday Party, featuring the Cracked Pots unGarden Art Show this Saturday. Art show runs 11:00am – 6:00pm and music starts at 4:00pm. Free admission, all ages welcome.

- Vancouver Family Magazine presents the 4th annual Children’s Festival this Saturday from 11:00am – 4:00pm at the Westfield Vancouver Mall. Free event featuring performances, activities, games, prizes and entertainment for families of all ages.

- New Seasons Markets features cereal and milk tasting samples this Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 5:00m at all area stores.

- The 7th annual SE Portland Art Walk takes place this Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am – 5:00pm. Featuring over 100 artists, please see the web site for locations and to download a map. Free!

- Portland International Women’s Day will be held this Sunday from 11:00am – 4:00pm on the 3rd floor of the Portland State University Smith Student Union. The festival includes entertainment, art, seminars and more. Free for all ages.

- OMSI offers admission for just $2 this first Sunday. See the newest exhibit “Space: A Journey to our Future.”

- Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box features half-price tickets for Portland Center Stage’s “The 39 Steps,” a free concert at Mississippi Studios first anniversary party, cheap bicycle stuff and more.

- The OSU Food Innovation Center is recruiting participants for another upcoming taste test:

The Sensory and Consumer Group at the Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is looking for participants for a taste test to take place on Tuesday, March 16th. The taste test will be about 30 minutes and the compensation is $25.
We will also be holding three additional optional focus groups after three of the taste tests. These focus groups will take 45 minutes and will pay an additional $35. Test times run from 9am to 5pm. 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, March 9th, where you must confirm your intent to participate. We will then send you another reminder email the day before the test.

We only contact those who were selected to participate and will be sending out those confirmation emails by March 9th.
Photo ID will be required to participate in this test.

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

Spotlight: Portland Shared Housing Resources

It’s a brutal economy and many people have been forced to pinch their pennies and make hard decisions on housing, jobs, family and lifestyle. One of our good friends was laid off back in the fall, just three months after purchasing his first home. Fortunately, he was able to resell, but the sudden absence of a steady paycheck was a shock that resulted in the hunt for cheaper housing options.

He could no longer afford a place of his own; even apartments wanted too much up front, so he looked for shared housing opportunities. Here are some of the resources he shared with us that he found useful:

ONLINE:

- Craigslist, Rooms and Shares category. Postings constantly updated, some with pics and some without, use the search box to limit key words. And be familiar with the Federal Fair Housing Act!

- HousingConnections.org. This web-based community service is sponsored by the City of Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development and is user-friendly and very functional. Under the ‘Renters’ tab, click on ‘Search for Housing’ and then on the next screen click on ‘Shared Housing.’ Free to use, no registration required.

- Roomates.com: basic membership is free and that will allow you to add a profile, browse matches and send RoomMail messages. But in order to read messages received from other members, you must become a Choice Member which costs $5.99 for a 3-day trial, $19.99 for 30 days, and $29.99 for 60 days.

- The classifieds in the Willamette Week and the Portland Mercury maintain a small database of online listings for roommates. Definitely worth a look, especially since it is free.

- Oregonlive.com provides a listing of shared housing, but the ads don’t have a full description and you can’t search for specific terms.

REAL WORLD / OFFLINE:

- Shared Housing matching and referral service. This program is offered by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and program participants are asked to pay a fee of $10 to $30, depending on income. See web site for details and application process.

- College bulletin boards. Find them at any Portland Community College campus, Portland State University or any of the private colleges scattered around the Portland area.

- Other places that might have public bulletin boards include grocery stores (try Fred Meyer, Safeway and Haggen); places of worship like churches and synagogues; senior centers and Loaves and Fishes meal centers; community activity centers like the Salvation Army, YMCA or Boys and Girls Clubs; and multicultural service centers like IRCO Asian Family Center in NE Portland, Centro Cultural in Washington County, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest.

-Finally, let your friends and colleagues know that you are in the market for a place or room to rent out. Many homeowners are turning to renting out rooms to help make ends meet, so it could be a win-win situation.

Homeowner considering renting out a room? Read this article for more.

Article of the Week:

A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from our credit card company, Citibank, specifying that our once fee-free credit card will asess an annual fee beginning on April 1st. We had until March 31st to opt out, or in other words, close the account to avoid the fee (we could also aim to spend $2400 over the year and our annual fee would be ‘credited’ back to our account). So, should we close the account or should pay the $60 fee and try to spend at least $200 a month on it? To help us and to help any others facing this question, here are two articles that were helpful:

“Citibank’s new $60 annual fee,” from the Chicago Tribune Problem Solver column. Provides some insight into the reasons of this fee.

“Your Credit Score and Citibank’s New Fee,” from CBS Moneywatch, breaks down reasons for and against closing the account and the effect it will have on one’s credit score.

Ultimately, after careful consideration, we closed this account, even though it was our longest-held credit card. Part of the reason for this was that we rarely used it because the bulk of our credit purchases are done on a frequent airline card which has its own annual fee. Also, like many Americans, we have cut back our dependence on credit cards and make 90% of our day-to-day purchases with cash.

Monday, March 1st:

- 2009 America’s Got Talent Portland Auditions: auditions wrap up today at the Oregon Convention Center. These are open auditions, for any one and every one, so just show up between 8:00am – 7:00pm to wow the judges with your talent.

- “Star Wars” Poetry: Jeff Ettlin, Ana Hurtado-Gonzalez and Davey Plunk present a brave poetic and musical attempt at creating Star Wars poetry for accordion and guitar. 7:00pm at Three Friends Coffee House located at 201 S.E. 12th Ave (cross street is Ash), free.

Tuesday, March 2nd:
- New and improved Hillsboro First Tuesday ArtWalk, 2:00pm – 8:00pm in downtown Hillsboro for art, music and receptions.

- OMSI Science Pub at McMenamins Bagdad Theater from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. Tonight’s topic is “The Ghost Map and the Future of Cities.” $2 suggested cover charge, ages 21 and over only; minor is okay with an adult.

- Book reading at Powell’s City of Books in downtown Portland, 7:30pm for Gabriel Thompson’s “Working in the Shadows.” The book “shines a bright light on the underside of the American economy, exposing harsh working conditions, union busting, and lax government enforcement — while telling the stories of workers, undocumented immigrants, and desperate U.S. citizens alike, forced to live with chronic pain in the pursuit of eight dollars an hour.” Free.

Wednesday, March 3rd:
- KGW Great Food Drive: get a free Tillamook Cheese® Omelet Breakfast at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 6:00am – 10:00am while supplies last (first 200 people)! Drop off your food donations at the Square.

- World Forestry Center Wondrous Wednesday: admission is just $2 for the Discovery Museum. 10:00am – 5:00pm. If you drive, be aware that the Metro parking fee of $2.00 per car still does apply!

- Ignite Portland 8, doors open at 5:30pm and the show starts at 7:00pm (but try to get there early to score some good seats) Free admission, though a food donation is encouraged to help out a local charity. To learn more about what exactly Ignite Portland is all about, please take a re-read of our previous spotlight or see the web site for the schedule of the 20 talks you’ll see for this evening.

Thursday, March 4th:

- Crossroads lecture event: “Lincoln and the American West,” with Dr. Richard Etulain who will “discuss Lincoln’s early contact with the West, including the issue of slavery and its controversies, territorial expansion, political competitions, and western upsets involving Indians and Mormons.” 7:00pm at the Washington County Museum, free. Located adjacent to the Portland Community College Rock Creek campus.

- Portland First Thursday in downtown Portland, Old Town and the Pearl for the monthly art walk and opening gallery exhibitions.

- “Hiking Utah’s Canyonlands,” slides and stories by photographer and guide, Doug Ironside. 7:00pm at the REI Clackamas Town Center location, free.

Best Deal Magazines: Take An Additional 15% Off. Enter Coupon Code PXCJ37 During Checkout

- It’s the 10-year anniversary for New Seasons Markets and they are celebrating with raffles, giveaways, prizes, games, and much more. Stop by this weekend for live music, cake and ice cream and other samples, please see web site for details and locations.

- The 20th annual Cascade Festival of African Films has 7:30pm screenings of films this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Free admission, please see web site for film descriptions.

- I Heart Art: Portland Meet n’ Greet, 6:30pm – 9:30pm on Friday at Pacific Northwest College of Art & Museum of Contemporary Craft in the Pearl. Free and open to the public. Description: “Etsy, PNCA, Museum of Contemporary Craft and the Portland Etsy Team welcome Portland’s vibrant community of makers, PNCA students, Portland craft guild members and the general public to connect during I Heart Art: Portland Meet ‘n’ Greet. The event is a great opportunity for Portland-based makers to network and learn more about this burgeoning partnership and future opportunities for professional development. Featuring light food and drink, music, button making, Gocco printing and more.”

- Lompoc Brewing’s Seafoodpalooza starts Friday with a $12 all-you-can eat shrimp boil with all the fixings from 6:00pm – 9:00pm, and then on Saturday it is the Clam Chowder Challenge from 12:00pm – 6:00pm; $10 gets you a tasting tray of all the samples.

- The Portland Spring Home and Garden Show concludes this weekend at the Portland Expo Center. Admission is $10 for adults and free for ages 12 and under.

- Free admission day at the Japanese Garden in Washington Park on Saturday, February 27th from 10:00am – 4:00pm. On display in the Pavilion will be the Garden’s Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) collection and guides will also be on hand to provide additional information throughout the garden.

- The Portland Jazz Festival ends its run this weekend with a whole bunch of free music and performances around the area including the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra and a late-night Saturday Jam session. Please see web site for complete listings.

- For awesome deals on bicycles and related components, check out the Portland Bike Swap Meet this Sunday at Sandbox Studio Warehouse. Admission is just $5 10:00am – 11:00am, $2 from 11:00am – 2:00pm, and totally free from 2:00pm – 3:00pm.

- After scoring some deals at the swap meet, test your trivia knowledge at the Clash of the Trivia Titans annual Triviology tournament. Registration begins at 5:00pm and it will be $5 to enter, please see web site for the low down.

- For more totally free events to do this weekend, please go to Aroundthesunblog

Final weekend to save 80% off of Restaurant.com gift certificates. Use promo code ‘Savor’ at checkout and get $25 gift certificates for $2 through Sunday, February 28th.

“How to get a better phone deal,” by Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money. Provides some strategies on how to cut your bill down to size and to know which cell-phone plan fits you best. On a related note, we recently called our mobile provider T-Mobile to inquire about downgrading our cell service; they offered us a package that is not advertised on their web site or in promotional materials. The lesson we learned is that had we not called, we would still be paying $20 more a month for a plan that just wasn’t meeting our needs; thus, it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Monday, February 22nd:
- History Pub Monday at McMenamins Kenny School at 7:00pm. Free admission, all ages welcome; bring canned goods to donate to Oregon Food Bank. Tonight’s history topic is “Renewal and Removal in North/Northeast Portland.”

- Book reading at Powell’s City of Books at 7:30pm featuring Rachel Kramer Bussel’s “Best Sex Writing 2010.” Free.

Tuesday, February 23rd:
- It’s National Pancake Day and IHOP is giving out a free short stack of pancakes between the hours of 7:00am – 10:00pm. In lieu of payment, they ask that customers consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network (there will be a donation box located near the entrance).

- Shari’s is in on the action too, but you’ll need to print this coupon to get a free short stack of their buttermilk pancakes.

- More free food: buy a large fountain drink at Jack in the Box and get their free grilled sandwich. No coupon required! Tuesday only.

Wednesday, February 24th:
- Portland Spring Home and Garden Show starts a 5-day run at the Portland Expo Center with hours of 11:00am – 8:00pm Wednesday – Friday. Adult admission is $10, ages 12 and under are free; check the local papers for a $3 off admission coupon valid the first 3 days only. You can also fill out a form online to get a discount, please see web site for details.

- Ground Kontrol’s monthly free-play party, 5:00pm – late; pay a $5 cover and play all the classic video arcades and pinball games you want!

Thursday, February 25th:
- Portland Jazz Festival presents a CD release party of “Ukiah’s Lullaby” at 8:00pm at the Benson Hotel. Other free jazz events will take place all weekend long, please see web site for schedule and locations.

80% off Restaurant.com gift certificates. Use promo code ‘Savor’ at checkout.

- 20th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films continues with screenings this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is free, see web site for film synopses, times and locations.

- Electronic Recycling Fair for Beaverton Schools at Stoller Middle School this Friday from 8:00am – 10:00am and Saturday from 9:00am – 2:00pm. Recycle your old computers, microwaves and cell phones.

- Free Pretzel Day on Saturday from 10:00am – 3:00pm at area Auntie Anne’s Pretzel locations. Free original or cinnamon sugar, limit one per person please!

- NorthWest Bike Show, Saturday and Sunday at the Portland Expo Center. $7 adult admission, children 12 and under are free. Get $2 off by showing your ‘Boomer Expo’ ticket, or checking the Oregonian A&E section (the February 12th edition had a $2 off coupon, and hopefully the February 19th edition will also have one).

- Saturday is Portland International Raceway’s Opening Day Celebration with free admission and a free lunch. Activities all day long, donations requested for some events, see web site for details (will open a pdf).

- 2010 Baby Boomer Lifestyle Expo, Saturday and Sunday, also at the Expo Center. Admission is free, and despite the name, this showcase is geared for all active adults.

- Diabetes Expo, Saturday only, 9:00am – 4:00pm at the Oregon Convention Center. The Expo is free and includes health screenings, cooking demonstrations, product and service exhibitors and information seminars.

- TravelZoo exclusive: one night only, get tickets for Oregon Ballet Theatre’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for half-off. Tickets are for the Thursday, March 4th 7:30pm performance. All price levels are valid, from Balcony to Orchestra. A limited number of discounted tickets are available, must book by February 28th. See web site link for details and to access the promotion code.

- Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box includes a free concert, a book reading, a $3 screening of Sonicsgate and more.

- For the rundown on totally free events and happenings for this weekend, please check out Aroundthesunblog

Spotlight: Red Star Tavern Happy Hour

We were downtown this past weekend and were in the mood for good food at happy hour prices. Unfortunately, many of the places we know only offer happy hour Monday-Friday, and only from 4pm – 6pm. It was a Saturday night, 6:30pm, where to go?

Red Star Tavern to the rescue!

Red Star Tavern is located at the corner of SW 5th and Alder, adjacent to the Hotel Monaco and housed inside a historic building. The bar area offers a couple TVs that were showing Olympic coverage when we were there, and you can sit right at the bar or choose from cozy couples’ tables to larger and taller tables. We positioned ourselves close to front-of-kitchen, where we enjoyed watching food being prepared and assembled for service delivery. Our service was prompt and the ambiance was inviting, which just made our happy hour all the better!

Happy hour runs 4:00pm – 8:00pm every single day, and you are not required to purchase a drink, although you will probably be tempted when you take a look at the pricing that follows:

$3 drinks
Draft beer
Bottled beer
Wine by the glass (changes daily)
Well Liquor

$5 cocktails
Red Star Signature cocktail
Lemon Drop
Cosmopolitan
Manhattan
Margarita
Well Martini (vodka or gin)

$3 small plates of food
Honey roasted nuts
Truffled popcorn
Citrus cured olives
Crispy French fries
Organic green salad with mustard vinaigrette
Whole leaf Romaine salad with lemon anchovy dressing
Oysters with jalapeno-lime mignonette
Cornmeal Hushpuppies with remoulade
Sausage and cream cheese stuffed jalapeño
Popper wrapped in bacon
French Fry “nachos” (slow cooked beef, cheddar cheese, onions and gravy)
Two sliders (choose from meatloaf, pulled pork, ham & Brie or three cheese)
Two tacos (choose from beef, carnitas, chicken or veggie)

Our total bill came to less than $20, and the variety of the small plates of food was satisfying and delicious. We will definitely return to try some of the other dishes we were too full to order this time around. As with all happy hours, the valid hours and menu items may change at management discretion, so please call ahead! Happy grazing and enjoy the weekend!