- This is the last weekend to take advantage of Red Robin’s $6.99 burger special — choose the cheeseburger, Whiskey River BBQ burger, All-American Patty Melt, Simply Grilled Chicken Sandwich, or the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Ends this Sunday!

- Submission from Lara:

“Friday 4:00pm – 7:00pm: Fulton Park Community Center is hosting its first ever Family Martial Arts Night!!! This event will kick off with a showing of “Kung-Fu Panda,” (starting at 4PM) followed by demonstrations (starting at 5:45 PM) from The Westside and Eastside Academy of Kung Fu (combined), Mo Duk Pai Lion Dance Team, Capoeira Ijexa Portland, and Oregon Kendo Club. Some demonstrations will have optional audience participation for all ages. Bring your own picnic dinner and enjoy the show! This event is free and donations will be accepted to benefit Fulton Park Community Center. You may even purchase a ‘lucky money envelope’ for $1 to fill with cash to feed to the lion! Information will also be made available with how to become involved in helping to keep Fulton open, and off the table with Parks and Rec budget cuts!”

- Submission from Joe:

“Digital storytelling project about service-learning in Nicaragua by University of Portland students, faculty, and staff” What happens when eighteen students and three faculty and staff members travel to Nicaragua for three weeks to learn about the political, economical, and social situations of the country?

University of Portland’s Collaborative for International Studies & Global Outreach (CISGO) attempts to answer that question with Formation, Learning, and Service: University of Portland Students’ Exploration of Nicaragua, a digital storytelling project by communication studies professor Courtney Vail Fletcher and videographer/photographer Jeff D. Kennel.

The event is set for Friday, February 3rd from 5:00pm – 7:00pm in Buckley Center Room 163. It is free and open to the public, and will include a video presentation as well as a question-and-answer session.

- First Friday free admission to the Children’s Museum, 4:00pm – 8:00pm

- Central Eastside Arts District First Friday Art Openings, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, free.

- The 22nd Annual Cascade Festival of African Films kicks off Friday with a 7:00pm screening of “Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story,” at the Hollywood Theater. There will be three other films playing on Saturday, please see schedule for venues and film descriptions. Free and open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis.

- Bank of America’s Museums on Us program offers free admission to the Portland Art Museum, Pittock Mansion and the Lan Su Chinese Garden this Saturday and Sunday. To qualify for Museums on Us, customers must present their Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card along with a photo ID to gain free general admission.

- Burger King Free Onion Ring Weekend, Saturday and Sunday at participating locations and while supplies last. One value size per person per visit, not valid during breakfast hours.

- Tet Festival 2012, Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm at the Oregon Convention Center. There will be dance and music performances, martial arts demos, a free health fair and more for just a $4 general admission.

- Free library program “LEAP Into Science,” 2:30pm – 4:30pm at the Capitol Hill Library. For ages 4 and up.

- Sticks & Stones Accessories Grand Opening party Saturday, 6:00pm – 10:00pm with food, drinks and music.

- The Hillsboro Community Youth Choir presents a free concert “Hillsboro to the MAX!,” 3:00pm Sunday at the Venetian Theater. From web site: “Then you’ll love Hillsboro to the Max, a free concert that combines all three in a one-of-a-kind musical production. Featuring popular music from the 1840s to 2012, this musical revue will make the stories of the past come alive right before your eyes!”

- OMSI admission is just $2 per person as part of their First Sunday program.

- Bikes for Humanity PDX is offering free public bicycle tune-up clinics Sunday, 10:00am – 4:00pm at Rivermark Credit Union (25th & SE Hawthorne). Donations to offset the cost of supplies and events are very welcome!

- Superbowl Sunday, Giants vs. Patriots, 3:30pm kick off on NBC! Nuff said.

- Burgerville Game Day special: 5 original cheeseburgers for $5 or 5 double cheeseburgers for $10. Sunday all day.

- Submission from Julz:

“Bargain Hunting Portland
Sunday, February 5
12:00pm – 5:00pm | FREE | All Ages
Crystal Ballroom
1332 West Burnside Street

The 9th session of Bargain Hunting is set to convene on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5, noon-5 at the Crystal Ballroom & Lola’s, 1332 W. Burnside St.

Bargain Hunting is a unique, collaborative, indie clearance sale event with over 50 of Portland’s best boutiques & designers all in one place.

Come early for best selection, stay late for best bargains. Bargain Hunting – where Bloody Marys & bargains go hand in hand! Mingling & cocktails encouraged.

Bargain Hunting is a biannual sale featuring some of the best artists and locally owned boutiques in Portland. Vendors sell their high quality wares at rock bottom prices. Bargain Hunting is a great place for shoppers to find rare, one-of-a-kind, samples and limited run clothing, furnishings and more.”

- For more ideas on what to do this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog or PDXPipeline.

- Portland Opera at the Multnomah County Central Library this Friday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in the U.S. Bank room. Free.

- The Portland Seafood & Wine Festival runs this Friday from 2:00pm – 10:00pm and on Saturday from 12:00pm – 9:00pm. Adult tickets are $12.00 each with a portion going to the Oregon Chapter of the National MS Society. There will be a $2 discount price on tickets purchased within the first 2 hours of the festival each day. Food item prices range from $1 and up. Wine sampling starts at .50 and prices for menu items varies from $2 to $15.00. While this event has the potential to have costs add up, we are including this on our Weekend on the Cheap because of the value you receive. Plus, if you are one of the first 500 people each day through the gates, you’ll receive a commemorative wine glass to use at the festival and then take home with you!

- Portland Children’s Museum First Friday free admission from 5:00pm – 8:00pm.

- Bank of America Museums on Us weekend: Bank of America cardholders can receive free admission to the Portland Art Museum and the Pittock Mansion this Saturday and Sunday during normal hours. Just show your debit, credit or bank card to get one free admission.

- Viking Pancake Breakfast! From web site: “What better way to start the day than with a plate of delicious, all-you-can pancakes? Our popular breakfast also includes sides of eggs, sausages, fresh fruit, applesauce, orange juice, tea and bottomless coffee – all served up with Norwegian charm from 8:30 am to 1:00pm Adults: $6. Children 5-12: $3 (under 5: free). Children’s Nordic story time in the library from 10-11am.” At Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Avenue this Sunday.

- Chips and dips tastings this Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 5:00pm at all area New Seasons Markets.

- OMSI First Sunday means $2 admission for all at OMSI during regular hours.

- Superbowl Sunday: it’s Superbowl XLIV, catch the action (or lack thereof) at a local watering hole, at home with some friends or on the big screen with new friends at a local McMenamins theater.

- If the Superbowl isn’t your style, and saving money is, then check out “Bargain Hunting 101: The Mother of All Clearance Sales” where 50 of Portland’s best and most unique boutiques and vendors come together for a huge end-of-season clearance sale. Sunday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm at the Crystal Ballroom. It’s the Mother of all clearance sales and admission is free!

- Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box includes a heads-or-tails free meal, a free screening of Star Trek, a free concert by Sea Wolf and more.

Spotlight: McGrath’s Fish House

We recently stopped into McGrath’s Fish House for their Crab Celebration promotion and left the restaurant full (with leftovers) and the damage to our wallet/pocketbook was minimal.

We sat in the bar and one of us ordered from the regular menu while the other ordered from the bar menu. We timed our visit to coincide with their happy hour:

Happy Hour (in the bar only; no drink minimum required)
Monday – Thursday 3:00pm – 6:00pm and from 9:00pm – close
Friday 3:00pm – 5:00pm

$2.99 Appetizers
Asian Ahi Nachos
Ponzi Salmon Stack
Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
Pesto Artichoke Pizza Crackers
Blue Cheese Potato Wedges
Crispy Turkey Club Rolls
Pair of Oyster Shooters
Stuffed Mushrooms
Calamari Wasabi Caesar Wrap
Brushetta Caprese

Cocktails
$3.50 Well Drinks
$4.50 Daiquries
$4.50 Margaritas
$4.50 Specialty Teas
$4.50 Bloody Mary
$3.00 Glass of domestic brews
$4.00 Gusto size of domestic brews
$4.00 Glass of microbrew
$5.00 Gusto size of microbrew
$3.50 Glass of La Terre wine: Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, White Zinfandel

Menu prices are reasonable and in addition to seafood, they offer chicken, pasta, steak, and sandwiches. Adult entrees include sourdough bread, fresh steamed veggies, choice of garden salad or coleslaw AND your choice of: red potatoes, penne pasta, rice pilaf, fish house fries, cottage cheese or sliced tomatoes. In place of the regular salad, you can also upgrade (for a nominal charge) to other starters like clam chowder, Fisherman’s stew, petite shrimp Louis or a pear, bleu cheese and walnut salad.

If you have little ones, McGrath’s has a kid’s menu with meals starting at $3.99. Finally, sign up for their e-club and around your birthday you’ll receive a voucher good for $10 off your next meal (must be used within two weeks of birthday). And with their current special of Crab, Steak and Prawns for just $12.99 (plus all the accompaniments above), you can’t go wrong!

McGrath’s has locations in Vancouver, Milwaukie and Beaverton, as well further south in Salem, Corvallis, Eugene and Bend. Their Crab Celebration ends next week on Thursday, February 11th (we can’t have specials like that for Valentine’s Day Weekend now can we?!). Enjoy the weekend and Go Saints! Or Colts! Just make it a great game, please!