- Portland Art Museum free admission this Friday night from 5:00pm – 8:00pm.

- Under the Autumn Moon Festival, 10:00am – 8:00pm with free admission to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, music, lion dancing and more.

- 6th Annual Smithsonian Museum Day this Saturday only, see web site for participating museums AND you must print out the ticket to get free admission.

- Festival Japan, this weekend from 11:00am – 5:00pm at Beaverton’s Uwajimaya with music, arts, dance, crafts, foods and more.

- “Fun on Foster” Street Fair and Art Walk, this Saturday from 10:00am – 5:00pm from SE 49th and Foster to SE 82nd and Foster. Check out arts, crafts, classic car cruise-in, music, dance and more. Plus it will be 80 degrees out, so go enjoy!

- “Flash Kitchen” free cooking demos this Saturday from 12:00pm – 2:00pm at downtown’s Director Park, plus Whole Foods will donate $1 to Young Musicians and Artists for every person who shows up!

- McMenamins Oktoberfests this Saturday at Grand Lodge and Sunday at Edgefield, free!

- Polish Festival 2010 this Saturday and Sunday, free admission. Located at 3900 North Interstate Avenue.

- Next Adventure’s 7th Annual Fall Warehouse Clearance Sale, this Saturday and Sunday; save up to 80%. Better yet, get a half-price gift certificate at Portland’s MercPerks for even more savings (disclaimer: you won’t get your gift certificate in time to use it for this weekend because they send it via snail mail, but it’s still a great deal for later!)

- Mahrajan First Arab Festival this Sunday at Fulton Community Center, 11:00am – 7:00pm for bazaar, kids’ activities, music, dance and more. $5 admission includes three raffle tickets.

- Sunday Parkways this Sunday from 10:00am – 3:00pm in NW Portland. “A 2-way route of city streets open to walk, bike, roll, run, jump, and skip – without having to watch out for cars! The 4.5-mile Northwest Portland Sunday Parkways route will have two loops, connecting SW Stark Street, Old Town Chinatown, Pearl and Northwest neighborhoods. Activities, food, and entertainment will be in Couch and Wallace Parks and along the route.”

- Northwest Tracking – the 36th Young People’s Film Festival: Growing New Talent. 1:00pm this Sunday at the NW Film Center; free admission showcasing the work of youth 12 and under.

- For more great events cheap and free this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog or PDXPipeline!

SPOTLIGHT: Movies on the Cheap, Saving at Regal Cinemas

Here’s your guide to saving some money when going to the movies:

1. Sign up for the Regal Crown Club card. Earn one credit for every dollar you spend on movie tickets at the box office and snacks at the concessions stand. Bonus: earn double credits on certain days and on special promotions.

Earn 50 credits and get a coupon for a free small popcorn. Earn another 50 credits and get a coupon for a free small drink. Move up to 150 credits and receive a free movie ticket (valid for two months).

Regal Crown Club members can also purchase candy for $1 on Mondays and a small popcorn for $1 on Tuesdays.

2. Buy the Entertainment book. The 2010 edition featured tickets for $7.50 as well as a voucher for free admission on your birthday. Stay tuned for the 2011 edition in an upcoming post.

3. Go online to the corporate site for the $27 Ultimate Premiere Movie Pack, which includes two Premiere Super Savers tickets and a $10 gift card good toward admissions or concessions. You can also purchase Premiere Super Saver Ticket for $7.50 each or VIP Super Saver movie ticket for $6.50 each.

If you don’t want to pay shipping on these items, you should also be able to find them at your local Costco store, the AAA web site/office, or check with your local employer group (like the CHP Group).

4. Become a fan on Facebook by clicking “Like” and every week you’ll get a coupon to save money off concession items.

5. During the summer months, Regal holds a free Family Film Festival with family-friendly flicks screening during the week.

6. Go early for a matinee; show a student ID card; go as a Senior or Child (but be ready to prove it!).

7. Cans Film Festival: sadly, it does not appear that this still exists, in which Regal partnered with the Oregon Food Bank to provide one night of movies in exchange for 3 or more cans of food. The last time we participated was in 2008 and we have heard no early word for a revival for 2010.

8. Other ideas? Please leave a comment and share…and paying for one movie and then sneaking into two others doesn’t count ;-D

- Willamette Week’s new Cheap Skate Deal Box includes free tastings of a Scandinavian spirit, the first ever Oregon Children’s Theatre costume sale, a free concert and more.

- Coffee lovers—get paid for your opinions. Read the details below and then click here to fill out the qualifying questionnaire.

The Sensory and Consumer Group at the Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is looking for participants for a coffee taste test to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6th. The taste test is about 30-45 minutes and the compensation is $35. Test times run from 9:15am to 4:15pm. If you are interested, please click on the link below to submit a questionnaire. If you are selected to participate, we will contact you via email on Sept. 30th where you must confirm your intent to participate. We will then send you another reminder email the day before the test.

For those who are new to the email list, please note that we cannot contact everyone who sent in a questionnaire. You will not hear back from us for each test as each consumer will not be selected every time. We only contact those who were selected to participate and will be sending out those confirmation emails by Sept. 30th.

Photo ID will be required to participate in this test.

- There are a bevy of activities and events going on this weekend, too much to list, so check out our Calendar tab or go to Aroundthesunblog. Among the highlights: Taoist Tai Chi Society 20-year celebration, the Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day 2009 (download a pass to get free admission to various museums in the Portland area), the Oregon Polish Festival for free music, dance and polka!, free admission to the Portland Art Museum this Friday evening, McMenamins free Oktoberfest festival at the Grand Lodge and Edgefield, and Welcome the Rain celebration at Rigler Elementary School.

- And don’t forget, tonight from 5:00pm – 8:00pm is the world’s largest ice cream social at Cold Stone Creamery, where you can score a free 3 oz. Make-A-Wish® Creation™ with a Donation.

POTC Spotlight: Next Adventure

Portland is a mecca for outdoor sports and adventures, so naturally we have a wide selection of stores to choose from for general purposes like Sports Authority, REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods. For other specific pursuits, you could also choose stores that specialize in bicycling, camping, water sports, running and more. There are not a lot of places for used gear, however (try Goodwill or Play It Again Sports). Thankfully, 12 years ago two guys named Deek and Bryan set up shop in SE Portland that featured a bunch of used gear and equipment and very attractive prices. And through those years, the shop has grown in physical space and in the amount of offerings.

Next Adventure is that store, and today you’ll still find used gear and equipment, but you’ll also get dealer close-outs, samples and new name-brand stuff on three floors at cheap or very reasonable prices. Check out the departments: apparel, snow sports, water sports, camping/backpacking, dog gear, disc golf, climbing, bicycling, service, rentals and much more. And for additional discount savings, ask about any special gear package incentives they have for camping, skiing, kayaking, etc.

This weekend is the perfect opportunity to check Next Adventure out, since the store will be having the “Mountains to Oceans Benefit Event,” which brings Portland Mountain Rescue and the Surfrider Foundation to offer information and free educational classes. If this weren’t enough incentive, maybe the monetary one will entice you more: this weekend is also Next Adventure’s Warehouse Clearance sale for summer items and first crack at winter goods, at savings up to 70% off.

Next Adventure is open Monday-Friday 10:00am – 7:00pm; Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm; and Sunday from 11:00am – 5:00pm. Find them at the corner of SE Stark Street and Grand Avenue. While there, walk up a block to Andy & Bax and explore their store full of military surplus and other outdoor gear. Similar neighboring stores include Bike N’ Hike, River City Bicycles, and the Portland Running & Walking Company.