Overlook Neighborhood Update (Feb. 3)

1) OKNA Board meeting on Tuesday

2) Live theater returns to Overlook

3) Worst Day of the Year Ride visits North Portland

4) Overlook-Arbor Lodge social builds bridges


1) OKNA Board meeting on Tuesday

The Overlook Neighborhood Association Board will hold its February meeting on Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the historic Overlook House (3839 N Melrose Dr.). The agenda includes presentations about the Union Pacific rail yard, whether to join challenges to the city’s Residential Infill Project and goals for the adidas liaison committee. View the full agenda.

2) Live theater returns to Overlook

Theater is alive and well again at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center. The current production is Hazardous Beauty, a play produced by PassinArt Theater Company. It’s a provocative and funny guide to making friends with people who are different from us. Two women – one black, one white – attend a memoir writing class at a Portland college. They have come to write about their lives, not just to talk about them, so they are charged with coherence, with making sense of love, work, art and aging. Together they explore what all this means at the intersection of gender, race and class.

The production continues through Feb. 17 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Learn more and order tickets online.

3) Worst Day of the Year Ride visits North Portland

The Worst Day of the Year Ride will take place on Sunday, Feb. 10.  Participants will be on a 42 mile challenge course that goes along N Rosa Parks Way and N Willamette Boulevard. Learn more and view the full route online.

Organizers expect about 1,000 riders.  Riders will start in waves over 2.5 hours from Southeast Portland to ensure they will be spread out on route. Route marshals will be in place at important intersections to ensure safety, and there also will be motorcycle escorts on the course.  The riders begin about 8 a.m. and the final groups will finish about 4 p.m.

All participants receive heavy messaging in the website, event flyers, emails and at the ride start regarding respectful shared road/path usage and they commit to abide by this as ride participants in their rider registration. Please drive cautiously that day as we share Overlook’s roads with the riders.

4) Overlook-Arbor Lodge social builds bridges

The Overlook and Arbor Lodge neighborhood associations held a joint social gathering on Thursday evening. North Portland neighbors came together to socialize, make new friends and talk about the important issues confronting both neighborhoods. Board members from both neighborhood associations were on hand to answer questions.

A good time was had by all, and we look forward to future shared events.

Thanks to OKNA board member Shannon Sansoterra for organizing the event with Arbor Lodge. Thanks also to adidas for contributing $200 to pay for drinks and food for everyone.