RiverFest 2010 Events Calendar

Scroll down to see detailed event descriptions, or click on the event below for more information.

Friday Saturday Sunday
August 20 August 21 August 22

Portland Spirit River Cruises

Community Paddle 11am - 1:30 pm

Endurance Swim/Relay 11am

Portland Spirit River Cruises

SOLV Clean-up 9am

Family Boat Building 9am - 5pm

Rose City Rowing Club 9am - 11:30am

Community Paddle
9:00am -10:30am / 11:00am - 12:30pm

Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe
10:00am - 1:00pm

Portland Harbor by Water
10:00am-1pm and 11:00am-2pm

River Fair 10 am - 5pm

Oregon Maritime Museum 11am - 4pm

Oregon Coast Guard SAR Demo 1pm

DragonSport 2pm - 3:30pm

Bohemian Storytelling 6pm

RiverFest Movie in the Park at
South Waterfront 7pm - 10:30pm

Portland Spirit River Cruises

Freshwater Trust Triathlon 7:30am

Run for the River 8am and 11am

Family Boat Building 10am - 4pm

Oregon Maritime Museum 11am - 4pm

Bridge Walk and Tour 12:00pm - 2pm

 

Friday, August 20th, 2010

PORTLAND SPIRIT RIVER CRUISES

Enjoy experiencing the Willamette and Columbia on jet boats or from the comfort of cruise vessels offering fresh Northwest cuisine and entertainment. For cruise schedules, click here [this would be a link to the pdf you'd create] or visit www.portlandspirit.com.

 

COMMUNITY PADDLE

  • Time: 11:00am - 1:30pm
  • Location: Madison street dock. 05 se Madison
  • Fees: $5 adults, kids free
  • Restrictions: Suitable for children 5 or older
  • Registration: call or e-mail McKenzie at 503-226-1565 x 229, miller@lcrep.org

Join the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership for an urban paddle along the Willamette River aboard a 34-foot canoe. These fiberglass boats are unbelievably stable, incredibly maneuverable, and great for observing local wildlife from a unique on-water perspective.

http://www.lcrep.org

Contact: call or e-mail McKenzie at 503-226-1565 x 229, miller@lcrep.org

Details:
Paddlers will meet at Willamette Park and paddle to Ross Island where they will deboard and eat lunch. Participants are required to bring their own lunches. After lunch, we will paddle to the Madison Street Dock. The Estuary Partnership will run a shuttle van from the Madison Street Dock to Willamette Park to get participants back to their cars. The shuttle will take about 7 minutes.

 

RIVERFEST SWIM AND RELAY

  • Start time: 11am

Come and be part of Oregon 's only true marathon swim, 11.67 mile of open water, from Jon Strom Park in Oregon City to Waterfront Park in downtown Portland !

http://www.ubtenacious.com/events/

 

Saturday, August 21, 2010

PORTLAND SPIRIT RIVER CRUISES

Enjoy experiencing the Willamette and Columbia on jet boats or from the comfort of cruise vessels offering fresh Northwest cuisine and entertainment. For cruise schedules, check the link schedule above or visit www.portlandspirit.com.

$5 off coupons will be available at the Information Booth at the RiverFest Fair from 10am-5pm on Saturday. 

 

SOLV's RIVERFEST CLEANUP

  • Start time: 9am
  • Located at East Bank Esplanade
    • near OMSI, meeting location tbd
  • Cost: Free
    • registration required
  • Register at: www.solv.org

Join the celebration and take action to clean up the Willamette River as part of this year's Riverfest. Volunteers will work along the East Bank Esplanade, cleaning up debris and trash from along the river. Bags and gloves provided. Registration required at www.solv.org.

Mike Phillips | SOLV 503-844-9571 x319

 

FAMILY BOAT BUILDING

How would you like to build your own wood boat? No carpentry skills are required so anyone of any age or experience is welcome to join the event.

Here are additional details.

 

ROSE CITY ROWING CLUB

  • Time: 9am - 11:30am
  • Cost: Free
  • Restrictions: Students grade 8 - 12

Join us for a free rowing class for any student grade 8-12!  General information will be provided, then participants will be taken on the river for a row. 

The class will meet in the Portland Boathouse, 1515 SE Water Avenue.  Participants should arrive by 9:00am.

 

COMMUNITY PADDLE

  • Time: 9:00am - 10:30am and 11:00am - 12:30pm
  • Location: Madison street dock. 05 se Madison
  • Fees: $5 adults, kids free
  • Restrictions: Suitable for children 5 or older
  • Registration: call or e-mail McKenzie at 503-226-1565 x 229, miller@lcrep.org

Join the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership for an urban paddle along the Willamette River aboard a 34-foot canoe. These fiberglass boats are unbelievably stable, incredibly maneuverable, and great for observing local wildlife from a unique on-water perspective.

http://www.lcrep.org

Contact: call or e-mail McKenzie at 503-226-1565 x 229, miller@lcrep.org

Details:
Paddlers will meet at the Madison Street Dock, 05 se Madison, just north of the Hawthorne Bridge. Participants will paddle toward the northern tip of Ross Island and return to the Madison Street Dock.

 

 

 

ALDER CREEK KAYAK AND CANOE

Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm

Get connected to your river! Willamette Riverkeeper together with Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe will facilitate free, canoe and kayak demos at the SE Portland Boathouse dock.

Paddlers will be able to experience the river from the seat of a canoe or kayak for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on availability. To participate, stop by our sign-in table beginning at 10:00am, located in the gravel lot above the SE Portland Boathouse dock, next to the East Side Esplanade. The Portland Boathouse is located at 1515 SE Water Ave., just north of OMSI.

 

PORTLAND HARBOR BY THE WATER

Sponsored by the Port of Portland

  • Time: 10am - 1pm and 11am - 2pm
  • Location: Depart from 1945 Southeast Water Ave., Portland
  • Cost: $20.00 per person (discounted rate)
  • RSVP: required, all ages welcome. Space is limited.

Splash your way downriver on the Willamette through downtown and the Portland Harbor on a three hour Willamette Jetboat Excursion. This unique, waterside view of Portland’s docks, bridges, and terminals will give you a new perspective on the city’s waterfront industry. The Port of Portland is offering half priced tickets at $20.00 each. 

Contact: Brooke Berglund

brooke.berglund@portofportland.com or call 503.415.6532

 

THE RIVER FAIR- At the Heart of RiverFest

  • Time: 10am - 5pm
  • Location: Waterfront Park (just north of the Hawthorne Bridge)
  • Cost: Free!

Get Willamette-ized in a spirit of family-friendly fun and learning! Kick off your exploration of riverfront paths and trails, bridges, wildlife viewing, and history at the River Fair.

  • Learn about our town’s past on the River History Walk and hop on-board the Oregon Maritime Museum (free!)
  • Find out what’s happening along the River and plans for the future—and say what you’d like to see.
  • Record your Willamette memories, concerns, hopes, and thoughts at the Willamette Stories booth (to be shared with the world via the web)
  • Visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s area to learn about the tools for collecting water quality and streamflow data—including a “science” boat used for sampling and measuring the speed and depth of the river.
  • watch the construction of hand-crafted boats from RiversWest—and learn where you can make your own.
  • Learn how to Love Your River at the Oregon Environmental Council’s booth
  • Honor the River: become a part of Oregon’s premier publication of student art, essays, and poetry about the Willamette and other rivers.
  • Learn about what will be the biggest Willamette clean-up ever—the Portland Harbor Superfund project.
  • Eartha the Clown from 11am-Noon
  • Mista Cookie Jar performance from 1pm-2pm
  • Mudeye Puppets “Deepsy Diver” show at 4pm
  • Stop by the Port of Portland’s booth to learn about the “working river”—how it’s long been a part of our economy, and still is.
  • Visit with the Oregon Marine Board to discover the world of boating at Portland’s doorstep—and the newest ways to keep damaging aquatic invasive species from taking over our rivers and streams.
  • And don't miss getting $3 off admission to Oregon's premier riverside museum--OMSI!

 

OREGON COAST GUARD SAR DEMONSTRATION

  • Time: 1pm
  • Location: Between the Morrison and Hawthorne Bridges
  • Cost: Free

Witness a Jayhawk helicopter and a real Oregon Coast Guard crew in a Search and Rescue Demonstration!

 

DRAGONSPORT

  • Time: 2pm - 3:30pm
  • Location: Waterfront Park
  • Cost: Free
  • Restrictions: Must be over age 14
  • Sign up online


The third annual Portland RiverFest offers dragon boaters--athletes, spectators and enthusiasts--a splashing good opportunity to put their best paddle forward.

RiverFest runs along Portland 's Willamette River harbor Friday, Aug. 20-Sunday, Aug. 22.  DragonSports USA is scheduling several activities on Saturday, Aug. 21 that will introduce the fast-growing sport to newcomers and offer tips to experienced paddlers.  These include: a one-hour training session, which will emphasize fundamentals in paddling and getting comfortable in the boat. After the training, participants will be divided into four teams and will take part in an actual competitive race on the Willamette .  Registration for the training and competition is available online at www.dragonsports.org . Registration at the event will be at the DragonSports USA tent located on the North side of the Hawthorne bridge in Tom McCall Waterfront Park during the RiverFest event.   Training begins at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and the race will commence at 3 p.m. There is no charge for this event.  Must be over age 14.

DragonSports USA is a premiere west coast dragon boat organization, with member teams who compete in races at Vancouver , Victoria , and Nanaimo , B.C., Seattle , Tacoma , and Olympia , Wash , and Portland and Salem , Ore.   Currently DragonSports USA has 46 teams in its membership. For more information, please contact Ayla Montgomery, President at 971.222.6604 or visit the website at http://www.dragonsports.org .

Web Address: http://www.dragonsports.org

Contact for more information: Ayla Montgomery, President at 971.222.6604

 

BOHEMIAN STORYTELLING

  • Start time: 6pm
  • Location: North end of the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, near the west side Steel Bridge approach. -
  • Cost: Cash donations accepted at the conclusion of the tour, or
  • No restrictions... suitable for:
    • adults
    • kids, middle-school aged +up
  • Registration: Recommended, but not required

**To register, visit our online reservations kiosk (see link below) and select the option to sign up for a 'pay what you will' tour.  Those registered will receive an email reminder several days prior to their tour, which will include directions on where to meet up, the weather forecast for that day, and other helpful tips.
link to reservations kiosk: https://bst.wufoo.com/forms/bohemian-storytelling-tours/

Bohemian Story telling Tours is helping to keep Portland weird, with our unique take on the old walking tour. Since 2006, we have performed tours that weave together theater, storytelling, and bits of audience interaction, accompanied throughout by a live musical soundtrack. Deep Water, a 2-hour theatrical walking tour in two acts, about humankind's, and Portlandkind's, relationship with water.  In act one we ask whether a river is held captive by her bridge; in act two, we follow the life of a raindrop as it journeys from sky to sea, via Portland.

www.bohemianstorytellingtours.com

 

RIVERFEST MOVIE IN THE PARK AT SOUTH WATERFRONT

  • Time: 7pm - 10:30pm
  • Location: Elizabeth Caruthers Park
  • Cost: Free and open to the public

Celebrate the River at South Waterfront with a Movie at brand new Elizabeth Caruthers Park!

Activities start at 7pm:

  • Live Music
  • The Mayor Of Hooperville with Hula Hoop Lessons
  • Handmade artisan vendors
  • Kids activities
  • Free Ice Cream from Umpqua Bank
  • Free Italian sodas from Old Spaghetti Factory
  • Free Popcorn

Movie starts at dusk (approximately 8:45). The movie will be "Mamma Mia!"

Contact: communityrelations@southwaterfront.com

South Waterfront Community Relations is a community building program supported by The South Waterfront Community Association, with additional in-kind support from Atwater Place.

 

 

Sunday, August 22

 

PORTLAND SPIRIT RIVER CRUISES

Enjoy experiencing the Willamette and Columbia on jet boats or from the comfort of cruise vessels offering fresh Northwest cuisine and entertainment. For cruise schedules, click here [this would be a link to the pdf you'd create] or visit www.portlandspirit.com.

 

FRESHWATER TRUST PORTLAND TRIATHLON

  • Start time: 7:30am
  • Location: Waterfront Park
  • Fees and Registration: See website
  • Register online

The only downtown triathlon ever held in Portland, Oregon welcomes you to its fourth annual. Swim in the Willamette River, ride through downtown, run through Waterfront Park, across two bridges, and on the Eastbank Esplanade (the only timed event in Portland allowed to do so). In 2010, the Portland Triathlon was named the "Greenest Race in the World" by Triathlete magazine.

http://www.portlandtri.com

Jeff Henderson, race director jeff@portlandtri.com (503) 922-1589

 

RUN FOR THE RIVER

  • Start time: 8am and 11am
  • Location: Waterfront Park- start is at Salmon Springs Fountain
  • Fees:
    • $25.00 for the 5K
    • $15.00 for the 1K
  • No Restrictions
  • Registration information

On August 22, 2010 with the iconic Willamette River as the backdrop,  The Freshwater Trust  is partnering with the  Portland Triathlon  to launch the Run for the River 5K and 1K. The fun run will begin in Waterfront Park , circling you around the Willamette River through parks and over bridges and crossing a living finish line to end at the popular post-race festival. Enjoy organic food, local beer, festive music and interactive family-friendly activities. Not only is Run for the River a fundraiser for a  conservation not-for-profit , the event is also adhering to green standards, incorporating elements such as sustainable bamboo race shirts and carbon offsets for all greenhouse gas emissions.

www.run4theriver.org

Contact for more information Andrea Woodworth,  andrea@thefreshwatertrust.org  503-222-9091x14

 

FAMILY BOAT BUILDING

How would you like to build your own wood boat? No carpentry skills are required so anyone of any age or experience is welcome to join the event.

Here are additional details.

 

BRIDGE WALK AND TOUR OF THE MORRISON BRIDGE

  • Time: 12pm - 2pm
  • Location: Begins at Salmon Street Fountain, located at SW Salmon St and Naito Parkway
  • Cost: $10.00
  • Guides: Christian Ervin and Nathan Hoover

Begins at Salmon Street Springs Fountain, located at SW Salmon Street and Naito Parkway, just north of the Hawthorne Bridge. Pre-registration not necessary, just show up.

Portland, Oregon is home to the longest, oldest, and most fabulous bridges in the world. See eight bridges in all, crossing over the Willamette on the Morrison and Steel, with a stop at the Morrison Bridge to tour the tower and bascule pit. Distance traveled: About 2 miles

Contact: For questions, email sharon@bridgestories.com