Weekend Guide and Open Thread

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Zoobomb pile

The Olde Zoobomb Pyle
is getting a new home
(Photo © J. Maus)

Friday, May 29th

Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party Construction and Clean Up Day
What more glorious way to spend a weekend than volunteering for a good cause?

The Pedalpalooza kickoff dance party (followed, per Portland tradition, by the world’s largest World Naked Bike Ride) is on June 13th this year. If you’re free this afternoon, drop in to help make the space magical! Ability to hold a hammer or broom the only requirement.

Many more volunteers are needed for the event itself. Shifts and signup info here.
12PM to 5PM
2181 NW Nicolai
RSVP to anomalily at gmail dot com

Zoobomb Public Art Unveiling
There’s a glorious new monument in town and it’s being officially unveiled and dedicated tonight. The Mayor will speak, the Sprockettes will dance, and bike lights will be given away.

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$960 million transportation bill passes Senate: Next stop, the Governor

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“The transportation package passed today is the most environmentally progressive in Oregon’s history.”
— From a statement by the Oregon Senate Democrats

The Oregon State Senate has voted in favor of House Bill 2001 by a margin of 24-6. The bill, which backers say will create 4,600 jobs a year, did not include any changes from the House version that passed on Wednesday.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) made a last-ditch call to action yesterday hoping that the Senate would strip out the $192 million earmark for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass project and instead add more funding for bike and pedestrian projects.

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Blumenauer, Bike Caucus members urge bike/ped funding in new transportation bill

As the work intensifies on Capitol Hill to re-write America’s next surface transportation bill, the lobbying is heating up to make sure it includes more money for biking and walking.

As the prime pusher of pedaling in Congress, Rep. Earl Blumenauer will play an important role in making sure those who are writing the bill understand the value of investing in non-motorized transportation. On that note, Blumenauer — along with 38 members of the Congressional Bike Caucus — sent a letter to the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure on May 22 to make the case.

The letter was sent to the leading Members on the T & I Committee, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) and Rep. John Mica (R-FL).

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Portlanders relish a warm, carfree Last Thursday on Alberta

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bikes at Last Thursday on Alberta-5

Nearby residents Gregg Lavender
and Nikki Kress steal a kiss
in the middle of Alberta
Street last night.
– Slideshow below –
(Photos © J. Maus)

Last night, warm weather and the onset of summer brought throngs of Portlanders out to enjoy their neighborhood and the riches of their City at the first carfree Last Thursday on Alberta.

It was the first of six months that the main stretch of Alberta Street will be closed to cars from 6-10:00 pm.

The impact of not having to worry about car traffic is profound. I brought my family along last night and, after dancing in the street with the March Fourth Marching Band, we came across several dancers, musicians, artists, and performers who shared their gifts right in the middle of the road.

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Volunteer for the Cirque du Cycling Criterium

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Over 120 volunteers are needed to make the Cirque du Cycling Criterium a success. Meet in front of the Laughing Planet Cafe (between Failing and Beech St on Mississippi Ave.) at the designated time for your volunteer position.

All volunteers get a free t-shirt, food and drink and a fun-filled day of bike activities.

REGISTER ONLINE to volunteer (see all positions here)

Contact: Jim Anderson, jim-anderson at comcast dot net

Event details:

Cirque du Cycling Criterium, presented by Laughing Planet Cafe
Saturday, June 13, 2009,
N Portland, Mississippi Ave.

Cirque du Cycling, presented by Laughing Planet, is part circus, part bike street race and a benefit for Self Enhancement, Inc.

The whole event kicks off at 1:30pm with a free three-mile family ride to Peninsula Park. There is also a bike parade (3pm) (advance registration required) featuring all sorts of wild sculptural bikes: tall bikes, choppers, swing bikes and more.

There’s live music all afternoon, plenty of entertainment to watch and an evening criterium street race with a two-way racing right down the middle of Mississippi Avenue.

Come relax in the beer garden, bring your bike, settle into your lawn chair, peruse the shops of Mississippi and be awed by spectacular bicycle tricks and riding feats.

Volunteers needed for Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party, World Naked Bike Ride

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From volunteer coordinator Lily Karabaic:

This year the Pedalpalooza Kickoff Party/World Naked Bike Ride is predicted to be bigger than ever, and I need nearly 100 volunteers to make this event successful.

I’m still short about 20 positions, and the volunteer labor is vital to making the party run smoothly, safely, and allowing us to keep doing this crazy thing next year.

Friday, May 29th: TODAY IS CONSTRUCTION DAY!

The Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party and Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride are happening on June 13- The dance party will be at the old coffee warehouse, at 2181 NW Nicolai. This year’s theme is “Where the Wild Things Are”!

All positions include fame, glory, and free beer. Check out the full details on how to volunteer.

May 29th, 2009
Construction and Clean up Day: Make the space magical! Ability to hold a hammer or broom the only requirement. RSVP required to anomalily at gmail dot com
12PM to 5PM (negotiable)

June 13th, 2009
Set-up Decorators: Help make things pretty and get done early! 4-9PM (2 spots open)

Night shifts are roughly 2 hours, between 8:30PM to 4AM.
Beer Servers: Keep us all in beer, wear a sash, stay sober. (6 spots open)
Clothes & Bag Check: Take people’s bags and store them safely. (3 spots open)
Crowd Control: Keep everyone safe & not crazy (5 spots open)
Stair Cheerleaders: Keep people inspired & safe on the stair landing. Great job for hams (9 spots open)
21+ Checkers: Look at people’s awful license pictures. Stay sober. (8 spots open)
Freight Elevator Operator: Wear a fun hat, operate the gigantic elevators. Stay sober. Pre-training required. (10 spots open)

After Party Clean-up, June 14th from 1PM to 4PM! (6 spots open)

Please email desired shift & position to anomalily at gmail dot com to volunteer! This cannot happen without your help.

Let me know if you can help out and/or if you need more information.

Contact: anomalily at gmail dot com

Please forward widely and often.

Job of the Week

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Want to be part of the team at an iconic local bike shop? Or how about a chance to volunteer for two great upcoming events?

Check out more info on our latest job listing and volunteer opportunities in the links below:

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First look at the new Zoobomb ‘Pyle’

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The official unveiling happens tomorrow, but I just came across the first photo of the new Zoobomb Pyle as it stands right now, fully installed, at the corner of 13th and W. Burnside.

Behold…

Artists Brian Borrello (L) and Vanessa Renwick (R) stand beside their work — Portland’s latest public art monument.
(Photo: Kristin Calhoun/Regional Arts and Culture Council)

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BTA action alert: More money for bikes and one less highway in HB 2001

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The BTA is making a last
ditch effort to fix HB 2001.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has sent out an action alert they hope will bring some much-needed change to the Governor’s transportation package that passed the House yesterday.

House Bill 2001, which includes an $840 million list of earmarked highway projects, will be voted on by the Oregon State Senate any day now, so there’s a very short timeframe for further advocacy.

The BTA will urge their members (and anyone else that sees the alert) to “ask for a better transportation package”. They want people to contact their Senate representatives and tell them to:

1. Increase funding for healthy transportation by increasing the minimum funding for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure from 1% to 1.5% of highway and street expenditures and putting money in the new Urban Trails Fund.

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A tour of the West Side with an unsung bike hero

A tour of the West Side-21

Jim “K’Tesh” Parsons is always looking
out to make your ride (or walk)
safer and more enjoyable.
-Slideshow Below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

It wasn’t long into a full day tour through Beaverton and Tigard that Jim “K’Tesh” Parsons needed to stop and get to work. We were riding on the path adjacent to Highway 26, just west of Washington Park, when he noticed some overhanging branches.

He stopped, swung his backpack around, took out a pair of gardening shears, and dove head-first into the tree in search of the guilty branch. A few yards further down he pointed out a tree stump a few feet from the edge of the path. It used to be a spikey Hawthorne tree, he said, and “I’m not a fan of spikey trees, especially when they grow too closely to the path.”

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A bike-on-bike hit-and-run and a call for civility (updated)

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The bike signal near where
the collision took place.
(Photo: PBOT)

I got an email from reader and BTA Board Member Mary Roberts yesterday that I thought should be shared with others. It has to do with topics we’ve covered several times on this site — increasing bike traffic and riding with courtesy for others.

Congested bikeways, and how people on bikes handle them, could very well define the oncoming summer biking season. Here’s the email (emphasis mine):

“I was riding with a group of five friends yesterday and as we rode to the top of the bike/ped trail junction at NE Lloyd Blvd [near the bike-only signal], one of my group collided with a cyclist coming down onto the path from the intersection of the Steel Bridge.

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