Well it finally happened. After 84 weeks in a row, our run on Ankeny Rainbow Road has come to an end… at least for now. Bike Happy Hour will no longer gather every Wednesday at Gorges Beer/Ankeny Tap & Table; but we’re still coming together. Last night we tried out a new location: Migration Brewing on N Williams Avenue (between Shaver and Failing). It felt good and cozy and we had a nice little turnout.
Here’s what happened and what’s next…
Travis Preece, the owner of Gorges Beer and Ankeny Tap & Table (the two spots across the street from each other on PBOT’s carfree Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza between SE 27th and 28th), has closed temporarily to figure out a few things. I just talked to him on the phone this morning and he wants to re-open by the start of 2025. Travis has four years left on his lease and believes in the value of Bike Happy Hour, the plaza itself, and the community it fosters. He didn’t want to close, but we all know how challenging the food and drink business is right now.
[A note to all organizers and advocates: Travis said even while he’s not open normal business owners, he’d love to host events, food cart pop-ups, or meetings at Ankeny Tap. If you’re interested, drop him a line at events@gorgesbeer.com.]
With the temporary closure of these two spots, Bike Happy Hour needs a new home. For now we’ll move to Migration Brewing on N Williams Ave. I’ve met the staff and they’re thrilled to have us! There’s a big warm patio with Adirondack chairs and heaters, and we pretty much have it all to ourselves. They serve an excellent menu (above) of Nicaraguan food from Pápas Frita and they great beer as well as non-alcoholic options. I hosted a BikePortland event there in 2022 and the location has lots of warm-fuzzies for bike people because it used to be a well-loved bike-themed Hopworks location. Last night, even with a very short notice via Instagram, we had about two dozen folks show up. We even welcomed some non-BHH folks who sat with us and added fun and smiles to the party.
I realize N Williams Avenue isn’t as central as SE Ankeny, but this location also helps lower my stress levels. In case you haven’t heard, I’ve started a new side hustle as head basketball coach for a 7th grade Roosevelt High School team and we have practice at 6:30 on Wednesday’s through the end of February up near University of Portland. The Migration location allows me to attend Bike Happy Hour for a bit longer before I need to get to practice. This temporary location shift also allows us to try something new: I’ve always been curious about what would happen if we moved the meeting spot around every once in a while to see if that allows new folks to be able to attend.
My plan now is to consider Migration a temporary spot and wait to hear how Travis’s plans evolve. He’s made it clear to me he wants us to return to Rainbow Road.
In the meantime, I hope to see you at Migration on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Stay tuned for fun themed nights and special guest speakers. On that note, next week 11/27 we’ll be joined by District 1 City Councilor-elect Jamie Dunphy. My mom will also be in town so you might be able to meet her too! If you’d like to speak and share with our group, just grab the mic around 5:00 pm and go for it.
Things change. But one thing that stays the same is that I’ll… see you next week!
