PORTLAND DRIZZLE

Friday cool and rainy today with a high of 62. The weekend looks like it will be warmer and drier. In the news today, downtown Portland is back, baby! We are celebrating Dolly on 9/25 all around town, and City Council is working on a way to ease taxes on small business owners. We have a great weekend ahead that includes the Winterhawks home opener game, the Thorns, and the Haunted Corn Maze at Bella Organics Farm which opens Saturday.

Now I have big news that I’ve been dying to tell you about:

Portland Drizzle isn’t just news- it’s community.
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​ So we’re launching the Portland Drizzle Dinner Club
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You take a quick quiz, get matched with 5 like-minded people, and meet for dinner at a restaurant. Afterwards you’ll meet up for drinks with all the other dinner groups at a nearby spot.
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First dinner: Wednesday, October 7, 7pm in Portland (around SE Hawthorne).
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We’ll handle the logistics — you just show up.
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Take the quiz and book your seat at dinner 🍽️

District 4 Councilor Mitch Green and District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo introduced a "Fair Share Tax" on Wednesday. It would raise existing business taxes on 405 large corporations, with bigger bumps for companies whose CEOs earn far more than their median workers. The cosponsors estimate it could bring in $72 million a year. It would also zero out the tax for roughly 18,000 small businesses by raising the exemption from $75,000 to $500,000 in annual sales. Portland Mercury

Portland has proclaimed Friday, September 25, as Dolly Parton Day, honoring the singer and philanthropist who died on August 25. The date nods to her 1980 hit "9 to 5." Dozens of bars and restaurants are offering Dolly-themed specials, with some donating proceeds to her Imagination Library, which mails free books to kids from birth to age five. Darcelle XV Plaza hosts a Dolly performance at 5 p.m. with Storm Large, Poison Waters and members of Pink Martini. KATU

Here’s the full list of participating businesses

Downtown Portland recorded more than 22.2 million pedestrian visits from January through August, up 3.6% from 2025, according to Downtown Portland Clean & Safe. July and August each topped 3 million visits for the first time since 2020. Weekends are nearly back to 2019 levels, with Saturdays at 92%. Jade Cow Creamery's owner says they've been running out of flavors since summer started. Weekday worker traffic, though, remains nearly 50% below 2019. KATU

Alma is a Balkan restaurant in NE Portland. It isn’t new, but they have recently started offering an All You Can Eat option for $55. Portland Mercury went and wrote an excellent review of it. The photo of the vegeta wings did me in. I’m so excited to try this one! Have you been yet?

On September 25, 1948, Portland officially dedicated Forest Park, at a ceremony held at an abandoned oil well of all places. Talk about a city that really branched out.

ALL WEEKEND

Portland Juggling Festival & Vaudeville Extravaganza | Reed College Aubrey Watzek Sports Center
Stammtisch Oktoberfest | Stammtisch
Mid-Autumn Festival | Lan Su Chinese Garden
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None | Experience Theatre Project

Friday, Sept 25

Ozomatli | Aladdin Theater
Tracy Grammer | Alberta Rose Theatre
Lavell Crawford | Helium Comedy Club
Hasan Hates Ronny | Ronny Hates Hasan | Keller Auditorium
Silver Leaves Art Studio Grand Opening | Silver Leaves Art Studio

Saturday, Sept 26

Portland Thorns FC vs. Houston Dash | Providence Park
Portland Winterhawks 2026-27 Home Opener vs. Kamloops Blazers | Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Beaver Game Day @ The Square | Pioneer Courthouse Square
Oregon Symphony: Opening Night — Classics Reimagined | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Rocky Butte Farmers Market | NE Siskiyou St & NE 80th Ave
Haunted Corn Maze at Bella Organic Farm | Bella Organic Farm (Sauvie Island)

Sunday, Sept 27

Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary Tour | Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center
Oaks Park Oktoberfest | Oaks Amusement Park
PDX Free Market | Multnomah County Library - Albina
Cats of Sunnyside Field Trip | SE Division St

The salmon are running. I stayed at Camp Creek Campground the last two nights and there were 15 chinook salmon just in the one little spot in front of site #18. The camp host said it’s the best turnout she’s ever seen.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]