Brewery Blocks Run

This group just finished the first leg of the 2nd Annual Brewery Blocks Run. The participants start by dressing in these cool costumes, then have a couple of brews in the Brewery Blocks, and run to Pioneer Courthouse Square. After entertaining everyone in the square, they run back to the Brewery Blocks and have a couple of more brews. We will have to wait and see if this run is going to become a giant Portland tradition. My guess is it won’t. If you would like to run in next year’s event, I have no idea how you can get involved.

All alone on Christmas

It’s 9:00 a.m. on Christmas morning and Portland’s Tree stands alone in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Gone are the holiday events, the shoppers, the tourists and thousands of people who posed in front of the tree for photos. In a few days it will be dismantled and ground into bark dust. I feel a special attachment to this tree, as I’ve published sixteen photographs of it on this photo-blog. I have also had the opportunity on numerous occasions to use people’s cameras and photograph entire families in front of the tree. Following the life of this tree has been an interesting experience. I’m looking forward to next November, when we can start all over with a new tree.

First day of winter

The first day of winter marks the start of the third season for this photo-blog. When I started posting on the first day of summer I knew what to expect, warm days, lots of activity and plenty of great events. On the first day of fall, I really didn’t know what was going to happen. I was shocked to learn someone planned to bomb the square during the tree lighting ceremony. For me, the fall season was full of surprises. As we enter winter, I’m really curious to see what the square will be like for the next three months. I think I’m going to need to hit the Columbia store on Broadway for a few extra layers. So, I thought I would start the winter by sharing a few photos from the square today. The fire department wasn't trying to rescue a cat from the tree, they were on hand to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, and give out fire hats to the kids. The square was full of people taking pictures and enjoying the tree. Christmas shopping was in full swing, with shoppers cutting across the square to get from one store to the next. If anyone comes by the square in the next three months and they see someone sitting by a campfire trying to stay warm, that would be me, stop and say hello.

Love and understanding

Members of the Muslim community and several hundred supporters gathered at Pioneer Courthouse Square today. They were there to “call for love and understanding” of Islam. Several speakers addressed the gathering with the basic message, that the vast majority of Muslim's abhor the violence of the terrorist groups around the world. They stated that the The Holy Quran teaches peace and love, not terrorism. The speakers included several dignitaries, including the Tigard Police Chief.

Itinerate Santa

I ran into Santa this evening when I stopped by the square. Not the real Santa, but an itinerate Santa. He told me his name was Chris. It seems he likes to take a couple of weeks off at the end of each year, and travel around the city on Tri-Met; spreading holiday cheer everywhere he goes. He was a little disappointed tonight, because no one on the square was paying attention to him. I tried my best to cheer him up, but I don’t think it worked.

Concordia braves the elements

The Concordia University Choir entertained an audience at the square today in a sing-along of Christmas songs. Concordia University recently placed first among all colleges and universities in the number of community service hours performed in one year. Their students and faculty contributed a whopping 223,000 community service hours in a year to win the award. Great job Concordia, first place in the entire country. Wow, that’s impressive!

20th Annual Tuba Christmas

Tuba enthusiasts, music lovers, and all of those last minute shoppers rejoiced in the sound of over 350 tubas playing the festive music of the season. The audience not only listened, but also participated in the sing-a-long carols.

No room in the tent

These guys must have arrived late for the concert. There was no room in the tent, and they had to stand in the rain to play.

Can you find Umbrella Man?

Umbrella Man was watching the tuba concert today, and he’s in this photograph, can you find him?

Hardy merchants

The artisans who are displaying their wares at Pioneer Courthouse Square through Friday, are used to all types of weather conditions. They also sell their products at Saturday Market throughout the year. If you miss them at the square this week, they will all be at the Saturday Market this weekend. It was great that so many decided to bring their beautiful products to the square for a few extra days.

Strange day

When I visited the square this afternoon, the seagull [top photo] was having more fun than anyone else, it was pouring rain, and the usual crowd was nowhere to be found. The Liewellyn Children’s Choir [middle photo] was huddled under a tent with their parents and friends. They were singing some nice songs. It was to bad there weren’t any spectators to appreciate the music. The Holiday Artisan Market [bottom photo] opened today on the square and runs through Friday. It features hundreds of unique items that are handcrafted by the people who sell them. Today, there were very few buyers.

Beautiful tree display

At Pioneer Courthouse square the waterfalls have been turned off and the pools drained, to make way for a beautiful display of lighted trees. I was wondering how much money was on the bottom of the pools when they were emptied. A sign on the pools states that any money found is the property of the square. I guess this is a way to cover operating expanses, or, have a pizza party for the staff.

Who gets the money?

The Holiday Ale Festival is going on at Pioneer Courthouse Square through Sunday. The cost of admission is $25 cash. This buys you a mug and ten tickets, which can be used for filling up your mug. You can buy additional tickets if ten isn’t enough. A wrist bracelet is included, so you can return every day. What a deal! The organizers say over 15,000 people will attend the event. That would mean a gross of almost $400,000. The event is run largely by volunteers, so who gets the money?

Ale and Honey Buckets

If you’re organizing an ale festival, the first two things on your to-do list should be ale and Honey Buckets. When I was at the square today to check on the preparations for the Holiday Ale Festival, I noticed they had received a large shipment of both these critical items. It looks like the organizers are off to a great start! The festival starts on Wednesday, December 1, and ends on Sunday, December 5.

Bomb plot foiled

Due to the relentless work of federal, local and state law enforcement agencies, a disaster of major proportions was avoided last night at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The last thing on my mind, as I watched the preparations for the tree lighting, was that someone was preparing to set off a bomb. National headlines across the country today centered on the attempted bombing at Pioneer Courthouse Square, including a statement from President Obama. A terrible tragedy was avoided, and for that, we are all incredibly grateful to those who prevented it from happening.

Two guys and a pigeon

I went to the square today to take pictures of anyone I found eating lunch in freezing weather. I was going to call it the “Hardy lunch bunch.” It was about 30 degrees when I arrived there at 12:30. These two guys and one pigeon were the only ones eating lunch on the square. I hung around for about a half hour to see if anyone else would show up for lunch. No one did, so I went home and enjoyed my lunch indoors at 70 degrees.

Soggy tree crew

I want to give a big “shout out” to the crew working on the completion of "Portland’s Tree" at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Attaching the branches, and wiring the lights, is a difficult job that has to be done by Friday. These guys are battling rain, cold, wind and a deadline to get the job done. Anyone passing through the square in the next couple of days should be sure to them “two thumbs up”, for a job well done.

Getting comfortable

Finding a comfortable position when sitting on bricks, or a hard chair on the patio at Starbucks isn’t easy. I’ve watched many people attempting to get comfortable on the square. Here are some of the solutions I’ve photographed in the past few months.

Here’s the scoop

As I said in yesterday’s post, I would find out how the missing branches were attached to the tree, and report it to my faithful readers. I was in for a big shock. The workers not only replace the missing branches, they add hundreds of additional branches from two or three other trees. It takes all the extra branches to make the tree thick enough for a spectacular lighting effect. New branches are nailed and wired to T-shaped brackets, raised up on a hydraulic lift and bolted to the tree. The whole process of adding new branches, and stringing the lighting takes over a week. The lights are turned on Friday, November 26 at 5:30 pm. Be there or be square.