Farmers on the "square"

Every Monday, nearly 40 local farmers and food artisans take root in downtown Portland, on Pioneer Courthouse Square. They 'bring the best of the country to the heart of the city.' It’s a great opportunity for shoppers and people working near the square to get lunch, listen to music and pickup some tasty treats from local farmers. Check it out every Monday, (10:00am to 2:00pm), between now and the end of September.

Oops, almost forgot the flowers

Everyone knows how important it is to remember the flowers on special occasions. One of those occasions is the “Festival of Flowers,” held on Pioneer Courthouse Square in late June. Forgive me for being a little late in documenting it on this blog. This year’s design, “Container of Essence,” created by local artist and sculptor Dana Lynn Louis, was made up of nearly 20,000 colorful flowers, bamboo and ornamental grasses to create a mandala in the heart of downtown, encouraging peace within one’s self and the world at large. Both the Navajo Indians, and Tibetan monks inspired the floral design. They created sand mandalas, to demonstrate the cycle of life and celebrate in a colorful gathering after its creation. This event marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer on the square. At the end of the event the flowers go on sale to the public. This is one the most special events held on the square and is one of my favorites. The Festival of Flowers was going on when I made my first post on this blog on June 22, 2010. To view a rendering of this year’s installation, click here. http://www.thesquarepdx.org/images/2012MasterSitePlan.jpg

Sunny spring day

I hope everyone who visited the Square last week enjoyed the sunshine. Is there any better place than Pioneer Courthouse Square to enjoy a beautiful sunny spring day and watch people? I love seeing people coming and going on the Square on a beautiful day. I stopped by last week for just a few minutes and took these photographs. Summer and all the great events on the Square are just a few weeks away. I can’t wait!

Whitten for mayor

The race for Mayor of Portland is really up in the air right now. People are having trouble deciding between the top three candidates, and a lot of folks are still undecided. For anyone who can’t make up his or her mind, let me introduce you to Cameron Whitten. I met him on Pioneer Courthouse Square a couple of days ago. He’s conducting a fiscally conservative campaign with one simple message. He’s for Unity. Cameron is the only candidate for mayor that I’ve personally had the opportunity to meet and discuss the issues. I really liked him, but unfortunately, I had already mailed my ballot and couldn’t make a new selection. Good luck Cameron! To learn more about Cameron, check out this link.
http://www.cameronwhittenforunity.com/

Coal Free Oregon?

Several hundred people gathered today on Pioneer Courthouse Square to protest the use of rail lines and ports in Oregon in ship coal to destinations in Asia. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., gave an impassioned speech to convince Oregonians to block this proposed rail shipment plan. He said that he has been battling the coal industry for many years, and doesn’t want Oregon to fall into this trap. Several organizations were handing out literature opposing the plan, including the Sierra Club, Coal Free Northwest, Coal Free Oregon and Columbia Riverkeeper. These organizations maintain that the risks involved in transporting coal through our communities would be a giant step backwards in cleaning up the environment. Once again Pioneer Courthouse Square provides the perfect place to provide information to the community. For more information on coal exports.

http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/nw/

http://www.powerpastcoal.org/

Syria loves Bashar?

Ten months ago I photographed a demonstration on Pioneer Courthouse Square, supporting the Syrian President Bashar All-Assad. The leaders of the demonstration told me the people of Syria love Bashar, and the events in Syria were being distorted and misrepresented. However, since the demonstration on Pioneer Courthouse Square, over 6000 people have died protesting the government in Syria, and most of the world wants to see the Syrian President removed from office. The photographs in this post (courtesy of Reuters) are from the beleaguered Syrian city of Homs. They were taken a few days ago and present a much different story. To see a striking contrast, compare these photos to the ones I took ten months ago. From a peaceful demonstration in downtown Portland, supporting the President, to a deadly, ongoing protest in Homs to remove the President. Click to visit "Square People" post on April 30, 2010: http://www.squarepeople.blogspot.com/2011/04/syria-loves-bashar.html

Close competition

For a combined forty-five years these three faithful food carts have operated on Pioneer Courthouse Square: Honkin’ Huge Burritos, for twenty years; Hot Dogs on the Square, for fifteen years; Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, for ten years. From 20 degrees to 100 degrees, rain or shine, they are always there to serve food to the faithful who hang out at the Square. They get moved around and pushed around and sometimes disappear when big events take over the Square. They each have enthusiastic followers, who will gladly give passersby a personal testimonial. Besides the people, the pigeons love the scraps that they get everyday. I’ve tried all three and can’t possibly endorse one over the other. We’re lucky to have all three of these close competitors with the choices they bring to the hungry Square goers.

Happy New Year

I would like to wish all my readers and everyone who enjoys Pioneer Courthouse Square, a joyous and prosperous 2012. Let’s all hope that this year is the beginning of a massive economic turnaround for our great country. As always New Years Eve on the Square was interesting to say the least. I could write my impressions of the first few minutes of the New Year on Pioneer Courthouse Square. Instead, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Happy New Year!