What's Up in Beaumont-Wilshire in October

Welcome to the October edition of What’s Up in Beaumont-Wilshire, your monthly roundup of meetings, news, events, and ways to get involved in the neighborhood.

Meetings & Engagement

BWNA Events Committee Meeting — October 6 (Tuesday), 7:00–8:30 p.m.

For the meeting location, contact committee chair John Sandie at sandiefam@gmail.com.

BWNA General Meeting — October 12 (Monday), 7:00–8:30 p.m.

Sylvan Learning, 4300 NE Fremont St., Suite 150. Held in person and broadcast via Zoom.

The meeting will open with a statement from BWNA President Al Ellis to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which falls on October 12.

This month’s featured speaker is Jona Davis, Executive Director of the nonprofit Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods. NECN is the District 2 Coalition for North and Northeast Portland, which includes 29 neighborhood associations, Beaumont-Wilshire among them. One of four city-established coalitions in Portland, its stated mission is to connect residents, neighborhood associations, businesses, and local policymakers to address community priorities. As a 501(c)(3), NECN also serves as BWNA’s fiscal sponsor, which allows donations to BWNA to be tax deductible in many cases. NECN has also awarded some funds for BWNA communications and facilitates grants for some neighborhood community projects.

Jona will lay out the coalition’s plans for the associations it serves and take questions afterward.

Also on the agenda:

An Open Floor segment, where non-board attendees can speak for up to three minutes on a B-W topic of their choosing.
An update on the loss of pedestrian crosswalk flags.
An update on the Inner Eastside Zoning Project.
An update on Beaumont Crossing and the future of the plaza.

As always, all meetings are open to the public. Please come join your neighbors!

Community News

Beaumont Crossing: One Last Weekend, Then a Review

The plaza’s trial run ends September 30, and its last event is the Summer Send-Off on Saturday, September 26. Cider, pastries, and hands-on fun for kids from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Oregon Symphonic Band from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and Patina closing out the season from 5 to 7 p.m. Bring chairs and blankets!

After next week the barriers and furniture will come off the street at NE 44th and Fremont.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is conducting a survey to evaluate the pilot project and will publish its findings. Plaza partners BWNA, the Beaumont Business Association, and PBOT will then determine if Beaumont Crossing will return as a permanent member of the city’s Public Street Plaza Program next summer.

PBOT’s Beaumont Crossing survey is still open, and we encourage you to weigh in about your plaza experience. Tell PBOT what you think of the plaza: Pilot Plaza Survey: Beaumont Crossing.

PBOT’s assessment, when publicized, will be summarized on our Public Plaza page. Questions and comments are always welcome at plaza@bwnapdx.org.

BWNA Has a New Website

BWNA is moving into the light ages with a new website, rebuilt from the ground up. The board approved the switch unanimously at its September meeting.

Everything on the new site is searchable, so you’re finally able to quickly find an article you’re looking for instead of guessing which issue it was in. There is a new events calendar feature, and every Community Update, including this one, now lives on the site, so nothing is lost if you delete the email we sent.

Have a look around. If something looks wrong or a link misbehaves, please tell us at info@bwnapdx.org, because that is the fastest way to get it fixed.

Emergency Preparedness: Where to Start

Bec Lawson, who leads the Beaumont-Wilshire/Alameda Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET), came to BWNA’s Sept. 14 board meeting to explain how NET works. NET members are neighbors trained by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and Portland Fire & Rescue to help in the window immediately after a disaster, before professional responders can reach everyone.

NET is planning a series of community preparedness meetings for Beaumont-Wilshire and Alameda, and the first could come as early as January.

Bec also made the case that trained responders are only part of the picture. NET wants to hear from neighbors who can bring useful professional skills to the effort, doctors and electricians among them, whether or not they take the training.

To reach our NET team, write to bec@friendsofportlandnet.org. To hear about team meetings, sign up with the team, which adds you to the group where meetings are announced.

Even if you don’t attend a training or learning session, the single most useful thing you can do is store water. The general rule is a minimum of one gallon per person per day for 14 days, or 14 gallons per person. Store extra for pets.

While you are at it, keep unscented bleach and a dropper on hand for sanitizing questionable water. Find all you need to know about storage and treatment of emergency water at regionalh2o.org. There’s also a full emergency supply list at publicalerts.org.

Have (Too Much) Fruit Every Year?

Plums or peaches too high in the tree to reach, so they go unpicked? Apples rotting on the ground after you’ve had your fill? Too many grapes or berries? Fruit trees need pruning and you’ve no idea how to start? The nonprofit Portland Fruit Tree Project can help solve all of these problems for you.

The organization picks fruit for you, donates what you do not want to area food banks, and sends people out to prune your trees or to teach you how, which makes future picking easier and the trees more productive.

At BWNA’s September 14 board meeting, Portland Fruit Tree Project board member Michelle Haberlach shared that, as of that date, 700 volunteers had harvested 10,000 pounds of fruit around the city.

Pruning of fruit trees is best done in the winter months, so now is the time to get on the list. Register your trees for harvest at portlandfruit.org/request-a-harvest or email treecare@portlandfruit.org.

Inner Eastside Zoning: Three Ways to Weigh In This Month

The City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) has launched neighborhood outreach efforts to get input from residents and businesses on the Inner Eastside Zoning Project. The Portland City Council is requesting a report on the topic by summer 2028, a year later than originally requested to allow more time for public input.

The intent of the Inner Eastside Project is to bring more housing types into close-in eastside neighborhoods. The study area includes a significant slice of Beaumont-Wilshire, just south of Fremont and east of NE 33rd Avenue. Nothing has been decided.

Opportunities for public input this month include:

Friday, October 2, 2–6 p.m., Planning in the Park at Grant Park. A casual drop-in session at the Grant Park picnic shelter where you can learn about the Inner Eastside Zoning Project and share your thoughts and priorities to help shape the future of the neighborhood. Come for five minutes or stay an hour. Rain or shine. BPS staff want to hear what matters most to you.
Wednesday, October 7, 6 p.m., online information session. Same opportunity as above, but join in from your living room. Registration required.
A questionnaire, which BPS says will be released this month. We will link it as soon as it is live.

Learn more and sign up for project updates on the City’s project page.

Events in B-W and Nearby

Virtual Town Hall with Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney — September 29 (Tuesday), 6:00–7:30 p.m.

Location: online. One of our District 2 city councilors is hosting an online town hall to share what she’s working on and learn what issues are important to you. Registration is not required, but you can visit this link to RSVP so that her team can send you an invite link. You can also access the meeting directly here, without registering in advance.

In The Hood: An Artful Tribute to Mount Hood — October 1–31, daily 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Location: Artistic Portland Gallery, 4110 NE Fremont St. A month-long juried exhibit featuring over 100 local artists celebrating Mount Hood in various art forms. Free and open daily.

Walk With District 2 City Councilors — October 2 (Friday), 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Location: Barnes & Noble at Pilot House, 5000 N Willamette Blvd. Oregon Walks is hosting a slow-paced, roughly 1.5-mile walk with all three of our District 2 councilors, Dan Ryan, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and Sameer Kanal. The route runs through the University of Portland campus to allow a look at the improvements along Willamette Boulevard. Meet in front of the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Pilot House.

The walk is free. RSVPs are not required, but a note to info@oregonwalks.org helps them plan for snacks and beverages. This is one of a series of walks across the city for STEPtember, Oregon Walks’ month celebrating walking. Details are at oregonwalks.org.

Portland Fruit Tree Project Cider Fest — October 3 (Saturday), 12:00–4:00 p.m.

Location: Leaven Community Center, 5431 NE 20th Ave. Cider Fest is the Portland Fruit Tree Project’s annual thank you to the city, and it is free. Bring ripe apples and pears from your own trees and they will be pressed on the spot. There will be tacos, a brass band, and much more. For details about the event, visit portlandfruit.org.

Youth Town Hall for Ages 14 to 24 — October 3 (Saturday), 12:00–2:00 p.m.

Location: The Off Beat, 8440 N Interstate Ave. District 2 City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton, and U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, Maxine Dexter, are hosting a town hall for North and Northeast Portlanders ages 14 to 24, in partnership with the Multnomah Youth Commission. The Off Beat is the all-ages, alcohol-free music venue run by the nonprofit Friends of Noise. Registration requested: register here.

Positive Aging Health & Wellness Fair — October 10 (Saturday), 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Location: German American Society, 5626 NE Alameda St. BWNA is a Community Partner of this free fair, presented by the Community for Positive Aging and the German American Society. Expect resource tables, a vaccination clinic, workshops, and raffles, all built around supporting older adults in Portland and the people who care for them.

Useful whether you are thinking about your own next decade or helping a parent through theirs.

The Ice Age Missoula Floods in Your Neighborhood — October 29 (Thursday), 7:00–8:15 p.m.

Location: Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont St. Ever wonder why you hit so many rocks digging in your Portland garden? You can thank the Ice Age Missoula Floods for this consternating condition.

BWNA’s fall speakers forum features Jim O’Connor of the U.S. Geological Survey on the glacial floods that carved the Columbia Gorge and Willamette Valley, and on what they left behind in Beaumont-Wilshire and surrounding neighborhoods. Dr. O’Connor studied geological science at the University of Washington and holds a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Arizona.

The event is free, but donations at the door are welcome. Seating is limited, so reservations are required. Reserve your space.

Get Involved

Meet people. Do good. Have fun! For more information about ways to get involved, visit our Get Involved page.

New this month

Help edit the Community Update. We are in need of a copy editor for the Community Update. If you have experience writing and editing, and would love to help out a couple of hours a month, please contact BWNA Newsletter Editor Susan Trabucco by emailing editor@bwnapdx.org.
Help with our new website. Now that the site is live, we could use another pair of hands to keep it current. If you have web experience and/or writing skills, or just a good eye for what is broken, get in touch with our webmaster, Steve Avery, by emailing hello@stevenavery.com.
Friends of Wilshire Park. Neighbors have asked about reviving the FoWP committee, and a first meeting may happen before winter. If you’d like to get involved, drop a note to committee chair Mary Roney at friendsofwilshirepark@gmail.com.
Share your neighborhood traffic and transit concerns. Email Graeme Rudd, BWNA’s Transportation Committee chair, at pdx.stmptwn@gmail.com.

Are you a natural (or experienced) fundraiser?

We’re looking to establish a BWNA fundraising committee so we can continue and expand upon our community events and projects. We’re seeking folks from the neighborhood who have creative fundraising ideas and the capacity to implement them! A committee chair is also needed. Sound like fun? Please contact Susan Trabucco by emailing editor@bwnapdx.org.

Marketing & graphics wizards needed!

Neighborhood events are awesome, are they not? BWNA thinks so, too, but we need help writing event marketing copy for our website, fliers, Eventbrite, signage and banners, and ads for display in our newsletter and Community Update.

High-quality graphic design makes marketing copy stand out. We have some coverage here, but more assistance or backup for our graphic design volunteer would be appreciated. Interested in helping? Email editor@bwnapdx.org.

Ideally, those interested would meet regularly with the Events Committee to gain the best understanding of event features and details and event marketing timing.

Beaumont-Wilshire streets are filled with interesting and beautiful gardens. If yours is one of them, being a host for next year’s Art & Garden Tour is a great way to meet other gardeners and neighbors. It’s fun!

Ticket sales to this event help BWNA fund many free community events throughout the year.

If this seems like something you’d love to do, or you have questions, please contact our new-this-year 2027 Art & Garden Tour organizers, neighbors Mary Roney (maryroney643@gmail.com) and Kelly Thompson (kellydery@icloud.com).

Do you love to meet new people and would enjoy extolling the virtues of the BWNA newsletter to prospective advertisers? If this type of volunteer effort would hit your hot buttons, we’d love to have you on the newsletter team. Advertising revenue is the main fundraising source for BWNA’s events, so it’s an important role. Email editor@bwnapdx.org if you’re interested.

Calling STEM/STEAM volunteers

Help bring back the Science Fair to Alameda Elementary, or a Family Science night. These events provide elementary students with an invaluable opportunity to nurture their curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, and get hands-on learning experience in a friendly, supportive environment. If interested and able, contact Julia Love at vpcurriculum@alamedaschool.org.

Ideas for our Speakers Forum?

Birds, bees, seeds? History or herstory? City politics? Aging in place? Downsizing? In 2025, BWNA logged talks on neighborhood history, beneficial bugs, going all-electric, and the Cascadia Subduction Zone. What’s in store for 2026? Send ideas to John Sandie at sandiefam@gmail.com.

Be a Trash Walker

Help keep the neighborhood clean by picking up trash and removing graffiti. BWNA holds two organized cleanup events per year, but regular attention keeps the problem in check. To receive free cleaning supplies, email Angela Frome.

Help with events

Looking to get involved, but not too involved? We’d love your occasional help with neighborhood events. Many hands make light work. Email BWNA Events Chair John Sandie to be notified when help is needed.

Get a walk in, meet new neighbors, and help bring news to the neighborhood. The distribution team is seeking people to hand-deliver the BWNA newsletter to a prescribed route every other month, or in a fill-in capacity. Email John Sandie and Georgina Head for more information.

From the Community Update Editor

That is the news for October. If something’s happening in your corner of Beaumont-Wilshire, send the info my way. Copy is due by the 20th of the month, and our Community Update goes out on the 25th of every month.

Steven Avery
Editor, BWNA Community Update
hello@stevenavery.com

Ongoing BWNA Events

BWNA Board Meetings are held the 2nd Monday of January, March, May, July, September, and November from 7:00–8:30 p.m. The public is welcome; time for public input is limited.

BWNA General Meetings are the 2nd Monday of February, April, June, August, October, and December from 7:00–8:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and participate.

Meeting locations change; most meetings are also held via Zoom. Look for current info in your monthly email from BWNA or check the Upcoming Events page on the day of the meeting.