Spring Events Calendar

• Wednesday, April 8: The Thompson Elk Fountain: the Restoration, the Film, the Comic
• Sunday, April 12: Thompson Elk Fountain Homecoming Celebration
• Sunday, April 19: Green Dreams Field Day @ Tryon Creek
• Friday, May 8: Raymond Park Playground Opening 
• Thursday, May 14: Spring Friends & Allies Summit

Celebrate the Thompson Elk Fountain
Homecoming with us on April 12

The Elk is returning to its historic home this April! The City of Portland, Portland Parks Foundation, and Regional Arts & Culture Council are hosting a public event to celebrate the return of the Thompson Elk Fountain.Join us for an afternoon of celebration featuring:

• Dedication ceremony
• Performance by IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild™
• Community booths
• Giveaways
• Food Trucks
• And more!

Event is free and open to the public – bring your friends!

Want an insider look at the Elk before it returns? 

The Elk: the Restoration, the Film,
the Comic on April 8

Join PPF and our partners, City of Possibility, for a dynamic evening exploring the history and design elements around our favorite Portland icon:

• The Restoration: Maya Foty, Principle with Architectural Resource Group, offers an inside look at the masterful restoration and renewal – and the complications, time, and expense — of bringing back a 125-year-old work of art and infrastructure.
• The Film: Erika Bolstad’s “The Elk” documents the fall and the rise of the first of the city’s damaged monuments to return, and the only sculpture without controversy. She will share clips and background on her 29-minute film exploring the divided perceptions over why the elk went away and what it means for the dinged but refurbished symbol to finally return.
• The Comic: T Edward Bak, cartoonist, and Shawna Gore, editor, will talk about the creation of “The People’s Elk,” a 24-page comic on the history of David P. Thompson and many rich expressions of free speech and changing culture that unfolded around the Elk over its century-plus time at the city’s center. The first copies of the comic will be available.

Green Dreams Field Day: April 19

We’re excited to announce our final event for Green Dreams series: On the Nature of Monuments! Join Portland Parks Foundation and the Native Arts + Culture Foundation for a field day at Tryon Creek learning from Native artists about indigenous ways of relating to nature, memory, and community.

Rather than focusing on static monuments, the program explores memory as something carried through voice, listening, and embodied experience. We will engage with nature through storied walks, create art as reflection, and hear from the life and work of artist whose work is featured at Tryon Creek. Featured artists are Kitana Connelly, Greg A. Robinson, and Shirod Younker. 

Following the shared learning activities, participants are invited to share a meal together and spend their afternoon in community with each other and the beautiful natural environment surrounding Tryon Creek.

Event is free, lunch from Wota Kitchen is on us. Wear something that’s good for the outdoors and for getting crafty. $10 State parking fee, for those who drive. 

Celebrate Raymond Park’s New Playground: May 8

Celebrate the completion of the first of three new Everybody Plays Campaign playgrounds at this free, family-friendly event on Friday, May 8 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm! We will have snacks, ice cream, music, arts & crafts, face painting, and a new playground! This event is hosted in partnership with our project partner, Portland Parks & Recreation.

Friends & Allies Spring Summit
May 14

Every spring we gather folks who are devoted to our shared parks, green spaces, natural habitats and celebrate the nominees and recipients of two PPF Awards: the Parks Champions Award, and the Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership. Join us for our annual celebration on May 14 to celebrate parks people and places, and build community in a time where its needed more than ever.

We help people help parks.

Our mailing address is:
Portland Parks Foundation
833 SW 11th Ave #808
Portland, OR 97205