Saturday, Aug. 27 is the annual Parkrose Community Clean Up from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at all Parkrose schools.

Grab your gloves and drop by your local school to help tidy things up in advance of the new school year. Many hands make short work, so the more people that show up the faster the work can be completed. A supervisor will be on site at each school to organize work crews.

Православни икониOn Saturday, Aug. 27  from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the annual Parkrose Community Clean Up event at every Parkrose School District school takes place.

District staff will be stationed at each of the six schools so volunteers can have access to bathrooms and water.

Volunteers from Concordia University will be on hand other community groups have offered their help too.

If you’d like to volunteer, contact the district office at 503-408-2100 or show up at any of the six—Prescott, Shaver, Sacramento and Russell Academy elementary schools, Parkrose Middle and High Schools—and get to work.

What City Commissioner in attendance at the Parkrose Educational Foundation Auction last night undercut the special appeals bid (for Parkrose High School athletics this year) by having it announced, during the live solicitation for athletics and equipment that an extra $100,000 was being made available by the City for soccer field construction?

Nice, but completely unrelated to what the live auction appeal  was for.

“When people heard that, it killed it,” auctioneer Pat Brothers said afterward. “People figured … ‘Yeah, they got all that money from the City, they don’t need my help.’ ”

Your April issue of the Mid-county Memo is posted online. The re-cap of its online content follows …

This month’s edition has stories about: the Senior Prom held at Care Center East; the Parkrose High School bond vote in May; a round up of east Portland high school winter activities; Bradford’s Sports Lounge — formerly the Candy Store; the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission meeting where activists demanded action on the many plans to make life better in east Portland; the Portland Plan Fair held last month at Mid-county’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization and the Portland Airport Master Plan’s final approval from the city .

March 2011 Mid-county Memo online edition re-cap

The March issue of the Mid-county Memo was posted online last week. This month’s issue has stories about Portland City Council’s Citywide Tree Project hearing; an interview with Don Grotting, new David Douglas School District Superintendent; Fir Ridge Campus’ African American Family Night; CherryWood Village’s ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating Oregon’s largest senior retirement community solar array; Mid-county Memo founder Tom Pry’s obituary and photos of last month’s one-day snow event Thursday, Feb. 24.

And, as always, the informative departments: Memo Calendar, Memo Pad, Business Memos, Memorable Menus, Letters to the Editor and Loaves & Fishes’ monthly menu.

The February issue of the Mid-county Memo was posted online last week.  This month’s issue contains stories about east Portland’s Lost Arts Kitchen, the University of Western States and the Portland Housing Bureau’s proposal last month to “adjust” the territory of one of its programs: the Single Family New Construction Limited Home Tax Exemption or LTE.

In this month’s issue you’ll also find a story about the fund raising event held at the Refectory restaurant last month for the Parkrose Senior All-Night Party, a story about how the American Legion’s Portland Post #1 fixed the flag at Glendoveer Golf Course and an obituary for a Parkrose artist, Mark Phillips and an update on the planning for Gateway Park.

A news release from the Rose Festival announcing the 64 students — 63 Seniors and two Juniors — vying to become the 2011 Queen of Rosaria follows. The list includes five students from David Douglas and Madison with four from Parkrose.

A strong showing by students for the Metro area schools highlighted the first day of judging for the 2011 Rose Festival Court, Saturday February 5 at the Rose Festival Court Headquarters in the Lloyd Center. Overall 132 students participated in the first round speech and interview process, and 64 were selected to represent their school in the second round. The second judging session takes place February 26 to determine the final fifteen princesses, from which the 2011 Rose Festival Queen will be chosen.

In anticipation of the severe weather forecast for tonight, the Parkrose School District canceled all meetings and school related activities tonight, including the scheduled school board meeting.

We wish you a Happy New Year.  A recap with links to stories in the January 2011 Mid-county Memo follows:

We caught up to busy busy Superintendent Karen Fischer Gray for an interview as she begins her third year at the helm of the Parkrose School District.

East Portland business and neighborhood leaders are canvassed and asked what are major issues facing our little corner of Portland.

Joann “JoJo” Glass calls it quits after 35 years tending bar at the Candle Light Restaurant and Lounge on 74th and Northeast Glisan St.

Parkrose High School Community Center is the site for the final competition of Portland Parks & Recreation’s Portland Teen Idol Competition.
PP&R announced the twelve finalists for the fourth season of Portland Teen Idol, the teen talent program modeled after the national television show American Idol. The finals will be held tomorrow, Thursday, July 1, at Parkrose High School.

Admission is free and the twelve finalists are Jeyonna Barr, Michelle Brayson, Tabitha Card, Bliss Croton, Carly Dillon, Alex Hall, Gracie Heacock, Patience Murphy, Natalia Orozco,Jackie Salzinger, Blake Slover, and Kayla Wonderly.