Adorable brewfest. My first one of this season. I am a big brewfest attender but have not been to…read moreany this year - mostly interest level/age with just dealing. So my friends talked this one up - and I got a free ride there and took an Uber home. Complaints- -the kids there a bit lame. I think cool for a parent to be able to have them with - but not really fun for kids or the the adults. -the volunteer pouring Deception Beer was wearing a Boneyard Beer shirt. -stand in line get your beer and then move the hell on, lingering right near the line-up just confuses people that really are ready to go up the counter and order. Are you in line or? Excellent access and people watching. Nice amount of breweries represented - I enjoyed plenty of tastes of different brews. The price was $20 ahead of time with a small service charge for 10 tickets and a sampler glass. They had some decent food offerings - I didn't explore any, though. I liked that you could just approach a line get a beer and move on out. The music was solid. I was there between 3:30pm - 6:00pm and the band was just the right amount of light rock. I coincedentally saw this same performer yesterday at Hops on Tap in Tigard. Steve. Small, local, quaint brewfest. Well executed. Easy to order safe ride home.

The Wilsonville Brewfest last Saturday was a lot of fun. It's located up in the Villebois area…read morewhere a lot of people are able to walk from home to the fest. The organizers have mostly smaller local breweries like Coin Toss and Vanguard to help showcase the little guys in the burbs. Music was really nice too. This is way better than the bigger brewfests that attract riffraff. You get good beer and a pleasant atmosphere. Definitely worth checking out next year!

Going to the Old Time Fair reminds me in the best sort of way that West Linn is a small community…read more The Old Willamette neighborhood is celebrating its 100th anniversary and the fair is celebrating its 52nd year. We've been going for the last five years so we have a number of favorite things: **Lion's Club burgers with grilled sweet Walla Walla onions **waterski show **lumberjack competition **carnival rides (almost all are fine for ages 5 and up but will bore teenagers) **evening concert (The Bob Miller All-Star Band headlined Saturday night). The fair begins on Friday night and continues through the weekend with a parade Saturday morning. Also, isn't a summer fair the best place to people watch and catch a glimpse of the teenage mating rituals. It breaks my heart to think my boys are only a few years away from getting their hearts stomped by the ladies.

This was a fun, albeit small fair. this is not necessarily a bad thing. I had two kids with me and…read moretherefore having the thing in a contained area made it much easier since we could bounce from activity to activity and each could get something that they wanted without us having to walk too far. They had some rides, some food, some fun activities, and lots of nice people. I am no ride expert, but there was a ferris wheel, one of the circular spinning swings, a tilt-a-wheel, and lots more. Looked fun, but we ran out of time. The food was a good selection with hamburgers, Mexican, Hawaiian, and pizza for the main courses. There was cotton candy, rhubarb/strawberry pie, elephant ears, and churros for dessert. We tried the burgers, the pizza, pie, and the churros. The burgers were pretty fair (haha pun), but the pie and the churros were both better than I expected and quite tasty. They had nice kayak&canoe rentals, some shows/demonstrations, and fun stuff. They had a whole truckload of e-drums for the kids to try (headphones included!!!!!). The rubber duck race was silly and fun even though the concept seemed odd at first. They dumped in a whole bucket load of numbered rubber ducks up river and then whoever's numbered one got down first wins. Fun! The highlight for me was the lumber-jack competition with all sorts of crazy chainsaw and axe demonstrations and contests. The craziest of these had to be the motorcycle engines powering some chainsaws that were crazy loud and crazy fast at cutting up wood. All in all a fun time!

SO MUCH FUN! Took my parents from Maine after we went the year prior and wow what a core memory!!…read moreThe best food, drink, and vendors!

A truly fabulous event. Seated and kept cool by the overhang. Section D in the house…read more The real excitement is in the professionalism and the attention to detail. Everyone is dressed in a matching outfit. Staff is super friendly and helpful all around the stadium and the outside venues. No doubt they love America in St Paul and they love the military service branches. If that offends you. This event is not for you. So many different events and always moving on the inside. Plenty of different events and different competitive categories. Loved the outside venues. A real variety of food programs and vendors really went all out to provide something for everyone. The history of the rodeo tent was educational and exciting just to see the evolution. So many people that are legends in the sport. What an honor to learn all about them and their accomplishments in and outside of Rodeo. A real family pleaser for sure remember sun screen Drink lots of water. It's a long day that keeps you entertained.

I've been involved in a few organizations that put on successful event's and I'm perplexed at the…read moreUFO FESTs management. They consistently deliver the top tier speakers of the field, often people you would believe unobtainable, and these speakers ALWAYS deliver! Nothing feels rushed, the speakers are a comfortable walk from the downtown festivities that are entertaining and fun without feeling like a cheap money grab. Nothing about this fest lends any atmosphere of fundraising or profiteering strictly focusing on enjoyment. Last but not least, the volunteers. Everyone I interacted with was knowledgeable, helpful, and just plain genuinely pleasant to talk too. Where they found this many nice people I have no idea. Our 3rd year attending. I give McMinnamins UFO Fest a solid 10! 100% worth the trip!

Poor rating due exclusively because of a hugely disappointing Friday night presentation spoiled by…read moreone speaker, Jeremy Corbell. There were 3 speakers, one of whom was highly respected George Knapp, no problem with him or Dylan Borland, a whistleblower. But Corbell monopolized the conversation, overrode the other two constantly and it was painful to listen to. He spoke in circles, was repetitive, and gave us a steady barrage of acronyms, nothing at all noteworthy. A lot of bluster, F bombs and zero meaningful details about UAPs or ET. One hour in, bored people began to leave, after that a mass exodus. The director of the festival hopefully will take note of that.

Let me paint you a picture…read more.. In my bucolic little 'burb, there is an annual arts festival in one of my favorite parks. To folks in Portland, yes, there are two Willamette Parks. This one is located at the confluence of the Willamette and Tualatin Rivers in my lovely West Linn. The fields are green and lush and there are rows of white roses in bloom along the border. Children are splashing in the fountain and people are laughing and eating festival food. I am so impressed by the organization of this annual event. The layout of the vendor stalls, plus music and a food court are all excellent. While the number of diversity of the art booths are outstanding this year, the food court is pretty minimal. So you may want to bring your own picnic or stop for lunch in the Old Willamette District. However, I am always a sucker for the burgers served by the West Linn Lions Club. Now, a couple notes. While the artists and their offerings are diverse (watercolors, baskets, glass, pottery, textiles, jewelry, photography, furniture, garden statues), it is not alternative. An art festival in the Alberta or Hawthorne neighborhoods of Portland would look quite different. This festival is comprised primarily of local artists and although there are some from Portland, you are more likely to see the artistic endeavors of folks from Lake Oswego, Oregon City and Canby. There isn't a lot of angst going on in this part of our metro area. The other thing is that it was already packed and parking almost gone when the festival opened at 10:00a. So you can either park in the Old Willamette neighborhood and walk or take one of the free shuttles from West Linn High School (http://www.westlinnartsfestival.com/parking.html). It is kind of a pain, I know. Willamette Park is down a steep hill from Old Willamette, so if you park and walk, be prepared for a steep climb upon your return. If you ever had the desire to visit West Linn, this is a great time and event. Everything is looking very good in my 'hood.

If micro brews and BBQ is what you want, then this is the place in September. Three days and…read moreeves of fun. The music is fairly good, but really loud, and they take a lot of breaks. I think they should screen the bands before the event. wine is alo available, but it's cash or credit.

I've gone every year since this started. To me and others I have talked to, the quality is on a…read moredecline. First off, the beers. The beers and cider that they serve are your run of the mill brews that you can find at any grocery store, with just a few local breweries on tap. Oregon has so many wonderful microbreweries, those need to be the focus. Not Sam Adams and Angry Orchard. And $3 for 5oz, just save your money. Not worth it. And the food. It's a Brews and BBQS. Of the 6 food vendors, only 2 were BBQ. The rest were the typical fair food. Fried food and beer don't mix well! My first year I went, there were maybe 5 or 6 BBQ vendors. I don't know if I'll give this another chance next year. We regularly go to the local growler tap station in town so this event was a flop.

The beat of the native drum circle and jingle dresses felt like home as we entered the event…read more Helpful volunteers were identified by the T-shirt they wore bearing by brother's design. In exchange for his work, we were provided 'VIP' access that included a tent with a prime view of the main stage and refreshments to cool down in between our rounds (shout out to the friendly and attentive VIP tent volunteers). Positive energy and pride exuded throughout Riverfront park during this long standing cultural festival as groups were decked out in regalia and traditional dress in preparation for a performance. The diversity and representation witnessed as I made my way through made my heart burst with joy. Making a choice on what to eat was tough, as there were more food trucks and options than I had seen before. ChoicesI went with Flourish Spices & African Food's 'Little bit of everything' plate and added a puff puff. It included black eyed peas, plantains, chicken and fish (they were very popular and had run out of rice that was normally included). My tastebuds agreed with my selection and savored every bite of food that perfectly complemented the other. The fish was well cooked and seasoned, very easy to separate from the bones. The puff puff was a fried dough, like a cross between a beignet and a hush puppy, but savory, and was a nice addition to my meal. I only wish I would've added vegetables, but had plenty to satisfy my appetite. There were also a lot of beverage options including specialty coffees, Aqua frescas, Hawaiian ice, flavored lemonades, and a beer garden with wine, cider, and brews. Vendor booths offered everything from turban wraps, native beaded earrings, and felted hats to African braiding, henna tattoos and cultural wares. A dedicated children's area had activities to keep the littles entertained while learning. Story tellers from across the globe shared folk tales and exposed guests of all ages to other cultures. I enjoyed watching traditional dancing and performances on multiple stages throughout the venue. Dragon boat races brought a thrill from the waterway below. Acosia Red Elk, an international award winning jingle dancer and enrolled member Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, took the stage explaining the origin of her regalia and shared an inspirational message with the crowd about intentions and connection. Supaman, a Native American dancer, hip hop artist, inspirational speaker and member of the Apsáalooke Nation on the Crow Reservation, leveled up; bringing energy to the outdoor amphitheater by inviting guests up to the stage to contribute to a beat box compilation with DJ Element, throwing out CDs for crowd participation, and ending with fan favorites. The Parade of Lights awed the audience with their flaming headpieces, wings, and torches as they made their grand entry around and up to the stage while members blew conch shells. This stunning and well thought out event drew interest across Salem, selling out tickets on Saturday. Many people I spoke to had been attending, volunteering, or participating for up to 15 years. Bravo and congratulations on a truly spectacular weekend!

Solid 4 star experience. 2015 fest review…read more Located on salem waterfront admission was $5 a person $15 for entire families. It was a fun time. It was not the best world music festival I had ever been to but it was nice. 3-4 stages of performers with folk dancing performances on the grass. Lots of ethnic food options, but they need more variety as far as countries represented. We had cuisine from the Greek and the Ethiopian food stalls. Both were flavorful and we would get them again. The young lady running the Ethiopian stall must have been having a bad day because she vibrated that feeling to her customers and was very unfriendly. We enjoyed the performances. The Iraqi music Ronny and Sherzad on guitar and keyboard was our favorite. Iraqi fusion music with latin and other cultural influences. We also enjoyed the Gamelan group. If I was the planner of this fest I would put the Gamelan Group farther away from the other performances. Gamelan is quiet and they were drowned out by the taiko drumming taking place at the next stage over. My Mr. said he would have liked if all the stages were spread out a little farther as to not drown out the other performances. The people running the salem drum circle group were very friendly and we jumped right in and jammed with them. They invited me back to perform with them on stage later that day, but we had limited time so we could not take part. There were a few vendors selling their wares. Much of it was the same- skirts, scarves, tapestries,boho gear,incense, etc. A few of the booths had really reasonable prices and we scored a few things. I would have liked to have seen more of a variety of clothes and wares offered up for sale. We had fun it was not that far of a drive 45-60 min from Portland ..we will return to this festival again. Plenty of on street parking. Sunday was not crowded with just the right amount of people in attendance.

The Salem Art Fair has been a staple a Salem summers for years. The art is impressive and moving…read morethe stage out from under the oak trees was a good decision. However, I wish the booths for individual artists were still under the shade of the trees and the food options are disappointing. The addition of Gilgamesh Brewing is promising, but I think bringing in food trucks, or some new vendors, could provide better options.

There was a time that I really loved attending the annual Salem Art Fair. It was when I was a kid…read more Set amongst the beautiful shady trees at Bush Park, it was a nice summer time activity that didn't result in heat exhaustion. My mother and I used to always go together and get the delicious chocolate and almond dipped ice cream bars. It was fabulous. Then, after several years of not visiting, I finally went summer of '09 since I now live within walking distance (parking is a nightmare). What a shock. Just shock. At least half of the artists aren't even from Oregon, let alone the Salem area. There were people as far away from Colorado and Arizona slinging their "art" for rip off prices. Yeah, I said rip off. Look, I understand that art may take time and that these people might do this as a living. That's not my problem. As a consumer and a customer, I refuse to believe that the salt and pepper shakers they painted took so much time and effort that they warrant that $90 price tag. Am I an idiot? No. In addition to the above rip-off, the Salem Art Association will now be charging admission to "enjoy" the fair. They believe that "it's a good deal.... and $5 isn't that much money..." You're right, it's not a great deal of money, but that really isn't the point. It's a craft fair, not a museum. It's purpose is to allow patrons to purchase art, not rip people off. But I can't be too harsh, can I? The SAA reports that they ONLY made $215,000 on last years art fair. Boo hoo hoo. They also further justify this $5 fee by claiming that this art fair is one of the best in the country. I don't know the source of this information, but considering what a dump Salem is, I have a hard time believing it. Gah! Just another reason to avoid Salem.