Milwaukie Porchfest, Oregon Country Fair, and Beaverton Makers Market: 14 things to do this week

It’s almost mid-July, and you just blinked. This week also marks the 50th anniversary of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt show, the Oregon Country Fair, and Milwaukie’s annual Porchfest, some of our favorite summertime activities. There are also a lot of events in the metro region, such as the East Portland Bike Fair and the Rose City Vintage Market.

Milwaukie Porchfest

The sixth annual Porchfest will once more include dozens of free performances in Milwaukie neighborhoods. On Friday nights, enjoy comedy, music, and other entertainment for three weekends. Visit the website to view a map of the places, then choose a location that appeals to you by walking or bicycling. Every performance is free.

Fridays, July 11, 18, and 25 at 6:30 p.m. at different places in the Milwaukie area; milwaukieporchfest.com.

(Veneta) Oregon Country Fair

A true fairyland of sights and sounds, this Oregon summer favorite invites you to let your inner child loose and dance and sing outside. Strolling performers line the walkways, and stage shows are held throughout the day. There is something for almost everyone, from poets to jugglers, from puppet shows to jam bands. Visit the stalls of over 300 craftspeople who offer their handmade wares, some of which are exclusive to this occasion. Tickets are not available at the entrance as usual. For information about parking and tickets, see the website.

At different times Veneta, Friday–Sunday, July 11–13; general admission tickets $60 plus costs; children under 12 enter free of charge when an adult pays. At Oregon Country Fair, tickets are not available at the entrance.

Part Four: Melody, By My Own Hands

Using tape recorders with looping tapes to create unexpected rhythmic patterns, Allie Hankins’ solo work interweaves movement, so mn, and specter. According to the website, the sound fragments are combined with dances, gestures, and images to create a world of dissonance, entanglement, and metamorphosis.

Shaking the Tree Theater, 823 S.E. Grant St., Friday–Sunday, July 11–13, 7:30 p.m.; sliding scale tickets $11–$45; alliehankins.com/upcoming.

The Vintage Market in Rose City

The season for garage sales is upon us. The Rose City Vintage Market, located at the Expo Center, provides a comparable experience if you don’t want to drive from sale to sale. Even more deals and merchandise are available in our outdoor flea market. Anticipate vintage dealers from across the West offering Americana, midcentury discoveries, and antiques.

Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Sunday, July 12–13; $10 entrance, $4 for youths 12–17; rosecityvintagemarket.com.

Lavender Festival & Plein Air Art Exhibition in the Willamette Valley

This festival, which takes place in Newberg, is celebrating its twentieth year. Enjoy lavender in a variety of ways, such as through crafts, cuisine, and art. Browse merchants selling unique lavender goods. The CCC Youth Art Activity Tent will provide kid-friendly events.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chehalem Cultural Center, 415 E. Sheridan St., Newberg, Saturday–Sunday, July 12–13; free admission;chehalemculturalcenter.org/lavender.

The Bike Fair in East Portland

Does your bike require maintenance? This yearly neighborhood bike festival provides helmet fitting, quick-fix bike maintenance, riding and safety skills instruction, and short, escorted rides to hone safety skills. Although children are the target audience for much of this, anyone can attend this free program. You can borrow a bike if you don’t have one.

Menlo Park Elementary School, 12900 N.E. Glisan St., Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; free;bit.ly/east-bike-fair-2025.

Mount Angel’s Saint Benedict Festival

Have you visited Mount Angel Abbey before? Established in 1882, this Benedictine community in the middle of the Willamette Valley upholds a monastic heritage that has been an essential component of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 1,500 years. The event provides an opportunity to get a close-up look at this community’s way of life. Among the activities are lawn games, book signings, concerts, prayer, and a picnic lunch. Only people aged 21 and up may make reservations.

Mount Angel Abbey, 1 Abbey Drive, Saturday, July 12, noon–4 p.m.; $65;mountangelabbey.org/join-us.

Sisters’ Outdoor Quilt Exhibition

This annual outdoor quilt show draws quilters from across the nation to Sisters, a small town in central Oregon. This year, the show commemorates its 50th anniversary with free outdoor performances preceded and followed by special festivities, some of which cost tickets. For further information, go to the website.

Sisters, on U.S. Highway 20; free; soqs.org/2025events; Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Marcus’s Passion

Four singers, a narrator, and a small period orchestra with two gambas and two lutes are all featured in the Portland Baroque Orchestra’s pocket passion. Actor Joseph Marcell is the featured performer, reviving a long-lost Bach Passion setting. The new piece combines music and theater to recreate Bach’s Markus Passion for contemporary audiences. Julian Perkins of PBO will lead the performances throughout the Pacific Northwest.

First United Methodist Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson St., Saturday, July 12, 7:30 p.m.; admission is $28; Portland Baroque Orchestra.

OMSI Star Party: Night Sky in the Summer

Stargazing is for the summer. It’s the time of year when you can most likely use telescopes to see planets, moons, stars, and other celestial objects in Oregon. OMSI, Rose City Astronomers, and Oregon Parks and Recreation invite the public to a free evening under the stars at L.L. Stub Sewart State Park. Experts will assist you in discovering hidden gems in the night sky, and people of all ages are welcome.

8 p.m.-midnight Saturday, July 12, Stub Stweart Park, off OR 47 near Buxton; free;omsi.edu/events/omsi-star-party.

Portland performances in a landscape

As part of a comprehensive tour that brings incredible music to outdoor venues, Hunter Noack’s revolutionary classical music series stops in Portland for two days.

6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13, Washington Park Amphitheater, 410 S.W. Kingston Ave.; tickets $45;aftontickets.com/event.

Beaverton’s Legendary Makers Market

This summer event attracted over 10,000 attendees in 2024 and could see a higher turnout this weekend. The Friday-Sunday market will feature about 200 vendors offering food, baked goods, cultural art, jewelry, skincare, ceramics and more, along with indoor activities and performances at the adjacent Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.

1-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13, in the Round near the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12600 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton; free admission;facebook.com/events.

Art in the Garden (Brush Prairie, Wash)

View art displays set in a lovely botanical garden in full bloom located north of Orchards. This family event offers live music, yarn spinning demonstrations, and educational displays on recycling and composting.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, July 13, NatureScaping s Wildlife Botanical Gardens, 11000 N.E. 149th St., Brush Prairie; free admission;naturescaping.org/event/art-in-the-garden.

Vancouver Ballet Folklorico Tour of Mexico

History on Tap returns with a dynamic evening of authentic dances and costumes from various regions of Mexico. Enjoy live music and storytelling from the southern states to the northern borders.

7 p.m. Thursday, July 17, Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver; tickets $5 in advance, $10 at door;kigginstheatre.com/movie/history-on-tap.

– If you have events you d like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly printed A&E section of The Oregonian, please email submissions to events@oregonian.com at least three weeks prior to the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.

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