Many of us have been trapped indoors with our stuff for a year Marie Kondo-ing clutter and asking ourselves why, why did we buy that shirt…those pants…that exercise bike. And we haven’t seen some of our loved ones in ages. So this Father’s Day we present a list of upcoming events that could be fun to take your dad to. No stuff to take up space in the 4 walls we’ve been trapped inside and giving the gift of experiences gives us something to look forward to!

FOOD – Tickets are going fast but there are a few left to spend Father’s Day eating a picnic of fresh-picked delights on Sauvie Island at Topaz Farm. Each picnic box feeds 2 adults and there’s local beer, cider and wine available for purchase.

M E N U :

• BBQ Braised Brisket with Crispy Buttermilk Shoestring Onions
• Topaz Farm 3 Kales Caesar with House Made Focaccia Croutons and Parmigiano Reggiano
• Seasonal Harvest Escabeche with Greenhouse Oregano and EVOO
• Summer Potato Salad with English Peas, Fresh Herbs and Bacon Dressing
• Topaz Farm Strawberry Tres Leches Cake

Veg Option

• Whole Roasted Summer Squash Stuffed with Toasted Couscous Salad and Cherry Tomatoes
• Topaz Farm 3 Kales Caesar with House Made Focaccia Croutons and Parmigiano Reggiano
• Seasonal Harvest Escabeche with Greenhouse Oregano and EVOO
• Summer Potato Salad with English Peas, Fresh Herbs and Brown Butter Sage Dressing
• Topaz Farm Strawberry Tres Leches Cake

Tickets here.

LIVE MUSIC – Tickets are also going fast to the Waterfront Blues Festival at Zidell Yards / Waterfront Park, July 2-5. If you can’t makes it for the blues, there’s the Cathedral Park Jazz under the majestic St. Johns Bridge on July 16–18 and that one is free admission.

COMEDY – A great, affordable outing is booking tickets to Helium Comedy for one of their ongoing “Portland’s Funniest Person” shows over the summer. The qualifying rounds just started and you truly don’t know what you’re going to get … and that can be really fun. $10/person.

THEATER – If your dad is a Shakespeare fan, look no further than the ongoing Shakespeare in the Park series by Original Practice Shakespeare Fest. Rotating Shakespeare plays at rotating PDX parks. Free, fun and easy to maintain social distance. Bring your own blanket or camping chairs and a picnic and sit back and take in the Bard with a modern twist. Next show is Monday, June 21 with “A Midsommer Night’s Dreame” at Mt. Tabor at 9pm.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Thank you for helping us get through the last year. We can’t wait to give you a hug!