Oregon ZooLights - Through January 5th!

While I have been impressed with many light displays this year, my favorite has been ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo.

Yes, there are many animals composed of lights, some with more detail, some that are more outlines, and some that are more 3-D.

 

There were also things that might not have been expected, like a pumpkin patch and flower garden and harvest sheaves.

That was more impressive when you realized that you were probably near the farm, and that the insect lights were probably near the old insect zoo.

Then there were other surprises, like maybe you had mainly been going through animal lights, but then around the corner you caught a glimpse and suddenly there was a field of trees.

Around one corner there was an aquatic wonderland with a fish-go-round that reminded us of the "Under the Sea" segment of Ariel's Undersea Adventure at Disney Land.

As is appropriate for a zoo (especially ours), there was an environmental message as well. This included the display of some of the sea life sculptures made from sea waste among the lights, but also these two timely panels.

https://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2020/01/giant-sea-life-sculptures-wash-ashore-oregon-zoo

One of the biggest surprises for me was how well organized the traffic flow was. There is no reason for our zoo to be good at directing cars, but it worked so smoothly, with a path you could clearly follow. Even the small diversion for cars that had ordered concessions did not break up anything.

And frankly, with that parking lot, it was nice to not have to worry about parking.

It was also fascinating that they could make car traffic work, but then you remember that there are trails we don't see, that can support trucks carrying food and hay and equipment. Somehow they made it work.

The steep slope of Washington Park can cause some logistics issues, but I have been impressed with how some of them have been solved in the past, like going over the bears instead of past them.

This year's pandemic created more problems, but this is an impressive solution.

There was always plenty to look at, no matter which side of the vehicle you were on. The speed of traffic worked well.

It was fanciful, but grounded in reality.

As much as I would rather never have another year like this, another ZooLights like this would be totally welcome, even though there was nothing wrong with the walk-through and train ride before.

https://www.oregonzoo.org/visit/zoolights

Covid-free Christmas, part 2

Right after Thanksgiving I posted a list of various Christmas activities that could be done within your car, or potentially masked and distant. 

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2020/11/please-have-covid-free-christmas.html

Since then, we have done most of those activities and reviewed some of them, but I have also discovered more, and most of the new ones are free. I want to point you at those today.

(Realistically, this also means that if we get to everything, I will be reviewing Christmas things into February.)

The City of Beaverton has set up light displays at various parks and public buildings, most within a fairly close cluster together. You can print out a free activity book to enrich the activity. Lights go on at 4:30 PM daily.

https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/474/Winter-Lights

The Neighborhood Church on Stafford Road is having a Nativity Lights display, though it is only open for two more nights, tonight and tomorrow night from 5:30 to 8.

The display has been an annual tradition, but this year will be limited to drive-through only.

https://www.facebook.com/events/345658906694755/

As ironic it may seem, Tigard Walks! has created a virtual tour and a map for driving or browsing (but not actually walking) through neighborhood light displays. This will go on through the 30th. 

Not only can you enjoy the Christmas lights, but you can reserve a ticket for free hot cocoa and a cookie from Primo Espresso, the recommended starting location.

https://www.tigard-or.gov/community/tigard_walks.php

I noticed around Halloween that a lot of neighborhoods seemed extra decorated, and that may be the case for this year, where many streets can be worth going down. (Rumor has it that NextDoor has recommended the Hiteon Meadows neighborhood, but I don't know for sure.) 

However, I do have one potential non-light activity: buying fresh egg nog.

http://www.schochdairy.com/

Schoch Dairy and Creamery makes egg nog every year, and you can purchase it fresh in glass bottles. (That being said, their best-named product is the Schocholate milk.)

The egg nog sells out quickly, so it makes sense to check their Facebook page, which they update frequently. 

https://www.facebook.com/schochdairyfarm

For the record, from the previous post, I have reviewed the Cinnamon Bear show (just a few dates left!) and Plumper Pumpkin S'mores, and we have been too (but not yet reviewed) Enchante Choclatier and Oregon Zoo Lights. (Zoo Lights was fantastic!). We go to Lightopia on December 23rd. 

Photos in this post are primarily from Beaverton Winter Lights, with one from Zoo Lights. Can we make it to Stafford in time? You will know by February,

May your days be merry and bright, and also healthy.

ETA: One more!

Winterland PDX has seen local artist Michael Bennett work with young Black and Indigenous youth and other people of color to convert some of the boards that have been used to cover windows downtown and turn them into festive art.

https://shopsmallpdx.com/winterland

There is also a scavenger hunt aspect, where daily clues are released through the 26th for locating the art.

Plumper Pumpkin S'mores for Four and Fire Pit Rental

You may remember Plumper Pumpkin as the pumpkin patch we visited after previously doing their drive-through safari.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2020/05/plumper-pumpkin-farm-safari.html

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-plumper-pumpkin-patch.html 

They are also a Christmas tree farm.

(Yes, we had already known that.)

You can still buy Christmas trees and wreaths, and if you have to wear a mask and stay a bit further apart from the other customers, that option is still there.

We went for another reason: a half hour rental of their fire pits.

That came with a 4 person s'more kit. Four sticks bound together had a plastic baggie hanging from it, with eight Graham crackers, four marshmallows, and a chocolate bar. (You can purchase additional kits in the farm store, but you could probably also bring your own additional supplies. What you are really paying for is the time.)

We toasted our marshmallows in sisterly solidarity. 

This was the first time we had roasted marshmallows since childhood, and actually the first time we made actual s'mores with them. (For some reason my parents always brought marshmallows, but not Graham crackers and chocolate.)

My sisters quickly burned theirs, but I was determined to only toast mine. As a child, even though I knew there was a level where it was not how you were supposed to do it, how could you even know that your marshmallow was thoroughly roasted if it never caught fire? This time though, I was going to have a merely brown marshmallow.

It was nice to know that I could do it, but also I am glad the three of us had an extra marshmallow, because it turns out that I still need to see it burn. I nonetheless made a perfectly acceptable s'more. I do suspect that everything melts more easily in the summer.

Nonetheless, a wintry outdoor fire is great, and smells good, and we neither needed to stoke or build it. Then, when we were ready to leave, as they don't reuse the sticks it is perfectly fine to drop them into the fire and see how quickly they flare up and burn. A toast (-ed marshmallow) to s'mores!

We really enjoyed out time. If you want to also get a tree or other greenery while you are there, it is very convenient. There is also information on how to do a contact-less purchase, as well as information on the fire pit rental, on the main farm page.

Merry Christmas!

http://plumperpumpkins.com/christmas_trees.php

Cinnamon Bear Holiday Show at Oaks Park

Hey, if seeing a roller coaster lit up for a Halloween drive-through haunted house is exciting, surely it can be exciting for a drive-up holiday show!

 

There is also a very pretty refreshment stand, though you do not go up to it. More on that later.

For some background, the Cinnamon Bear did not start out exclusively as a part of Portland holiday history. It originated in Hollywood in 1937, and was syndicated for national broadcasting (though with some issues).

http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/cinnamon_bear.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cinnamon_Bear

However, Portland jumped on the boat right away, beginning the series a night early the first year, and having Paddy O'Cinnamon available to meet children with Santa at Lipman's department store (later purchased by the equally defunct Frederick and Nelson).

Even as radio serials decreased in popularity, Cinnamon Bear was frequently seen around town around the holidays (probably more before Frederick and Nelson closed). You could know Cinnamon Bear without listening to the radio, though with some effort you could still find the broadcast for listening. Eventually the story was incorporated into a Portland Spirit cruise (apparently in 2012, though I could not verify). A storybook came out in 2007.

Then Covid happened, and filling a boat up for a two hour cruise with young children and characters they will want to hug became just a terrible idea. People are being creative, though, and that leads to the Cinnamon Bear Holiday Show at Oaks Park.

https://www.pdxpipeline.com/portland-spirits-presents-cinnamon-bear-holiday-show-oaks-park/

Would the show be more exciting if all of the performers were not trying to stay six feet away from each other? That is quite possible. However, it is still kind of a fun idea. 

It is different. You stay in your car, so applause is indicated by honking horns and flashing lights. You can tune into the soundtrack on FM radio, but we found the acoustics worked well enough that we did not need to. The Cinnamon Bear and his fairy companion came close to all of the cars on two rounds - one at the beginning and one at the end - so while there is not hugging there is certainly waving and blowing kisses.

Santa even shows up, and you get the voices of the Wintergreen Witch and Queen Melissa. Captain Taffy stays off stage, but is part of the story.

Most of the heavy lifting - for narrating and singing - is done by the Cocklebur Cowboys. There are traditional Christmas songs and it is easy to sing along. There were also some less traditional Christmas songs, like "Sweet Caroline" and "Black Water", which was a little more surprising, but maybe it wasn't; they did need to fill ninety minutes. (The FAQ reference an intermission as well, but there was not one at our show.)

Or maybe they didn't; young children seemed to start getting fussy at the 80 minute mark. Maybe a 75 minute show would be best. I am sure there is a question of wanting to make sure people feel that they are getting their money's worth. We three (cynical but interested in cute things) adults enjoyed ourselves.  And I was having fun with the glow stick.

 

About that refreshment stand. When you drove up and your ticket was checked (masks required for that part), they give you an information sheet and a glow stick. If you order from the refreshment booth you put the glow stick out your window so they can find you and deliver your goodies.

 

 

For a show set in the magical Maybeland (which is not officially known to have inspired Candy Land, but sure could have), there are a lot of options for wands and flower crowns, but we just got (cinnamon) bear claws. Grrr!

One of the other highlights was that Oaks Park mascot Chipper was waving us in at the entrance, but it went by too fast to get a picture. Directing traffic has gotten smoother, and cars are set up in a checkerboard pattern that allows for easy visibility.

A variety of souvenirs are available, but it may take some searching. The book and character ornaments are available through the Portland Spirit gift shop, but they have no silver star. That came through Oaks Park concessions.

https://giftshop.portlandspirit.com/

https://cinnamonbear.shopsettings.com/ 

You can find available show times at https://oaksamusementpark.centeredgeonline.com/areas/areadatetime/50c01235-28ee-42eb-97e8-84556a65c171. 

Shows continue through the end of the month.