Welcome to the May edition of What’s Up in Beaumont-Wilshire — your monthly roundup of meetings, news, events, and ways to get involved in the neighborhood.
Meetings & Engagement
BWNA Board Meeting — May 11 (Monday), 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Sylvan Learning, 4300 NE Fremont St., Suite 150. Held in person and broadcast via Zoom (link posted on the Upcoming Events page prior to the meeting).
Topics to be covered include:
- Presentation by the organizers of the Portland World Naked Bike Ride, which has designated Wilshire Park as the gathering site for this Saturday, July 25, event.
- Update on implementation planning for the trial run of the Public Plaza on NE 44th Avenue just north of Fremont.
- 2026–2027 BWNA fiscal year budget.
- Possible vote on filling the vacated chair position for the Transportation Committee.
- Upcoming BWNA events.
- Land Use Committee report on an Inner Eastside for All proposal by the group Portland Neighbors Welcome.
- …and more.
A full agenda will be posted on the Upcoming Events page prior to the meeting. As always, all meetings are open to the public — please come join your neighbors.
BWNA Events Committee Meeting — May 5 (Tuesday), 7:00 p.m.
For meeting location, contact committee chair John Sandie at SandieFam@gmail.com. See on the calendar.
BWNA Communications Committee Meeting — May 21 (Thursday), 4:30 p.m.
For meeting location, contact committee chair Michelle Rudd at pdx.stmptwn@gmail.com. See on the calendar.
Public Plaza Update
At BWNA’s April 13 general meeting, the board voted 13–2 to approve a summer 2026 public street plaza trial on NE 44th Avenue just north of Fremont. The votes were cast after the board considered all of PBOT’s compromises to ameliorate stakeholder concerns surrounding the plaza trial. BWNA’s vote was conditioned on Beaumont Business Association (BBA) approval and thus joint sponsorship. On April 20, the BBA board voted 8–1 to approve the plaza trial.
The BBA, BWNA, and PBOT will conduct extensive outreach and evaluation following the trial, and, if there is widespread support, full inclusion in PBOT’s plaza program on a year-round basis will be considered. Look for more details about the vote in the May–June BWNA newsletter, and find more information about Portland’s public plaza program.
Events in B-W and Nearby
Northeast Village PDX presents “Passion and Poetry of the Piano”
May 17 (Sunday), 1:00–2:00 p.m. — Rose City Park United Methodist Church Sanctuary, 5830 NE Alameda St.
Northeast Village PDX and Rose City Community Collective, in cooperation with Living Opera, are hosting an afternoon of poetry, lyricism, and brilliance at the piano — featuring music by Liszt, Brahms, and Gershwin, performed by Gyan Singh Maria. Free and open to the public.
Rose Festival Junior Parade
May 30 (Saturday), Noon–2:00 p.m. — Parade begins at NE 52nd & Sandy Blvd.
Celebrate the neighborhood’s children at the Rose Festival Junior Parade, a beloved tradition dating back to 1918. Kids from across Portland dress in costumes, create floats, and decorate bikes. The parade travels down Sandy to NE 40th, then west on Tillamook, ending at Grant High School.
BWNA Annual Stairs Clean-up
June 6 (Saturday), 10:00 a.m.–Noon — Meet at the top of the stairwell at NE 42nd & Alameda.
The BWNA Events Committee’s beautification team is hosting its annual stairway clean-up. Event partner PBOT will assist with debris pickup. For more information contact Angela Frome at AngFrome@yahoo.com.
Get Involved
Meet people. Do good. Have fun! For more information about ways to get involved, visit our Get Involved page.
Outgoing & love the neighborhood and the newsletter?
Do you love to meet new people and would enjoy extolling the virtues of the BWNA newsletter to prospective advertisers? If this type of volunteer effort would hit your hot buttons, we’d love to have you on the newsletter team. Advertising revenue is the main fundraising source for BWNA’s events, so it’s an important role. Email Editor@BWNApdx.org if you’re interested.
Calling STEM/STEAM volunteers
Help bring back the Science Fair to Alameda Elementary, or a Family Science night. These events provide elementary students with an invaluable opportunity to nurture their curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, and get hands-on learning experience in a friendly, supportive environment. If interested and able, contact Julia Love at vpcurriculum@alamedaschool.org.
Ideas for our Speakers Forum?
Birds, bees, seeds? History or herstory? City politics? Aging in place? Downsizing? In 2025, BWNA logged talks on neighborhood history, beneficial bugs, going all-electric, and the Cascadia Subduction Zone. What’s in store for 2026? Send ideas to John Sandie at SandieFam@gmail.com.
Be a Trash Walker
Help keep the neighborhood clean by picking up trash and removing graffiti. BWNA holds two organized cleanup events per year, but regular attention keeps the problem in check. To receive free cleaning supplies, email Angela Frome.
Help with events
Looking to get involved, but not too involved? We’d love your occasional help with neighborhood events — many hands make light work. Email BWNA Events Chair John Sandie to be notified when help is needed.
Newsletter distribution team
Get a walk in, meet new neighbors, and help bring news to the neighborhood. The distribution team is seeking people to hand-deliver the BWNA newsletter to a prescribed route every other month, or in a fill-in capacity. Email John Sandie or Georgina Head for more information.
Ongoing BWNA Events
BWNA Board Meetings are held the 2nd Monday of January, March, May, July, September, and November from 7:00–8:30 p.m. The public is welcome; time for public input is limited.
BWNA General Meetings are the 2nd Monday of February, April, June, August, October, and December from 7:00–8:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and participate.
Meeting locations change; most meetings are also held via Zoom. Look for current info in your monthly email from BWNA or check the Upcoming Events page on the day of the meeting.