Summer Free for All Movie is a ‘Go’ in 2025
BWNA recently learned its application to host a free movie in Wilshire Park this summer has been approved by Portland Parks & Recreation. At press time the specific August event date and movie selection were not available — while BWNA provides input on these to PP&R, the agency makes the final decisions.
The Summer Free for All movie requires a $1,000 payment to PP&R from the sponsoring neighborhood association. In 2025, as in the last few years, BWNA will partner with the Alameda Neighborhood Association to split that cost. Last year BWNA funded music and face-painting for the event and may do so again this year. More details are to come.
Art & Garden Tour is a ‘No Go’ in 2025
BWNA event organizers made the painful decision to forgo hosting a third Art & Garden Tour this summer. While the event, held the previous two summers, has been hugely successful, too few willing garden hosts stepped forward by the time the “no or go” decision had to be made. A 2026 event is expected, as some folks who expressed interest will have gardens ready for show by then.
To be considered as a host for a 2026 event, take plenty of garden photos this summer so they’ll be available in the January 2026 planning timeframe. For more information, contact BWNA board member Patti Koehler by emailing PatriceKoehler@gmail.com.
Balto Scores Justin Timberlake for Bike Bus, Launches Non-Profit
Beaumont-Wilshire resident Sam Balto is known both around the neighborhood and greater Portland for his energy around the Bike Bus program, in which he and other volunteers lead kids on bikes once per week to Vernon School and Alameda Elementary School. Now it’s safe to say his audience is even wider — in January his plea to have pop music star Justin Timberlake take a Bike Bus ride while he was in town for a concert was honored, and of course it was widely covered.
Balto is going further with his mission to get more kids on bikes. He took a one-year hiatus from his teaching job at Alameda Elementary School to establish Bike Bus World, a non-profit dedicated to the cause. For more information, visit bikebus.world.
Want To Feel Good? This Will Help
If you’re looking for some upbeat news these days, look no further than a video posted in early January by Travel Portland, in which its team discovers Beaumont-Wilshire. When asked by interviewers what’s special about the neighborhood, folks from B-W businesses Folly, Pacific Holiday, Red Sauce Pizza, and Artistic Portland Gallery respond with comments including “It’s all mom-and-pops,” “There’s a warm vibe,” and “Everything is right here.” Watch for three minutes and feel even better about where we live. To view the video visit youtu.be/vv6V2evo2Uc.
Thai Times
Walking by the storefront of recently closed Bang Bang restaurant at 4727 NE Fremont St., you’ll find window signage sporting the words “Thai Times Express.” Though no information about the new restaurant other than a state business license filing was available at press time, we don’t think it’s a stretch to announce that a new Thai restaurant is coming to Beaumont-Wilshire! Look for more information in a future BWNA newsletter.