Oregon Festivals. John Shewey

tiny-batch ales produced by the micro-est of microbrewers, some of them on the rise ultimately to higher outputs, some of them happy to remain in the nano-brewery realm. Either way, when you attend the Nano Beer Fest, launched in 2008, you get to experience craft beers that few people ever have an opportunity to sample.

      The lineup each year features nearly three dozen cutting-edge brewers, whose nano-batch offerings run the gamut of beer styles. With each annual incarnation, Nano Beer Fest welcomes a who’s who of Northwest brewers you’ve never heard of, with recent attendees including the likes of Ridgewalker Brewing, The Hoppy Brewer, Leikum, Humble Brewing, Hop Haus, Wolf Tree Brewery, Shattered Oak, Bent Shovel Brewing, Pono Brewing, Cooper Mountain Aleworks, and many more, with the lineup changing annually. It’s a tough, competitive business, and nano breweries (not to mention large breweries) come and go often in the Northwest, but for those starting up and those that survive, the annual Nano Beer Fest serves as a showcase event and includes small-batch cider and mead producers.

      Nano Beer Fest spotlights some of the region’s smallest ale producers.

      Held outdoors at John’s Marketplace, this 21-and-over-only festival runs for two days, usually a Friday and Saturday, from midday to early evening. Tickets (usually around $20) include a commemorative glass and sample tokens, with extra tokens available for purchase. Attendees have a chance to win raffle prizes throughout the day. For advance ticket purchase, public transportation details, and parking information, visit the event website.

       NORTHWEST ANIMATION FESTIVAL

      Portland

      Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard

      Mid-May

       www.nwanimationfest.com

      If your experience with animation begins and ends with the Cartoon Network, the Northwest Animation Festival will open your eyes to an amazingly artistic world of independent animation artists and their wonderful films that run the full spectrum of genres. Without million-dollar budgets, these films rarely reach a broad audience and that’s why this five-day film fest extravaganza presents more than 200 animated films each year (and then continues the fun in Eugene a week later), screening both new works by acknowledged masters and art from talented amateurs.

      Showcasing all forms of animation—hand drawn, computer generated, stop motion, experimental techniques, and more—Northwest Animation Festival screens films at Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre (and Eugene’s iconic Bijou Cinema), with social gatherings and special events held at The Magnolia wine bar across the street. Animated films screened during the festival include many international works, and the lineup each year features every imaginable theme—comedy, action, adventure, drama, romance, and more. The festival also offers special events with animators and their work, allowing attendees an intimate look at the processes involved in making animated characters come to life.

      Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre hosts the Northwest Animation Festival.

      Tickets for Northwest Animation Festival are available through the event website, with both three-day and full-festival passes available that include admission to any and all films and special events. Alternately, you can review the festival schedule and purchase tickets to the categories that interest you most. Advance purchase is wise, as the shows tend to sell out; leftover tickets are available for purchase at the box office.

      Northwest Animation Festival is the brainchild of animator Sven Bonnichsen: in 2007, Portland hosted the Platform International Animation Festival, screening more than 400 films and generating substantial enthusiasm around the country. But no follow-up event occurred, spurring Bonnichsen to action. His goal with Northwest Animation Festival was to create a large local community of impassioned enthusiasts and inspired artists, and an internationally recognized hub of animation culture.

       TUALATIN RIVER BIRD FESTIVAL

      Sherwood

      Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, 19255 SW Pacific Highway

      Third weekend in May

       www.friendsoftualatinrefuge.org

      Located on the outskirts of Portland just ten minutes west of busy Interstate 5 and 2.5 miles north of Sherwood, 1,856-acre Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is one of about a hundred urban national wildlife refuges in the country. Situated within the floodplain of the Tualatin River, the refuge preserves a rich diversity of habitat types—verdant riparian corridors, mixed woodlands, expansive seasonal wetlands, savannah-like grasslands, and more. The refuge attracts a wide variety of migratory and wintering water birds, as well as myriad nesting bird species, with a total count of some 200 species, not to mention more than 50 species of mammals and 25 species of reptiles and amphibians. Anchored by a large visitor center with interpretive displays, photo displays, overlooks, a huge viewing window with spotting scopes, a nature store, and more, the refuge features a network of trails with options for visitors of all abilities, along with a host of educational activities and special events.

      American widgeon are among the many birds that use Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge.

      One of the biggest events at the refuge is the annual one-day Tualatin River Bird Festival held each May, which offers a host of fun educational activities for all ages. The festival is organized and hosted by the Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the mission of the refuge, in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Guided birding tours begin first thing in the morning at 5:30 am and thereafter, providing visitors a chance to learn to identify a variety of species by sight and sound. Tours are led by US Fish and Wildlife Service staff who work on the refuge as well as various guest birding experts.

      The main festival begins at 10 am and includes a host of activities that kids can really sink their teeth into: building birdhouses (or bat or butterfly houses) to take home, archery and fishing lessons, decoy painting, gyotaku (Japanese fish painting), BB gun range, fish-migration putt-putt golf, and more. A festival favorite are the live birds of prey from Audubon Education Birds, presented by expert handlers and wildlife rehab specialists. Throughout the day, a variety of exhibitors provide educational offerings, with many local and regional conservation and resource-management groups and agencies represented. All the events and activities—including the guided bird walks—are free. Just show up and enjoy a wonderful day on one of Western Oregon’s great national wildlife refuges. Activities vary from year to year and a listing of these can be found on the Friends website by April of each year.

      Parking for the festival is offsite (see event website for locations). From the parking area, shuttle buses run continuously to the refuge between the hours of 5 am to 5 pm. TriMet (route 93) also stops at the refuge headquarters.

       UPPER CLACKAMAS WHITEWATER FESTIVAL

      Estacada

      Carter Bridge Day Use Area, 17 miles southeast of Estacada on SR 224

      Late May

       www.upperclackamasfestival.org

      Launched, so to speak, in 1984 by the Northwest Rafter’s Association, the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival is a weekend of fun,