Oregon Festivals. John Shewey

      Tigard

      Cook Park, 17005 SW 92nd Avenue

      Late June

       www.tigardballoon.org

      For a weekend each June, a blue summer sky brims with colorful hot-air balloons in morning’s limpid air, painting a serene and indelible panorama over Oregon’s verdant Willamette Valley—this is the Festival of Balloons in Tigard. Balloon pilots from throughout the region converge on expansive Cook Park, on the banks of the Tualatin River, to put on a kaleidoscopic aerial show that can be seen for miles. But the up-close view is by far the best, and attendees soon discover that the Festival of Balloons offers much more than the flame-powered aircraft.

      The balloons launch early in the morning while the air is calm—from 5:45 to 6:15—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Get to the park early to witness this colorful spectacle and mingle over coffee with balloon aficionados and fellow attendees. The festival doesn’t offer balloon rides, but you can connect with pilots who offer such commercial services, and even sign up for an early-morning tethered ride on a first-come, first-served basis. As balloons dot the skies over Tigard, the festival’s many other activities kick off, including an extensive vendor section featuring local and regional artisans and craftspeople along with commercial exhibitors, as well as the Funtastic carnival fun center brimming with entertainment for all ages. The festival main stage offers entertainment for kids during the afternoons and live music in the evenings. Food vendors offer numerous choices, and the walk-around beer gardens allow adults to buy a pint or two and peruse the vendors rows while imbibing. On Friday and Saturday evenings, perhaps the festival’s single most popular event unfolds: a variety of balloon pilots return to the field to fire up the burners on their tethered balloons in the annual Night Glow, sublimely illuminating the festival grounds to the delight of the crowds.

      Fanciful balloons take to the air during the Festival of Balloons in Tigard.

      The Festival of Balloons also features a six-on-six soccer tournament, eating contests, the annual Festival of Cars classic auto show, and the Twilight 5K run/walk and Twilight Run; the mile course is especially popular with kids—it’s an untimed event and T-shirts for the event are available in child sizes only. The three-day admission pass to the Festival of Balloons is less than $10, and other than registration fees to enter the Twilight Run, soccer tournament, or car show competition, only the carnival rides cost extra. Bring cash for food and drinks; many of the vendors are set up for credit card transactions as well. Festival parking is available on the Tigard High School field for $5, which benefits Tigard High School (THS) Breakfast Rotary & THS Boosters. The parking entrance is at the THS Swim Center Parking Lot. There is a short walk down the Cook Park hill to the festival grounds, or you may ride the shuttle for only $1 (benefits American Cancer Society/ Relay for Life). The Festival of Balloons is produced by a nonprofit organization and raises funds for many nonprofit groups in Tigard.

       SHERWOOD WINE FESTIVAL

      Sherwood

      Old Town Sherwood

      Late June

       www.sherwoodwinefestival.com

      In the heart of the Willamette Valley, which was one of the earliest settled areas in the Northwest at the onset of America’s westward expansion in the nineteenth century, Sherwood boasts a rich and, at times, trying history—two fires, 1896 and 1911, severely damaged the then-burgeoning little community. At the time, Sherwood had recently seen its largest employer, a brickyard built and owned by four Portland businessmen, suddenly cease production after it had brought more than 100 jobs to the small town, and many supporting enterprises. At the time the brickyard opened in 1890, the little town out in the wooded countryside was called Smockville, named for and by entrepreneur and town founder, JC Smock, who, in 1885, laid out the first nine square blocks of what would become Sherwood.

      Medal winners at the intimate Sherwood Wine Festival.

      To this day, these blocks comprise Sherwood’s downtown district, which in the past fifteen years has undergone significant and rejuvenating revitalization. Happily situated at the doorstep to the Willamette Valley’s famous wine country, Historic Old Town Sherwood now boasts a variety of intriguing places to eat and imbibe, including 503 Uncorked, the local wine bar that hosts and sponsors the Sherwood Wine Festival held each summer.

      This outdoor Saturday festival brings together a fine collection of local wineries, from longstanding favorites to little-known boutique wineries whose vintages are difficult to procure owing to limited production. Alongside excellent wines to please any palate, the festival also hosts several breweries and a variety of local food vendors, all in a relaxing atmosphere, and usually under a bright sunny sky, and always to the accompaniment of live music throughout the day. Modestly priced tickets (purchase on the event website or onsite) include a commemorative tasting glass. Launched in 2016, the Sherwood Wine Festival remains intimate, an appealing alternative to the numerous massively busy wine events around the region.

       SAKÉ FEST PDX

      Portland

      Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard

      Late June

       www.SakeFestPDX.com

      The only event of its kind in the Northwest, Saké Fest PDX celebrates the world of saké in all its diversity and finery. Saké, sometimes inaccurately called “rice wine,” is a unique beverage created through a fermentation process in which rice starch is converted to sugar, which is then converted to alcohol by yeast. Saké, which has its roots in China more than 4,000 years ago, was ultimately perfected by the Japanese beginning more than 2,000 years ago. As early as the Japanese began refining their saké-brewing techniques, the beverage served as a drink of family and friendship and celebration; saké has been an integral part of Japanese society for centuries, and its popularity continues to increase worldwide. Today, some 1,800 brewers produce about 14,000 different sakés worldwide, mostly in Japan.

      Saké Fest PDX gathers together some of the finest imported saké, along with saké brands brewed right here in the United States, including Oregon. The annual lineup of brands includes all the traditional styles: Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, Honjozo, Nama, Genshu, and Nigori. But this extravagant and joyous celebration hardly ends there. Along with every traditional style and grade of saké from numerous producers, guests can try infused saké, umeshu (a liqueur made from ume fruits), saké cocktails, and more. And in addition to an amazing array of fine saké, including many premium and rare brews, Saké Fest PDX serves up a wide array of culinary delights, allowing attendees to learn why saké is far more than a beverage consumed with sushi. In fact, like wine, different saké styles and flavor profiles pair exceptionally well with a broad range of foods and this intriguing festival provides ample opportunity to match flavors and textures.

      Saké Fest PDX is one of the few festivals in the world dedicated to this popular beverage.

      Saké Fest PDX, launched in 2010, is a one-day ticketed affair held during the evening hours at the Oregon Convention Center ballroom (venue is subject to change, with all annual details as well as advance ticket sales on the event website). Each year a limited number of early-admission tickets