👋 Well, This One Makes Us A Little Sad…

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Good Morning, South Metro. Are you ever just really glad something exists? For me it’s used bookstores and pie. Build me a place where I can browse stacks that reach the ceiling while eating Oregon Marionberry pie, and I’ll throw my Discover card at you. Lovingly, of course.

Coming up in today’s South Metro Weekly:

A local favorite ice cream shop is closing its doors.
Traffic troubles on I-205 will get a Labor Day respite.
And some great events to wrap up summer 2026.

Are you a realtor looking to get your name out there? Respond to this email. I’ve got an idea and would love to pick your brain.

On to the weekend!

-Scott & Family

🍦 Lake Oswego Creamery Is Closing

Courtesy: Lake Oswego Creamery

Some places become part of the story of a town, and Lake Oswego Creamery is one of them.

For 40 years, families have stopped in for ice cream, kids have had their first jobs there, and parents have brought their own children back to a place they remember from growing up.

Now, that chapter appears to be ending.

Employees Jazmine Sullivan and Amanda Ulam had hoped to raise $50,000 to buy the longtime downtown business from owner Stan Prentice and keep it open, but this week announced they won’t be able to reach the goal. One South Metro Weekly reader reports a “temporarily closed” sign is already on the door.

The Creamery’s legacy probably won’t be measured in scoops sold. It will be in birthdays, summer afternoons, first dates, first jobs and the kind of small family traditions people don’t realize mattered so much until the place is gone.

🦌 A Sweet Save at Graham Oaks

Courtesy: Wilsonville Police Department

A Sunday walk at Graham Oaks Nature Park in Wilsonville turned into a pretty great rescue story.

A couple walking near the Crest Center Trail heard rustling and found a baby deer tangled in what looked like branches but was actually wrought-iron fencing. After they couldn’t free it themselves, they called Wilsonville Police.

Officer Leffler arrived within minutes and was able to get the fawn loose while its mother stayed nearby. The couple later doubled back to check — and found both mama and baby had safely made it out.

A nice little reminder that sometimes the best police calls come with four legs.

Thanks, Officer Leffler and all our local heroes!

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🚧 One more day of I-205 construction headaches before the holiday weekend. Crews are continuing demolition around the Abernethy Bridge and Highway 43 interchange today, with some lane and ramp closures still possible. Most of the work will happen during the day, although nearby neighbors may hear some nighttime noise. Major construction impacts are expected to pause tomorrow afternoon for the Labor Day weekend.

🍺 UPDATE: Norte Beers in Wilsonville is open — and the food lineup is already growing. Pono Lei’s Grill n Chill brings Hawaiian food to the Wilsonville taproom starting today, joining Niños Birrieria at 9749 SW Barber St. We stopped in last night, and while yes, it’s very much a beer place, the dry apple cider was pretty great too. The space is all-ages, with an Indian food option expected to join in about a month.

🏈 Nice to see a local kid getting some national attention. Lake Oswego tight end Presley DeLance, a member of the Class of 2028, picked up a scholarship offer from Wisconsin and has a visit to Madison planned for Oct. 3. The 6-foot-4 prospect is currently ranked No. 1 in Oregon for his class, with offers already coming from schools including Oregon, Washington, Georgia, Auburn and Florida. Not a bad list for a high school junior.

🏃 Canby is getting ready to welcome more than 500 runners — and could use a few extra hands. The Canby Dahlia Run is sold out for Sept. 12, with racers coming from around the country. Organizers are still looking for volunteers to help things run smoothly and give visitors a warm Canby welcome. If cheering people on sounds more fun than actually running 13 miles, this might be your assignment. Reach out to the Canby Chamber for more info.

🚤 After 14 summers on the water, Lake Oswego is saying goodbye to a familiar face. Lake Patrol’s Mark Schaffer is retiring at the end of the 2026 season after more than a decade helping keep the lake safe. He’s also apparently earned quite a reputation for kindness, humor and being the guy people were always happy to see. Not a bad way to wrap up a career on the lake.

Courtesy: One Lake Oswego Facebook page

🏭 A longtime Tualatin manufacturer is closing its doors. Schneider Electric plans to shut down its Veris Industries plant on Leveton Drive, with 87 employees expected to lose their jobs. The closure process begins in October, and the facility is expected to be fully closed by March 31, 2027. Veris has been making energy and environmental sensors in Tualatin for decades, so this one will be a noticeable loss for the local business community.

🎬 A West Linn home with a little Hollywood history is on the market for $3.99 million. The 7,218-square-foot riverfront house appeared as Cate Blanchett’s home in the 2001 movie Bandits, which also starred Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. It sits on 1.56 acres along the Willamette, with four bedrooms, a four-car garage, sauna, elevator and a two-level dock. Movie fame apparently does not come cheap. See the home here.

🌱 We never knew the Lake Oswego Library had a Seed Library. Each month, it features a different veggie, herb, flower or native seed you can actually take home and plant. October’s pick is an autumn cover crop blend, with free grab-and-go packets available Oct. 1–7 while supplies last. There’s a one-packet-per-person limit — apparently library cards aren’t just for books anymore.

🏀 Basketball season is getting closer in Wilsonville. Registration is now open for the Wilsonville Basketball Association, with both Rec and Select teams available for boys and girls. Kids wanting to shake off a little summer rust can also get some extra practice at upcoming skills clinics, beginning this Sunday at Wilsonville High School. Clinics continue throughout September, with separate sessions for boys and girls. Learn more here.

🎈 - family-friendly event
💲 - ticket or purchase required
🎵 - includes live music
😋 - there will be food

🎵😋🎈💲 The Bloom Room at Swan Island Dahlias
Swan Island Dahlias, Canby | Friday–Monday, timed entry | $5+
If you already love the Dahlia Festival, this gives you one more reason to go. The Bloom Room turns thousands of fresh-cut dahlias into an indoor floral installation designed for wandering, photos and a little “wow.” Each ticket gives you 45 minutes inside, and this is the first time the experience has returned in six years. Bonus: the outdoor Dahlia Festival is still free, so you can easily make a full day of it.

🎵😋🎈💲 Brushes & Blessings at Swan Island Dahlias
Swan Island Dahlias, Canby | Friday, 9 AM–5 PM | Free admission
Here’s an easy add-on if you’re already heading to the Dahlia Festival. Brushes & Blessings will be offering face painting and henna throughout the day, giving kids — and willing adults — a little extra color to go with all those flowers. The festival itself is free, with more than 500,000 dahlia plants, food trucks, the Mercantile and plenty of photo-worthy spots around the farm.

🎈😋 Train Fest at Shady Dell Train Park
Shady Dell Train Park, Molalla | Saturday–Monday, 11 AM–4 PM | Free
This one feels like a hidden-gem family outing. Shady Dell’s miniature trains run on 4,200 feet of track through a four-acre park, and this weekend they’re adding extra days for Train Fest. Rides last about 7–10 minutes and are open to all ages, with picnic areas and a snack stand serving everything from hot dogs and pizza to snow cones and root beer floats. Even better: admission and train rides are free, with donations helping keep the volunteer-run park going.

💲🎵 UnPause at The Headliners Club
The Headliners Club, Lake Oswego | Friday, 8 PM | $15+
If classic rock is your thing, this one should feel familiar in the best way. UnPause leans heavily into Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, then mixes in plenty of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s rock along the way. Doors open at 4 PM, with the show starting at 8. Reserved seating is available, so this is a good pick if you’d rather spend Friday night singing along than shouting over a crowded bar.

🎈💲 STEM Family Sunday at iFLY Portland
iFLY Portland, Tigard | Sunday, 4 PM | $52+
This is one of those outings where the kids get to learn something and then immediately do something ridiculously cool with it. Families start with a hands-on STEM lesson about how the vertical wind tunnel works, then kids — and adults — get bodyflight time inside it. It’s designed for ages 3 and up, and parents and grandparents can join in too. Science class rarely comes with indoor skydiving.

💲🎵😋 Dancehall Days Labor Day Concert
Tumwater Vineyard, West Linn | Monday, 1–4 PM | $15+
If you’re not quite ready to let the long weekend end, this is a pretty good way to stretch it out. Dancehall Days takes over Tumwater Vineyard Monday afternoon for an outdoor Labor Day concert, with wine, beer and food available for purchase. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, settle in, and enjoy one last relaxed summer afternoon before Tuesday comes calling. Gates open at noon.

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN
🌳 - outdoor concert
💲 - ticket or purchase required

🌧️ Keep the umbrella handy today, but the holiday weekend gets better. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely today with a high around 65, followed by a few lingering showers Friday. Saturday turns mostly sunny near 73, Sunday should be partly sunny around 75 with just a slight shower chance, and Labor Day looks mostly sunny with another high near 75.

THANKS!

A final thought...

❝

Life is too important to be taken seriously.

Oscar Wilde

We spend a lot of time worrying about work, schedules, traffic, money, the weather and everything else demanding our attention.

Maybe a three-day weekend is a good excuse to loosen our grip a little.

Eat something good. Go somewhere fun. Laugh with people you like. Stay out a little later than usual.

The serious stuff will still be there Tuesday.

👋 🍦 Forty years...and now we say goodbye

🍦 Lake Oswego Creamery Is Closing

🦌 A Sweet Save at Graham Oaks

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