South Metro Weekly

Good morning, South Metro. It’s Father’s Day weekend, and in honor of all the dads in our lives, this issue of SMW is chock-full of jokes to make Dad proud and everyone else groan. Take a break, Dad. These jokes are on us. 😜

In today’s South Metro Weekly:

Some great events and experiences to take in this weekend.
A new place to drink and meet in Wilsonville.
And…let’s just learn to love construction on the bridges, ok? 🤦‍♀️

Which reminds us, why should you always carry peanut butter in your car? In case there is a traffic jam. And yes, that counts as one dad joke.

-Scott & Family

🍻 New Taproom Coming / Norte Handcrafted Brews & Bites appears to be getting closer in Wilsonville, with its sign going up in the last few days near Barber Street and Kinsman Road at the Vuela Apartments. The taproom concept includes craft beer, food pods, and community events, though Norte’s website has not yet posted an updated opening date.

🥗 New Lake Oswego Lunch Spot / Poke House quietly opened a couple weeks ago at 9 Centerpointe Drive in Lake Oswego, and somehow fresh Hawaiian-inspired bowls slipped past us. The spot serves Chipotle-style build-your-own bowls with poke, shrimp, chicken, tofu, veggies, toppings, and sauces for the 217/I-5 office crowd and anyone else looking for a fresh lunch.

⛔ Boone Bridge Heads-Up / If you were stuck in last night’s I-5 traffic mess around Tualatin and Wilsonville, heaven help you. More slowdowns are likely coming this summer, though mostly overnight. ODOT is planning closures near the Boone Bridge to replace two aging joints, with work expected to last at least 15 weeks and impacts around Wilsonville, Charbonneau, the Miley Road ramp, and nearby detour routes.

Speaking of “aging joints,” don’t ask Dad about his hip OR college days. 🤣 That’s two.

🚧 Meanwhile, On I-205 / If it feels like the Abernethy Bridge project has been going on forever, you are not alone. Recent reporting says some work around the bridge could stretch into 2030, though most of the major traffic impacts are still expected to ease sometime next year. This summer, ODOT says drivers should expect more overnight bridge closures and demolition noise near Hwy 43.

🛴 West Linn E-Bike Crackdown / West Linn is working on clearer local rules for e-bikes and e-scooters after a rise in complaints about young riders, sidewalk riding, speeding, and close calls with walkers. The proposed new rules could cover age limits, helmets, unsafe riding, and parent responsibility for minors. Translation: if your kid has an e-bike, this is worth watching. Shoutout to the West Linn Tidings for staying on top of this one.

🎈 = family friendly events
🎵 = includes live music
💲 = cost required

💲 Watercolor Picnic on the Farm
2 Cats Flower Farm, Aurora | Saturday 10A - 12:30P | $63+
Spend an unhurried morning painting outdoors among horses, blueberry fields, summer flowers, and possibly a few farm cats. This beginner-friendly watercolor picnic includes supplies, instruction, a boxed lunch, and 2.5 hours of “please do not make me check my email” energy.

🎈 🎵 Wilsonville Juneteenth Celebration
Town Center Park, Wilsonville | Friday 5P - 8P | Free
Wilsonville’s sixth annual Juneteenth Celebration returns Friday with live music, food while supplies last, community booths, and family-friendly activities.

🎈 Cars & Coffee
Langer’s Entertainment Center, Sherwood | Saturday 8A - 11A | Free
A very solid Father’s Day weekend warm-up for anyone who likes cars, coffee, or pretending they are “just going to look for a few minutes.” The Saturday morning meetup brings auto enthusiasts together for cars, conversation, and a parking lot full of weekend horsepower.

Mmm, cars. So, why did Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Honda refuse a bagel? It didn’t want none unless you got buns, hun. 😆 That’s three. Dad is unstoppable.

💲 Build-A-Mug Pottery Experience
Red Chair Farm, Canby | Saturday 2P - 4P | $55
Make your own mug by hand, with no pottery experience required. You’ll shape the clay, add glaze, and leave with something a little more meaningful than the 37 random mugs already in your cabinet.

💲 Laugh Circle
West Linn Holistic Center, West Linn | Saturday 6P | $25
A 60-minute group laughter session with interactive games, which sounds either wonderfully therapeutic or like your introvert friend’s final boss battle. For teens and adults.

1 of One Wildlife Photography Exhibition
Dub’s Tavern, Tualatin | Saturday 4P - 10P | Free
Award-winning photographer David Volonte brings a one-night wildlife photography exhibition to the deck, with images celebrating nature, conservation, and those rare wild moments you only get to capture once. Add in food, drinks, and an open-sky setting, and this feels like a very different kind of Saturday night out.

🎈 = family friendly events
💲 = cost required

🎈 💲 Langer’s Happy Hour
Langer’s Entertainment Center, Sherwood | Mon-Fri 3P-6P
Half-off arcade play, attractions, and select drinks — basically the rare happy hour where the kids and grownups both get something out of it.

Langer’s Entertainment Center, Sherwood

🎈 Origami Experience
Tualatin Public Library, Tualatin | Saturday 12P - 3P | Free
The Portland Oregon Paper Shapers will help kids, teens, and grownups turn plain paper into folded creations, from simple beginner projects to “wait, how did you do that?” masterpieces.

🎈 Inclusive Community Celebration
Cedaroak Park Primary School, West Linn | Saturday 11A - 1P | Free
Little Lobbyists Oregon is celebrating nine years with a free, all-are-welcome community party featuring bubbles, a photo booth, coloring stations, open mic, a mural, and plenty of kid-friendly joy under the shaded basketball courts.

🎈 Grads & Dads at Triskelee Farm
Triskelee Farm, West Linn | Saturday 10A - 3P | Free
Celebrate grads and dads with free farm admission, local makers, farm tours, food, drinks, and plenty of farm-animal energy. Add in treats, face painting, jewelry, candles, art, and this becomes a very easy Saturday family outing.

🎈 💲 Free Entry for Dads
Frog Pond Farm, Wilsonville | Sunday 9A - 5P | $13, dads free
Dads get free admission on Father’s Day, with 80+ animals, spring babies, bounce areas, play spaces, and coffee and apple cider donuts made fresh daily. Basically: let the kids run, feed a few goats, and call it a Father’s Day plan.

💲 = cost required
🎵 = includes live music

Cruise to Brews Vehicle Showcase
Vanguard Brewing, Wilsonville | Saturday 1P - 4P | Free
The parking lot opens for an afternoon of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and passion projects. Bring a vehicle to show off or just wander through, grab something from the kitchen or taproom, and enjoy a little Wilsonville horsepower.

💲 🎵 Pinot, Pigs & Pops
Archer Vineyard, Newberg | Saturday 4P - 7P | $50+
Celebrate Father’s Day weekend with wine, smoky BBQ, and live music among the vines. Tickets include one glass pour, plus pulled pork, chicken, brisket mac and cheese, summer salad, cornbread, and dessert. Dad may even pretend the brisket was the real gift all along.

Archer Vineyard, Newberg

💲 Other Desert Cities
Tualatin Heritage Center, Tualatin | Saturday 7:30P | $20+
Wilsonville STAGE brings this “searingly funny” family drama to Tualatin for a limited two-weekend run. Expect secrets, tension, sharp dialogue, and the kind of family turmoil that makes your own group text look surprisingly healthy.

🎈 = family friendly events
💲 = cost required
🎵 = includes live music

🎈 💲 🎵 ZooNights
Oregon Zoo, Portland | Fridays 5P - 9P | $20+
Worth the drive if your crew needs a summer night that feels a little bigger than the usual park-and-pizza routine. ZooNights runs Friday nights with live music, food carts, keeper chats, lawn games, animal activities, and after-hours zoo wandering.

💲 🎵 Back to the Future: The Musical
Keller Auditorium, Portland | Saturday 2P & 7:30P | $58+
Great Scott, it’s a Broadway musical now. Marty McFly, Doc Brown, the DeLorean, and a whole lot of 1.21 gigawatts hit the Keller stage for a big, loud, time-traveling night out.

Which reminds me about my Dad’s friend Marty who owned a DeLorean. He drove it from time to time. 😂 (That’s the last one, we promise.)

🎈 💲 🎵 Silverton Strawberry Festival
City Park, Silverton | Sunday 11A - 5P | $8+
The Silverton Strawberry Festival turns 75 this year with live music, Father’s Day park vibes, and the real headliner: strawberry shortcake with biscuits and ice cream. Kids 2 and under, plus guests 80 and older, get dessert free.

Garage and estate sale listings are sourced from a variety of places online. We do our best to provide accurate information, but things can change. Click the address for a Google map.

THANKS!

I know we had fun today, but truly, Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Thanks for showing us love, teaching us what you know, and helping us figure out how to make it in this world.

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