Hello, LO! 👋 

It is time to discuss the spider(s) in the room. We’re halfway through September, and I want to know:

🕷️ Have you had your annual giant house spider sighting yet? You won’t miss them if they’re around — they can be up to 4.7 inches in diameter (gasp!). While potentially terrifying (people report being able to hear them climb up walls), they’re harmless and just looking for love the old-fashioned way.

🕸️ Have you done Matrix-style backbends to avoid the insane amount of Orb Weaver spiderwebs while you walk to the car? Apparently, Orb Weavers can spin a new web in about 30-60 minutes so kudos to them for their artistic efficiency. Those tiny artists are truly everywhere.

-Kerrie

P.S. — Do you want to be famous in LO for a day? Share LO Flow with three friends and you can choose either a birthday shout-out for yourself or a buddy.

The Current 🌊

Events this week

Wednesday, September 17

A Night in Tuscany with Avignonesi Winery (Nicoletta’s Table, Lake Oswego, 6-9:30pm). Do you want to immerse yourself in the culinary richness of Tuscany? Is Sangiovese your love language in wine? If so, this Tuscan food and wine pairing night with fellow wine enthusiasts should satisfy.

Stand-up Comedy with Susan Rice (Lakewood Center for the Arts, 7pm). With a wide-ranging performing arts career, Susan Rice has been making folks laugh for over 42 years. Catch her Funny Old Bag tour live or watch her comedy special, “Silver Alert.”

Thursday, September 18

Poetry Group (Lake Oswego Library, 12:30-2pm). Monthly meet-up to read and discuss poetry in a supportive environment. If you’re looking for some inspiration, I was just gifted Andrea Gibson’s You Better Be Lightening and was reminded of the unique power of poetry.

Emergency Preparedness Fair 2025 (Lake Oswego City Hall, 5:30-7:30 pm). Great opportunity to learn how to prepare for severe storms, earthquakes, floods, and other disasters. Get there early because the City will be giving away 280 free 3-gallon water containers. One gallon of water per person per day for a minimum of 14 days is recommended, so this will get you a head start. Can't make this one? Wilsonville is also hosting a similar event this Saturday.

Friday, September 19

Hawthorne Ghost Tour (Portland, September 19 - October 25). Are you feeling spooky this weekend? Kick off your weekend with a walking tour of East Portland’s most haunted street.

Dracula (Lakewood Center for the Arts, September 12 - October 19). Prefer some spookiness in town? Dracula kicked off last weekend and will be running through October 19th.

Saturday, September 20

Lake Oswego Farmer’s Market (Millennium Park Park Plaza, 8:30am-1:30pm). The LO Farmer’s Market season was extended three weeks until October 25, so more time to stock up on fresh produce, flowers, and more. Arietta Ward brings funk soul music to this week’s scene.

Next Level Estate Planning: Adulting 101 for Parents with Minor Children (Lake Oswego Library and Zoom, 2-3pm). File under things busy parents don’t feel like they have time for — but are actually really important. This is all about getting your estate and legal documents in place.

Sunday, September 21

Kayaking and Paddleboarding on Oswego Lake (Millennium Plaza Park, 3-5pm). Get on the water while the weather is still good and meet new friends at the Lake Oswego 20s-40s Social Meet-up Group.

Tyron Life Community Farm Apple Fest (TLC Farm, 1-4pm). Celebrate apples with cider pressings, apple tastings, hard apple cider, face-painting, old time music, desserts, games, and more. Fundraiser for TLC Farm with donations encouraged and free for kids under 12.

Mushroom Church (Old Church Concert Hall, SW Portland, 7pm). Tarun Nayar of Modern Biology is a ‘mushroom musician’ who creates soundscapes from the bioelectric changes in plants and mushrooms. Yes, you read that correctly. Expect a short scientific talk and mushroom music experience where you tap into an otherworldly experience.

Edgefield Oktoberfest (Troutdale, 12-7pm). Want to listen to live music, eat sausage, and drink beer all day? Look no further. Free event that also includes balloon artists and face-painting for the kiddos.

Monday, September 22

PDX Negroni Week (Portland, September 22-28). Traditionally a three-ingredient masterpiece (gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth), you can depend on Portland bars and restaurants to mix things up a little bit. Last year, Negroni spin-offs included Negroni slushies and smoky Negronis with mescal. Part of the proceeds from each Negroni purchased benefit 40 charities, including the Oregon Food Bank.

Tuesday, September 23

Author Presentation: Mark Pomeroy (Lake Theater & Café, 6:30-8pm). Mark will be reading from The Tigers of Lents, which won an Independent Publisher Book Award and was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award in Literary Fiction.

Wednesday, September 24

Wildfire Preparedness with the Red Cross (LO Adult Community Center, 10-11:30am). September is Emergency Preparedness Month, hence the plethora of worst-case-scenario events this week. This one is disaster-specific with step-by-step guidance on how to protect your home, create emergency plans, and gather supplies.

Mark Your Calendars:

2025 Mayor’s Golf Tournament (September 27, Lake Oswego Public Golf Course). Fast-paced, friendly day of golf that connects neighbors, businesses, and community leaders, and supports recreational scholarships for LO residents.

Lake Oswego Open Studios Tour (September 26-28). Connect with the local artists of LO (91 of them!) showcasing their work across 42 locations.

Creating a Backyard Habitat (September 27, Tryon Creek State Natural Area). Have you ever wanted a backyard habitat full of native flora and fauna? Do you want to learn more about Backyard Habitat certifications? If so, this is your jam. Limited to 25 participants so register now!

Cultural Exchange Festival 2025 (September 28, Millennium Plaza Park). Travel the globe without leaving town. Savor international flavors, discover one-of-a-kind artisan goods, and connect with local groups building cultural bridges. Free.

LO Wine Walk (October 4) Walk downtown LO while sipping wine. An annual tradition. This event sells out every year, so get your tickets now!

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Lil’ Squirts 🧒 

Kid-focused activities

Thursday, September 18

Fun for Ones Storytime (Lake Oswego Library, 10:30am). Let for your 12-24M old jam out with songs, books, and friends.

Baby Storytime (Lake Oswego Library, 3pm). Designed for the 0-12M old crowd. Stories, bubbles, songs, and more.

Red Yarn (Mississippi Pizza, Portland, OR, 5-6pm). If your fam hasn’t seen Red Yarn, do yourself a favor and boot, scoot, and boogie over to Portland to see him perform. I’ll break down the math for you — energetic country bops + pizza + beer + puppets = parenting victory.

Book Reading: Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween! (Let’s Celebrate, Lake Oswego, 4-6pm). Local children’s book author A.A. Livingston will be reading from her newest book and signing copies. Perfect for spooky season!

Friday, September 19

Frog Pond Farm Pumpkin Patch (Wilsonville, OR, September 19 - October 31). A pumpkin patch like no other. Meet the llamas, navigate a llama-themed corn maze, bounce your sillies out in the giant bounce park, and more.

Movies in the Pumpkin Patch (Yesteryear Farms, Wilsonville, OR, 6-10 pm). Just in time for spooky season, Casper the Friendly Ghost will be showing. Movies start at dusk, which gets earlier and earlier each week.​

Saturday, September 20

CANstruction PDX 2025 (Portland, September 15-28). Unique charity event held in over 150 cities worldwide featuring competing exhibitions of giant whimsical and wildly inventive sculptures made entirely out of canned food. At the end of the event, all food is donated to Oregon Food Bank. 

Autumn Morning at Little Nestlings (West Linn, 10-11am). Seasonal storytime plus fall-inspired activities for little kids. Free.

Spanish Language and Play (Lake Oswego Public Library, 10:30-11am). Juliet from Adventures in Spanish will present stories and songs in Spanish for children. Recommended for ages 0-5 years.

Tuesday, September 23

Indoor Playground at LORAC (LO Recreation and Aquatics Center, 9am-1pm). Since rain is re-entering the weekly forecast, it’s time to get your indoor playground options mapped out for the 0-4 crowd. LORAC is an affordable option.

The Babbling Brook 🎶 

Live music this week

Wednesday, September 17

Edgefield | HAIM | 5pm doors, 6:15pm show

Friday, September 19

Edgefield | Big Thief | 5pm doors, 6:30pm show

Moda Center | Linkin Park | 6:30pm doors, 7:30pm show

Headliner’s Club | Ramble On (Led Zeppelin Tribute) | 8pm

Gemini Club | Hit Machine | 9pm

Saturday, September 20

Edgefield | Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday | 5pm doors, 6pm show

Moda Center | Jonas Brothers | 6:30pm doors, 7:30pm show

Headliner’s Club | Almost Human (KISS) and The DCs (AC/DC) | 8pm

Gemini Club | Rodeo Rose | 8pm

Monday, September 22

Moda Center | Ice Cube | 7pm doors, 8pm show

Wednesday, September 24

Moda Center | Jessie Murph | 7pm doors, 8pm show

Making Waves 🏢 

Local business news

Continuing last week’s focus on carbohydrates worth driving to Portland for, I now present you Cookie McCakeFace. Part cookie, part cake, part ooey-gooey deliciousness, part absolute magic you’ve never experienced before. This food cart in The Heist Bar & Food Carts in SE Portland (Woodstock) is 10000% worth the drive. I have been stalking following them for about a year now and finally got to check them out for my birthday last week. Their cookies were hot out of the oven and a perfect balance of dense, fluffy, crumbly, and soft. I was worried with such an intense volume of cookie that it would be too much but the Cookie Meister (pictured above) struck a beautiful balance of warm, comforting, and not overwhelmingly sweet. Take a friend or two — these cookies are big.

Make a Splash 💦 

Weekly festivals

Festa Italiana in Portland, OR (September 20-21). Mamma mia! A wide range of ways to honor all things Italy, including live music, opera, mouthwatering food, grape stomping, bocce tournaments, beer gardens, a Mass held in Italian, and more.

Polish Festival in Portland, OR (September 20-21). The 29th Portland Polish Festival is all about Polish food, dance, and music. Pierogis (including a pierogi eating contest if dumping dumplings down the hatch is your thing), kielbasa, polka, street dancing, music performances, and more.

The Surge 🏄️ 

Sports of all sorts

Soccer

• Timbers @ Houston Dynamo | September 20 | 5:30pm

• Thorns vs. San Diego Wave | September 20 | 7pm

• Timbers @ Vancouver Whitecaps | September 24 | 7:30pm

Hockey

• Portland Winterhawks @ Prince George | September 19 | 7pm

Football

• Oregon Ducks vs. Oregon State Beavers | September 20 | 12pm

High School Sports (LO Lakers)

• Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Jesuit HS | September 18 | 7:30pm

High School Sports (Lakeridge Pacers)

• Boys Varsity Football vs. Sandy HS | September 19 | 7pm

• Boys Varsity Water Polo vs. Summit HS | September 20 | 4pm

• Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Tualatin HS | September 23 | 6:30pm

• Boys Varsity Soccer vs. North Salem HS | September 23 | 7pm

Upcoming Running Events

Portland Marathon (October 5) — 10K/Half/Full marathon.

Great Pumpkin Run (October 25) — 5k/10k/Half-marathon near Sellwood. Costumes encouraged + Halloween vibes.

The Lakeside 🏡 

House of the week

1527 Lakefront Road | 5 beds, 6.5 baths | 7,220 sq ft

Price: $5,990,000  

This house is deeply committed to keeping all its lights on when the neighbors don’t have a single light on (what a free-thinker!) and bringing French villa vibes (check out the kitchen cabinetry). This house doesn’t want you to just appear European, it wants you to act European too with its 600 wine bottle cellar. Looking through the pictures, you can feel the care the previous owners had for this place - it’s unique and committed to its own style. But I do think the Marie Antoinette vibes could be improved with a few roaming peacocks on the lawn and a strategically placed piece of cake in the kitchen. 😉 

Listed by: Justin Harnish @ Harnish Company Realtors

The Confluence 💡 

A few of our favorite things

Podcast: How to Design your Life with Debbie Millman and Mel Robbins

This is my favorite podcast episode in a while. A simple question: what does your life look like in 10 years? Write a one-page essay, starting from the moment that your future self wakes up. This exercise focuses on hope, not process or probability or how. Just focusing on what you want, and letting your wants stand alone as enough.

Book: Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

Modern life is too comfortable. We wake up in temperature-controlled rooms, drink coffee brewed to our specifications, wear shoes with custom-orthotics, and obtain food with zero struggle (I do admit that Trader Joe’s on a weekend can be a struggle). The point of this book is to get uncomfortable, get out of your comfort zone, and wake up your life. Do something you will likely fail at even when you try your best.