‘WinterFest’ comes to Foster Road

Discover why this Portland City Council member participated in a neighborhood business district Holiday fest in outer East Portland …

This is one of busy craft areas where families enjoyed part of the Foster Area Business Association celebration called “Foster WinterFest”.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Kicking off the Holiday season, the Foster Area Business Association (FABA) held a day-long festivity at several locations along SE Foster Road on Sunday, December 2.

With crafts, food specials, and other attractions, the day culminated with the switching on of Holiday lights at “Carts on Foster” at dusk.

FABA President Allen Rowand pauses for a moment to allow more community members to gather for the lighting ceremony on Foster Road.

“We call our overall strategy to help promote businesses here ‘Foster Forward’, and part of it is our Holiday celebration, ‘Foster WinterFest’. It ran all day to day, with events on the hour,” explained FABA President Allen Rowand of Gray Dog Digital.

The all-volunteer Foster Road boosters group is dedicated to community involvement, Rowand, told East Portland News.

“Our organization helps the community as well as our businesses be involved with our neighborhoods – Foster-Powell, Mt. Scott-Arleta, and Creston-Kenilworth – by supporting programs like ‘National Night Out’ and ‘Movies in the Park’ for example,” Rowand said.

Working on crafts are Aron Goffin and young artist Trillium Goffin; they are residents of Foster-Powell, and the arts supplies were donated by “I’ve Been Framed”.

After doing some Christmas shopping at Foster Road merchants, Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish ended his day stopping by Carts of Foster to lead the countdown for turning on the 20,000 Christmas lights put up there for the Holidays.

Recently, it has seemed that some Portland City Council members are bent on obliterating neighborhood associations, which has caused many small business owners to wonder if long-recognized Neighborhood Business Districts might be next on their agenda – but Commission Fish said he’ll continue to champion these organizations.

FABA President Allen Rowand spends a moment with craft organizer Gina Kirkorian with Portland Circle of Friends Preschool and Commissioner Nick Fish.

“I am working with Venture Portland, particularly with [Executive Director] Heather Hoell and her team, to make sure that Portland’s Neighborhood Business Districts are protected during the transition [in the City Council]”, Fish said.

“In fact, we’re not even sure that Venture Portland shouldn’t be taken out of Office of Community & Civic Life altogether, and be given an individual status.”

He’ll defend Portland’s diverse neighborhood business districts, Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish says.

“As long as I’m the liaison to our 50 neighborhood business districts, I’ll do the best I can to protect and nurture them; we have 50 unique business districts that do unique and important things in our city,” remarked Fish. “We look at our small businesses as one of the pillars of success of our community; we’re not going to compromise that, as long as I am on the Portland City Council.”

As late afternoon faded into dusk, some forty people gathered to count down to the annual lighting of the festive lights at Carts On Foster – a group of very small businesses that anchor the northwest end of the Foster Road district.

With Christmas lights burning bright, the holidays have arrived on Foster Road.

Find out more about the Foster Area Business Association at their official website: CLICK HERE.

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