OREGON: CRAFT BEER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Portland ranks as number one for hand-crafted beer in the world because:
1. Last year, Oregon craft brewers produced the equivalent of more than 263,000,000 bottles of beer.
2. The total beer industry in Oregon grew 17% in 2006 with more than $2-1/4 billion in sales.
3. More than 38% of all draft beer and 11% of all beer consumed in Oregon is state-brewed craft beer, the highest percentage of local craft beer consumption in the U.S.
4. Oregon has 80 brewing facilities with at least 2 more ready to open; the state is the second largest producer of craft beer in America.
5. The City of Portland has 29 breweries, more than any other city in the world.
6. Oregon ranks second in the nation in hops production, growing more than 20 different varieties.

Portland from July 26-29 is the world's best place to be for lovers of great beers. The City will again host the largest Craft Brewer's Festival on the globe for the 20th year. There'll be 72+ craft beers, live music, food, displays and vendors, all at Waterfront Park beginning at noon each day. For a complete list of the beers, click on to http://www.oregonbrewfest.com/breweries_2007.htm

Here's how easy it is to get to Waterfront Park from The Fulton House, which are both located in Southwest Portland. Walk 1/2-block to a city bus stop and take the 10-minute ride downtown to a MAX stop; switch to MAX light rail (it's free!), which will take you 1 block from the Festival in about 3 minutes. Reverse directions to get back to us.

Follow these instructions and you'll have absolutely no worries about the hassles and expense of downtown parking. More importantly, you'll avoid being stopped by one of Portland's finest and being issued a ticket for DUI.

Book today....thousands come into Portland for this ultra-popular event!

THE NBA IN PORTLAND

Due to an exceptionally lucky draw, the Portland Trailblazers will pick first and the Seattle Supersonics will select second in the upcoming June 28 National Basketball Association draft.

Going first and second, although not necessarily in this order, will be Greg Oden of Ohio State and Kevin Durant of Texas. Since Portland and Seattle both play in the same Division in the Western Conference, fans and visitors in the Northwest will have numerous opportunities to see the two most highly regarded and most sought after college players in upcoming years.

If you're a pro basketball fan, come visit Portland and enjoy a game at the Rose Garden, the City's spacious arena. Stay at The Fulton House and public transportation will take you right to the game. We're located a half-block from the bus that takes you downtown in about 10 minutes, and then a quick light rail hop across the Willamette River and you're there. No hassles or expensive parking.

As I write this, 19-year-old 7-foot center Oden is in town strutting his stuff before Trailblazer officials and coaches. And Durant, a forward, is due here shortly. The team is busily evaluating both players in order to avoid what many consider the worst draft decision ever: a number of years ago, the Trailblazers passed on a North Carolina player named Michael Jordan in order to draft a center named Sam Bowie. Talk about a mistake!

Also, because of past problems with players (the team was unofficially re-named the "Portland Jailblazers" for a couple of seasons), team officials are carefully weighing personalities and maturity. Official reports from sports writers and others who know the two players say unequivocally that both are intelligent young men who are extremely unlikely to become trouble makers or have run-ins with the law.

So order your tickets early and come on out to Portland for some super basketball next season.

ARE YOU BLUE....?

Get ready! The largest Blues Festival west of the Mississippi comes to Portland's Waterfront Park from July 4-8. There'll be more than 125 performances on four stages over the five-day period, plus some sensational added attractions.

Kicking off a day early is a "Blues Cruise" on the Willamette River, featuring Lurrie Bell & Pinetop Perkins, John Boutte and the Hot 8 Brass Band. Next up in the park on the 4th will be a spectacular fireworks show and performances by a host of blues stars, as well as a "Harmonica Blow-off." Then, on the 5th, there's more big-names blues performers, including Joan Armatrading, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks, Watermelon Slim and others.

The following day, on the 6th, will feature a "British Blues Invasion," including Savoy Brown, Too Slim & Taildraggers, Big Monti and other bands and performers, followed by a special "Late Night Zydeco Dance." On Saturday, July 7, Gulf Coast performers will be featured as will women in blues, together with a tribute to the late great James Brown and finishing with a "Zydeco Swamp Romp."

Finally, on the 8th, the Festival's culmination will feature a final all-star "Gulf Coast Celebration," with the likes of the Neville Brothers, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Waylon Thibodeaux, the March Fourth Marching Band and others. The evening will end with a "Paul Delay Memorial," followed by a "Swingin' to the Blues Dance," featuring Steve Lucky & Rhumba Burns and the Lily Wilde Orchestra.

If you're into blues, don't miss this extravaganza. A five-day pass is only $25.

Also, remember that there's a bus stop a half-block from The Fulton House, which will take you downtown to the Festival. You'll avoid the incredible hassles and expense of trying to park near the Park by taking public transportation, and you'll also have no fears of a Breathalyzer and DUI if you have a beer or two.

TWO EXHIBITS YOU'VE GOTTA SEE!

In Portland right now.....

At the Art Museum, easily reached from The Fulton House by public transportation, 84 works of art by 60 of Holland's greatest painters, including the immortal Rembrandt van Rijn. These paintings, all from 17th century Dutch masters, called the country's "Golden Age," are on loan from June 2-September 16 from the 122 year-old Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. One of Rebrandt's most famous and glorious paintings, "Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul," and a master work by Govert Flinck, "The Governors," are perhaps the most prominent in the collection. These paintings will visit only two other U.S. cities while the Dutch museum is under extensive renovation.

The other outstanding exhibit, entitled "Body Worlds 3," is at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) from June 7-October 7. The 23,000 square-foot display will permit crowds (expected to reach 850,000 over the three-month run) to enjoy and contemplate the wondrous inner workings of our physical selves. You'll also be able to understand the ill affects of tobacco or a steady diet of Big Macs and fries. According to "Portland Monthly" magazine, anatomist, artist and exhibit creator Gunther von Hagens infused actual human remains with plastics and resins, and rendered them in a variety of dynamic poses -- on a skateboard, in ballet shoes, dancing in pairs -- to highlight muscle groups and organ functions. Pardon the pun, but the exhibit will give you an unusual insight into "the heart of the matter."