PORTLAND, Oregon — Happy weekend! It's our third weekend since the stay-home orders began in Oregon and Washington, so we should all be pretty used to it by now. And local businesses have taken this time to get creative, to give us all ways to have fun, even while social distancing (please keep social distancing!).
So here are 8 things you can do this weekend, without leaving your house.
Take a virtual stroll through Washington Park
There are many beautiful hikes through Washington Park this time of year. But right now, it's more important to stay safe. So instead of heading there, Explore Washington Park is bringing Washington park to you with a virtual tour, so you can safely enjoy the park remotely.
"Go to" a music festival in Lincoln City
Just to be clear, this does not involve actually going anywhere. But ZuhGfest is happening all weekend, April 10-12. It's a live streaming music festival put on by Bryan Nichols, a Lincoln City musician and owner of ZuhG Life Surf Shop (watch his quarantine music video above).
In normal, non-pandemic times, ZuhGfest is a 3-day music festival in Downieville, California. But because the event has been canceled this year, musicians from all over the country are coming together for a virtual performance. Check the website for the schedule and where to watch.
Go to Pickathon!
Again, we're not actually going anywhere... But if you've ever been to Pickathon, a music festival just outside of Portland, you may have noticed all the camera crews around. The festival has a full vault of live concert footage, filmed in multi-camera HD over the 21 years of Pickathon.
Now, Pickathon is putting on an event called A Concert a Day: Helping Musicians in Need. Every day through April 15, a different concert will be streamed online at 1 p.m. The concert streams will be available for free on Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube. Many of the artists are even going live themselves with their concert, to interact with fans. All donations received will go to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Go to a drive-up movie
When is the last time you went to the drive-in? The Sunshine Mill, an event space located inside a 100-year-old flour mill in The Dalles, launched a series of drive-up movies. The first event on April 3 sold out, so the mill is continuing the weekend screenings. Sunshine Mill will screen a movie for adults every Friday, and kid friendly films on Saturday. The venue has also partnered with Freebridge Brewing to deliver pizzas to your car upon request.
Movie tickets are $15 per car. See the full schedule on the Sunshine Mill website and Facebook page.
Attend a book release party
Jack Kent is a Portland sketch artist who compiles his drawings of "sketchy people" around town into full books. Since social distancing makes an in-person book launch impossible, Jack is hosting an online launch party all weekend instead, for Sketchy People Year 4. If you order the new book by Sunday, April 12, you have the chance to receive an original Sketchy People drawing from Jack himself!
To join the online launch party, follow Jack on Instagram.
We had Jack on Tonight With Cassidy last year to reveal Sketchy People Year 3, featuring Caesar the No Drama Llama!
Hunt for Easter eggs, virtually
It's Easter weekend, and normally, that would mean lots of outdoor group Easter egg hunts. This year, the events are canceled, including the Kiwanis Club Easter hunt in Lincoln City.
But the hunt still goes on! On Sunday at 11:45 a.m. the Easter Bunny (or Easter Booney, they call it) will go live on the Lincoln City Cultural Center Facebook page, to wave and chat with viewers. At noon, there will be a countdown, so kids at home can time their own hunt to play along.
Join the event here
Attend an art show at Pittock Mansion
Pittock Mansion is always a relaxing place to stroll through. Since it is currently closed, the mansion has made its current exhibit available online instead.
Mount Hood Perspectives is a community art show, featuring artistic interpretations of the mountain by local artists. Any artwork that is purchased will be available for pick-up after the exhibit reopens.
Make an Easter feast with a local chef
Instead of cooking at his two restaurants, right now chef Gabriel Rucker is cooking in his home kitchen like the rest of us. But he wants to help us all cook better meals in self-quarantine, so he is hosting three Instagram live cooking classes a week. The cooking classes always feature some of Gabriel's three kids, so if you need inspiration for getting your own kids involved in food preparation, this could help!
This week, he has moved the Sunday class to Saturday afternoon instead, to teach an Easter brunch crepes recipe ahead of the big day.
Follow @RuckerGabriel on Instagram to tune in
Cassidy Quinn is the host of Tonight With Cassidy on KGW. But right now, like many of you, she is working from home, trying to focus on the happier things going on in the world. Tonight With Cassidy is currently on hiatus, but you can watch previous segments from the show here, and follow Cassidy on Twitter @CassidyQuinn.