Things to Do in Oregon

The "From Darkness to Light" program presents a somber yet sonorous journey from the darkness of Gregori Frid's The Diary of Anne Frank to the luminous heights of Beethoven's soaring Seventh Symphony. Soprano Ani Maldjian takes the tragic titular role, accompanied by the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir and a special screening of Shelley Jordon's hand-painted animation Anita's Journey. Friday's performance takes place at Hillsboro's Venetian Theatre and Bistro, where live music and theater are a constant inspiration to the gondola-steering waitstaff. Tying into the eighth grade's current curriculum, Saturday and Sunday's shows are hosted at the Catlin Gabel School.

Run by a team of Portland fanatics and passionate cyclists, Pedal Bike Tours shares their enthusiasm for the city through entertaining and accessible tours. The routes take advantage of Portland’s extensive network of bike lanes to meander through downtown, along the Willamette River, and through lush Forest Park. Each guide’s expertise comes in handy on food tours and microbrewery tours, as riders stop for bites or pints and soak up info about each of their stops. A few tours take riders beyond Rose City limits, and include van trips to explore Oregon’s coast or wine country. Pedal Bike Tours keeps tours as safe and comfortable as possible by providing helmets, locks, and lights, as well as rain jackets and jousting lances if necessary.

End the wicked ways of gravy stains, lasagna snafus, and premium-grade motor oil blemishes. Today's Groupon delivers $25 worth of green cleaning power from ecodrycleaner for $12. Bring your sullied garments to one of three locations in Bethany, Broadway, or Old Town for alterations, free delivery to many zip codes, and environmentally friendly cleaning methods that eliminate Ragu from Earth's cardigan.

In their 16-year history as the short season Class-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the Volcanoes have been a venerable understudy to their Major League parent club, capturing the Northwest League’s Western Division title seven times and five Northwest League Championships. The Volcanoes' past rosters have seen some of the Giants’ top young stars slug and pitch their way to the big leagues and finally take the training wheels off of their gloves. Crowds of up to 5,000 voracious fans flow into Volcanoes Stadium, where the Lava Lodge Sports Bar, the Volcanotron video board, and a kids' playground join forces to offer a stacked lineup of off-the-field attractions.

It was 1869 when the Lee family planted its first seed in the soil of Tualatin, Oregon. Today, three generations of the family still keep Lee Farms' lights on and its scarecrows vaccinated. They stock the country store with local produce, 18 flavors of honey sticks, and 17 varieties of jam. In the bakery, the staff hand makes pies each day, baking perennial favorites such as apple and seasonal flavors such as pumpkin.

To keep things fresh, Lee Farms rotates the selection of food and activities each season. In May a greenhouse surrounds visitors in flowers, and in October the farm transforms into a celebration of the harvest season, when guests can pick from 12 varieties of pumpkins. Lee's staff cuts down stalks to make a corn maze and drives visitors on scenic hayrides across the farm while they sample kettle corn and homemade cider.

Each of the guitar coaches at American Guitar Academy are certified in the school’s signature teaching method. Developed over 25 years, this house-honed instruction technique incorporates scientific research to help fingers learn to shred frets up to eight times faster than alternative methods. During private half-hour lessons, instructors guide budding rock stars aged 4 years and up through the basics of strumming chords and seamlessly stitching together riffs. These comprehensive lessons on classical, electric, or acoustic guitars are offered once a week with a live instructor or online and guarantee that students will be playing their favorite music within six months of training. Students may begin lessons without owning a guitar, but are encouraged to gain access to one quickly for mastering scales and the ability to solo with their teeth.