Wondering what’s happening around town this weekend? Well, the city is serving up clear skies, cats and culture – you don’t want to miss out!

January 26th – Learn to Ski

If you remember, we gave a heads up about this awesome event in our ‘Hello Weekend’ post at the beginning of the month. Well, the time has finally come: In celebration of winter sports, Toyota presents Learn to Ski and Ride nights on selected Saturdays from now through March 9th. For just $15 you get a special, two-hour beginner lesson, and a  lift ticket can be added for $5, and equipment rental is only an extra $10. Each evening offers lessons for both skiing and snowboarding, starting at 5 PM for ages 6 and older.

January 26th – Hockey

Want to know a fun fact about our junior hockey team? They are one of the most successful teams in terms of producing National Hockey League (NHL) alumni – pretty impressive! And you can watch the Portland Winterhawks take on their top rival, the Seattle Thunderbirds this Saturday. The game starts at 6:00 pm and will be held at the Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Get your tickets today!

January 27th – Japanese New year

Around the start of the New Year, Japanese culture has a tradition of “mochitsuki”, the pounding of rice to make mochi. Mochi sounds similar to the Japanese word for “to hold” or “to have”, so mochi is eaten in hopes of gaining good fortune over the coming year. Portland State University is hosting it’s very own Mochitsuki, which has been a premier event in the local community since 1996. The goal of Mochitsuki is to celebrate tradition by sharing Japanese and Japanese American culture. The festival will feature live entertainment, hands-on activities, ikebana, calligraphy, games, rice pounding, and of course, lots of mochi! Tickets are $10-$12 for adults and $4 for children between the ages of 4-12.

January 25 – 27th – Cat Show

If there’s one thing Portland locals love as much as their coffee, it’s cats. And you can get your fill this weekend with the International Cat Show! This is one of the largest feline events in the region, and the show is hosting hundreds of cats that will be vying for awards and recognition. International judges will oversee the proceedings and the public is welcome to watch all the action. Additionally, the show will be raising food for the Oregon Food Bank, so you can save $2 on the $10 admission if you bring 2 cans of food.