Want  to rescue trees?  Sing the  Blues!
  First  'Save the Trees' Event to Occur on Arbor Day Weekend  (4/26-27)
    
                                                                                       
  Arbor  Day  is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care  for trees.  But that day has come to  have special relevance for the residents of the Bridgeton Neighborhood, on the  bank of the Columbia River.  For  nearly a year, the Bridgeton  Neighborhood Association  and a large number of concerned citizens have opposed  plans  by  the local drainage district to cut down most of the trees along the levee that  defines their neighborhood.  Three  award-winning Blues Bands are helping to alleviate some of the costs associated  with this effort to Save the Levee, Save the Trees.
    
  What:              Arbor Day Weekend to SAVE THE TREES
                           A dance party fundraising event featuring Live Music, Belly Dancing,  Silent Auction, and more
    
  Who:                Ellen Whyte, Bill  Rhoades  & the Party Kings, the New Iberians 
    
  When:             Sunday, April 27 
                           3:00 - 7:00 pm
    
  Where:            the Old Hayden Island Yacht Club
                           12050 N Jantzen Drive (next to the Zupan's Building) Portland OR  97217
    
                    Admission:       $25.00
           Tickets available at the door or at Channel's Edge, 207 N Bridgeton Road97217 
    
  In the  summer of 2007, the residents of Bridgeton neighborhood were  notified by the Peninsula 2 Drainage District of plans to cut all the mature  trees along the one mile stretch of Bridgeton  Road.  The Bridgeton Neighborhood  Association (BNA)  formed a "Tree Committee" to determine alternatives to this plan.  For several months BNA engaged in  intense negotiations and multiple meetings with the Drainage District, Army  Corps of Engineers, Portland City Council members and administrators, FEMA, plus  representatives from the offices of US Representative Earl Blumenauer and U S  Senator Ron Wyden. When 13 trees were cut on  September 19,  2007, BNA and The Columbia  Riverkeeper filed legal action and secured a temporary stay to stop the cutting  of another 100 trees.
    
  This stay  and the ensuing hearing allowed the BNA to inform the public about facts of  levee safety and vegetation, and to clarify FEMA regulations concerning disaster  relief and flood insurance.  It was  argued successfully the City of Portland does have oversight  responsibility for the majority of the trees on the  Bridgeton  levee.
    
  Today, three  members of BNA meet weekly with a representative from the Army Corps of  Engineers, the Portland City Arborist and members of the Board of the Peninsula  2 Drainage District.  This group is  negotiating a mutually acceptable program of tree removal and replanting for the  Bridgeton  levee.
    
  While  hundreds of hours of volunteer time were involved in this effort, there were  expenses incurred.  The neighborhood  association has raised over $15,000 to cover legal and professional costs, but  another $15,000 is needed to pay off the remaining debt.  
    
  Three  popular, award-winning acts from the world of Blues music have consented to put  on a show for the cause.
    
  Ellen  Whyte
    
      
  Ellen Whyte  has long been recognized as one of the most accomplished and dynamic Blues  entertainers in the Pacific  Northwest.  A multi-award winning vocalist and  guitarist, Ellen was elected to the Cascade Blues Association "Hall of  Fame."
  Her shows have elated crowds  throughout Washington,  Oregon,  California, and the  Midwest.
    
    
  Bill  Rhoades
    
      
    Known as the  "Godfather of the Northwest Blues," Bill  Rhoades is on every must hear  list for Blues Harp.  Not only is he  a much awarded Hall of Fame inductee, he is an acclaimed Blues scholar and  keeper of the true Flame.   Bill  Rhoades and the Party Kings are  the acknowledged Masters of Chicago-style Blues and  Texas Blues, adding their own distinct color to the palette.  And that color is pure, straight no  chaser, Blues.
    
    
  The  New Iberians
    
    Taking  their name from the town of New  Iberia,  Louisiana,  the hot pepper sauce capital of the known universe, they are a  Portland  band that combines Louisiana Zydeco, New Orleans Second Line and Memphis Soul  into a bluesy zesty gumbo of unique and infectiously danceable good time music.  
  Lots of food  and drink options, lots of dancing and belly dancing shows, a silent auction  that promises great gifts for a bargain; all is going toward preserving a vital  part of Portland, and having a red hot and blue Arbor  Day.
    
  So get some  tickets, save the trees, and have an Arbor Day weekend like you've never quite  experienced.
    
    
  Map to  Old  Hayden  Island Yacht  Club
  12050 N Jantzen  Drive  97217
  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=12050+N+Jantzen+Dr,+Portland,+OR+97217,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=image