Eliot restaurateur Andrea Bontemps was featured this week on OregonLive.

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Eliot Neighbors are incredibly creative at how they bring their waste to the dumpsters we have set up! We’re open 10am-2pm tomorrow- see you soon!
Eliot Dumpster Day 2026 (Part II) Details

Date: Saturday, September 26

“Dumpster Days” are community waste collection events for items that don’t fit, or aren’t allowed, in curbside waste bins.

• WE ALSO WILL HAVE A LARGE FREE PILE!

Location: Legacy Emanuel Visitor Parking Lot, N Vancouver and N Graham Streets – Entrance on Graham

Items accepted 10am – 2pm (or until dumpsters full)

Donations via cash, CashApp, Venmo or Paypal.
Suggested donations: $20 per car/pick-up truck, $40 for full pick-up trucks.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

No commercial vehicles, such as box trucks, please.

“Dumpster Days” are community waste collection events for items that don’t fit, or aren’t allowed, in curbside waste bins. This is our second such event in 2026.

We have some options besides the dumpsters:

• mattresses
• Styrofoam
• some electronics / microwaves – as long as it fits in one small pick-up truck
• a community free pile – for things that could be reused – this stuff will be thrown in the dumpsters at the end of the day

In the dumpsters:

Accepting “Household” items only: 

• Mattresses, box springs, and bed frames
• Styrofoam
• Furniture (couch, table, chair)
• Small appliances (toaster, vacuum, microwave)
• Appliances without Freon
• Treated lumber & wood stumps
• Other oversized items too large curbside garbage container

Free area:

• Usable household items can be placed in a designated Free Area to start their next life in a new home.

Not Accepted:

Would you be interested in hosting a yard sign for a week? We can deliver and pick them up if that is an issue. Reach out to info@eliotneighborhood.org !

“Dumpster Days” are community waste collection events for items that don’t fit, or aren’t allowed, in curbside waste bins. This is our second such event in 2026.

Eliot Dumpster Day 2026 (Part II) Details

Date: Saturday, September 26

“Dumpster Days” are community waste collection events for items that don’t fit, or aren’t allowed, in curbside waste bins.

Eliot Dumpster Day 2026 Details

Date: Saturday, May 16

Location: Legacy Emanuel Visitor Parking Lot, N Vancouver and N Graham Streets – Entrance on Graham

Items accepted 10am – 2pm (or until dumpsters full)

Donations via cash, CashApp, Venmo or Paypal.
Suggested donations: $20 for a car, $20 per pick-up truck, $40 for full pick-up trucks.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

No commercial vehicles, such as box trucks, please.

We have some options besides the dumpsters:

• mattresses
• Styrofoam
• some electronics / microwaves – as long as it fits in one small pick-up truck
• a community free pile – for things that could be reused – this stuff will be thrown in the dumpsters at the end of the day

In the dumpsters:

Accepting “Household” items only: 

• Mattresses, box springs, and bed frames
• Styrofoam
• Furniture (couch, table, chair)
• Small appliances (toaster, vacuum, microwave)
• Appliances without Freon
• Treated lumber & wood stumps
• Other oversized items too large curbside garbage container

Free area:

• Usable household items can be placed in a designated Free Area to start their next life in a new home.

Not Accepted:

“Dumpster Days” are community waste collection events for items that don’t fit, or aren’t allowed, in curbside waste bins. This is our second such event in 2026.

Eliot Dumpster Day 2026 (Part II) Details

Date: Saturday, September 26

Location: Legacy Emanuel Visitor Parking Lot, N Vancouver and N Graham Sts

Items accepted 10am – 2pm (or until dumpsters full)

Donations via cash, CashApp, Venmo or Paypal.
Suggested donations: $20 for a car, $40 for full pick-up trucks.

No commercial vehicles, such as box trucks, please.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Accepting “Household” items only: 

• Mattresses, box springs, and bed frames
• Furniture (couch, table, chair)
• Small appliances (toaster, vacuum, microwave)
• Treated lumber & wood stumps
• Other oversized items too large curbside garbage container

Free area:

• Usable household items can be placed in a designated Free Area to start their next life in a new home.

Not Accepted:

• Tires
• TVs & other electronics
• Appliances with freon (air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers)
• Construction materials
• Batteries
• Paint
• Propane tanks
• Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, poisons, antifreeze, thinners & solvents, household cleaners and other chemicals
• CFL light bulbs
• Car brakes and linings
• Yard waste
• Other hazardous waste
• No contractors

Our 8/12 meeting will include:

• A conversation with a representative from the Portland Bureau of Transportation about the Zone V Parking Permit Program

It’s raining plums and apples!

Have an overabundant fruit tree? Hop on the Portland Fruit Tree Project website and register your fruit trees for a harvest —or drop off harvested fruit using their easy, DIY, at-your-convenience process. Then they’ll get the fruit out to the community! Learn more here: https://portlandfruit.org/share/

Or… looking for ways to up your fruit tree game? Portland Fruit Tree Project offers full price, discounted, and free fruit tree care services as well as free educational opportunities so you can DIY. Despite their name, they can help with ALL fruity plants including trees, shrubs, and vines. Learn more: https://portlandfruit.org/tree-care/

#keepportlandabundant #keepportlandfruity

This article first appeared in the Eliot News! There will be another issue in September. The Eliot NA wants you to know that we are here to support your block party! Sign up here for a low-effort non-competitive $100 grant! or reach out to board@eliotneighborhood.org.


By Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns & Allan Rudwick

How did my family end up with over 40 people mixing and mingling on the street in front of our home last night?
Easy: I just hit “print.”

I printed out a rough-and-ready invitation to a block party in front of our home and the rest of the plan came together once things were set in motion. Hitting that print button and stuffing our invitations into mailboxes may not seem like a big deal, but it was really the biggest hurdle for me: It was the point of no return.

Once we did that, we were committed to seeing the party through and we’re so glad that we did. We had no idea how many people would show up, but we knew that there would at least be a few of our closest neighbors there.

Our neighbors, some of whom have lived in our neighborhood for over 40 years, said that it was the first block party that they could remember. Some neighbors recalled that they would meet up for a bonfire and fireworks at Halloween, but this was the first party where everyone was invited and so many people attended. One couple moved their 38th anniversary dinner to the night before so they could attend. Another family celebrated their father’s 59th birthday with cake for all of us, and another grandmother invited her grandkids over just so they could be there for it. One of our older neighbors, who doesn’t get out as often these days because of her husband’s health needs, said she looked at the invite and said to him, “I’m going to this whether you come with me or not!” And so he came with his walker and held court with stories and quips to keep us all entertained. An enduring image for me of the night was another older couple walking up the street carrying a pair of lawn chairs between them. The common refrain, when everyone was heading home, was, “Let’s do this again—and soon!” That was music to my ears and all the encouragement I need to plan for a Fall-themed block party.

Are you wondering how you can do something similar?
There are so many guides out there (I’ve read several of them over the years), but I realized that it was not a lack of information that was holding me back. I was waiting for perfection, and that was the problem. I was waiting for a group to come together to apply for a community grant. I was waiting for our conversations with neighbors who agreed that “we should do something” to mature into a full-fledged party. I was waiting for what I’d seen in photos and stories of neighborhood parties that were happening for the 30th year in a row with bouncy castles, petting zoos, and stilt walkers.

I would still be waiting if I hadn’t hit “print.“

Yes, we had to scramble once our initial estimate of 15 people grew to over 40 as the RSVPs rolled in last minute. And, ok, we were aware that our “unofficial” street closure wasn’t exactly by the book. And sure, we ran out of forks and bowls and people were eating birthday cake off of napkins with their hands. But by the time 9 p.m. came and folks were still sticking around, I knew that we were onto something great.

What would you like to see in your neighborhood? Make an invitation, hit “print,” and figure everything else out as you go! You’ll be glad you did.

The Eliot Neighborhood Association Board wants give small grants (up to $100) to neighbors who want to host a block party or other outdoor event in the neighborhood.

Because we know that the foundation of neighborhoods is actual neighbors, we want to do what we can to encourage people meet their neighbors.

Join us for a free community event at Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School on August 8th, 11am–2pm, featuring a giveaway of 200 backpacks and school supplies, a food bank, BBQ, and fun activities for youth.

The event is hosted by First AME Zion Church, Clara Peoples Satellite Food Pantry, Cascade Pacific Council, Scouting America, and the Order of the Arrow Cascadia Chapter.