Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area’s newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, please click here.

APRIL TOPICS

Culinary Tourism – Exploring Cheese Frontiers

Craft Beer News – Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery Wins a Gold Medal

Family Travel – Robots Invade Portland

Culinary Tourism – Portland Farmers Market Prepares for 2006 Season

Exploring Cheese Frontiers

Imagine 700 artisanal cheeses complemented by Oregon wine and craft beer. Sounds like a dream come true for cheese lovers across the nation. That dream will be realized this summer in Portland at the American Cheese Society’s 23rd Annual Conference: Exploring Cheese Frontiers. For the general public, the highlight of the conference is the much anticipated Festival of Cheese, a showcase for hundreds of artisanal and specialty cheeses – all available for tasting. The Festival of Cheese takes place at the Portland Hilton Hotel on July 22, 4-9 p.m. Ardent “fromage-ophiles” can build on the experience by purchasing an all-day “Cheese Enthusiast” ticket ($225 per person). This all-day pass provides entry to the Chef Cheese Cook-off (8:30-10 a.m.), a variety of “cheesy” seminars (throughout the day) and, of course, the Festival of Cheese. For more information on the event, visit www.cheesesociety.org.

Media Contact: Lisa Hill, Broussard Hill Communications, 503.327.8328, lisa@broussardhill.com

Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery Wins Gold a Medal

BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, recently picked up a gold medal for its BridgePort India Pale Ale from representatives of the Brewing Industry International Awards (BIAA) competition. Although the BIAA award winners were announced last fall in Munich, the winners’ medals were distributed just last month at a special ceremony in London. A BIAA medal is one of the brewing industry’s most coveted honors, and the competition is intense. BridgePort’s medal was in the International Ale Competition category, which attracted 140 entrants. Overall, 752 beers from 43 countries competed. Visitors to Portland can sample this award-winning IPA at BridgePort BrewPub & Bakery, which is located in Portland’s Pearl District at 1313 N.W. Marshall St. For more information on BridgePort, visit www.bridgeportbrew.com.

Media Contact: Chris Crabb, Crabbsoup Public Relations, 503.314.7583, crabbsoup@comcast.net

Robot’s Invade Portland

The popular Robots and Us exhibition opens at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on May 27. Robots offers a fun, hands-on look at how biology and engineering are coming together to close the gap between technical reality and science fiction. With its please-touch exhibit components and

computer interactives, the exhibition provides insight into what robots are doing now, as well as their possible roles in the future. Robots and Us runs through Sept. 4, 2006. For more information on OMSI, visit www.omsi.edu.

Media Contact: Elaina Medina, OMSI, 503.797.4537, emedina@omsi.edu

Portland Farmers Market Prepares for 2006 Season

With spring just around the corner, the Portland Farmers Market is preparing to once again bring fresh produce, flowers, breads, seafood and more to the city’s urban core. Three of the market locations – the market on the downtown campus of Portland State University (Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.), the market at the Ecotrust building in the Pearl District (Thursdays, 3:30-7:30 p.m.) and the market adjacent to the Portland Art Museum (Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) – are all easy for visitors to reach via the Portland Streetcar. They are also within walking distance of most downtown hotels. For more information on the markets, special events and chef demonstrations, visit www.portlandfarmersmarket.org.

Media Contact: Amy Brown, Seed P.R., 503.341.3795, amyb@seed-pr.com