The PDX Bridge Festival is delighted to announce the Hawthorne Bridge 99th Birthday Soireé, to be held December 18th at the World Forestry Center’s Miller Hall. This promises to be a very special evening with a historical “1910” theme—the year work on the Hawthorne Bridge was completed. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, a seated dinner with performances and musical entertainment, as well as a variety of engaging presentations.

The Soireé, held in preparation for next year’s Hawthorne Bridge Centennial Celebrations, not only marks the 99th anniversary of the dedication of the Hawthorne Bridge. It is also the inaugural fundraiser for the PDX Bridge Festival, a newly incorporated nonprofit with a mission to raise public awareness and foster appreciation of the Willamette River Bridges through educational, historical, cultural and artistic programming.

As the planning organization for the 2010 Centennial and the annual PDX Bridge Festival, we are proud to present the December event—which features audio visual installations and custom lighting to enhance the theme—as a preview for many more creative endeavors to come. Next year’s festivities will reinvent the Willamette River Bridges as a staging ground for individual works of art and performance. Presenting a diverse program of gallery exhibitions, speakers, musical events and performance, our goal is to bring people together in a spirit of civic pride, aesthetic wonder, and community engagement.

Tickets are available to individuals as well as businesses, per plate or by table. The event will feature cuisine by Simpatica Catering, music by the Saloon Ensemble (featuring members of MarchFourth Marching Band), a period trapeze performance by Sy Parrish, and much more TBA. Seating is limited to 250, and guests are requested to RSVP no later than Dec. 5. For an invitation to the event, or to find out more about the PDX Bridge Festival, please send an email to info@pdxbridgefestival.org

Thank you to everyone who joined us September 10th at the Old Trolley Barn under the Hawthorne Bridge. We truly appreciate your help in launching PDX Bridge Festival and the Hawthorne Bridge 2010 Centennial Calendar.

We were delighted to have Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and Mayor Sam Adams as our special guests, and their endorsements of the calendar and other bridge merchandise helped raise almost $2,000 toward the 2010 PDX Bridge Festival. We would also like to thank William Heinz of de Richter Productions who kicked off our fundraising with a $500 personal contribution.  Thanks again to all our presenters and artists for making it a special evening, and a special thanks to Tony Lester and Ian Cannon who allowed us to turn the Bridge Maintenance Headquarters into a venue for our event!