A look back at the first-ever D1 People's Picnic
 Thinking back to the first-ever D1 People’s Picnic at Parklane Park still fills my cup because it was a moment that truly showed how our new form of government is showing up for East Portland. In 2025 – on one of the hotter days in August – more than 300 East Portland neighbors came out with their friends, family, and community to enjoy food, music, and each other’s company.
You really had to be there, but if you weren’t, here’s how the day went down (and what you can expect this year!).
My team came hours before the event to set up all the tables, chairs, games, and help direct vendors and organizations that were tabling. To be honest, we were nervous about the turnout. This was the first time we had put together an event like this, and the temperature was also going to be in the 90s. But when 11am rolled around, sure enough the first family walked up. And then the next one. Until our corner of Parklane was bustling with neighbors having a fun time. We had so many neighbors who live near Parklane come out just to see what all the festivities were about!
 Guests enjoyed bites from E-San Thai Lents, Big Dawg Basket, Los Francos, and L&M Ice Cream, with free meal vouchers guaranteeing everyone got a taste of East Portland’s local flavors. I sampled some tacos from Los Francos, and they are definitely some of the best in the city, hands down.
The park was popping with activities: there was a bouncy house, bubble machines, a free photobooth, face painting, balloon art, and lawn games for all ages.
Candace Call to Action: If you had your photo taken at the free photo booth you can find all the pictures here to download.
Under the pavilion, neighbors had the chance to connect with city bureaus such as the Portland Bureau of Transportation and PDX 311, along with neighborhood associations (Mill Park, Centennial, Wilkes, Sumner, and Russell), the District 1 East Coalition, Prosper Portland, and community organizations including Thrive East PDX, PIRC, Migrante Portland, and Friends of Portland Street Response.
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Now, no picnic could be complete without music and DJ Chaach delivered the perfect soundtrack, with songs spanning the best of our Latinidad. His set kept the energy high and feet MOVING throughout the event.
Special guests included Mayor Keith Wilson, then-Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane, D4 Councilor Mitch Green, and my fellow District 1 Councilor (and now Council President!), Jamie Dunphy.
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The day also featured the D1 People’s Choice Awards and the first-ever Honorable East Portlander Award, presented to Elizabeth Schulte for her creative efforts to keep neighborhood parks safe.
Elizabeth Schulte saw a problem: fires kept sparking in a local park. She took it on herself to place water buckets around the park so any fires could quickly be put under control, even consulting the fire department and learning that adding dish soap makes the water more effective.
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Through the 2025 D1 People’s Choice Awards, neighbors celebrated the businesses, organizations, and landmarks which make East Portland shine. Below are the 2025 winners, as chosen by your fellow East Portlanders:
- Favorite restaurant or food cart - Parkrose Coffee
- Favorite park - Parklane Park
- Favorite grocery store or market – Lily’s Market
- Favorite D1 neighborhood – Hazelwood
- Local mural or community art piece – Cultivate Initiative Mural
- Favorite local community organization - Rose City Reads
Candace Call to Action: To see a map of all the 2025 D1 People’s Choice Awards along with all my stops during the 2025 Constituent Days season, visit here.
Thank you to all the vendors, tabling partners, performers, volunteers, and especially to all the community members who showed up and made the inaugural D1 People’s Picnic a success. It was so meaningful to have neighbors come up and tell me that events like these – free, family-friendly community gatherings – are what we need more of in our part of town. I couldn’t agree more, which is why I’m working to make this year’s D1 People’s Picnic better than the last one.
When I was elected, I promised that our community would always be at the center of my work. And that’s not going to change as long as I’m in office.
Quick notes for this week:
- The Parkrose Enhanced Services District (ESD) is coming to tomorrow's (July 14) City Life Committee meeting, starting at 2 PM. For more information about the proposal, please see Historic Parkrose's Parkrose Forward webpage.
- Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14, I'm holding a Workshop with Me from 6-8 PM at the East Portland Community Center to talk about climate and health standards for Portland's largest buildings. For more information and the link to RSVP, visit here.
- On Wednesday, July 15, City Council will be considering our proposal to Save Our Services and prevent cuts to frontline workers and critical programs that Portlanders rely on. The council meeting starts at 6 PM. This is one of the last chances to give testimony about these cuts: sign up to testify or submit written testimony here. Tell your councilors to Save Our Services!
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