Wednesday July 1top

Sisters of the Road Fundraiser

Sisters of the Road, a local nonprofit that helps out Portland's homeless, needs your help to keep the cornbread comin’. It turns out that donations tend to decline during the summer months, but the need to serve 300 to 350 nutritious meals per day to the city's low-income and homeless peeps doesn’t. So, Sisters is encouraging donations for what it calls Operation Cornbread. The organization runs a grant program that promises to match each donation 2-to-1, which means every dollar you donate will yield triple the funds to Sisters. The nonprofit hopes to raise $25,000 by July…that’s enough for a heck of a lot of cornbread. Sisters of the Road, 133 NW 6th Ave., 222-5694. Visit sistersoftheroad.org for more information. Map

Chicken-Keeping Class

Before you get a chicken, it is important to know what kind of gear you'll need so the bird does not peck your eyes out. Attend this chicken-keeping class and learn more than just how to keep your eyes intact. Urban Farm Store, 1925 SE Morrison St., 234-7733. Every other Wednesday at 6 pm. Appointment required: Call 234-7733. Free, but donations will be accepted. Map

Organic Vegetable Gardening Classes

This nine-class series, brought to you by the City of Portland Office of Planning and Sustainability, is all about making you an expert gardener. Or, at the very least, Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter of Your Backyard Farmer will show you how not to kill your plants right away, which is a problem some of us struggle with every day. (Don't judge me.) For info, check out portlandonline.com/osd/ugb. Beverly Cleary/Fernwood School, 1915 NE 33rd Ave., 823-7222. Every third Wednesday through October. 7-9 pm. $35 each. Map

Saturday July 4top

Aquariva Riverfront Barbecue

Nothing says U.S.A. like commandeering other people’s culture. Celebrate Independence Day like a true American aristocrat and go out for Italian at Aquariva. The riverfront restaurant skips the run-of-the-mill fare at its holiday buffet and instead offers more sophisticated dishes like chilled melon soup with crisp prosciutto and pork shoulder with black plum agrodolce. Aquariva’s location along the Willamette provides a great view of the Blues Festival fireworks display, away from the riffraff and rabble-rousers on the waterfront. If you want the glass you raise to America this year to be filled with a classy cocktail instead of an ice-cold Pabst, this is the place to be. Aquariva, 0470 SW Hamilton Court., 802-5850. 5 to 11 pm Saturday, July 4. $21 per person. Reservations recomended Map

Fourth of July at Salty’s

Stuff your face this Fourth of July at Salty’s. The riverside restaurant offers a hefty buffet of patriotic staples, including Southern fried chicken salad, twice-baked potatoes, crawfish boil and barbecue beef sliders. It’s all-American and all-you-can eat, complete with sparklers to light up on the deck overlooking the Columbia. Salty’s even offers a to-go option to stock up your picnic basket or feed the party animals at your own shindig. Salty's on the Columbia, 3839 NE Marine Drive., 288-4444. Noon to 5 pm Saturday, July 4. $26.95. Map

Fried Chicken from the Country Cat

When was the last time you went on a picnic? With its Fried Chicken to Go event this Fourth of July weekend, the Country Cat wants to take you back to the days of wicker baskets full of comfort food and blankets spread out on grass under the sunshine. Each order comes with two pieces of boneless fried chicken, a housemade biscuit and a choice of bacon-braised collard greens, barbecue baked beans or coleslaw. The feast is served up ready to hit the park. Call ahead to order. The Country Cat Dinner House and Bar, 7937 SE Stark St., 408-1414. 11 am to 6 pm Friday, 9 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday, July 3-5. $12 per meal. Map

Hotel Fifty Celebration

Don’t just pull up a chair for the fireworks on the waterfront this year—pull up a bed. Hotel Fifty’s river-view guestrooms are the ultimate way to watch those fiery explosions in luxury, particularly for our Washingtonian neighbors wandering down to join the celebration in the wake of the cancellation of Vancouver’s show. And with easy access to H50 Bistro’s outdoor patio, guests can enjoy great food along with the view. Hotel Fifty, 50 SW Morrison St., 221-0711. Room rates start at $179 per night, early booking highly recommended. Map

Clarklewis Outdoor American Dinner and Fireworks Party

The only thing you need to know about the Clarklewis Fourth of July dinner party is that there will be an ice cream cart, with four allegedly “fancy” flavors to choose from. It’s the adult equivalent of an ice cream truck without the creepy music and the intrinsically sketchy ice cream man. The dinner menu, which hardly matters when dessert is so promising, includes buttery corn on the cob with sea salt and roasted potato salad, among other highbrow takes on outdoor dining classics. Acoustic alt-rock band Sneakin’ Out will play a set during dinner, and the fireworks display commences at dusk. Clarklewis, 1001 SE Water Ave., 235-2294. 7:30 pm Saturday, July 4. $38 per person, drinks extra. Map