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12 Year Old Portland Girl Creates Mermaid Beach Game
01/17/2012

Gamewright, a leading manufacturer of family games based in Newton, Massachusetts, is making a splash with its new 2011 game release, Mermaid Beach. The ocean-themed card game Mermaid Beach is invented by Portland's own Emily Ehlers, who was eight years old when she created the game. Now twelve, she is the second kid to invent a Gamewright game. Sleeping Queens is Gamewright's first kid-invented game, and has been a top-seller since its 2005 introduction. Mermaid Beach, along with seven other new Gamewright releases, will be unveiled at NY Toy Fair in February 2011. Ehlers is a Portland, Oregon native and lives with her parents and two brothers. She was inspired to create Mermaid Beach in 2007 when she and her family spent an entire year living aboard a 42-foot sailboat. "We spent several weeks sailing around Cape Cod at the start of our trip. That is where I got the idea. Because we were always on the water or in the water, I started thinking about what if mermaids were real?" says Ehlers. "We had a lot of time being on a boat, and I liked the idea of using some of it to make a new game instead of just playing the ones we already had. It was my idea to make the game about mermaids and shell collecting, but everyone in my family helped with ideas for how the game would work. My brothers Jake and Drew helped me make cards so we could play and test out the game. My mom and dad played lots of rounds with us and helped us work out the kinks." Mermaid Beach is a very splashy card game that features a colorful cast of undersea characters such as Swirly Shirley, Betsy Bubbles and Rip Ryder. Try to collect the most seashell cards but watch out for sneaky waves and icky seaweed along the way. Most of all - don't get caught holding the sea monster at the end of the game! "Because we are a family game company, it's always very special and exciting when we can produce a game that was invented by a kid," says Jason Schneider, director of product development and marketing for Gamewright. "From the first time we tested Emily's prototype for Mermaid Beach, we knew there was something unique about the game play and we fell in love with the silly characters. A lot of imagination went into creating this game." Gamewright, a leading manufacturer of family games, is best known for such household hits as Slamwich, Rat-a-Tat Cat, In a Pickle, and the Scrambled States of America Game. Gamewright prides itself on making games that foster laughter, learning, friendship and fun. Kids, parents, grandparents, and educators all agree that Gamewright makes some of the best games on the planet. For more information, please visit www.gamewright.com.

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Oregon Grinder Pizza Memories......
01/17/2012

My grandparents lived in Keiser for years and when we would visit from Eastern Oregon, Organ Grinder Pizza was one of our favorite places in the world

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Eat Your Berries! Oregon Berry Festival
01/17/2012

Your Mother always told you, "Eat Your Berries!" The Ecotrust event spaces in Portland, will host the Oregon Berry Festival, July 22nd & 23rd, 2011. Visitors will have a chance to taste and buy some of the season's best berries and also sample amazing products made with Oregon's berry bounty. Admission is free for all events at the Ecotrust. Hours will be from noon to six on Friday, July 22nd and 11AM to six on Saturday, July 23rd. This will be a fun family event with children's activities, live entertainment on the "Blues Berry" stage, a Portland chef berry cook-off and a chance to win a cargo bike filled with berry goodies and eat your fill of Oregon berries. There will be ice creams, pies, cobblers, jams, strawberry shortcake plus the unexpected taste treat like Marionberry BBQ sauce, red raspberry wine, cranberry chocolates, natural blueberry soda and much more. Visit the Oregon Berry Festival website for more information. They are accepting vendor, volunteer and entertainment applications at this time. Check back soon to buy tickets to the Gala Berry Dinner prepared by Executive Chef Phillipe Boulot and held at the Heathman Hotel on Saturday, July 23rd. The Oregon berry industry is one of the largest and oldest in the U.S. Four Oregon berry groups are joining together for the first time to promote their berries as "Oregon" berries at this festival. The festival is funded in part by a USDA Grant award through the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture.

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Pay-By-Phone Portland Parking
01/17/2012

Next month, Portland visitors and residents will have the opportunity to plug their parking meter using their cell phone. As a 90-day experiment, Atlanta-based company ParkMobile is giving the parking in the Pearl District a tech makeover which will allow people to pay their parking meter fee with their cell phone.

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Portland Insider Newsletter - Subscribe!
01/17/2012

Subscribe to the Portland Insider newsletter for the latest happenings around the city of Portland Oregon. Sign up for free.

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Craigslist Portland Oregon - Search Craigs List in Portland
01/17/2012

Search Craigslist Portland Oregon to find Portland jobs, apartments or homes, or anything else in Portland

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Bite of Oregon 2011 Coming Up Soon!
01/17/2012

The annual Bite of Oregon in Portland, OR is coming up very soon. I hope everyone has their feed bags on! ;) Get ready for August 12-14, 2011, as the Bite of Oregon sets up at Tom McCall Waterfront Park for cooking demonstrations, Iron Chef Oregon, food booths, wine, the beer garden and tons of other fun things.

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Falstaff Dark Beer at Organ Grinder Pizza
01/17/2012

When I lived in Eugene, in 1984, I went to the Organ Grinder for pizza with friends. What neat atmosphere, I thought back then. Falstaff Dark beer? Organ

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REVIEW: Le Bistro Montage - Portland, OR
01/17/2012

My review of Le Bistro Montage in Portland, OR. Read my honest review of Montage and then share yours.

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Portland Breweries | Breweries in Portland
01/17/2012

Portland Breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs are everywhere in Portland. Portland has more breweries selling to the public than any place in the country. Find a Portland brewpub near you.

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Portland Is America's Best Beer City
01/17/2012

Portland, OR accolades just keep rolling in. Travel + Leisure has just ranked Portland #1 America's Best Beer City. Congrats to us! Now, go chug one!

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It Wasn't Christmas Without Tom Peterson
01/17/2012

Ever since we finally settled down in the Portland area (well, Warren, ...close enough), when I was in the 2nd grade, I remember seeing Tom Peterson's

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Things To Do In Portland Oregon
01/17/2012

You simply can't run out of things to do in Portland. Better to get an organizer and check off the things to do in Portland Oregon as you do them all.

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Portland Television | Portland Oregon TV
01/17/2012

A look back at Portland television and the shows that made Portland Oregon TV cool.

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New Portland, OR YouTube Channel!
01/17/2012

I've split off my main channel into another one that cover nothing but Portland, Oregon and all the groovy things there is to see, do, eat, etc in the Rose City. I hope you'll check it out and please subscribe. Thanks! Link it below.... http://www.youtube.com/lovingonportland

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Tom Peterson Haircut Song
01/17/2012

I just posted on YouTube our family doing a lip sync to the song, probably in 1990. View it here Hope this can help you out. If he still lives on Mt

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Beyond Portland Oregon | Mt Hood, Oregon Coast, Columbia Gorge
01/17/2012

Beyond Portland Oregon you'll discover the beauty of Mt Hood, the Oregon coast, and Columbia Gorge

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The Romantic Oregon Coast
01/17/2012

The romantic Oregon coast lies a short 90 minutes from Portland, Oregon. The Oregon coast makes for a wonderful vacation.

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Portland Oregon Events | Events in Portland Oregon
01/17/2012

So many Portland Oregon events, so little time. Events in Portland Oregon means fun for the entire family. Enjoy Portland Oregon at it's best.

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December Gifts in Portland!
01/17/2012

Christmas events and free parking is all the rage during the month of December in downtown Portland. Come on down, have some great fun, and merry Christmas to you all!

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Portland Oregon Radio Stations | Portland Oregon Radio Online
01/17/2012

The Portland Oregon radio stations have a genre for every taste. Listen to Portland Oregon radio online and enjoy the sound of Portland.

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Portland Restaurant Guide | PDX Restaurant Reviews
01/17/2012

Portland Restaurant Guide provides real reviews of restaurants in Portland Oregon and beyond. Honest reviews from a PDX foodie.

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Portland Oregon Schools | Portland Public Schools
01/17/2012

Portland Oregon Schools provide a unique education for anyone wanting to get into a specialty trade. Whether culinary, visual arts, medicine, whatever, you'll find a Portland school to fit your need.

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Portland Oregon Restaurants | Dining in Portland Oregon
01/17/2012

Portland Oregon Restaurants have so much to offer no matter what your tastes are. If you love to eat and dine, you'll find something exciting in Portland Oregon.

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Portland Oregon Coffee | Coffee Houses Portland Oregon
01/17/2012

The Portland Oregon Coffee runs like wine! The nations top coffee drinking city, we have enough coffee houses in Portland to keep any caffeine freak happy.

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