Apologies for the radio silence. It has been a very busy summer for me in a cycling way – not so much in a harp way. However, I am coming back strong. I have moved to a new home and am all pumped up to get back behind the strings.

West Coast Eisteddfod
Saturday, October 13, 5:30pm
Multnomah Arts Center
7688 SW Capital Hwy Portland OR

So, not only am I going to be filling in the gaps with some harp jams, they’re going to be closing the evening with a rockin’ concert with Sex Bomb, John Good’s Tramor and Chris Chandler.

In the grand tradition of  the Welsh Eisteddfod there are going to be storytelling and poetry competitions! (Don’t worry. You don’t have to speak Welsh!) If you’re interested in competing, check on the main event page for more details!

A pair of buskers called Olive Juice from Philadelphia toured the US this summer. When they came to Portland, I of course let them stay at my place. They got a hold of me through my pet project, PDXBusk.org. We jammed together. Here is a sample of one of their new songs.

(They nabbed me while I was working graveyard shift. After about an hour of practice. Not too shabby on my end!) 

Halley the Bicycling Street Harpist from Scott Batchelar on Vimeo.

Come celebrate National Bike to Work Day at a FREE event in honor of everyone who commutes to the Lloyd District by bike.

Bike to Work Day

• Complimentary Continental Breakfast
• TriMet Bus: sit in the driver’s seat to get the bus driver’s view.  Practice putting your bicycle on the bus bike rack without pressure.
• Grand Door Prize: Folding Dahon bike plus prizes from REI
• Free massages by East West College of Massage
• Music by Halley Weaver, the bike harpist (transports her harp by bike!)
• Free wrenching by Bike Gallery and CyclePath
• REI, Zipcar, Tour de Cure and others

Sponsored by Parametrix and Bonneville Power Administration

PSUs fourth annual Earth Day Festival, featuring food, music, and demonstrations of sustainable living, will be held Friday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Park Blocks of the PSU campus. The event is free and open to the public.

PSU students have spent the last three months planning the event to highlight student-driven sustainability initiatives that focus on eliminating waste, promoting renewable energy, and educating the public about “going green.”  Displays will include:
•    Rainwater catchment systems by Portland Purple Water, a company that specializes in helping home owners and businesses harvest rainwater for on-site use
•    Electric bicycles built by associates of the Endless-Sphere web forum, which promotes electric vehicle technology
•    Information from the anti-bottled-water organization “Take Back the Tap,” which is promoting the consumption of tap water
•    Free bicycle repairs from PSU Bike Hub, Portland States on-campus bike shop

This year’s musical acts include: Fruition, the Water Tower Bucket Boys, Empty Space Orchestra, Namesa, and Portland State’s own Green Note a cappella chorus.

The festival is the culmination of a week-long series of campus events sponsored by the PSU Environmental Club, Sustainability Leadership Center, and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation Grant.  Community sponsors include: Bob’s Red Mill, Umpqua Bank, Forest Park Community Credit Union, Unitus Community Credit Union, and Natracare.

St Stephen's Episcopalian Church, Portland OR

Playing in this historic church in downtown SW Portland is always a treat. Photo taken by Elly Blue during 2010′s Spring Bicycle Shrine Dedication.

“To hear and watch Halley play is to understand how beautiful a folk harp can be and what a serious musician can do with one. She has played twice for us at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Portland, OR. The first time was as a guest musician for a summer high mass; the second time was to provide incidental music for the dedication of our Bicycle Shrine on All Soul’s Day. The purpose of the shrine is to celebrate the joys of cycling, to pray for the safety of everyone on the road, and to remember Portland’s fallen cyclists. Imagine those three concepts put to music and you will understand the quality of her work.”
— Mic F, Portland OR, 1/21/2010

Into the storage closet, the harp trailer has now found its home for the next few months. Out of sheet music baskets, I am beginning to piece together this year’s holiday repertoire in anticipation of bazaars, banquets, art shows and the like to warm with cheerful, familiar tunes.

For those interested in sharing the end of Fall and beginning of the winter weather, I will be playing at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church right here in Portland, OR for their annual prayer and blessing for cyclists at their Shrine of Madonna del Ghisallo.

Please join us!

2nd Annual Bicycle Blessing
at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish

1432 SW 13th Ave
(SW 13th & SW Clay)
Portland OR

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
5:30pm – 6:30pm

Please feel free to bring your bicycle directly up the ramp into the sanctuary!