Yes, the “Big Game” is on Sunday, but there is plenty to do this weekend if you are so inclined to partake in other non-football activities as follows!…From Ryan: “We’re starting up the world’s first non-profit pub. Would love for you to share it on your site and get more people in the community out learning about what we’re doing and how they can be involved. We’re totally grass roots right now. 7pm Thursday night at our location and upstairs in the Village Ballroom. See web site for more details.” – 21st Cascade Festival of African Films begins this Friday, February 4th and runs until March 5th. Free and open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis. Friday’s 7:00pm screening of ‘A Screaming Man‘ shows at the Hollywood Theater. Please see web site for Saturday’s schedule. – 7-Eleven Grand Opening this Friday from 11:00am – 1:00pm with free grill items, Big Gulps and dessert. Catch the freebies at 900 SW 4th Avenue in downtown Portland.

Bonus: the first 100 people get a free lunch and prizes from Z100. – Portland Children’s Museum First Fridays free admission from 4:00pm – 8:00pm. – Re-New Year’s Prom this Friday at Artistery (43rd & Division), 8:00pm for all ages. Free, though a $3 donation will get you prom pictures! – Lawful Order ~ Special Puppet Unit from Portland’s newest unscripted theater company ‘The Unscriptables.’ The Saturday show starts at 8:00pm and admission is “pay what you want.” Repeats on February 12, 19, 25 & 26. – New submission: “Friends of Portland Chinatown is proud to present “Chinese New Year at Chinatown Gate”, an outdoor celebration at Chinatown Gate featuring lion dance performance by Minh Quang Lion Dance, large group photo shoots (in front of Chinatown Gate) for anyone with Chinese heritage or anyone who wants to be Chinese for a day, a rabbit costume contest for kids & adults (if weather permits), and hot Chinese tea/dessert (tang yuans) for everyone!

Friends of Portland Chinatown will honor Chinese elders who grew up in Chinatown at this event. Italian Bedroom Sets ManufacturerWe will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chinatown Gate installation in 1986.” Used Furniture For Sale In Little Rock ArFree this Saturday from 10:00am – 11:00am at the Chinatown Gate.Small Dogs For Sale Inland Empire – Chinese New Year Cultural Fair this Saturday at the Oregon Convention Center, 10:00am – 6:00pm. Admission is just $6, and all kids under the age of 6 are free. There will be folk dances, music performances, Kung Fu and martial arts demonstrations, vendor booths and much more. – “Game On” Zine release party this Saturday, 1:00pm – 4:00pm at Ground Kontrol.

Dance Dance Revolution and Street Fighter 2 tournaments! – Bank of America’s ‘Museums on Us’ gives all BoA cardholders free admission this Saturday & Sunday to the Portland Art Museum, Pittock Mansion and the Lan Su Chinese Garden (great timing to partake in their Chinese New Year events!). – This first Sunday OMSI opens its doors for only $2 per person…check out their newest exhibit “Design Zone.” the newest exhibit is Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science! – Super Bowl Sunday: Packers vs. Steelers, everyone wins if they go to overtime. Just be sure to register by Saturday night at the Papa John’s web site; if the teams are tied at the end of four quarters, registered customers will receive a free large, up to three-topping pizza. Please see web site for details and enjoy the commercials! Oh, and the game as well! – For more ideas on what to do this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog or PDXPipeline. SPOTLIGHT: SEARS OUTLET STORE

We recently stumbled upon the Sears Outlet over on 82nd Avenue near Clackamas Town Center. Half of the store offers appliances such as refrigerators, washer/dryers, stoves, dishwashers and microwaves with discounts that range from “eh” to “Wow, whadda deal!” Merchandise runs the gamut of refurbished items, returns, scratch n’ dent, new-in-the-box, one-of-a-kinds, clearance items and stuff that just plain didn’t sell. Take a wander around the store and you’ll find small appliances like blenders, waffle makers, juicers, coffee makers, hair dryers, a petite rotisserie, crockpots, fans, vacuums, steam mops and cupcake makers. Scattered about along the aisles you’ll find other random stuff: deck boxes, tools, tool boxes, flat screen TV’s, exercise equipment, housewares, patio sets, mattresses, bedding, bed skirts, bed sheets, towels, frames, home decor, etc. Fashionistas will want to browse the tore’s large apparel discounts of pants, tops, shoes, Juniors, Land’s End, belts, scarfs, purses, hats, backpacks, ties, skirts and other accessories.

Stock comes in frequently and you never know just what you might find. The Sears Outlet is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday from 10:00am – 7:00pm. Find it at 10176 SE 82nd Avenue. There is a second location at 4500 Northeast 122nd Avenue with the same hours.View CouponsBalance CheckFilter your searchFilter By Type of DealChoose a type of deal0000Filter By TypeChoose a type of card00Filter By ValueChoose a value00000Filter By SellerChoose a seller000000000000Apply Filters CancelClear FiltersRelated CategoriesWhere to Find the Best Appliance Deals & Get at Least 25% Off Every TimeThis review was published on May 30, 2012. Since then, this product may have been discontinued or replaced. Pricing and availability may differ from what is stated in the review. The LG WM3470HVA boasts a new feature called TurboWash, which switches up the spray patterns of water inside the drum in order to reduce cycle length. It just may be one of the most revolutionary new technologies from an appliance manufacturer in the past decade, and won our 2012 Best of Year award for innovation.

Most washers take close to an hour to do a standard cycle, but this one took 39 minutes. Sure, its overall washing performance proved just above average in our tests, but that’s like complaining about the lack of rear-seat legroom in a Porsche 911. If you’re the sort of impatient, high-strung person who tailgates in traffic, E-mails during meetings, and yells “Chocolate milk is for closers!” at your kids when they don't get their homework done on time, don’t even consider any other washer. Lots of buttons, plus bright lights and tiny fonts The wash selector knob is located square in the middle of the unit, on a surface that's curved slightly upward toward the user. This knob resets itself after every wash, so you can't just leave it on Normal in between cycles. All the other options are chosen on a secondary panel, which is very brightly backlit with text that's definitely too small for older eyes. Happily, a large door opening makes the LG WM3470HVA easy to load.

We liked the attractive finish that LG calls "graphite" too, but not enough to pay the extra $100 it costs over the identical model in plain white. The only thing that's important about this washer's performance is that it only took 39 minutes to complete a very respectable Normal cycle. Compared with that feat, nothing else it can do really matters. By contrast, the Bright Whites cycle took 79 minutes, used a ton of water, and didn't do as well getting stains out. For most loads of laundry, you could just ignore that cycle—along with all the others. Among all the options that the LG WM3470HVA has on offer, the TurboWash really stands out, too. It uses high-powered jets of water to change up the pattern of a cycle and reduce wash time significantly. It’s the default option on the 39 minute Cotton/Normal cycle, but can be chosen for other cycles as well. Best of all, our tests show that the reduced time doesn’t adversely affect cleaning performance or efficiency. We'll boil it down for you: Buy the LG WM3470HVA.