Service on the enhanced bus line between Portland and Gresham begins Sunday, Sept. 18. TriMet will open its first FX — Frequent Express — bus line
TriMet will open its first FX — Frequent Express — bus line between Portland and Gresham on Sunday, Sept. 18.
TriMet FX will be a new type of improved bus service that will be faster and more reliable than standard bus service. To celebrate the launch of its first FX line — FX2-Division — and this historic new service, TriMet will host a grand opening the day before, on Saturday, Sept. 17. It’ll be a family-friendly event open to the public to celebrate community and culture. During the celebration, free rides will be provided on its new, longer, green FX buses.
Festivals will be held at three locations along the route, with the earliest one starting at 11 a.m. and the latest open until 5 p.m. The festivals will feature food, arts, live music, multicultural presentations, special promotions and more. Admission to the sites is free.
“We hope to see everyone come out for this fun, free and family-friendly celebration as we commemorate what really is a new and exciting type of bus service for TriMet,” said Lonny Nielsen, TriMet marketing and business development director. “Each location will have a festival feel that highlights the neighborhoods, cultures and diversity of the Division Street corridor.”
Each festival will feature local cuisine, live entertainment and a giant paint-by-numbers mural. There are special incentives to visit each event location, too. Visit at least two of the three locations to earn prizes such as a Salt & Straw 2-for-1 ice cream certificate for its Southeast Division location, a one-of-a-kind FX bus Lego set sourced by Bricks & Minifigs Portland, or limited-edition event posters created by artist Paul Lanquist.
Highlighting the three festival sites will be a chance to participate in a sizeable paint-by-numbers mural activity. Created by Portland artist Angelina Marino-Heidel, the mural is designed to unify the FX2-Division line with the community. Each of the large panels at the three event sites will be joined together and installed this fall on the Cascadia Behavioral Health building at Southeast 42nd Avenue and Division Street.
In coordination with the FX2-Division Grand Opening Celebration, the Division Midway Alliance Festival of Nations will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Planned Parenthood parking lot at 14601 S.E. Division St. This event is one of the longest-running and largest multicultural festivals east of I-205. This event celebrates the diversity of the Division Midway district, featuring cultural foods, performances, entertainment, vendors and community services.
Many businesses and restaurants along Division Street also will feature special promotions as part of the grand opening celebration.
“The Division Transit Project was never just a transit project, but a holistic community development project,” said Metro Councilor and APANO Community Development Director Duncan Hwang. “This celebration is a community celebration to reflect the vibrancy, vitality and diversity of the Division Street corridor.”
Sept. 17 festivals, features
• OMSI Bridge Lot: Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. This festival will feature the My People’s Market — a reimagined marketplace that brings a diverse collection of the Portland area’s entrepreneurs, makers and artists together, as well as food and beverages. Entertainment includes live music by local soul band Bridge City Revival. (2201 S.E. Water Ave.)
• PCC Southeast: Open noon-5 p.m. The PCC Festival Marketplace will showcase Asian-inspired food and entertainment along with other neighborhood businesses and nonprofit organizations. Summit Washu Martial Arts Academy and the White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance group are among the performers featured throughout the day. (2305 S.E. 82nd Ave. and Division St.)
• Gresham Farmers’ Market: Open noon-4 p.m. FX buses will drop people at the Gresham Central Transit Center, where entertainers will greet them. A special trolley and vintage bus will transport them to the Gresham Farmers Market. One of the largest markets in the region, it features local produce, fruit, flowers, nursery stock, handcrafted food items and more. Live musical performances include accordion quartet Paper Bellows and the Americana sounds of the JT Trawick Band. The market location is a short 6-minute, one-third-mile walk from the transit center. (401 N.E. Second St.)
FX-2 Division Grand Opening Celebration sponsors
Presenting Sponsor: Raimore Construction
LYT
Regence
WSP Design
NOVA Bus
ODOT
Metro
Mission Square Retirement
Landscape Forms
Moda Health
Kaiser Permanente
DKS Associates
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