It’s a weekend of concerts and performances for every musical and artistic taste (plus the opening celebration for the Kenton Library, Multnomah County’s newest branch, on Saturday; click here for details!). You’ll find a sampling of upcoming performances below. For a complete list of daily events, check our online calendar.

MUSIC:

An Epic Evening. Metropolitan Youth Symphony performs. 7:30 pm Mar. 12. $15.25 to $41.50, plus service charge. Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway. 503-239-4566. playmys.org.

Family Fridays Concert. In Mulieribus, female vocal ensemble, performs. 7:15 pm Mar. 12. $5 person, $15/family. Community Music Center, More…

We don’t like to brag – as a general rule – but we’re so proud right now we just have to share. Metro Parent won ten awards – including first place in the top editorial category, Overall Writing! – in Parenting Publications of America (PPA) 2010 Editorial and Design Excellence Competition. In addition to the Gold for Overall Writing, we garnered Silver awards in Overall Reporting and in Ancillary Overall Writing for our supplemental issue Your Baby & You, and four of our wonderful writers (Teresa Carson, Anne Laufe, Emily Puro and Marie Sherlock) earned individual awards – two Golds, two Silvers and three Bronzes.

PPA is a national trade association of regional parenting publications with over 120 member publications across the country. Each year, More…

In our March issue, Dr. Edward Guillery of the Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel offers ten simple tips for parents who want to protect their children against childhood obesity. In tip #7 he writes, “Limit or eliminate snacks. School-age children will not drop dead from starvation if they haven’t eaten in four hours! They may whine, and I know how hard that is, but snacking behavior is just that – learned behavior that can be modified.”

Dr. Guillery’s recommendations are more timely than even we had known, as a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs shows 27 percent of children’s daily calories come from snacks. These snacks, more often than not, More…

The first weekend of March is filled with a diverse array of indoor and outdoor activities for all ages. Check out our online calendar for a complete list of events for each day. Here are a few intriguing options to jump start your planning:

ALL WEEKEND:

Snow Shoe with a Ranger. Tromp around 3.5 miles with a ranger and learn about the forest and history. Free. March 5 and 7, 10 am at Glade Trail, meet outside Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum, 88900 E Government Camp Loop, Government Camp. 1 pm at Trillium Lake Trail, meet at Snow-Park, 2.5 miles E of Timberline Road off Hwy. 26. 503-622-3191. www.fs.fed.us/r6/.

Ski with a Ranger. Take a guided ski tour More…

GSP and FAIS students practice for their benefit concert on March 4.

When students at the German American School of Portland (GSP) heard about January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, they asked themselves and their Head of School, “What can we do to help?” Brainstorming with students from the French American International School (FAIS), and music teachers Nathan Conant and David Olson, they decided to hold a joint benefit concert.

That concert is scheduled for Thursday, March 4 at 1:20 pm.

Both schools strive to teach cross cultural awareness and make students aware of global issues. “Our kids are More…

Our March issue is hitting the stands this week and it’s packed with important information on health and education as well as some great ideas for Spring Break Family Fun! Our Ages & Stages feature focuses on childhood obesity, a serious medical and emotional issue affecting children of all ages and one that parents can have a huge impact in resolving. We offer advice for every stage More…

This weekend, you can walk with the dinosaurs at the Rose Garden, hike with the birds at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge or Smith & Bybee Wetlands, or rock out with The Builders and The Butchers at a family-friendly You Who concert. It’s your last chance to welcome the Year of the Tiger at the Chinese Garden, too. As always, you’ll find a full listing of daily events on our online calendar.

Here’s a round-up of our picks for this weekend:

ALL WEEKEND

Walking with Dinosaurs. Life-sized dinos roar and roam the arena. More…