Metro Parent » Contests

Win a Fabulous Birthday Party Package!

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:49 +0000

Drum roll, please … It’s time once again for our Fabulous Birthday Party Give Away! Many of our regular readers already know the drill, but for those of you who don’t, here’s the scoop:

Our February issue includes a comprehensive guide to local party venues and suppliers –- from simple to extreme, for parties at home and away -– so this month we’re offering our readers the chance to win one of 12 party packages donated by the businesses listed below. These range from complete birthday party packages to spectacular supplies and services that will make any party you host a success.

Prizes have been donated by:

Academy Theater: 7818 SE Stark St.; 503-252-0500; academytheaterpdx.com.

Circuit Bouldering Gym: 6050 SW Macadam Ave., 503.246.5111; 410 NE 17th Ave., 503-719-7041; thecircuitgym.com.

Dragon Theater Puppets & Princesses: 503-312-5979; dragontheater.com.

Family Fun Center and Bullwinkles Restaurant: 29111 SW Town Center Loop W., Wilsonville; 503-685-5000; fun-center.com.

Hollywood Bowl: 4030 NE Halsey St.; 503-288-9237; hollywoodbowlpdx.com.

My Masterpiece Art Studio: 7905 SW Cirrus Drive, 27G, Beaverton; 503-453-3700; mymasterpieceartstudio.com‎.

North Clackamas Aquatic Park: 7300 SE Harmony Rd., Milwaukie; 503-557-SURF (7873); ncprd.com/aquatic-park.

Oaks Amusement Park and Roller Rink: 7805 SE Oaks Park Way; 503-233-5777; oakspark.com.

Once Upon A Horse: Tualatin; 503-635-7403; onceuponahorse.com.

Oregon Gymnastics Academy: 16305 NW Bethany Ct., Ste. 109, Beaverton; 503-531-3409; ogagym.org.

Out of this World Pizza & Play: 6255 NW Century Blvd., Hillsboro; 503-681-8866; outofthisworld.net.

Rose Bowl: 3800 SE 164th Ave.; 503-665-2134; rosebowlpdx.com.

How to Enter: Go to metro-parent.com/contest and submit your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. You can also send your information to Metro Parent, P.O. Box 13660, Portland, OR 97213. One entry per family. See additional terms/details online at metro-parent.com/contest.

Contest ends February 28.

Win Tickets to the Cinnamon Bear Cruise!

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:36 +0000

The Cinnamon Bear began in 1937 as a radio series running from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The story followed Judy and Jimmy Barton as they searched throughout Maybeland for a missing Silver Star that belonged on their Christmas tree. The Cinnamon Bear and other colorful characters helped them on their journey.

The Cinnamon Bear still is a holiday tradition for families in the Portland metro area, with a special two-hour, family-friendly Portland Spirit “Cinnamon Bear” cruise inspired by the classic holiday story. Passengers enjoy holiday treats while the fanciful cast of characters entertain with storytelling, music and magic. Families can get their pictures taken with the Cinnamon Bear himself atop his festive throne.

This year, we’re thrilled to be giving away a family four-pack of tickets to the Cinnamon Bear cruise, which runs Dec. 3 through Dec. 27. Here’s how to enter:

1. “Like” Metro Parent (Portland, OR) on Facebook, follow @Metro_Parent on Twitter, and/or subscribe to our e-newsletter. (You’ll be entered once for each of these actions, so do them all for three chances to win!)

2. Send an email to contest@metro-parent.com with your name, mailing address, phone number and email address. Tell us which of the actions in number one you did (if you were already a Facebook fan, Twitter follower, or newsletter subscriber, we’ll count it!) so we know how many entries to allot you.

Contest ends at noon on Nov. 23.

For more information about the Cinnamon Bear Cruise or to purchase tickets, visit cinnamonbearcruise.com.

Tickets are $28 adults, $20 children ages 1 to 12, free for children under 1, and that includes one picture with the Cinnamon Bear for each child! Group rates are available for 15 or more.

Win a Fabulous New Parent Basket!

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:00:23 +0000

In our annual Your Baby and You issue, which is on the stands now, we reviewed some of the best new gear for babies and new parents, recommended by local retailers. Now we’re offering one lucky reader a spectacular prize package overflowing with the products we showcased!

Enter by November 30 for your chance to win the prize package, valued at over $400

The basket includes:
• SwaddleKeeper Baby Sleep Kit
• Hygeia “Breastfeeding Bundle” (includes a tote bag with milk storage cooler,hand pump, nursing pads, Hygeia gel pads and hand expression cup)
• Second Skin Sling Wrap
• ChewBeads
• Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath & Sunny Sunscreen
• Rileyroos Shoes
• Kool Kid Legs
• Earnest Efforts Wood Baby Rattle
• “Said What”
• Knicker Nappies Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces
• Boobie Blankies
• Knitting from Nature Hand-knit Baby Booties
• Earharts Hat
• Wheel of Responsibility

Enter today for your chance to win!

Support Mercy Corps, Win $20 at John’s Incredible Pizza!

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:00:46 +0000

A few weeks ago we asked readers to help us support Mercy Corps’ efforts in Somalia, where over 30,000 children have died in the past several months because of the country’s worst drought in 60 years. Metro Parent and our sister publication, Portland Woman, have pledged to match your donations up to $1,500, for a total contribution of $3,000. So far, our generous readers have donated over $1,000, but we’re eager to meet our goal as soon as possible.

To offer some incentive, we’re giving away two $20 gift cards from John’s Incredible Pizza!

Here’s how to enter:
(1) Donate a minimum of $10 to our Somalia fundraising match.
(2) Post a comment below letting us know you donated. (Be sure to enter your email address correctly when you post your comment so we can get in touch with you if you win!)

Only the first 20 people to donate (and leave a comment below) will be entered to win, so your chances of winning the gift card are 1 in 10!

Never been to John’s Incredible Pizza? Read a review in our July issue (page 38). And don’t forget to bring your child’s report card from last year with you -– their good and improved grades can earn them credits to use for games and rides!

We hope you’ll visit Metro Parent’s page on the Mercy Corps website and make a donation today. You may not be able to give much, but every little bit helps.

Win a FREE Women’s Wellness Exam from Sprig Health!

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:00:36 +0000

We’re partnering with Sprig Health to offer this FREE package to one lucky reader, with a market value of $476!

Your free exam will include:
* Basic preventive care history and health screening including breast and pelvic exam, pap smear, abdominal, heart and lung exams performed by a licensed naturopathic doctor.
* Reflex HPV test will be completed if indicated by irregular PAP results in any age woman.
* Discussion of dietary and hormonal health.

Sprig Health is opening doors and giving people access to the same doctor that their neighbor sees, without the need for an insurance card. They’ve rallied progressive doctors who want to cultivate a healthy community and they’re connecting them to proactive patients -– like you -– who are smart with their care decisions, ultimately building a more sustainable health care system.

Enter by Sept. 22 to win!

In the meantime, become a part of the Sprig Health community. It’s absolutely free to join!

… and the Winner Is …

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:00:29 +0000

You voted. We counted. Now we’re happy to announce the winners of our 2011 “Family Favorites” Reader Survey.

(Read our September issue for a more detailed recap of our survey, including readers’ comments and a few additional categories, beginning on page 30.)

Family Favorite Restaurant (Our “Happy Highchair” Award)
Our readers love their brewpubs, with Laurelwood Public House & Brewery (5115 NE Sandy Blvd.; laurelwoodbrewpub.com) earning this year’s “Happy Highchair” award, and Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell Blvd.; hopworksbeer.com) coming in a close second. Local favorite Old Spaghetti Factory (multiple locations; osf.com) rounded out the top three.

Coffee Shop
Indie coffee shops still reign supreme, with Munchkin Playland (18335 NW West Union Rd.; munchkinplayland.com) once again taking top honors. Café Sip-n-Play (3000 SE 164th Ave., Vancouver; cafesipnplay.com) took the silver.

Pizza Parlor (new category!)
Hillsboro’s Out of This World Pizza (6225 NW Century Blvd., Hillsboro; 503-629-8700; outofthisworld.net) ranked number one in our survey, with Papa’s Pizza (16321 SE Stark and 15700 NW Blueridge Dr., Beaverton; papaspizza.net) close behind.

Toy Store
The region’s Toy Trifecta includes the same players this year -– Finnegan’s, Piccolo Mondo and Thinker Toys -– but in a different order. Thinker Toys (7784 SW Capitol Hwy; thinkertoysoregon.com) grabbed the top spot, Piccolo Mondo (4768 SW Bethany Blvd.; piccolomondotoys.com) in hot pursuit and Finnegan’s (922 SW Yamhill; 503-221-0306; finneganstoys.com) taking third. But watch out guys –- Learning Palace (multiple locations; learningpalace.com) nearly broke into the top three this year with plenty of loyal reader votes.

Movie Theater
Just like us, you love the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark; academytheaterpdx.com) and McMenamin’s Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd; mcmenamins.com) for family-friendly flicks.

Book Shop
It’s Portland. Naturally Powell’s (1005 W Burnside and other locations; powells.com) took the top spot, but Annie Bloom’s (7834 SW Capitol Hwy; annieblooms.com) is much loved by our readers, too.

Birthday Party Place
The Little Gym (17890 SW McEwan Rd., Lake Oswego; tlglakeoswegoor.com) once again claimed top honors, with runners Club Sport (18120 SW Lower Boones Ferry Rd., Tigard; clubsports.com) and JJ Jump (9057 SE Jannsen Rd., Clackamas and 7500 NE 16th Ave., #2-D, Vancouver; jjjump.com).

Fitness Center
Club Sport (18120 SW Lower Boones Ferry Rd., Tigard; clubsports.com) prevailed, with 24 Hour Fitness (multiple locations; 24hourfitness.com) taking the number two slot.

Place to Swim
North Clackamas Aquatic Park (7300 SE Harmony Rd., Milwaukie; ncprd.com/aquatic-park) was the individual pool named most often in our survey, Portland Parks & Rec (multiple locations; portlandonline.com/parks) pools collectively garnered the most votes. The very big and very new Wings & Waves Waterpark (460 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville; evergreenmuseum.org/waterpark) also got a fair share of mentions, considering they just opened in June!

Indoor (Rainy Day) Destination
Once again, OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.; omsi.edu) triumphed in this category, with newcomer Playdate PDX (1434 NW 17th; playdatepdx.com) and stalwart Portland Children’s Museum (4015 SW Canyon Rd.; portlandcm.org) both ranking high.

Outdoor Destination
Two diverse experiences topped the list: the Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Rd.; oregonzoo.org) and Jamison Square (810 NW 11th; portlandonline.com/parks), in that order.

Family Vacation Destination
Sunriver (resort: sunriver-resort.com; area: sunriverchamber.com) edged out the Oregon Coast for the top spot this year, though the coast still made a respectable showing!

To read more about our Family Favorite winners –- including those for Ice Cream (Yogurt/Gelato) Parlor, Kids’ Clothing/Shoe Store, Bike Shop and Children’s Gym -– check out our September issue in print or online.

Be an Oregon College Savings Plan Winner!

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:00:53 +0000

Do you and your kids love reading? Love college football? Love winning? If you answered yes to any of these questions –- and especially if you answered yes to all of them -– the Oregon College Savings Plan (OSCP) is running two contests you should know about!

The first is their “Destination College Savings” summer reading contest, a statewide campaign designed to encourage kids and teens to maintain their reading skills by participating in Oregon public libraries’ summer reading programs. Parents, grandparents and guardians can register children 18 or younger for a chance to win a $1,000 Oregon College Savings Plan account just by signing up to participate in their local library’s summer reading program. A total of 15 winners, three from each Oregon congressional district, will be selected in a random drawing. And not only can your kids win, but each winning child’s public library also will receive $500! Visit oregoncollegesavings.com/news/reading.shtml for details.

OCSP also is trying to encourage families to save for college -– and providing some great exposure to Oregon university campuses –- by giving away Ducks and Beavers football tickets plus two $5,000 College Savings Plan accounts. Twenty winners – 10 Oregon State University (OSU) Beaver fans and 10 University of Oregon (UO) Duck fans –- each will receive two tickets to a 2011 OSU or UO home football game plus two tickets to Oregon’s biggest college football rivalry, the Civil War game on Nov. 26! All 20 winners also will be entered to win one of two $5,000 Oregon College Savings Plan accounts, one for a UO Duck fan and one for an OSU Beaver fan. Enter at oregoncollegesavings.com/news/football_ducks.shtml (Ducks fans) or oregoncollegesavings.com/news/football_beavers.shtml (Beavers fans) by Nov. 10.

Entrants in both contests must be at least 18 years old.

Last Chance to Vote for Your Favorites!

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:59 +0000

Sunday is the last day to vote for your favorite local family-friendly businesses in our annual “Family Favorites” Reader Survey! Not only is it a great way to support the wonderful local businesses in our area and share recommendations with other parents, but every reader who votes will be entered to win a fabulous Family Fun Package including a $50 gift card to the top-rated restaurant, a $50 gift card to the top-rated children’s book shop, a $20 gift card to John’s Incredible Pizza and other family fun items.

Categories include:

The winning businesses and destinations will be announced in our September issue.
Voting ends this Sunday, August 14. (One vote per person, please.)

PS: Don’t forget to enter to win a Justin Roberts concert package, too! That contest ends Friday, August 12, at noon.

Win a Justin Roberts Concert Prize Package!

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:00:01 +0000

Photo by Beth Blenz-Clucas

If you love music -– and sharing that love of music with your kids! –- you’re probably always on the lookout for great kid-friendly artists you can all enjoy together. Enter Grammy Award nominee Justin Roberts, who’s been compared to Buddy Holly, Nick Lowe and even Paul McCartney. Justin is heading to Portland next month for a fabulous family-friendly concert, and we’re giving away a prize package that includes four tickets to the show, a copy of Justin’s Grammy nominated CD Jungle Gym, and a chance to have your family’s photo taken with Justin after the show.

To enter, leave a comment below by noon on Friday, Aug. 12, telling us what musicians or bands you and your kids enjoy listening to together, and/or why you want to attend Justin’s upcoming show. The winner will be selected randomly.

Here’s the 411 on the show:

Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players
Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, 11 am to 12:30 pm
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave.
Tickets are $10 advance; $12 at the door
For more info, visit mississippistudios.com.

To learn more about Justin Roberts, check out a video of him in concert, visit his website, or find him on Facebook.

The Grand Prize package includes four tickets to see Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players on Aug. 20 at 11 am at Mississippi Studios, a chance to meet Justin and get a photo with him after the show, and a copy of his CD Jungle Gym.

One runner up will receive a copy of Justin’s CD Jungle Gym, too!

Contest ends at noon on Friday, Aug. 12.

PLEASE NOTE: The winner will be notified by email and must reply by noon on Monday, Aug. 15, confirming that they can attend the show. If the winner does not reply by noon on Monday, Aug. 15, an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

Vote for Your Family Favorites

admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:00:55 +0000

It’s that time again! Time to vote for your favorite family-friendly businesses in the Portland metro area! It’s a great way to support the wonderful local businesses in our area and share recommendations with other parents. Plus, every reader who votes will be entered to win a Family Fun Package including a $50 gift card to the top-rated restaurant, a $50 gift card to the top-rated children’s book shop, a $20 gift card to John’s Incredible Pizza and other family fun items.

Categories include:

The winners of the “Family Favorite” awards will be announced in our September issue.

Voting will be open through August 14. (One vote per person, please.)