11/01/2026
Portland is throwing a farewell party for 30 giant crows, and why am I over here feeling like we’re sending the neighborhood kids off to college?! 😂
I know. They’re painted birds. They haven’t helped me move or brought over a casserole.
But somehow these enormous downtown weirdos started feeling like little members of our neighborhood.
You could be walking to get coffee, having a perfectly ordinary Tuesday, and suddenly there’s a giant crow staring back at you. A little surprise tucked into everyday life.
I think that’s what I love about Portland. We get attached to the strangest things.
I emailed Sydney Mead at Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, and she told me something that made my heart explode.
People have been bringing them PRESENTS.
Buttons. Photographs. Feathers. Shiny rocks.
Can you imagine? Somebody looked at a giant painted bird and thought, “You need a little something.” And actually left it a gift. 😭❤️
Sydney says people visit at all hours. Six in the morning. Ten at night.
I keep thinking about those moments nobody planned. A photo, a kid picking a favorite, a shiny rock left for a bird that will never pick it up.
And now we’re saying goodbye.
But first, one last big party!
🐦 THE GREAT CROW FAREWELL
📍 Darcelle XV Plaza, Portland
📅 October 31 & November 1
⏰ 11 AM–5 PM both days
🎟️ FREE
🎃 Halloween costume parade: Oct. 31 at 2 PM
For the first and only time, all 30 LAIKA Wildwood crows will be together.
On November 15, they’ll be auctioned, with proceeds after expenses benefiting OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
I hope everyone who’s loved these birds gets to say goodbye.
And I hope whoever takes one home knows they’re getting more than a painted crow. They’re getting something Portland loved.
Which is a pretty wonderful thing to have in your backyard.
Now please tell me I’m not the only one getting emotional over a bunch of painted birds. 😂
And if you left one a present, I would LOVE to hear about it.
Love,
Larie ❤️
Wildwood Follow The Crows Art Trail LAIKA Studios
