Sabin-Schellenberg student table design/build.

Over the last year, Creative Neighborhoods has been developing partnerships with nonprofits and educational organizations—and this year at Pickathon, we got to see those partnerships shine in real time.

One of the highlights came from our collaboration with Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center. For over 50 years, Sabin-Schellenberg has been giving students in the North Clackamas School District hands-on opportunities to explore career-related electives. This year, a group of their students designed and built seating and tables for the Market neighborhood at Pickathon.

But here’s the fun twist: one of the tables never made it to the Market. The Pickathon crew fell in love with it immediately and decided to keep it in the production area. Over the course of the festival, it became a true centerpiece—hosting everything from team hangouts, to work sessions, to much-needed rest breaks. By the end of Pickathon’s 25th anniversary weekend, that table had seen it all.

For me, that table tells a bigger story. It represents the first steps in building a long-term partnership with local schools and creating real-world, hands-on experiences for students. These young makers got to see their work not just imagined, but lived-in—used by hundreds of people in the middle of one of the country’s most unique music festivals. That’s the kind of learning experience you can’t replicate in a classroom.

I can’t wait to keep cooking on new programs with Sabin-Schellenberg and our other partners for the rest of this year and into the next. Pickathon has always been about more than music—it’s about building community. And thanks to these collaborations, everyone truly gets to play.

—Matt Wagner
Executive Director, Creative Neighborhoods

**before and after with my dog Hachi**