Southwest Washington’s Got Talent

Winners to be Chosen at Vancouver Sausage Fest.

The Second Annual Southwest Washington’s Got Talent Grand Finale will be held at the 39th Annual Vancouver Sausage Fest on September 12, 2010 at 6 pm on the main stage.

The ten finalists will all perform live onstage, and the top three places will be determined by a combination of celebrity judges, online voting, and the response of the live audience. The online voting has closed, so you be the judge! Who is it going to be: Fred Buehner, Katie Calkins, Malia Cortez, Kaity Jellison, Morgan Mollahan, Heather Oberst, Nicki Roller, Kirby Swatosh, Larry Taylor, or Rachel Tietz? Check out their videos here .

Southwest Washington’s Got Talent is not only a fun community event recognizing and celebrating our local talented folk, it is a fundraiser for the Vancouver Sunrise Rotary Club’s contibution to Santa’s Posse and the Vancouver Police Activities League.

The Vancouver Sausage Fest is also a fun community event that takes place every year the weekend after Labor Day; that would be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 10, 11,12. And while Southwest Washington’s Got Talent Grand Finale is, well, the Grand Finale, there is plenty of talent and entertainment to enjoy all weekend long at the Vancouver Sausage Fest.

Discount ride tickets are still available, and admission is just $2. Or bring a non-perishable food item with you for the Vancouver Fire Department, and admission is just $1.

Your Favorite Wine is at East Fork Cellars

Blend Your Own Wine Now Offered at East Fork Cellars.

I have a favorite wine, my husband has a favorite wine, my friends have their favorite wines; and guess what? They aren’t all the same wine. That’s because each of us has a unique set of taste buds that dictate sweet, sour, bitter, etc; so you are your own best expert when it comes to wine. With that in mind, East Fork Cellars now offers Blend Your Own Wine; I was intrigued, so I asked owner Jeffrey Waddell for some more information.

“Blend Your Own wines is a first in the industry where you can blend by the glass and have your special blend on file for future purchase (by the glass, bottle or case) . BYOW is very fun and is an interactive offering at East For Cellars… and the guest can blend their very own wines based on their individual taste. BYOW is easy and you can do this as a couple, or a group.” Even better, you can buy a bottle (or a case  ) of your favorite blend to take home. Be sure to fill out a card with your name and your blend on it, and when you come back to visit, you can order your favorite blend by the glass or decanter.

Time to go Treasure Hunting

Second Annual Camas Vintage Street Fair.

Tons of unique treasures are waiting to go home with you at the Second Annual Camas Vintage Street Fair taking place this Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 9 am to 4 pm, on 4th Avenue, between Birch and Cedar Streets.

Enjoy beautiful, downtown Camas and visit the many talented vendors who will be there offering many handcrafted and vintage treasures for your home. This event is sponsored by the Downtown Camas Association and  Camas Antiques, which recently was featured in Sunset magazine for its cache of cool finds.

“Camas Antiques also will feature a special weekend sale Aug. 27-29 with special gifts to the first 50 customers (Friday and Saturday only). Appraiser Gary Germer will be on hand 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 28 at the antique store, 305 NE Fourth Ave. So, get Aunt Viola’s ring or grandma’s rocking chair out of the attic and to Downtown Camas for an appraisal. Appraisals are $5 each with a limit of two items per visit.”

Visit the Downtown Camas Association, or call (360) 561-0600 for more information.

Step Back In Time at the Cedar Creek Grist Mill

It’s Cornbread Making Day!

If you’ve never been to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill, or just haven’t been for a while, this Saturday will be a great time to go! August 28th from 1:00 to 4:00 is Cornbread Making Day at the Grist Mill; they will be grinding up flour and cooking up cornbread in as many different ways as they can devise, and then sharing it with visitors!

Visitors will be greeted and given a “Working Tour” of how this mill still works today, like it did 100 years ago. Huge pulleys and belts spinning above and below are turning and churning to produce flour, corn meal and even apple cider (the last Saturday in October). These samples are given to the visitors for take home and a first hand experience of the products. No gas or electricity are used, simply mother nature’s water power. All that work here are volunteers and are more than happy to explain how this process works to any and all.

The drive to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill and old covered bridge alone make it worth the trip. It’s like driving into the past, well, once you exit I-5 at Woodland. The Cedar Creek Grist Mill is open year ’round, Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 and Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00. Visit Cedar Creek Grist Mill on the web, or call 360-225-5832 for more information.

Camas Washougal Riverside Concert Series

Final Concert of the 2010 Season.

Bring your own low-back lawn chairs and blanket to Marina Park this Saturday, August 21 for the final concert in the Port of Camas-Washougal 2010 Riverside Concert Series. Variety performers, the SlimJims, will be playing from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, followed by the headliner band, Southern Cross from 4 – 6 p.m.

“We had a great turnout for our July concert and anticipate a repeat for our final summer event,” David Ripp, executive director. The Camas Lions Club will be supporting this year’s concert series by hosting the BBQ and Wine-Beer Garden. Several vendors will also be there, including Maddies Kettle Corn, shaved ice and a coffee cart.

Marina Park is located right off Highway 14 at 24 South A Street, adjacent to Port’s marina launch ramp and Best Western Hotel. Adjacent to Marina Park is the Parkers Landing Historical Park, featuring a lovely Rose Arbor, information kiosk with panels depicting the area’s history, and a brick memorial plaza with engraved names of local settlers and pioneer families.

For more information, visit the Port of Camas Washougal online.

Time to get Hooked

Columbia Springs Carnival for Grown Ups.

“Let your inner child out to play at the summer’s best carnival for grown ups.” Columbia Springs fundraising event, Hooked, is Thursday, August 19 from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Enjoy a wonderful evening of live music and entertainment, delicious local food and wine, and a full carnival of fun games all in the beautiful urban greenspace of Columbia Springs. Test your strength to ring the bell, win a bottle of wine at the ring toss, hit the target and dunk some prominent Vancouver locals; Mayor Leavitt will even be taking a turn in the hot seat (or is that the wet seat?) of the dunk tank.

Visit Columbia Springs to find out more or to purchase tickets.

Ridgefield Heritage Day

10th Annual Celebration.

It’s time for some good, old fashioned fun at the 10th Annual Ridgefield Heritage Day Celebration this Saturday, August 21, 2010 from 9 am to 4 pm. It will take place at the Community Center and Davis Park (210 N Main, Ridgefield).  You don’t have to live in Ridgefield to come out and enjoy this fun, and free, event!

The days activities and events are about as varied as you can get! Here are some of the things you can expect: Pony rides and roping demonstrations, antique appraisals, art exhibit and sale, farmer’s market, live music, and a special Living History Presentation. Also on display will be antique tractors, vintage clothing, antique handmade quilts, Ridgefield High School Class pictures from every decade since 1930, as well as other photos and memorabilia from Ridgefield families. There will also be a portable scanner, so if you have some wonderful old photos you would like immortalized…bring them along!

And, of course, there will be food and treats! Cotton candy, Lions Club hamburgers and hot dogs, and the famous Church Ladies and their amazing pies! There are also local restaurants within walking distance of Ridgefield Heritage Day Celebration.

Humane Society of Southwest Washington

Join in the Anniversary Celebration!

Join the Humane Society in celebrating one-year in the new animal sheltering facility! Bring the whole family – furry and four-legged too! On Saturday, August 28, 2010, the Humane Society will host a free community event in celebration of one year in its new animal shelter in east Vancouver.

The Anniversary Celebration is free to public and will feature special adoption pricing, vendors, food, games and activities for the kids, microchip and vaccination clinics, a police K9 demonstration at 3pm and more! This event is open to all members of the community, both two and four-legged alike and shelter alumni are encouraged to attend.The event will take place during regular shelter adoption hours from 12:00pm through 5:00pm.

Since moving to its new 30,000 square foot animal sheltering facility last summer, the Humane Society has re-homed over 6,500 animals, coordinated several large-scale rescue efforts out of southern California and has begun to offer many new programs and services to the community including humane education programs for children and families, adult lecture series and pet loss support groups. Come celebrate a wonderful first year for the animals and the community and learn about what the Humane Society for Southwest Washington has to offer.

Of course, you could always bring home a new family member too!

13th Annual Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival

Bravo! Vancouver.

Hot jazz, fabulous wines, fine art, and delicious cuisine…experience it all at the 13th Annual Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival taking place in the heart of Vancouver, USA, Esther Short Park, on August 27,28, and 29, 2010.

This year’s Festival features a diverse lineup of American “jazz legends”—including blues, fusion, Cajun, straight ahead and contemporary bands. Local and regional jazz bands will also be performing, and the Festival’s Jazz Education Stage will also provide an opportunity for middle school and high school musicians to perform on the same venue as the Grammy winners. More than 20 bands will be featured throughout the weekend!

In addition to the music, the Festival features over 200 wines from around the world. Attendees can sample wines, or purchase a glass to sip while enjoying food from 9 restaurants. The cuisine ranges from Northwest to German, Lebanese and Italian fare. Art lovers can shop the 40 fine artists from California, Idaho, Washington & Oregon. “The Festival is a true arts festival, in that we present American jazz music, fine arts and crafts, premium wines and great food” says Dr. Michael Kissinger, Artistic Director. “Our goal is to create a rich cultural and artistic environment, a palate from which people can sample and hear great music, drink a nice Northwest wine, purchase a piece of art, and just immerse themselves in an arts-rich weekend.”

Bravo! Vancouver produces the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival which is “one of the most important jazz festivals on the west coast.” Advance discounted tickets are on sale now, but tickets will also be available at the gate.

Battle Ground Golf Classic 2010

Annual Golf Tournament at Tri Mountain Golf Course.

Save the date, October 1, 2010, for the 12th Annual Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at Tri Mountain Golf Course. It’s an 8:00 am Shotgun Start and finishes with an Italian lunch Buffet, Prizes and Awards.

The final entry deadline is September 24, 2010 (Early Bird Pricing end 8/31/10); and sponsorship opportunities are available.  For more information, call 360.687.1510, or visit the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce online.

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