Peaches are in Season and at the Market.

This week the Salmon Creek Farmers Market will have peaches, plus a lot more! Every Thursday (since the Grand Opening on July 15) between 3:30 and 7:30 pm, the area just Northeast of the Three Creeks Library and Salmon Creek Fred Meyer Store, fills up with fresh produce, eggs, foods, music, and fun.

Fill your basket with all sorts of goodies, learn how to make peach crepes, listen to music, grab a bite to eat, and let the kids play at the Barnyard. For a full list of vendors that will be at the market this week, click here. And don’t forget about the weekly basket raffle! In fact, they’ve now added a $15 gift voucher in each basket good towards any purchase at the market.

If you can believe the weather report, by the time the market opens, it should be partly sunny and 65…

Oktoberfest is in September!

You don’t have to wait until October to celebrate Oktoberfest! The Sixth Annual Oktoberfest and Harvest Celebration is Shorty’s largest event of the year and takes place Friday, September 24, 2010 from 5:30 to 11:00 pm at Shorty’s Home and Garden on Mill Plain.

One of the best loved folk festivals of the Northwest,  this authentic German style Oktoberfest features true German cuisine, beer & wine, and showcases the musical talents of  Donaumusikanten (I’ve been practicing since last year, and still can’t pronounce their name!) – an amazing Bavarian band, straight from southern Germany.

The proceeds from this event benefit the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation and the communities it serves. Advance tickets are $15, or $25 at the door, and can be purchased at either Shorty’s location (10006 SE Mill Plain, or 705 NE 199th St, Ridgefield). But, they are expecting this event to sell out, so you might want to stop by and get your tickets sooner than later.

Eat. Drink. Enjoy the Gardens. For more information, call 360-892-7880. Guten Tag!

This post: “Oktoberfest and Harvest Celebration”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

Salmon Creek Burgerville Helps Moms.

Not that I ever need an excuse to head off to Salmon Creek Burgerville for dinner, but if you do, here is a good one: Wednesday, September 8, from 5 pm to 8 pm, Salmon Creek Burgerville is donating 10% of purchases to the MOMS Club.

Just mention that you are there to support MOMS Club, or print off and bring a coupon with you, and Salmon Creek Burgerville (13309 NE HWY 99) will donate 10% of sales to MOMS Club Vancouver. Gift cards, beer, wine and drive-thru are all included; just don’t try to order beer or wine while going through the drive-thru!

MOMS Club is a local non-profit that supports stay-at-home moms  and other worthy causes in our community. So head on over to Salmon Creek Burgerville and have a burger (or a beer) for MOMS!

Get Prepared…for Some Fun.

Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) is holding their Annual Open House on Saturday, September 11, 2010 downtown Vancouver at the CRESA Office (710 W. 13th Street) between 11 am and 2 pm to promote awareness of CRESA services, and emergency services provided by our local and regional public safety partners and volunteers.

Who knew being prepared could be so much fun (well, besides the Boy Scouts )? There will be lots of fun stuff and information for the whole family, including: K-9 Police Dog Demonstrations, Search and Rescue Dogs,  Fire Trucks, Police Cars and Ambulances, Face Painting, Balloons, Games, Prizes, Tours of 911 Call Center, Refreshments, Emergency Preparedness Demonstrations, Homeland Security, and more.

In fact, you can join in the current “game” going on right now! Visit the CRESA blog for more information on the “30 Days, 30 Ways Preparedness Challenge“. Any one can play along in this fun challenge, and the person who completes the most challenges wins!

This post: “Annual CRESA Open House”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

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.

This post: “Time to go Treasure Hunting”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

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!

This post: “Humane Society of Southwest Washington”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

For Wolfpups, of Course!

Ahh, the first day of school; fresh faces, new pencils and erasers, crisp, clean notebooks and a nice backpack to carry all those supplies in.  Unfortunately, that is not the situation for many kids returning to school this year.  Budgets have been cut in both homes and schools and many children will lack the basic tools necessary for successful learning without our help.

CrossWay Church in Salmon Creek wants to remedy this situation.  They are having a school supply drive, going on now, with the goal of providing 25-30 backpacks and required school supplies to Chinook Elementary (and others if we get more supplies) by September 4; enough time for the staff to distribute them to needy families before the first day of school (which is September 8 for the Vancouver School District).

You can drop off school supply donations at donation boxes at the Salmon Creek Farmer’s Market entrance and Barnyard: Family Fun Zone or at CrossWay’s Church office (1308 NE 134th St Suite G).  If you come to the office, please use the door at the back of the building.  Please contact Pastor Brad for more information. He can be reached by phone (360) 828-1633 or email brad@crosswaychurchwa.com.

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

- Whitney Houston, “Greatest Love of All”

giftSAC Puts the Green in Salmon Creek Gifting Industry

Sustainable, Amazing, Cosmopolitan. . . . . put it all together and what do you get?  Why, giftSAC, of course!- – a green gift service who’s mantra is “high design/low carbon footprint.”  According to co-founder and designer Chris Bennett, “GiftSAC is a green gift service celebrating the art and custom of gift giving with a contemporary commitment to sustainability.”  Chris and co-founder and creative director b. Hedrick do all the shopping for you from select green and eco-friendly markets, personally conduct taste tests, then custom design gift assemblies highlighting small, independently owned and/or local companies and their noteworthy artisanal offerings, creating the “giftSAC experience- Slurp (drinks), Chow (edibles), Immerse (spa).”  As b. puts it, “If it isn’t green or eco-friendly in at least one significant facet, it isn’t for giftSAC, PERIOD!”

In the spirit of the acronym forming their company name SAC (Sustainable, Amazing, Cosmopolitan), Chris and b. designed what they call “chic, couture, reusable burlap SACs” in signature black and this year offered in seven seasonally inspired colors including “holi-any-day,” chosen, according to b., “for its energy appealing to the full spectrum of holiday happenings from November through January!”

Though to date, their business has been internet, word of mouth, and special event based, giftSAC will have a regular Salmon Creek presence with their booth at the new Salmon Creek Farmers’ Market every Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 until late September.  Chris and b. will offer both gift assemblies, as well as SACs for “market go-ers” to shop with.  Says Chris, “This market is so ‘SAC-worthy!’

{Sacworthy (noun) def.- 1.that state of being wherein one is sustainable, amazing, and cosmopolitan 2. (slang) your #@$% don’t stink 3. envied, yet irresistibly beloved for radiating the world with eco-friendly fabulousness.}

What better way to celebrate all the fabulous finds here than to ‘SAC ‘em up’ in something that is not only Sustainable, but also Amazing AND Cosmopolitan?!

To learn more about giftSAC products and services, Chris and b. invite you to their website at “giftSAC.com” and to pay them a visit at the Salmon Creek Farmers’ Market.

More Fun at Salmon Creek Farmers Market.

CrossWay Church is sponsoring a free booth at our new Salmon Creek Farmer’s Market. Each Thursday from 3:30 – 7:30 p.m., parents and kids can complete a new craft related to our farmer’s market each week; paint and color at an art table; or listen to story time with one of the librarians from Three Creeks Library.

Your children’s safety is important so all their volunteers have been background checked!  Go to the Salmon Creek Farmers Market and look for their booth or check out their website,  The Barnyard: Family Fun Zone at CrossWay Church for more information.

It Could be a Matter of Life and Death.

Did you know that almost 90% of calls that Clark County Fire District 6 responds to are for emergency medical care, and 10% for fire suppression? Do you know the difference between ALS and BLS, and how it can affect you? Not quite sure what the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Levy is all about?

Then be sure to attend one of the EMS Levy Informational Open Houses offered by Clark County Fire District 6. The Felida Fire Station (11600 NW Lakeshore Dr) will be offering an Open House on July 29 at 7:30 pm. The Hazel Dell Fire Station (8800 NE Hazel Dell Ave) will be offering an Open House on August 12 at 7:30 pm.

Basically, the EMS Levy supports life-sustaining medical equipment and medicines that can only be administered by a Certified Paramedic. Our EMS Levy enables Clark County Fire District 6 to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) care by employing Paramedics (which we currently have). Please, try to attend one of the Open Houses for more in depth information, as well as having your personal questions answered.

Here are some basic differences between ALS and BLS:

*ALS- Emergency care provided by Paramedics with 1,500 hours of training
*BLS- Emergency care provided by Emergency Medical Technicians with 110 hours of training

*ALS- Can establish IV’s and administer life-saving medications
*BLS- Can not establish IV’s or administer medications

*ALS-Tracheal intubations and new airways in the neck
*BLS- Limited to external procedures only

*ALS- Diagnose heart rythms, increasing chance of early recovery from heart attack or stroke
*BLS- Serves as support for Paramedic

Clark County Fire District 6 serves the communities of Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek, Mt Vista, Felida, Sherwood, Lakeshore, and Fairgrounds.