The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the largest performing arts organization in Southwest Washington, is now in its 33rd season offering Classical Concerts and Special Events through Spring 2012.

It’s a “Bold New Beginning” for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this year. Still providing world-renowned classical music and promoting young artists, this year they will also offer a Chamber Music Series and Music Alive!

“For the first time ever, we are excited to launch Music Alive!, a performance collaborative for Southwest Washington. This new initiative will elevate the arts and music through key partnerships with organizations such as Vancouver Children’s Opera, the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Columbia Dance and others, while providing an array of opportunities for involvement through outreach, education, entertainment and community. As a part of Music Alive! The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra launches a Chamber Music Series with more exciting plans in the works. More than ever before, The VSO is making music heard well beyond Skyview!” ~Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Concert Guide

Classical Concerts, held in the Skyview Concert Hall, will take place January 28 and 29, April 14 and 15, and May 26 and 27, 2012. The VSO Chamber Group Special Events will take place on February 3 and March 23, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church (309 W 39th St, Vancouver); and February 5 and March 25, 2012m at Zion Lutheran Church (824 NE 4th Ave, Camas). The 18th Annual Young Artists Concerto Competition will take place on February 19, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church.

For more information on upcoming events, including tickets, please visit the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

This post: “Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 33rd Season” 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!

The Goddard School, located at 13201 NE 27th Avenue in the Salmon Creek area of Vancouver, is scheduled to open summer 2012; offering early childhood education, and childcare, for children ages six weeks to six years old.

“The new state-of-the-art 8,000 square foot building is conveniently situated between Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital and Washington State University Vancouver, near the junctions of both Interstate 5 and Interstate 205; it has been designed to accommodate approximately 130 children from six weeks to six years old. The new school will offer flexible schedules for children Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Goddard School offers a year-round program where children are encouraged to develop at their own pace in a warm environment supported by a team of dedicated teachers. The Goddard School FLEX™ Learning Program is based on a unique learning continuum that encompasses developmental guidelines, formative assessments and child-focused lesson plans that are delivered in a creative and fun environment with a child-centered approach to meet each child’s individual needs.”

Michelle Solari, owner of the Goddard School in Salmon Creek, says the school will provide the community with approximately 25 new job opportunities for full- and part-time faculty members. “I am eager to welcome children into this nurturing environment with dedicated professional teachers,” says Michelle. “Along with our core curriculum, we include several enrichment programs such as foreign language and yoga which are specifically designed to encourage children’s lifelong love of learning.”

For an opportunity to meet the School owner and learn more about The Goddard School program, all are invited to visit The Goddard School table at the MOMS Club Preschool Fair on Saturday, January 21st, from 11am to 3pm at the Vancouver Community Library (901 C Street, Vancouver).

For more information call Michelle at 360-573-2466.

This post: “Goddard School to Open in Salmon Creek” 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!

Beastie Boutique in Salmon Creek is turning 5 years old (how many dog years is that?) and you are invited to the party!

On Saturday, November 19, 2011 Beastie Boutique will be having a birthday party between 12 noon and 4 pm.

“Help us celebrate by stopping by between 12-4pm. We’ll have a party with Twisty the balloon guy, refreshments, give-a-ways, discounts, Sam-The-Artist will be here to provide cartoon drawings of your pet(s) for only $20 and much more. We thank everyone who has helped us along the way.

This day also starts off our annual food drive for the Ani-Meals program. Please bring any donations of pet food or goods. Thank you.”

Beastie Boutique is a locally owned company offering quality pet foods, supplements, professional grooming services, and yes, even clothes for the best dressed pooch (or kitty).

Enjoy the beautiful campus at Washington State University Vancouver in Salmon Creek even if you aren’t a student. There are great walking trails, a Disc Golf Course, and Art Exhibits that are free to visit.

“An exhibit of large black-and-white photographs called “The InBetween” by Sara Yerkes is on display through September 15, 2011  in the Administration building gallery at Washington State University Vancouver. The exhibit focuses on the surface of water.

Yerkes is taken with how water responds to the wind above and currents below. Her photos show images of ripples, reflections and shadows in water. Using a long exposure, Yerkes captures the water’s movement. She says this technique softens the crisp distinction between water and air. The result is an image not seen by the naked eye. She also edits out much of what might give the observer clues as to where the photos were taken and frames the water in isolation.

Yerkes has been creating black-and-white photographs for about a decade. She has exhibited in California, Colorado and Washington. Her work has been published in the magazine Artifacts and in the Stanford University Continuing Education catalog. She was awarded the 2006 Pictorial Photo of the Year by the Channel Cities Camera Club. To see more of Sara Yerkes work, go to her website, Sara Yerkes Photography.” ~WSU Vancouver

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. WSU Vancouver art galleries are open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3.

Is the end in sight? Clark County’s second season – road construction – comes in to full swing this week as crews start the local roads paving segment of the Salmon Creek Interchange Project. According to a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) release, WSDOT work will begin July 11, and Clark County crews will be at it beginning July 12. Aside from long delays, what else should you expect? Long delays.

What can drivers expect?

Both directions of I-5 between NE 134^th and NE 179^th streets
Northbound I-205 near NE 134^th Street
Watch for shoulder closures during the day and single-lane closures at night for the first two weeks of work.

Both directions of I-5 between NE 134^th and NE 179^th streets
Starting in late July, crews will close two lanes and shoulders from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, Monday through Thursday.

NE 10^th Avenue and NE 139^th Street
Plan ahead for delays during paving on NE 10^th Avenue, north of NE Tenney Road, and on NE 139^th Street, west of NE 10th Avenue. Drivers will be able to travel through the area using the temporary one-way pattern implemented in May, with one-way northbound on NE 10^thAvenue and one-way westbound on NE 139^th Street.

Please keep an eye out for crews and take it slow in work zones!

What’s next?
WSDOT will continue working on I-5 and I-205 as Stage three of SCIP gets under way. Stage four, the project’s final stage, is expected to begin this winter. Stage four improves safety and traffic flow on the interstates and NE 134^th Street by building a new I-5 interchange at NE 139^th Street. Paving on local roads indicates that work is beginning to wrap up on Clark County’s portion of this $133 million joint project. Most work on the west side of I-5 is expected to be complete in late August, although weather and other factors can affect construction schedules.

So for those on the west side of the freeways, especially north of 134th around 10th avenue, prepare yourself for the extended drive to your next destination. Leave yourself plenty of time, and please watch out for crews out there.

The Pleasant Valley PTA, which presides over both the middle and primary schools, is organizing their 3rd Annual Family Fun and Fitness 3K Walk and Wellness Fair which will take place Saturday, June 4, 2011 at the beautiful Washington State University Vancouver Campus.

The event will begin at 10 am with walk registration and vendor booth viewing, performances by Pleasant Valley’s own Unicycle Team (which will also be leading off the walk) and a Zumba warm-up. The 3k walk begins at 11:15, followed by prizes, face painting, Groove Nation dance performance, and more.

The Pleasant Valley PTA is sponsoring this event to bring about awareness of the ever increasing problem of obesity affecting our nation’s children, and to encourage fun and healthy habits that start with something as simple as walking.  It also helps support our local businesses who are Wellness Fair Participants, and the event proceeds will go to help support the  SHARE program that helps to feed many of our less fortunate Pleasant Valley families and to help with grants for educational programs.

“Walk for Fun. Walk for Life.”

The Spring Carnival is one of Chinook Elementary School‘s most beloved events. It brings together the while community for a day of fun, and this year that day of fun will be Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

As always, the carnival is open to everyone and is fun for all ages. Last year’s event was a huge success, and this year’s carnival promises to be tons of fun with over 20 games, six bounce houses, a BBQ, prizes, and much more!

We’ll be updating this post as more information becomes available.

To make this year’s carnival a success, volunteers are needed at every level, please contact the Chinook PTSA at carnival@chinookpta.com to volunteer.

Pray 4 Mister Bister. The NorthSide Barber in Salmon Creek is offering Haircuts for a Cause now through June 18, 2011.

What is Haircuts for a Cause? Pretty simple: get a haircut for $10, and $5 will be donated to a fund to help local resident Randy Bister with medical expenses for cancer treatment.

NorthSide Barber is located at 1311 NE 134th Street, just behind the Wayside Market (home of the famous “Beer Cave ). For more information, give them a call at 360-573-7292.

“We’re going to the hospital” is not a phrase that makes me think, “Fun!”.  Well, Legacy Salmon Creek is changing that with their 6th Annual Healthy Kids Fair set for June 11, 2011 from 10 am to 2 pm at (you guessed it) Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center.

Keep the whole family safe while riding bikes this summer with $5 bike helmets available, or $20 for snowboarding helmets, toddler to adult sizes available. They will even help make sure everyone gets the right size and fit!

EDITH, the Clark County Fire District 6 Safety House, will be there. Kids can climb through the two-story house while firefighters provide safety information to help your family plan a safe exit strategy for your home.

Perform surgery on a stuffed duck using high tech monitors, get a thumb cast, get a close look at a police car (without being in trouble!) and ambulance, recycle your used/damaged car seats, and more!

Admission is free, but please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Community Food Bank benefiting families served by the Children’s Center in Vancouver.

Legacy Salmon Creek is located at 2211 NE 139th Street.

The 47th Annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands is on Saturday, May 21, 2011 beginning at 10:30 a.m; this years theme is “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

This is the largest parade in SW Washington is sponsored by Bomber Brothers Fireworks and the Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek Business Association. The Grand Marshals are US Army Sergeant Jack Carrier (Retired) and US Army Sergeant Brian Radke (Retired). Both soldiers are from Southwest Washington and were injured while serving our country.

The Hazel Dell Parade will follow its customary route, beginning at the Clark County Fire District 6 Station 1 on Hazel Dell Avenue, proceeding south to NE 63rd Street, up Highway 99, and ending at 78th Street. And while this is the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands, it’s so much more than just a parade and bands. There will be floats, horses, classic cars, political campaigns, and more, including bands! Lots of bands, from all over Vancouver and Clark County.

For the second year in a row, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition will hold charity run/walk just prior to the beginning of the parade, and following the parade route (2..5 miles). This is one of few courses that you can be cheered on by fans that line the streets from start to finish! This event is perfect for all ages and includes a collectible finishers medal, participant shirt, and a goodie bag with discounts to local businesses. The Parade Run starts at 10:15 a.m and will benefit the newly opened Clark County Veterans Assistance Center.

The Hazel Dell Lions will also be hosting a pre-parade breakfast from 7 am to 9 am at the Fire Station. $6 for adults, $5.50 for Juniors, and Seniors and kids under 5 are free.

“The Parade of Bands is a signature event for the Hazel Dell Salmon Creek area, but really serves spectators from Felida to Fisher’s Landing, from Woodland to Washougal.  It’s an event that all of Clark County and Southwest Washington can be proud of.

The Parade brings back great memories for participants of the past and creates new moments to cherish for many more. (Personal note, I still remember several years of riding in the back of trucks for my Hazel Dell Little League teams.)

So get there early to get a great viewing area along Hwy. 99, or wherever your favorite spot may be.  And remember, please support your local Hazel Dell and Salmon Creek businesses that make this awesome event happen.” ~Mitch Canton

This post: “47th Annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands” was originally featured at Hazel Dell Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Hazel Dell neighborhood, please visit Hazel Dell Live!

This post: “47th Annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands” 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!