L IVING
may 2012
lower columbia.
A supplement to
The Daily News
Local escapes t find your perfec ne arby getaway: ort, long be ach, westp e, portl and, se at tl e r the gorge and mo
PLUS: comprehensive list of the area’s family-fun festivals this summer
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L IVING lower columbia.
What’s inside Westport ................................................................................. 5 Clark County Scenic Loop ..................................................... 9 Seattle Center ...................................................................... 12 Portland................................................................................. 16
Great Wolf Lodge ..................... 20 Long Beach ........................................................................... 24 Tips on making the most of a family vacation..................... 27 Maryhill winery...................................................................... 28 List of local summer festivals............................................... 30 may 2012
Volume 1, Issue 4
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Lower Columbia Living is a special publication by The Daily News. Copyright© 2012 The Daily News all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written consent is prohibited.
WESTPORT 2 HOURS, 20 MINUTES FROM LONGVIEW (110 MILES)
A rural trip to the beach Plenty to see while driving through Pe Ell and Raymond to Westport
I
n these days of high gas prices, being able to take a trip on one tank or less is not just desirable but could be a financial imperative. On a recent Saturday, we decided to do just that, choosing a route to the tiny community of Westport, Wash. Located on Grays Harbor, this coastal community is about 110 miles northwest of Castle Rock. There are more conventional routes that involve taking the freeway, but we chose to take
our trip in more rural fashion using the Wildwood Road, situated between Vader and Ryderwood. The road winds its way through acres of farm land and several tiny communities, including Boistfort, Pe Ell, Lebam, Menlo and Raymond in the Chehalis and Willapa river valleys. If the smell of fertilizer isn’t appealing, then this is not the way for you. Follow along for some of the journey’s highlights ...
Story and photos by Rick McCorkle and Brenda Blevins McCorkle | The Daily News
The marina at Westport.
15.2 miles, Boistfort Although not much more than a wide spot in the road, Boistfort is the first of the small towns on the route. On this trip, we took our three dogs with us and, as tradition dictates, stopped in a wide spot in the road adjacent to the Boistfort Cemetery to stretch our legs and give the dogs water. We didn’t allow the dogs to enter the cemetery out of respect for those who rest there, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the sights at the graveyard, which dates back to around 1888. We both have an appreciation for the beauty of old headstones. On this day, bright white and deep purple lilacs bloomed, dotting the landscape with splotches of color among the somber gray markers. Refreshed, we continued.
37.5 miles, Pe Ell This small community had its beginnings as a railroad depot town for the Northern Pacific Railway. The tracks are now gone, replaced with a walking trail, but the town remains. Perhaps not as grand as it was at the turn of the century — when it boasted three dry goods stores, two general stores, three grocery stores, four hotels, a newspaper, a blacksmith and even an opera house — the berg has maintained a lot of its charm. On our way through, members of the Kiwanis Club and VFW were busy at work in the town square, building a wooden cover for the M-35 A1 tank that now sits in the center of the plaza as part of a veterans memorial.
The American Legion donated the tank to the VFW. One of the men working on the structure said there is only one other like it on the West Coast and it’s at the museum at Fort Lewis. When the cover is complete, the tank will be protected from the elements and illuminated starting at dusk. Behind the tank is the Pe Ell jail, also circa the late 1800s, and beside it is a wooden gazebo. The pleasant, parklike setting makes it a perfect place to enjoy a sack lunch about halfway through your trip to the beach.
48.9 miles, Frances What could be more perfect than a pretty little church sitting out in the middle of nowhere? That’s what appears once you hit Frances, where the Holy Family Catholic Church is located. The 1890s-era church dominates the hillside with its gleaming white walls. A few miles down the road, you leave Lewis County and enter the northern end of Pacific County. You’ll also find Menlo — called the Gateway to Pacific County — and the county fairgrounds. The fair is held there each year in August. Between Menlo and Raymond lies perhaps one of the oddest historical monuments one can run across. It is the burial site of 19-year-old Willie Keil, who was also known as The Pickled Man. In the mid-1800s, Dr. William Keil led a group called the Bethelites west from Missouri. Prior to departure, Keil’s son, Willie, died of malaria. Keil had promised his son that he could lead the wagon train and, in an effort to keep his promise, the
doctor loaded his son into a lead-lined coffin that was filled with 100-proof whiskey and placed it on the front wagon. According to legend, Willie’s presence helped to hold off a number of Indian attacks. When they reached the Pacific coast, the pioneers found a hillside spot along what is now State Route 6 and buried Willie there before venturing on to Oregon, where the group settled the area now known as Aurora. Willie’s resting place is still visible from the road, with the marker sitting high atop a hill, surrounded by a chain link security fence and watched over by cud-chewing black cows.
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81 miles, ocean in view At mile 81, we finally see the tip of Willapa Bay. As you drive along the highway, be sure to watch for the folks who park alongside and walk across with rakes and shovels. They are on a mission to reap steamer clams from the rich bay mud. Rounding the curves, eventually we come to Tokeland — home to the Shoalwater Indians. The town has the Tokeland Hotel, a landmark which began its life in 1885 as the home of the homesteading Kindred family. Right off the highway is the Shoalwater Indian Casino, which features a good Sunday brunch buffet for those looking for a hearty meal. continued on next page —>
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Further down the road is the city of Raymond, which began as a lumber mill town. The town’s major employers center around the lumber industry. Raymond has attractions, including the Raymond Seaport Museum and the Northwest Carriage Museum, but we chose not to stop on this trip. In visits past, we have toured the carriage museum, which includes both interactive and kid-friendly displays. Our favorite was Belle Watling’s carriage from the movie “Gone with the Wind.” Dotting the road into and through town are a multitude of metal sculptures depicting native animals such as elk, deer and eagles, and historical figures. While we enjoy the sculptures, every time our dogs see the metal deer, we are treated to a cacophony of barking. We haven’t figured out what it is about those sculptures that sets them off every time.
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The area between Tokeland and North Cove has long been fraught with problems linked to the marauding surf and has become known as Washaway Beach. A nearby pioneer cemetery, ultimately moved to the other side of the highway, was once innundated, resulting in coffins floating to the surface. Stretches of Highway 105 have been rebuilt over the years as the pounding ocean gradually eats away at the coastline.
103.5 miles, Grayland A popular spot for clam diggers and fisherman, the coastal community of Grayland is smaller and quieter than its sister, Westport. Campers enjoy the community for the Grayland Beach State Park located there, which has sites just off the dunes available for rent. We stopped at Grandma’s Treasure Chest, a small antiques store. The proprietor sells the only cranberry fudge in town — a family favorite. The town also features several motels, along with a restaurant, gas station and grocery store. There are multiple public entrances to the beach, some of which include restrooms and showers.
109 miles, Westport
Top: In Pe Ell, the Kiwanis Club and VFW are working to build a wooden cover for the M-35 A1 tank that now sits in the center of the plaza as part of a veterans memorial. Middle: One of the buildings at the Westport Maritime Museum displays bleached bones from a complete gray whale skeleton. Bottom: The view from Westport, Wash.
This community has more of a “touristy” feel to it than does Grayland, mainly because of the availability of a ferry between the community and the vacation town of Ocean Shores, Wash. On the outskirts of Westport is another camping spot, Twin Harbors State Park. As you head into town, you can also visit the Westport Lighthouse, commissioned in 1898. At 107 feet, it’s the tallest in Washington. Westport is well-stocked with motels and condominiums, offering a variety of places for travelers to rest their weary heads. We enjoy taking a hike down the town’s main drag, Westhaven Drive, which is right off of the docks. Charter services, gift shops, a bakery, candy and ice cream shops and restaurants offer all sorts of treats for tourists. You can purchase fresh fish right off the vessels moored in the harbor or set your crab traps along the walkway on the backside of the harbor. The town also offers a small aquarium and a viewing tower. Although not handicap accessible, the tower offers a birdseye view across Grays Harbor to Ocean Shores, as well as glimpses of the whitecapped Olympic Mountain Range. The Westport Maritime Museum is the former site of a Coast Guard station. There are five buildings in the complex, one of which displays bleached bones from a complete gray whale skeleton. Our final stop in Westport before we headed home was Half Moon Bay and Westhaven State Park. From the jetty which separates the bay from the ocean, visitors can enjoy watching surfers ply the ocean waves. We brought plastic zipper bags with us and, side-by-side with the dogs, walked the shoreline picking up rocks and shells to add to our collection. Our route to the ocean might seem unconventional, but it suits us. The journey takes a while longer than the usual trek to Long Beach, but the quiet and sometimes unusual beauty along the way make it a perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday.
clark county scenic drive 70 MILE loop
Explore our countryside Waterfalls, hiking trails, train rides, a historic mill and more are nearby
A
motorist’s first decision after deciding to explore the Clark County Scenic Drive is whether to take the 70mile loop in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Counter-clockwise is “official.” Signage, such as you’ll find it on the drive, exists only for vehicles going that way. Clockwise, however, might be
preferred. Much could pivot on the personality of the travelers and whether they want to encounter the most scenic areas toward the beginning or the end. First-timers short on patience – and willing to proceed without the help of the signs – are encouraged to try to the “wrong way,” which involves obtaining a map (available at www.clark.wa.gov/scenicdrive. html) and, perhaps, a navigator. continued on next page —>
Story and photos by John Markon | The Daily News
Walking out on the rocks at Moulton Falls Park along the Clark County Scenic Drive yields this downstream view of Cedar Creek.
Stage One: The best Travellers may want to enter the loop near the LaCenter (exit 19) on Interstate 5. Proceed eastbound into the town of LaCenter rather than going in the other direction toward Ridgefield. LaCenter offers a chance to stock up on gasoline and road food. Sadie and Josie’s Bakery and the Purple Bee Cafe are local favorites. Whether you stop or not, you’re soon headed east on Cedar Creek Road, one of the rural, two-lane byways that make up almost 100 percent of the loop. A turn on Mt. Etna Road takes you past the popular Haapa Boat Launch and a golf course you may want to return to play. Don’t overlook the quick right on Grist Mill Road or you’ll miss two of the drive’s most photographed features, a covered bridge and the old, wooden mill that gives the road its name. They’re right next to each other where Grist Mill Road crosses the creek. Feel free to stop for photos. The mill is open for viewing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (visitors receive a small amount of milled flour), but most of it can be seen from the outside at any time. The covered bridge isn’t particularly old or historic, but covered bridge fans and collectors probably won’t care. Eventually, you’ll turn south and head for the town of
When to do it: Late spring, summer, early fall... the “green-ness” of the Drive is part of its attraction. Peak seasons for spring flowers and fall foliage would represent prime time. How to do it: It’s ideal for a convertible or sports car. A 1960sera British two-seater – an MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healy 3000 or Sunbeam Tiger – would complete the fantasy. Lower speed limits on much of the Drive make it more suitable for a leisurely tour than rally10
style point-to-point. People live and children play along much of the route and you just don’t want to be going too fast. All the rises and drops would make it a challenging day on a bike. Cyclists who’ve only tried 70-mile outings on the flat may want to work their way up to it. Who to do it with: A date, a spouse, a friend. Maybe not the kids, unless, of course, the kids are into a peaceful, enjoyable ride through the
The Cedar Creek Grist Mill on Grist Mill Road in northern Clark County is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Yacolt. After passing through, take the turn-off for Moulton Falls County Park, perhaps the best picnic spot on a route that has plenty of them. Moulton Falls is more of a rapids than a falls, as fast-moving
country. Best side trips: Yacolt is the boarding point for the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, which runs outand-back excursions through the warm-weather months, primarily on weekends and holidays. The route includes a stop at Moulton Falls Park and a trip through a 330-foot tunnel. Tickets range from $15 (adults) to $4 (children aged 2-4). Access www. bycx.com for more information. Numerous parks are convenient
to the drive, including Yacolt City Park and Lucia Falls, Daybreak and Whipple Creek parks. The Henry Heisson (or Heisen) house north of Battle Ground is an excellent example of 1890s home-building but isn’t open to the public. Best meal strategy: Picnic. Mileage (to and from downtown Longview): About 120 total miles with limited side trips and allowing for back-tracking after a missed turn or two.
Cedar Creek rushes through a rocky defile without losing too much elevation. Scrambling out on the rocks is almost mandatory and provides excellent views in both directions. Those with youthful, “Are we there yet?” passengers will want to allow some extra time for fatigue-inducing physical activity. Not far south of the falls is a vintage wooden railroad trestle still in use. Lucky and patient railfans willing to wait out a stakeout will be treated to a sight not often available today if they catch a locomotive crossing the creek on a structure more associated with a model train layout than with today’s railroading.
Stage Two: The rest
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The remaining 40 miles of the drive are pleasant but less dramatic as the route rediscovers civilization in Battle Ground and heads west toward the Columbia River, Ridgefield and, ultimately, LaCenter. Battle Ground is the largest town on the loop and offers the franchised restaurants and retail stores missing elsewhere. If your motivation for taking the Drive, however, was specifically to avoid ducking into a Safeway or the drive-thru window at a McDonald’s, Battle Ground’s Old Town area has the locally owned alternatives you’re probably seeking. West of Battle Ground, the Drive is primarily residential. Meandering in and out of Ridgefield, you’ll get an idea of the character of that community and may be asked for a toot on your horn by a group of partiers on the north side of town. “You honk and we’ll drink,” read a hand-lettered sign that probably wasn’t being set out for the first time. A honk was appropriately rewarded with a bottoms-up salute from the homeowners, who were parked on lawn chairs by the side of the road. The Drive gets close to the Columbia River before reaching LaCenter, but the best river access requires a side trip into the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, where a historic, frontier-style plank home is preserved and an admission fee is charged. The drive’s last treat before returning to the point of entry is Allen Canyon Road, a sharp drop and climb that would represent a “final exam” of sorts for anyone attempting the route on a bicycle. 11
seattle 2 hours, 20 minutes from longview (128 MILEs)
Bright lights of Seattle Chihuly glass-art exhibit creates a must-see Seattle Center spectacle
T
he centerpiece of Dale Chihuly’s permanent exhibit at Seattle Center is a glass conservatory where visitors can gaze up at the Space Needle framed by 1,250 colorful Persian glass pieces suspended from the ceiling. It’s a quintessential Seattle scene — one the Space Needle and Chihuly corporations hope will draw 400,000 visitors a year.
Chihuly’s temporary exhibits, while popular around the world, have been squeezed into museums or worked into existing botanical gardens. In contrast, the Chihuly Garden and Glass, at nearly 45,000 square feet, was designed by Chihuly himself. “What I wanted to do there was take the very best from all the museum shows I’ve done over the years and add a couple of new parts to it,” he said.
Story by Emily Heffter and photos by Elaine Thompson | The SEAttle times 12
“I’m so pleased with the results. It was beyond my expectations, really.” Setting aside the controversy about Chihuly as an artist or his business acumen, the sheer volume of his work on display in the new exhibition is notable. His glass fills eight galleries. Some pieces spill from two wooden rowboats on a plexiglass pond. A long connecting walkway is decorated with seven of his giant trademark chandeliers. It’s a spectacle. On seeing it for the first time, it’s hard to remember what was there before — the tired Fun Forest, which for all its happy memories had lost its charm. Even those who have watched the daily transformation at the base of the Needle are awed. “It really is his canvas,” said Ron Sevart, president and CEO of the Space Needle Corp. “He’s always creating.”
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Hopes high at Center The $20 million exhibition, financed by the Space Needle Corp., is a “huge shot in the arm” for the Center as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair, said Center director Robert Nellams. “I thought it was going to be special, but I didn’t envision it being as special as it’s actually becoming,” he said. It converts the Fun Forest into a landscaped garden — which is fenced and part of the exhibit — studded with Chihuly’s signature glass reeds, fronds and sculptures. The glass house and garden are lit at night, creating what the Seattle Center hopes will become a beacon on the campus. As soon as it was proposed two years ago, the Chihuly project drew critics who said it was yet another paid attraction at one of the city’s favorite public spaces. Others criticized Chihuly as self-promoting and more focused on marketing than art. In Seattle fashion, a yearlong process ensued. Nine proposals were submitted for the coveted space. Chihuly’s project won the support of a citizen’s committee, the mayor and City Council. “What we heard through the controversy and through the process was just how important the space was,” said Leslie Chihuly, Dale’s wife and president of Chihuly Studio. The project had its fans and detractors. But in the end, it may have won for financial reasons. continued on next page —>
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Opposite page: Top, the ‘Northwest Room,’ including some of Dale Chihuly’s early experiments with glass along with Edward S. Curtis photogravures, Northwest Coast Indian baskets and American Indian trade blankets. Bottom: the Space Needle rises above the walls and ceiling of the ‘Glasshouse,’ featuring a 100-foot suspended, 1,340piece sculpture.
At left: Dale, left, and Leslie Chihuly walk into the garden area and past the Glasshouse. “I think that it’s great that we’re going to have the infusion of cash that it will bring with it,” said Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden. “It, as you know, is going to pay pretty good, fairly hefty rent.” Under the lease agreement, Chihuly will pay an initial annual base rent of $350,000 for the site, the garden and an adjacent retail shop. After five years, the lease calls for annual rent payments to the city of $500,000, adjusted for inflation. The agreement includes an option to extend the lease for five additional successive terms of five years each. The $15-$19 ticket prices are higher than the $12-$15 the Space Needle Corp. estimated in its proposal to the city, but Sevart, the CEO, said the price is comparable to similar attractions. “The project has evolved,” he said, adding that the exhibit will offer free days. A second proposal to put public radio station KEXP at Seattle Center also was accepted by the city. The indie music station is raising money to move into the Northwest Rooms in late 2013 or 2014. In addition, the Space Needle Corp. is
committed to building a $1 million play area at Seattle Center. Work on that is scheduled to begin in the fall, after the 50-year anniversary celebration.
Gathering for a peek Now that the Chihuly exhibit is a reality, gawkers gather along the edges of the fence to photograph landscapers putting the final touches on a garden that centers on Chihuly’s sculpture “the Sun,” thousands of curly, yellow glass spires formed into a fiery globe. While paying visitors can wander through the garden, passers-by can see much of the outdoor artwork for free, as well as the suspended Persian glass, snaking along the high-ceiling glass house. The glass house was inspired by Chihuly’s long love of conservatories, his effort, he said, “to make something that no one’s ever seen before ... I just wanted to make it as stunning and as beautiful as I could.” Inside the converted (and unrecognizable) old Fun Forest arcade building, Chihuly’s personal collections offer
quirky surprises for ticket holders. Twenty-eight collections are on display in the cafe, where 82 accordions are suspended this way and that from the ceiling and one wall is filled with vintage radios.
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portland 1 hour from longview (50 MILEs)
The Lan Su Chinese Garden
Artlandia Adventure Take a day for a cultural getaway in nearby Portland
C
ultural life is singularly concentrated in Portland. Walk just 20 blocks and you can hit most of the city’s major museums, galleries and performance venues, plus scores of restaurants and cafes. Sure, there’s arts activity happen-
ing elsewhere in the city. But for the out-of-town visitor, especially anyone arriving by train, it’s a great feeling to exit Portland’s Union Station and know so many attractions are in strolling distance. Here are some highlights of what’s happening in the downtown core this spring and summer ...
Story by Michael Upchurch and photos by Ellen M. Banner | The SEAttle times 16
Museums and galleries Portland Art Museum: “Mark Rothko” is the big-name draw here, but “John Frame: Three Fragments of a Lost Tale” is the unexpected knockout. Both exhibits are up through May 27. The Rothko retrospective reveals that before Mark Rothko was “Mark Rothko,” he was Marcus Rothkowitz, and before he was an abstract expressionist he was a figurative painter. He came to Portland from Russia at age 10 in 1913 and spent about a decade in the city before heading for New York. In 1933, the Portland Art Museum gave him his first one-man museum show, and he had family ties to the city for most of his life (1903-1970). “Mark Rothko” starts with a rather tame still-life from 1926 and ends with two black/gray abstract canvases from 1969 that all but spell “dead end” (Rothko killed himself the next year). In between, however, there’s an energizing evolution of visual ideas, gradually morphing from fanciful, distorted figures to ever-bolder abstractions. By 1950, he finds his signature style: huge pulsating lozenges of color that seem almost to vibrate off the canvas while pulling you into shadowy realms. As illuminating as the Rothko exhibit is, the John Frame show is even better. Frame is a California artist who works with puppets, photography and stop-action animation. The show is theatrically spot-lit in the dim gallery. Oddball hybrid creatures made from found materials come to spooky life as a sound track scored by Frame plays in the background. The Portland Art Museum is at 1219 S.W. Park Ave. (503-226-2811 or www.
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portlandartmuseum.org) Oregon Historical Society: Located across the street from the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society features both permanent exhibits on Oregon’s history and geography and temporary exhibits. Among the latter is “Culture Captured: The Photography of Marian Wood Kolisch” (through Sept. 2). Kolisch (1920-2008) made it her mission to photograph and interview key figures on the Oregon cultural scene, including author Ursula K. Le Guin,
filmmaker Gus Van Sant and Portland Art Museum architect-designer Pietro Belluschi. Excerpts from Kolisch’s interviews with some of them are featured in the show. (1200 S.W. Park Ave., 503222-1741 or www.ohs.org) Museum of Contemporary Craft: A large two-story gallery with a gift shop and a studio for hands-on craft activities, the Museum of Contemporary Craft is located on the edge of Portland’s artsy Pearl District. Its big draw this spring and summer is “Generations: Betty Feves” (through July 28), a survey of the career of an Eastern Oregon ceramic artist (1918-1985) strongly influenced by the landscape that surrounded her. Feves worked in a variety of styles: figurative, abstract, refined, primitivist. The exhibit is brilliantly enhanced by recorded interviews with Feves and home movies of her making her “bonfire pots.” (724 N.W. Davis St., 503-223-2654 or www. museumofcontemporarycraft.org) Blue Sky: Oregon Center for Photographic Arts: Around the corner from the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Blue Sky is Portland’s headquarters for the camera crazy. Along with the monthly exhibits, Blue Sky’s Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers — a juried, public archive of original prints by photographers living in the region — are the big draw here. (122 N.W. Eighth Ave., 503-225-0210 or www. blueskygallery.org) Many smaller galleries are in the Pearl District. See www.padaoregon.org for information on exhibits and First Thursday art walks. continued on next page —>
Artlandia: A cultural getaway in Portland With a new Mark Rothko retrospective (and some even more eye-catching surprises) at the Portland Art Museum, Portland has plenty of visual-arts stimulation to offer — as well as music, dance, theater, literary happenings and film events. 17
Pioneer Courthouse Square is in the city’s heart, near museums and other cultural venues.
On stage Portland is a bustling theater town. Two picks: Portland Center Stage is midway through a run of “Anna Karenina” (through May 6), distilled from Tolstoy’s 800-plus pages into a threehour stage show by Kevin McKeon of Seattle’s Book-It Repertory Theatre. Next up are two musicals with AfricanAmerican roots: “Black Pearl Sings!” (April 24-June 17) and “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues” (May 22-June 24). (128 N.W. 11th Ave., 503-445-3700 or www. pcs.org) Artists Repertory Theater just closed the Northwest premiere of David Mamet’s controversial “Race” and isn’t taking it any easier by bringing the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical about bipolar illness, “Next to Normal,” to the stage (April 24-June 3). (1515 S.W. Morrison St., 503-241-1278 or www. artistsrep.org)
April 28. Titled “Chromatic Quartet,” it features a world premiere by Matjash Mrozewski, along with works by Balanchine, Wheeldon and Caniparoli. (Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, 888-922-5538 or www.obt.org) White Bird Dance: The city’s primary presenter of touring shows brings American troupe Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (www.lubovitch.org) to town on May 2 and French/Brazilian troupe Compagnie Käfig (www.kafig.com) on May 9. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway. 503-245-1600 or www.whitebird.org) BodyVox: This antic, playful modern-dance company has produced lively pieces both on stage and in film — so it makes perfect sense that its next production, “The Cutting Room” (May 3-19), will “mash up” scenes from classic movies with live movement and an original score. (1201 N.W. 17th Ave., 503-229-0627 or www.bodyvox.com)
Dance, dance, dance
Films with a difference
Portland is home to some terrific dance companies, several of which have events coming up. Oregon Ballet Theatre: Portland’s answer to Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet, directed by Christopher Stowell (son of former PNB directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell), has a lively looking program running through 18
Portland has a thriving film scene with an accent on independent taste. Downtown venues offering venturesome fare include the Northwest Film Center (1219 S.W. Park Ave., 503-221-1156 or www.nwfilm.org) and the Living Room Theaters (341 S.W. 10th Ave., 971222-2010 or www.livingroomtheaters. com), a multiplex across the street from
Powell’s that serves food and drink with your movie.
Literary life It couldn’t be simpler: Go to Powell’s City of Books and stay for a day — or a lifetime — at this Shangri-La of bookstores, which comes with a color-coded map to help you navigate its vast multistory premises. Huge selection, helpful clerks, nightly readings, a busy cafe … it has everything. (1005 W. Burnside St., 503-228-4651 or www.powells.com)
Garden of delights Are gardens cultural? They are when they bring a whole cultural tradition into focus. The Lan Su Chinese Garden is a case in point. Opened in 2000, it’s a quiet sanctuary in Old Town/Chinatown, formerly one of the city’s grittiest neighborhoods, although somewhat gentrified now. It’s a place of winding pathways, covered pavilions and peekaboo vistas that make it feel much larger than the square block it covers. A waterfall, a tea house and artfully placed “penjing” (miniature landscapes of rock, moss and bonsai-like trees) round out the attractions. (239 N.W. Everett St., 503-2288131 or www.lansugarden.org)
Music to your ears Classical, jazz, rock — take your pick.
Portland has a music scene as varied and rich as Seattle’s. Visitors wanting detailed guidance to the fine arts — dance, theater, classical music — should check out www.artslandia. com, which doesn’t just list new shows but gives background on each company. Jimmy Mak’s: I knew I’d hit it right when the Mel Brown Quartet took the stage at this comfortable jazz club in the Pearl District. Brown, who played with Diana Ross and the Temptations before he moved into jazz, is the dapper drummer-in-residence at the club, leading a septet most Tuesday nights, a quartet on Wednesdays and a “B-3 Organ Group,” reveling in the sounds of the Hammond organ, on Thursdays. I caught the quartet (with out-of-town vibraphonist Chuck Redd) delivering sometimes playful, sometimes moody and always virtuosic takes on classics by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and others. (221 N.W. 10th Ave., 503-295-6542 or www.jimmymaks.com) Oregon Symphony: The Portland orchestra still has a few programs left in its 2011-2012 season. Symphony music director Carlos Kalmar conducts on May 12-14 (pianist Arnaldo Cohen as soloist on Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1) and May 20-21 (Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Dvorak’s “Nocturne” and two works by John Adams). (Arlene Schnitzer
Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway, 503-228-1353, 800-228-7343 or www. OrSymphony.org) Portland Opera: The city’s resident opera company presents Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” with tenor Jonathan Boyd in the title role, May 11, 13, 17 and 19. (Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay, 503-241-1802, 866-739-6737 or www.portlandopera.org)
Rock clubs Portland musician/disc jockey Maggie Vail, who is (full disclosure) my niece, reports on rock/dance venues that appeal to her in the city’s busy music scene. At East End (203 S.E. Grand Ave., 503-232-0056 or www.eastendpdx. com) “the show space is in the basement,” she says, “and it actually feels like a house party every time.” Holocene (1001 S.E. Morrison St., 503-239-7639 or www.holocene.org) is in a large converted warehouse and has multimedia events, rock shows, electronica and DJ nights, plus a 5-8 p.m. happy hour on Fridays with free appetizers. Valentine’s (232 S.W. Ankeny St., 503-248-1600 or www.valentineslifeblood.blogspot.com) is “a little place hidden in the alley near Voodoo Doughnuts downtown,” Vail says. There’s live music Sunday-Wednesday, DJs other nights of the week, along with art exhibits and film screenings.
An infrared camera shows family members in a different light at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. OMSI is on the east bank of the Willamette River, just south of downtown Portland. For more, visit omsi.edu.
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grand mound 1 hour from longview (52 MILEs)
Splish & Splash Family getaway at Great Wolf Lodge, where indoor water park awaits
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asking in the 84-degree atmosphere, watching the waves at your feet, it’s easy to forget it’s not quite barefoot weather yet in Washington. Until you glance out the window at the steel-gray sky and spitting rain outside the Great Wolf Lodge. I took the plunge recently with
my family, staying and playing at the lodge and waterpark in Grand Mound, Wash. Great Wolf is a 298-room hotel and conference center, part of a chain of 11 resorts nationwide. It includes arcades, restaurants, a gift shop and the chief attraction: a 56,000-squarefoot indoor waterpark with a series of slides that range from nearly horizontal to hair-raisingly vertical.
Story by Melissa Davis and photos by Ellen M. Banner | The SEAttle times 20
If you’ve been planning a trek to Great Wolf with your “pack” (how the lodge perkily refers to guest families), you may have read some of the howling on TripAdvisor and other consumer websites. Commenters have complained about room prices, meals and the “extras” that require you to have either Joan of Arclike resolve or deep pockets. I arrived with my husband and 7-yearold son shortly after 1 p.m. on a Saturday in late January and saw 10 desk clerks, all breaking a sweat to check in a long line of guests. The check-in ate up a lot of time that we had not anticipated (see the “If you go” with this story), and that is hard to explain to an excited child who can see the waterpark but can’t get in.
Immediate Access to Your Child’s Medical Records Now Available
The waterpark But on to the fun. The lodge touts its waterpark (open to hotel guests only) as having something for all ages, and it does. Parents, toddlers and even teens gathered in the generous-sized wave pool, with a water mushroom on the “shore” and prancing water jets that the 1-to-5-year-old set seems to find irresistible. Speaking of the wee-swimmer set, parents coming with children under 5 — which seems to be the chief demographic at Great Wolf — will be happy to see that the lodge provides plenty of life vests, as well as a young, cheerful staff of lifeguards. Older kids and adults tended to cluster in the pool that has basketball hoops and the lily-pad challenge, where you try to jump from pad to pad while hanging from an overhead series of ropes. The activity centerpiece is Fort McKenzie, an interactive “treehouse” of ladders, platforms and waterfalls. At the top is the shriek-inducing “bucket dump” — a barrel that slowly fills with 1,000 gallons of water and then drenches the crowd below. Little kids will like the wading pool stuffed with water cannons, toddler slides and sprinklers. The big attractions (they have their own YouTube videos) are the Howlin’ Tornado and the Canyon River Run slides. The tubes are pretty big, so for each of these slides, visitors ride on a raft. Rafts meet the head of the line of people waiting on the stairs thanks to a vertical conveyor belt — a mesmerizing gadget. The Howlin’ Tornado is definitely more the thrill ride. It’s the six-storycontinued on next page —>
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Request a Patient Portal account at your child’s next appointment, or sign up any time by going to www.CandAC.com and clicking on the Patient Portal link. Phyllis M. Cavens, MD Blaine E. Tolby, MD, PhD Sue Abell, MD Randy Copeland, MD Anne Mette Smeenk, MD Kenneth Wu, MD
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2121 NE 139th St., Ste 205 Vancouver, WA 98686 360-254-7750 437684
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tall, funnel-shaped apparatus visible to drivers on nearby Interstate 5. Ever watched water circle the drain, then slip down really fast? Yeah, that’s the idea.
The rooms All rooms at Great Lodge are suites, and they are pricey. We stayed in the basic “family suite” that has two queen beds, a sitting area with a foldout couch and table/chairs, and paid $296 total for one night, which includes the waterpark. The beds are among the most comfortable hotel beds/ pillows I have ever slept on, ranking right up there with the Fairmont Chateau Whistler in British Columbia. However, the Great Wolf bathroom is tiny and the water pressure is alarmingly low in the sink and shower. My husband and I speculated jokingly that all the power went to feed the waterslides, leaving guests with a gentle sprinkle to wet their toothbrushes. The lodge definitely caters to extended family and big groups. The Grizzly Bear Suite, which costs upward of $500, depending on time of year, sleeps six to eight. For adventurous types, you could book the Wolf Den Suite, with a “cave” right in the room, or the KidKamp Suite, which has a “tent-themed” area corralling bunk beds and a small TV away from the other bed and couch. Room prices fluctuate depending on day of week and time of year. If you go, plan to be flexible with your dates; you might save $50 or so on a room.
The ‘extras’ Oh, if only we could all stay in the pool. Outside the balmy paradise of the waterpark is where cold reality hits. A local mom who visited the lodge a day before we did referred to a “giant sucking sound” — all your money swallowed up at other diversions on the property. The lodge offers two arcades (one for all ages, one that’s more for adults and
WHERE: Washington’s Great Wolf Lodge is at 20500 Old Highway 99 S.W., Grand Mound, Thurston County. 800-6409653 or www. greatwolf.com 22
At top, The wave pool in the 56,000-square-foot indoor water park is popular with all ages. Bottom, Lachlan Colley peeks out of a KidCabin Suite as his brothers Teagan, and Raiflan watch a movie. The Gig Harbor family stayed at the lodge.
CHECK-IN: The waterpark opens at 1 p.m. to guests checking in (10 a.m. for current guests). However, the official hotel check-in isn’t until 4 p.m., which can be a problem if the lodge is full, your room isn’t ready and you have a lot of luggage. The lodge’s lockers cost $10 to rent and are just big enough for a backpack. At peak times, i.e. vacations and weekends, you might want to forgo the extra time in the waterpark and plan to arrive later, when you can have access to a room right away. You’ll skip the really long check-in line, too, and some impatience on your kids’ part.
DINING: The lodge has two restaurants; a Pizza Hut Express; an icecream shop; and a Starbucks. The waterpark area has a snack shop and a small bar area. The restaurant food is of the bland sandwich-and-fries variety. Breakfast is not included in your room price unless you book ahead with a special package.
MONEY-SAVING TIPS: We saw families toting big coolers into the lodge, and there are some dining options near the lodge and in the nearby town of Centralia.
older kids), the MagiQuest game and an ice-cream shop. We saw a sign for something called Scoops, where girls can get their nails done in icecream colors, and then eat ice cream afterward. My son shuddered when I explained the premise. The arcade is like any other in that you get four tokens for $1, and you’re not getting out for just a buck. Playing a glowing game of air hockey under the black lights was great fun, and my husband and son enjoyed the drag-racing driving simulator game. But who leaves home to stand around in a dark arcade full of screeching kids? Not I, said the little red hen. We flew the coop after about half an hour. MagiQuest is a live role-playing game that requires purchasing a wand ($30, embellishments and other magical doodads extra) and using it to agree to a magi’s quest in an interactive video. Players use the wand to complete any or all of the quests (doing them all could take hours) by pointing it at various “clues.” For instance, if you point the wand at a closed treasure chest, it opens and tells you the next step on your quest, or if you point the wand at a picture on the wall, it will start to move and “talk.” If the clue isn’t on your particular quest, an electronic voice tells you so. This questing takes place all over the hotel, on all floors and public areas, meaning corridors and stairways become mobbed. Sound irritating? It is. Also an irritant: Our wand didn’t work properly, which meant fighting the crowds to get back to the MagiQuest shop to have the wand re-magicked or whatever needed to be done. Despite that, the wand still did not “remember” all the tasks on a quest. Maybe good magic costs more than $30.
In the end Our son gave the pools and slides two thumbs up, and said the wave pool was “the best swimming pool ever.” And thanks to the comfy queen bed he had to himself, he’s angling for a bigger bed in his room at home. The lesson from a night at Great Wolf? If you can keep your “pack” in the waterpark, you’ll find plenty of fun without getting soaked. 23
long beach 1 hour, 25 minutes from longview (69 MILEs)
‘Go fly a kite!’ Check out the World Kite Museum or just watch the show at Long Beach
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ou see lots of cute and funny kites here — a Hello Kitty, a flying dragon, a train floating on air as if it were off track. The range is broad, that’s for sure. But I didn’t drive three hours to the southwest corner of the state for that. I didn’t come to the kite-flying mecca at the start of kite-flying season just to watch a kite float like some stray red balloon. No. This is what I came for: It flew sideways, this stunt kite Rae Bohn was showing off to me. It performed a figure 8, then spun as if it were out of control and nose-dived, destined for its demise in a dune, only to speed up again. It floated like a feather and perched on the beach with its silhouette under the sun. Then it rocketed, its wings flapping against the wind. In the annals of geekdom, this ranks pretty high, I know. Who flies kites, in this “Angry Birds” and Facebook age, anyway? Story by Tan Vinh | The SEAttle times 24
Photos by THE DAILY NEWS
Event Calendar
2012
4th Annual JUNIOR SHANGHAIED
The makers created intricate designs in the fine detail of this Indonesian kite, displayed at the World Kite Museum in Long Beach. Plenty, apparently, along the Long Beach Peninsula. This is the kite-flying capital of America, home to the annual Washington State International Kite Festival and the World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame.
Far-flung fame When Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Pictures needed a kite consultant for the movie “The Kite Runner,” it contacted the kite museum. Some locals, with support from area businesses, hosted the first kite event in Long Beach 30 years ago. Only seven kite fliers came. But five were boys from North Seattle bent on breaking the world’s record for longest kite staying in the air. Their record feat, 108 hours and 17 minutes, made news around the world. Soon kite fliers from Canada and then Asia
and Europe came. They compete in kite fighting, fly lighted and glow-inthe dark kites and do kite aerobatics set to music. In 1990, Long Beach residents Kay Buesing and her late husband, Jim Buesing, founded a kite museum, displaying hand-painted Chinese silk kites and about 2,000 different kites from around the world. The museum, still run by Kay, hosts workshops and gives flying lessons. Along with razor-clam digging and the summer Rod Run car event, the annual August kite festival remains one of the area’s biggest draws. Souvenir shops sell almost as many kites as trinkets and T-shirts around the kite festival. Now, every summer during the festival, hundreds of kite fliers come. Tens of thousands of people watch. continued on next page —>
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Let your imagination fly Long Beach, in Pacific County, is a big center for kite flying, especially during the summer, when the town hosts the annual Washington State International Kite Festival (www.kitefestival.com/kite-festival) during the third week of August (Aug. 20-26 in 2012). A good starting point for kite fliers throughout the season is the World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame, 303 Sid Snyder Drive, Long Beach. It offers kite-flying lessons, hosts workshops on kite making, and sells a range of kites in its gift shop. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily May-September; closed Wednesdays and Thursdays in offseason. Admission $3-$5. 360-642-4020 or www.kitefestival.com.
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Kites at the Long Beach Kite Festival come in all types, sizes, shapes and species.
A fan is born Some spectators go on to pick up the hobby. Bohn, formerly of Walla Walla, even picked up his belongings and moved to Long Beach 16 years ago to be part of this kite-loving town. A semiretired handyman, Bohn, 55, felt like a boy at that first festival, watching with his mouth open at the tapestry of colors filling the blue skies. He frequents the beach weekly, with Santana on his headphones and a kite in the air. “When I think my problems are big and the world is overwhelming, I come out here,” he said. I met up with him recently in the museum parking lot. “Hop in the kite vehicle,” he said of the beat-up truck he bought just to haul “his toys” around. The engine coughed and sputtered. His 300 kites ($20,000) are worth more than the truck. What does a $1,400 kite look like? He parked on the beach and unfurled a 50foot Manta Ray kite, tying it to a stake. 26
That became a clothesline from which to tie more kites. He also unfolded two 30-foot floaters that resembled parachutes, tying both to his truck. Kids spotted them from downtown and came running. He warned me, “Don’t get tangled.” In 1983, a man got tangled in the line of a giant kite and it pulled him 100 feet in the air and dropped him to his death here in Long Beach. Bohn once tied two giant kites to his truck and saw the kites drag his pickup along the beach after the wind picked up. He once tied a 450-foot kite to a stake, then relaxed in his folding chair under the sun. Then an 18 mph gust yanked the kite hard and uprooted the stake. “I had one too many cigarettes. I wasn’t going to run after it,” he said. He later recovered it along the beach.
Stunt kites perform The big kites tied to stakes and other anchors are glorified show kites, which fly in the same manner as the single-
line, drugstore kites you might have bought as a kid. They just float. Stunt kites, on the other hand, fly. Stunt kites are controlled by two or four lines, allowing you to manipulate the wings and perform aerial tricks. In the hands of Bohn, a dual-line kite looked like an unmanned stealth fighter. Then he handed the lines to me. Before he could even light a cigarette, the kite took a kamikaze dive. He recalled the words of wisdom a passer-by gave him early on. “A guy pulled up in his pickup truck and said, ‘Would you take some constructive criticism?’ “ His advice: “Pretend like you got handcuffs on. You remember what that was like, right?” It’s sound advice. Keep your hands close to your body. Flying stunt kites requires little arm motion. Just a gentle tug of the wrist. Tug on both lines, the kite rises. Tug the line with your left wrist, the kite flies left. And with that advice, I got the kite to fly, if only for 30 seconds at a time.
The Frugal Traveler:
Making the most of family vacations
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fter handling the logistical hurdles of flying with children, perfecting your family packing system and searching out the best bargains available, the main objective is to start having fun once you get where you’re going. From transportation to activity access, these tips represent some of my favorite ways to maximize family vacation getaways. Parks: National parks are often overlooked by parents planning their annual family vacation. If you haven’t experienced one lately, you may want to give them a second look. Typical offerings include ranger-led hikes, educational wildlife experiences and in many cases, phenomenal food. That’s right, fine dining is an option when visiting a number of national parks, including gourmet rafting trips at Big Bend and lodge dining at Shenandoah with wild mushroom ravioli and blackberry cobbler. Perks: These days, family resorts face steep competition for your travel dollars, resulting in fab perks that ease your bottom line. For example, at the Isla Verde Beach Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico, room rates can drop as low as $129 per night. This price includes the resort’s complimentary children’s programming, which features chef-led cooking lessons, salsa dancing classes, movie nights and more. For parents trying to successfully implement a working vacation, the Hyatt Regency
Clearwater Resort and Spa offers discounted pool cabana rentals for hotel guests. The cabanas come with telephone and internet access, as well as television and food service, making a day at the pool both productive and fun. Passes: Many hotels include passes to on-site or nearby theme and water parks to sweeten the family travel deal. While Atlantis is the big draw for those traveling to the Bahamas, there other options closer to home. One such venue is Wisconsin’s Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort. Off-peak travel rates here reach as low as $99 per night, and include guest passes to the four indoor water parks and four-story dry foam area. Add-on tickets for access to the resorts other activities, including laser tag, ropes course and bumper boats are only $19! Transportation: The type of transportation you choose between daily activities can add a significant amount of wow factor for your kids. Teens for example, tend to tune in for a Segway ride much more than a standard walking tour. Hiking through the jungle mud in Thailand has a high likelihood of tears. Riding the same trail on an elephant instead? Huge hit. Ditto with camel riding versus walking in Petra.
American Romeldale/CVM
Theriault is the best-selling co-author of the book “10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget,� and founder of TrekHound.com, a website for independent travelers. She also founded TheLessonMachine.com, a website for teachers.
See our animals at: Cowlitz County Fair July 26-29 Clark County Fair August 3-7
By Myscha Theriault
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t #FBVUJGVM XPPM WBSJFUZ PG DPMPST t The only flock in SW Washington! t %SPQ 4QJOEMFT )BOE $BSEFST GPS TBMF XJUI EFNPOTUSBUJPOT t (FSNBO "OHPSB t 1ZHPSB (PBUT Also... You can find our products at: t International Festival at LCC on Saturday, June 2nd from 10am-5pm t The Black Sheep Gathering, Eugene, OR June 22-24 t Rainier Days, Rainier OR July 12-15th t Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, Canby, OR September 22-23 t Cowlitz County Farmer’s Market next to the Fairgrounds
Kalama WA 98625 360.713.8263 www.randcranch.com
McClatchy-Tribune News Service 27
maryhill winery 2 hours, 35 minutes from longview (144 MILEs)
Fine time for wine New winemaker quickly finds fit in eastern Columbia Gorge
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ust two months before the 2009 harvest began, Richard Batchelor relocated from the center of the American wine industry to its new frontier. Moving from bucolic Napa Valley to the starkly beautiful eastern Columbia Gorge was a challenge for the New Zealand native, especially when he arrived at Maryhill, a winery that works with a wide array of grape varieties.
But based on his first red wines, which are newly released, Batchelor didn’t just start a new job. He found a home. “I knew something about Washington wine,” he said from his office at the 80,000-case winery near Goldendale, Wash. “I was quite aware of its market influence and tasting profile. I just hadn’t played with Washington fruit before.”
Story by Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman | Wine Press Northwest 28
We recently tasted through Maryhill’s new 2009 red wines, all of which are widely distributed or available directly from the winery. Here are a few of them. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $17. One of the Northwest’s premier producers of Zinfandel offers an inexpensive example that comes across as markedly different that the syrupy Zins from California. Brown sugar, black currant, strawberry leaf, buttered toast and a pinch of sand begin to describe the aromatics. The flavor profile carries bright red fruit akin to raspberry, dark strawberry and cherry as a wealth of acidity arrives. There’s good control of alcohol and some milk chocolate in the finish. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Barbera, Columbia Valley, $17: Barbera is a niche grape in Washington. This new release opens with aromas of dusty blueberries, black currants, rose hips and blackberries, followed by flavors of black cherries, leather and blueberries. Modest tannins don’t get in the way of all the delicious fruit. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot, Columbia Valley, $25: This opens with aromas of black cherries, choco-
late, minerality, rose hips and a hint of cedar, followed by rich, dark flavors of black cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and underlying herbal notes. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley, $17: This Cab Franc reveals flavors of dried cherries, dark fruit compote, pomegranates and a hint of fresh rosemary, all of which lead to notes of milk chocolate on the finish. It has tons of bright acidity and a fair bit of tannin and oak, all combining with the delicious fruit for a wine that simply shines. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, Columbia Valley, $20: Maryhill makes a delicious Grenache year in and year out. This is a superb example with aromas of cherries, minerals and a blueberry milkshake, followed by easy-drinking flavors of blueberries, Marionberries, blackberries and Rainier cherries. n Maryhill Winery 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve Sangiovese, Columbia Valley, $20: This opens with aromas of black currant candy, blueberries and Cherry Garcia ice cream, followed by bright flavors of cherries, blackberries, leather and tobacco leaf. It has just a hint of oak and is backed with sturdy acidity and tannins.
In 1907, millionaire attorney and road builder Hill purchased 5,300 acres of land along the Columbia River and set out to build an independent farming community named after his wife, Mary. Unfortunately, unanticipated problems like the need for irrigation soon deflated Hill’s dream and the community dissipated. Construction on the Hill family mansion stopped in 1917, which was later established as the Maryhill Museum. Maryhill, founded in 1999 by Craig and Vicki Leuthold, has been a success since the day it opened, thanks to great wines, stunning views and a popular concert venue. They were looking for some stability in their winemaking position when they brought in Batchelor, and it looks like they’ve found it. Batchelor jumped in quickly at Maryhill, working with everything from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel to Sangiovese, Grenache and Barbera. He is quick to give credit to the
winery’s vineyard sources “Maryhill has had the same sources for a long time,” he said, adding that his primary role in 2009 was figuring out the optimal ripeness for harvest. “If that’s done correctly, the wine will fall into place.” Batchelor is adding eight wines to Maryhill’s broad lineup, all of which will be available only to members of its reserve wine club. The winery also is building a reserve wine club room, which will open Memorial Day weekend.
Make Our Tasting Room and Winery a destination stop. Our beautiful Tuscany tasting room at The Crossroads Plaza at 1254 Mt. Saint Helens Way NE Castle Rock at 1-5 exit 49, is scheduled to be open in June 2012. Until we open our tasting room at the new location, please come to our winery. The winery is located at 211 Morning Star Drive, Silverlake, just 7.3 miles from 1-5 exit 49 on the left. When the winery is OPEN, look for the Wine Tasting sign with balloons. Go up Morning Star to the winery on the left. Winery Phone 360-274-7078. Call or check our website for hours, upcoming events, directions and our opening in castle rock: tasting room phone 360-967-2257 www.mtsthelenscellars.com
Call the WINERY to schedule a private tasting
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Summer Festivals Want more one-tank trips? Here’s a few local fun events coming up MAY May 25-28: World’s Longest Garage Sale in Long Beach. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) June 2: Rods and Reels Classic Car and Motorcycle Show and Sturgeon Fishing Derby and BBQ at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds. (360795-9996 or www.wahkiakumchamber.com) June 2: 22nd Annual International Festival at Lower Columbia College in Longview. (360-751-4427 or www. ethnicsupportcouncil.org) June 7: Thirteen Nights on the River in Columbia View Park in St. Helens. Every Thursday through Sept. 1. (www.sccchamber.org) June 9: Waikiki Beach Concert Series at Cape Disappointment State Park. Free concerts every other Saturday through Aug. 25. (360-6423029 or www.funbeach.com) June 14-17: Woodland Planters Days with parade, rides, frog-jumping contest and classic car show. (www.lewisriver.com/plantersdays/) June 22-24: Scandinavian Midsummer Festival at Clatsop County Fairgrounds. (www.astoriascanfest. com) June 15-July 1: Annual Astoria Festival of Music at historic Liberty Theater featuring operatic, symphonic and chamber music performances. (www.astoriamusicfestival.org) June 15-16: Sixth Annual Doggie Olympic Games in Long Beach. (360642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) June 16-17: 31st Annual Northwest Garlic Festival in Ocean Park. (www. opwa.com) June 22-24: Winlock Egg Days in Winlock. (winlockeggday.blogspot. com/) June 23: Kiwanis Parade in St. Helens. (www.sccchamber.org)
june
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June 23: 35th Annual Beach to Chowder Run/Walk in Long Beach. (360642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) June 30: Heritage Days Cruise Car Show and Pie in the Park at Clatskanie City Park. (www.clatskanie. com/chamber/) June 29-July 1: The Smoky Water Follies Show with music, entertainment and family fun, in Skamokawa. (360-795-8770) JULY July 1-4: Clatskanie Heritage Days Festival and 4th of July Parade. (503-728-4248) July 2-4: Go 4th Celebration in Longview with parade, street fair, kids activities and fireworks. (www.gofourthfestival.org) July 3: Fourth Annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta at Lake Sacajawea in Longview. (www.tdn.com) July 4: Summerfest at Fort Borst Park in Centralia. (www.chamberway.com) July 4: Vernonia parade and fireworks. July 4: 4th of July celebration in St. Helens. (www.sccchamber.org) July 4: Old Fashioned 4th of July
july
Parade in Ocean Park. (www.opwa.com) July 4: Independence Day Fireworks on the Beach in Long Beach. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach. com) July 4: Fourth of July Parade in Warrenton and Astoria. (www.oldoregon.com) July 7: Independence Day Fireworks at the Port of Ilwaco. (360-6422400 or www.funbeach.com) July 7: Bow-Tie Bash car show in downtown Longview sponsored by Columbia River Corvettes car; (www.columbiarivercorvettes. com/2012-BTB.html) July 12-15: Toledo Cheese Days. July 12-15: 12th Annual Winlock Pickers Fest at Winolequa Park in Winlock. (360-785-4932) July 12-15: Rainier Days in the Park. July 14-15: Clamshell Railroad Days at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) July 13-15: 12th annual Winlock Pickers Fest at Winolequa Park in Winlock. (www.winlockpickersfest. com)
august
september
July 18-22: Columbia County Fair and Rodeo in St. Helens. (www.columbiacountyfairandrodeo. com/home.html) July 19-21: Castle Rock Fair, with parade, vendors, youth activities, music and more, at Castle Rock Fairgrounds. July 20-22: Napavine Funtime Festival with parade and car show. (360-262-3887) July 19-21: Kalama Community Fair and Parade. (www.kalamachamber. com or 360-673-6299) July 20-22: Kalama All-City Yard Sale. July 21: Music in the Gardens on the Long Beach Peninsula. (360-6422400 or www.funbeach.com) July 21-22: Bald Eagle Days in Cathlamet with parade, old car show, street fair and fireworks. (360795-9996 or www.wahkiakumchamber.com) July 22: Wooden Boat Show and Salmon BBQ in Cathlamet. (360-795-3501) July 25-29: 27th Annual SandStations in Long Beach. (360-6422400 or www.funbeach.com) July 26-29: Columbia River Gorge Bluegrass Festival at Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson, Wash. (www.columbiagorgebluegrass.net) July 26-29: Cowlitz County Fair and Rodeo at the fairgrounds in Longview. (www.cowlitzcountyfair. com) July 27-29: 66th Annual Long Beach Rodeo, Peninsula Saddle Club in Long Beach. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) July 27-29: Finnish-American Folk Festival at Naselle High School on SR-4. (360-484-3376) July 27-29: Ilwaco Tuna Classic.
october
(360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) July 28: Castle Rock Mountain Mania with logger dinner and street fair. July 28: Clatskanie Rhythm on the River Blues Fest at Clatskanie City Park (www.clatskanie.com/chamber/) July 31-Aug. 4: Clatsop County Fair at the fairgrounds in Astoria. (www.clatsopfairgrounds.com) AUGUST August 3-5: Clatskanie Bluegrass Festival at the Clatskanie City Park. (www.clatskaniebluegrassfestival.wordpress.com/) Aug. 3-5: Annual Vernonia Friendship Jamboree and Logging Show. (www.vernoniachamber.org) Aug. 3 and 5: Hot August Nights at the Plaza across from the fire station in Woodland. Aug. 3-12: Clark County Fair at fairgrounds in Ridgefield. (www.clarkcofair.com/) Aug. 4: 32nd annual TerryTaylorNorthlake Garage Sale. Terry Avenue, Taylor Avenue, Northlake Avenue and PrimroseStreet, off of Pacific Way, Longview. Aug. 8-12: 116th Astoria Regatta Maritime Magic in Astoria. (www.astoriaregatta.org) Aug. 9-12: The 70th Annual Loggers Jubilee in Morton. (www.loggersjubilee.com) Aug. 10-12: 28th annual Mount St. Helens Bluegrass Festival, Toledo High School (www.washingtonblue grassassociation.org) Aug. 10-12: Kalama Lions Club Yard Sale. (kalamachamber. com or 360-673-6299) Aug. 10-12: Mount St. Helens Bluegrass Festival in Toledo. (www.washingtonbluegrassassociation.org/2010fest/index. php) August 10-12: Annual Seaside beach volleyball tournament. (www.seasidebeachvolleyball. com) Aug. 11: Lower Columbia Classic Car Club Astoria Regatta in downtown Astoria. (www.nwcoast.com)
Aug. 11-12: Hobie Cats’ “Smoke on the Water� Regatta, Vista Park, Skamokawa. (www.hobiefleet72.org) Aug. 14-19: Southwest Washington Fair in Chehalis. (www. southwestwashingtonfair.net.) Aug. 16-18: Wahkiakum County Fair at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds in Skamokawa. (360-795-3480) Aug. 17-18: Blues & Seafood in Ilwaco. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) Aug. 19: Annual Jazz and Oysters celebration in Oysterville. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) Aug. 19: Untouchables Car show in Kalama. (www.kalamachamber.com or 360-6736299) Aug 20-26: Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach. (800-451-2542) Aug. 24-26: Cathlamet Downhill Corral (longboard races). www.cathlametcorral.com Aug. 25: Longview Squirrel Fest at Longview’s Civic Center (www.lvsquirrelfest.com) Aug. 25: Longview Grand Prix Criterium bike race behind Longview’s Civic Center. (www.highlander-cycling.com/ criterium.html) Aug. 25-26: Threshing Bee, an old-time tractor pull in Toledo. Aug. 24-26: Chehalis Garlic Fest and Craft Show. (www.chehalisgarlicfest.com) Aug. 25: Annual Unique Tin Car Show and Swap Meet with controlled cruise to follow in Longview. SEPTEMBER Sept. 1: Buzzard’s Breath Chili Cook-off in Cathlamet. (360795-9996 or www.wakiakumchamber.com) Sept. 1-3: Seventh Annual Chinook Art Festival. (360-6422400 or www.funbeach.com) Sept. 1-3: Civil War re-enactment at Fort Stevens State Park. (www.visitftstevens.com) Sept. 7: Slow Drag at the Port of Ilwaco. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) Sept. 8-9: Rod Run to the End of the World car show in Ocean
Park. (www.opwa.com) Sept. 9-12: Wheels and Waves Car Show in Seaside. (www/seaside/org) Sept. 8-9: Highlander Festival in Kelso. (www.highlander.kelso. gov/) Sept. 15: 23rd Annual Scappoose Sauerkraut Festival. (www.scappoosecommunity. org) Sept. 22: Cowlitz Indian Pow Wow at St. Mary’s Center in Toledo. (Contact Suzanne Donaldson-Stephens, 360-280-2321) OCTOBER Oct. 1-November: Wild Mushroom Celebration on the Long Beach Peninsula. (360-6422400 or www.funbeach.com) Oct. 5: Autumn Fest and Punkin’ Chunkin at Stockhouse Farm in Cathlamet. (360-7959996) or www.wahkiakumchamber.com) Oct. 5-6: Columbia River Country Days, at various locations around Wahkiakum County, to include a farmer’s market, farm tours, old-time auction and dinner. (360-795-3278) Oct. 5-8: Peninsula Art Association Fall Show in Long Beach. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) Oct. 6: Vernonia Salmon Festival in Vernonia, Ore. (www. vernoniachamber.org or 503429-6081) Oct. 12-14: Water Music Festival XXVIII consists of five concerts, including a free event Oct. 16. (www.watermusicfestival.com) Oct. 13-14: 92nd Annual Cranberrian Fair at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum and the Cranberry Museum on the Long Beach Peninsula. (360-642-2400 or www.funbeach.com) Oct. 13-14: One Sky, One World Kite Festival in Long Beach. (360-642-4020) Oct. 27-28: Graveyard of the Pacific Shipwreck Events at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Fort Stevens State Park, Cape Disappointment State Park and Fort Columbia State Park. (www.funbeach.com)
Columbia County
Forests
Parks & recreation You r Neighborhood Pla ygrou n d Columbia County is conveniently located less than an hour away from the Portland Metro area, Vancouver, Kelso and Longview, Washington. For the day, weekend or longer - enjoy World-Class Windsurfing, Fishing, Boating, Canoeing, Kayaking, Cycling, Rural Aviation, Historic Tours and much more. View nature up close, multitudes of birds and animals in their natural habitat, wildflowers and forests are daily recreational experiences at Columbia County’s full service parks system. 1. Beaver Boat ramp & park
Hwy. 30 Clatskanie U.S. 30 and Hwy 47. Within the Clatskanie city limits. Paved parking, boat launch, rest rooms, picnic tables and barbecue grills.
2. Big eddy park
.EHALEM (WY . 6ERNONIA ,ARGE lR TREES OPEN play ground, fishing, canoeing, and a non-motorized boat launch. 35 camping sites, 14 with full RV hookups.
3. Camp Wilkerson
!PLARY 2OAD 2AINIER ACRE SECLUDED forested site, 24 Adirondacks (3-sided camp shelters), numerous tent sites, rustic 2 room cabins and a rustic day lodge complete with cooking facilities to accommodate groups of up to 250 people. Bring your horses, ride the trails and camp in one of our horse corral tent sites.
4. diBBlee island park
Columbia River Channel, Rainier. This is among the areas visited by Lewis and Clark over 200 years ago!
5. gilBert river Boat ramp & doCks
Reeder Road, Sauvie Island. Located within the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, this facility provides easy access to the Multnomah Channel for a variety of boating activities and fishing.
6. Hudson-parCHer park
75503 Larson Road, Rainier. Popular with family groups, sports groups and others looking for peaceful forest and field camp sites. 35 RV spaces, tent camping, CABIN COOKING FACILITY FOR A PARTY OF UP TO PEOPLE ball parks, soccer field, basketball court, 3 playgrounds, covered picnic areas and easy access to fishing, boating or windsurfing.
7. J.J. Collins memorial marine park 2M -ULTNOMAH #HANNEL 3CAPPOOSE 4HIS PARK IS only accessible by boat for a wildlife island adventure. Primitive campsites and a covered picnic area.
8. laurel BeaCH
Laurel Beach Road, Rainier. Rustic Day-use only park, featuring access to one of the Columbia River’s many fishing spots. In addition to offering outstanding bird viewing.
9. asBury park
Saulser Rd,. St. Helens. Day-use only area, which includes picinic sites, childeren’s ball field and a nature trail.
10. presCott BeaCH
73125 Prescott Beach Drive. Day-use only area. One of the Columbia River’s finest fishing and windsurfing sites. Features a covered picnic shelter, play-ground equipment, gazebo, a horse-shoe pit and volleyball courts.
11. sCaponia park
3CAPPOOSE 6ERNONIA (WY 3CAPPOOSE Recreational area featuring a 7-acre nature park and 12 tent sites.
12. sCappoose r.v. park
. (ONEYMAN 2OAD 3CAPPOOSE ! COMFORTABLE shaded view of this growing rural airport makes the Scappoose R.V. Park a unique spot for picnicking or CAMPING AT ONE OF THE 26 SITES
1054 Oregon Street, St. Helens, Oregon 97051 0HONE s &AX 2ESERVATIONS
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The 2012 Outback. The adventurer’s vehicle of choice. Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive grips whatever comes your way. An efficient transmission gives you an enviable 29 mpg.* Best of all, it’s built in a zero landfill plant, so you can indulge your urge to explore, responsibly. Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.
Outback.® Well-equipped at $23,295†
BUD CLARY budclarysubaru BUDCLARY.
WWW . WWW.
COM .cOM
Bud Clary SuBaru
961 Commerce Avenue • Longview, WA
WWW.budCLArysubAru.Com
800-899-1926 Local 360-423-1700
* EPA-estimated hwy fuel economy for Outback 2.5i CVT models. Actual mileage will vary. †MSRP excludes destination and delivery charges, tax, title and registration fees. Dealer sets actual price. 2012 Outback 2.5i Premium pictured has an MSRP of $24,795. Vehicle shown with available equipment.
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437246
LONGVIEW