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By Pat Stephens for The Columbian One of the most popular features of the Parade of Homes presented by Lumbermens is the silent auction of playhouses. Three lucky families will each take home a wonderful new playhouse for the kids. The playhouses are silent auctioned during the show in Washougal running from August 19 to September 5. Three companies have contributed playhouses this year, using unique and unusual themes and décor. “The contributors are Quail Homes, Nies Insurance and Clear Creek Design," announced Avaly Mobbs, special events director for the BIA. Before the Parade, these mini-houses will be on display at various locations around the county, and will be moved to the Parade site in time for the opening of the home show. Quail Mercantile Lowe’s on NE 117th Ave. is displaying the Quail Homes Mercantile, open for business and ready for cowboys and girls. The western style building sports a covered boardwalk across the front with rough-cut cedar siding. Mike Starks of Soha Sign is creating and providing the interior and accessories for Quail’s dry goods store. “It will be very interactive, making it so much fun for the kids. We plan to include an early 1900s trunk filled with dress-up clothes, a wooden checkers table, interactive figures outside for the kids, and some unusual and playful features on the interior walls,” said Starks. Starks believes that everyone needs more playtime in their lives, kids and adults, too, and so he’s letting his imagination run wild to create old-fashioned fun in this playhouse. “Those pure fun play situations are a true blessing in life,” he stressed. Little Red Firehouse Head out to the Amphitheatre at Clark County to see Nies Insurance’s little red firehouse. “It’s our first time building a playhouse, but we have been involved in many other aspects of previous events,” said Denis Marsh of Nies. “In past years, the playhouse auction has been a popular and fun part of the Parade of Homes, so we wanted to take a turn this year. The money goes to the local schools, and that’s what intrigued us,” said Marsh. “Our employees had fun working together on this project.” Their entry was built from a “kit with about 10,000 pieces!” exclaimed Marsh. Employees of the company and their family members spent many challenging hours putting together the firehouse and painting the exterior, then had the metal roof added. The little fire prevention specialists in your family will play in luxury, with vinyl-clad windows, carpeting and benches inside, window drapes, a TV, and other accessories included. Wild West Sheriff Giddyup, sheriff, and round up those outlaws! Then bring ‘em back to Clear Creek Designs’ Wild West sheriff’s office and jail. The natural wood playhouse comes complete with areas for the sheriff and his posse, with bars on the windows, too. The Wild West playhouse will be on display at the Columbia-Motorcycle Harley Davidson dealership in Vancouver until the Parade. Brothers Andrew and John Dryden, Clear Creek’s owners, are general contractors who do both new construction and remodeling projects. They’ve been in the business for about three years, and last year built the fire lookout playhouse in the 2004 Parade of Homes. Clear Creek is a member of the BIA Remodelors® Council. Andrew said they build the playhouses as a way to support the BIA and to give back to the community and the local schools. The proceeds from this year's silent auction of the Playhouses will again go to Camas Education Foundation, Vancouver School District Foundation and Washougal Schools Foundation. The playhouse auction is a silent auction, with a bid sheet attached to each playhouse. Bidding starts on the first day of the event (August 19th) and closes at 8 p.m. on September 5th. (Minimum bid for each is $1,000.) The bids are posted on the Parade of Homes' web site (for informational purposes only) and are updated on a daily basis throughout the duration of the event. This year's Parade of Homes is presented by Lumbermens and is brought to you in part by the following sponsors: The Columbian, First Horizon Home Loans, RE/MAX , Riverview Community Bank, Stewart Title, Oregon Hot Spring Spas, Bank of Clark County, Suburban Door & Window, Miller Paint, NW Society of Interior Designers, Ewing Design Concepts, Sivad Studio, Comcast, Discover Mortgage/ByOwner Connect, Columbia Motorcycle-Harley Davidson, Jim Fisher Volvo and Nextel. Participating builders include Clark & Son Homes LLC, Fantasy Homes by Vladimir, Fazzolari Custom Homes, Harbour Bay Homes, Larry Boitano Builder Ltd., Lynwood Homes, M.J. Olson Enterprise Co., Philip Custom Homes LLC, and Quail Homes. |
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