Go, Ideas for Your Weekend: Run Like a Girl and Rose Festival

1. Get exploring

National Get Outdoors Day returns to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site with 40 government, nonprofit and community groups to highlight local parks, forests and trails. There will be activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 11, including introductions to fishing, archery and rock climbing, along with information booths and food vendors along East Fifth Street near the Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. Fifth St., Vancouver.

Visitors also can travel through the Brigade Encampment as re-enactors bring the 1840s trapper scene to life near the reconstructed fort, 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. There will be demonstrations on cooking, dances, music, games and crafts, along with black powder weaponry. There also will be an exhibit highlighting 19th Century naturalists who explored the region’s flora and fauna. Admission is free. 360-816-6230 or www.nps.gov/fova/learn/news/getoutdoorsday2016.htm

Or take part in Run Like a Girl for Second Step Housing, a race open to all, with costumes, ice cream and family activities. Proceeds benefit Second Step Housing, which helps combat homelessness in Clark County. The 5K and 10K courses both start and end near Pearson Air Museum, heading over the Vancouver Land Bridge to the Columbia River waterfront. There also will be kids runs for different age groups and a costume contest. Race day registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with the race kicking off at 10 a.m. June 11 at the Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. Fifth St., Vancouver. Race registration is $35 to $45, free for kids run. www.secondstephousing.org

2. Kids day

The annual Camtown Youth Festival is a celebration of being a kid, with a variety of games, crafts and entertainment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11. Aimed at children ages 3 to 16, there will be a craft market and youth information tables, a petting zoo and art show, along with a kids flea market filling Crown Park, Northeast 15th and Everett streets, Camas. Admission is free, and children must be accompanied by adults. 360-834-5307 or www.cityofcamas.us/parks

3. Southern comedy

Magenta Theater brings the story of a feisty group of friends to the stage in “The Hallelujah Girls.” After the sudden death of a dear friend, Sugar Lee Thompkins decides to convert an abandoned church into a day spa, as Sugar Lee’s friends Carlene, Mavis, Nita and Crystal provide chaotic fun. Sugar Lee’s old high school boyfriend, Bobby Dwayne, shows up, and her rival keeps trying to steal the spa building away from Sugar Lee. The cast includes national film and commercial actor Thomas Zalutko in his theater debut. Performances run 7:30 p.m. June 10-11, June 16-18 and June 22-24, and 2 p.m. June 18 and 25 at Magenta Theater, 1108 Main St., Vancouver. Tickets are $18 to $20. 360-635-4358 or www.magentatheater.com

4. Magical gardens

The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon and the Garden Conservancy are teaming up to offer “Northern Exposure: Open Garden Tour,” a tour of five gardens in Clark County open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11. The public can visit the Vancouver gardens of Seymour-Lueck, 218 N.W. 88th St.; Dragonfly Hollow, 12517 N.E. 20th Ave.; and “Matsu Kaze (Wind in the Pines),” 12506 N.E. 109th Ave. Also open to guests are the Ritchie Garden, 7619 N.E. 192nd Way; and the Bailey Haven, 9601 N.E. 177th St. — both in Battle Ground. Proceeds from the tour support the society’s grants and scholarships program and the conservancy’s work to preserve and promote American gardens. Tour tickets are $30 for a day pass and $7 for individual gardens. 503-224-5718 or hardyplantsociety.org

5. Flowers crown

The Grand Floral Parade is the culmination of the Portland Rose Festival, as colorful floats, community groups, marching bands and equestrian ensembles make their way through the city from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 11. The 4.2 mile route begins at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 N. Winning Way, Portland, with the crowning of the Rose Festival Queen, before heading south along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and over the Burnside Bridge to end at Lincoln High School. Battle Ground’s community float, the Battle Ground High School Marching Band and the Llamas of SW Washington will appear right before the parade’s Grand Marshal, the Portland Timbers. Other local participants of note include the Columbia River High School Marching Band; the city of Washougal’s minifloat; Clark County Fair Mounted Patrol; Miss Vancouver Rodeo, Cheyenne Ward; the Pearson Field Education Center; and the Clark County Fair Court. The parade is free, with reserved seating near the coliseum for $15 to $30. www.rosefestival.org