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Rent a garden plot in North County
WOODLAND — Gardeners can rent 20-foot by 20-foot plots with on-site water. Organic gardening is preferred.
Volunteers invited to plant flowers
Esther Short — The Parks Foundation is recruiting volunteers to help plant the large planters and flowerbeds in and around Propstra Square at Esther Short Park. The effort will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Battle Ground garden takes root
Battle Ground -- On May 2, local businesses, charitable and educational organizations and Battle Ground city officials gathered behind Battle Ground Cinema to break ground for the planned Battle Ground Community Gardens. The plan calls for 35 plots of varying sizes that will be available to the public and local groups; four of the smaller beds are designed for access for the disabled. An on-site storage shed, water availability, a pergola and nighttime lighting are also planned. Local master gardeners will lead seminars on raised-bed gardening, and there will be some limited scholarships available for those not able to afford the rental fee. Each gardener will be required to donate one row of vegetables to the North County Community Food Bank. To get involved, contact Liz Cerveny at executivedirector@nccfoodbank.org, or Josh Hooper at joshchooper@yahoo.com.
Seasoned volunteer, 86, celebrated
Northwest -- Dorothy Collins-Bottassi, 86, has been volunteering for 21 years -- mostly at the St. Vincent de Paul Society but elsewhere, too. For her efforts, she has been named the Washington State Salute to Senior Service award winner, awarded by the Home Instead Senior Care network. The Salute to Senior Care program was launched this year to honor seniors’ commitment to causes and the community. Collins-Bottassi earned a spot on the Salute to Senior Service Wall of Fame website, salutetoseniorservice.com. Website commenters who know her say she would never want the recognition but they cheer her spirit of service and “fabulous smile and warm heart.”
Students of Clark College voice coach hit the high notes
Central Park -- Five of voice teacher Linda Appert’s students performed at Central Washington University in Ellensburg during the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association/Washington Music Educators Association solo and ensemble contest. They were first-place winner alto Taylor Iverson of Union High School; mezzo-soprano Katie Kibota from Mountain View High School; first-place winner soprano, Emily Swearer of Kingsway Christian; soprano Petya Grozeva of Mountain View; and mezzo-soprano Ellie Coale of Skyview High School.
Fishing fest full of kids
Old Evergreen Highway -- A May 5 Kids Fishing Festival lured about 400 people to Columbia Springs environmental education center -- including 240 young fisherwomen and men. Rainbow trout fishing, hands-on science learning stations, a full barbecue and two performances by local storyteller Will Hornyak rounded out the fishy festivities. The event was sponsored by the Neil Jones Food Company and Clark Public Utilities and aided by volunteers from the International Longshoremen’s Warehouse Union Local 4. Learn more about Columbia Springs at columbiasprings.org. And be on the lookout for Family Field Trip day at Columbia Springs on June 2.
Roosevelt students ‘walk and roll’ to school
Bagley Downs -- Roosevelt Elementary School celebrated National Bike to School Day with a “walk and roll” event May 9. More than 250 students, along with parents, grandparents and siblings, took advantage of great weather to walk or bike to school together. Roosevelt already has a large number of walkers, but bike riders came out in force. Clark County Public Health, Vancouver police and volunteers with Safe Kids and Bike Clark County shared safety messages.
Everybody Has a Story: Meandering road trip drove Towanda the GPS crazy
I went to Illinois in the fall to visit a friend and see where she had moved. She is in Pekin, which is just outside Peoria. At least you can find Peoria on a map. Pekin is a bit of a trick. The first thing I discovered about driving there is that for a person who navigates by landmarks (me), it’s impossible. There are no landmarks. It is absolutely flat. No hills, no mountains. Flat. All the time I was there, I had no idea whether I was going east or west, north or south. I had the people riding with me correct me when trying to get on freeways a few times.
Camas Post Office remains in limbo
After several failed attempts to sell building, USPS hopes to close a deal this year
CAMAS -- More than two years after announcing its intention to sell the Camas Post Office building, the U.S. Postal Service hopes it has a buyer that may finally close the deal -- and the post office -- this year.
Governor recognizes Ridgefield volunteer, 79
As a sixth-grader growing up during World War II, Phyllis Burger wanted to do her part to help the war effort. Her mother worked at Boeing, and she realized that everyone -- even the very young -- could make a difference. So she rolled up her sleeves and took on her first volunteer project: organizing a newspaper and tin-can recycling drive at her school. That was the beginning of a lifetime of volunteerism for Burger, who lives in the Ridgefield area.
Evergreen band, colorguard raise $7,000
Burton-Evergreen -- During its door-to-door Tag Day fundraising event on April 21, the Evergreen High School Band and Colorguard raised nearly $7,000 for their award-winning music program. Students and teachers said they were thankful to the community for its generous donation.
Fargher Lake Grange tree sale
Fargher Lake -- The sun was shining at the annual spring tree sale and bazaar April 21 at Fargher Lake Grange. Customers were lining up early to purchase trees for $7 each and $5 bushes. The lilac bushes disappeared quickly. More than 10 vendors selling food and craft items created a community market atmosphere.
Awards for, from women presented
Camas -- There’s a ton of awards news from local soroptimists. On April 17 at Zion Lutheran Church in Camas, Soroptimist International of Camas-Washougal recognized mechanical engineering student Trina Wing and accounting student Kandice King with Women’s Opportunity Awards, aimed at helping women with resources for education, skills and employment. Chloe Olson and Lauren Oljar won Violet Richardson Awards, honoring outstanding volunteers ages 14-17. Teen McDonald, a doctoral student in education, won a Fellowship Award. Technical/Education Awards went to Floria Arjomand, Cathleen Botello, Camille Durbec and Shellie Johnson. Endowment Awards went to Julie Hokenson, Sandi McQueen, Cathleen Muller, Jessica Stoddard-MacDougall, Theresa Medearis and Joanne Vaughn. And, previous Camas-Washougal club honorees won regional awards from Soroptimist International of Americas Northwestern Region during its meeting April 27 and 28 in Spokane. Julie Hanke, Founder of Vida’s Ark, a home for young mothers in Vancouver, received the regional first place Ruby Award. And Trina Wing was honored with a Women’s Opportunity Runner-up Award.
Women take humor to heart
Ridgefield -- BJ Babcock of Ridgefield and Leslea Steffel-Dennis of Felida, WomenHeart support network coordinators for Clark County, recently presented a seminar on “Humor and Healing” at a WomenHeart conference in Washington, D.C. Both women are heart disease survivors and previously attended seminars at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. WomenHeart is the national coalition for women living with or at risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of American women of all ages.
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