In your neighborhood

North Clark County and Woodland

Woodland: Hanna Ingraham was crowned Woodland High School Homecoming Queen at a game on Oct. 15. Also named to the Homecoming Court were: Karly Cox, Kelsey Hayes, Caitlyn Brentin and Kayla Wilson. Noel Johnson of lewisriver.com was there to snap the photo of the queen and her court.

Ridgefield and Fairgrounds

Ridgefield: The Ridgefield Public Schools foundation is looking for local residents to join the foundation’s board of trustees. The board hopes to expand its board from six members to at least eight. Ideal candidates will be committed to the success of Ridgefield schools and able to support the foundation’s outreach, fundraising and program development activities. Applicants should send a short letter outlining their interest, skills and community involvement to Paul Lewis (paul.lewis@ridgefieldpsf.org) by Nov. 5.

Ridgefield: Lori Hull was recognized at the 2010 4-H Forum in Spokane as a WSU Extension volunteer who provides outstanding commitment to youth.

Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson

Battle Ground: Don Ferrante, a Battle Ground resident and business owner, met President Barack Obama at a media event on Oct. 20. Ferrante was invited to stand with the Oregon congressional delegation to welcome the president when he arrived in Portland.

West Vancouver and Downtown

Arnada: The popular neighborhood coffeehouse at 3100 Columbia St. may have burned last year, but it’s well on its way to springing back from the ashes. Property owner Larry Patella gave a reporter a quick tour last week, and the place was full of carpenters, painters and other workers. Patella said the upstairs apartment has been made into an attic and all fireplaces have been converted to gas — so there’ll be no chance of another mishap like the one that set ablaze Marcell’s Hemp and Latte House on a frigid day in December 2009. Patella wants to sell the building after it’s been refurbished, but said if he can’t find a buyer he’ll open his own coffeehouse there. Look for the work to be done around Dec. 1.

Fruit Valley: Vancouver Housing Authority held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 13 to dedicate a new play structure. The structure, which was featured in the 2010 Dozer Days, was donated by the Nutter Foundation to the Vancouver Housing Authority’s Fruit Valley Commons Apartments, 1915 W. 31st St. Nutter provided hot dogs, chips, soda and cotton candy at the event. The Vancouver fire and police departments had vehicles on display. Fruit Valley Commons has 29 apartment units and houses around 90 people.

Esther Short: CAMEO 2010, an event described as a “girls’ night out,” raised a total of $29,000 for Bridge the Gap to help Clark County foster children. More than 400 women attended the event on Sept. 30 to socialize, eat, dance, and shop via silent auction. CAMEO, or Cathy Anna Mayer Encouraging Others, was formed in the memory of Cathy Mayer, who died due to complications of breast cancer in 2004.

East Vancouver, Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen

Mill Plain: Office Max delivered more than $1,100 in office supplies to Melissa Hayden’s class Oct. 5 at Mill Plain Elementary School. Supplies included a digital camera, new office chair, photo paper, stapler, pencils, pencil sharpener, binders, papers, labels, pens and markers. “It is so wonderful that Office Max recognizes that teachers spend on average $1,200 of their own money every year on school supplies,” Hayden said in an e-mail. “They certainly made my day (and my students’ day) better!”

North Image: St. Andrew Christian Preschool, 5607 N.E. Gher Road, had a trike-a-thon Sept. 29-30. Volunteers and staff from Clark County Safe Kids, the 112th Traffic Safety Corridor Project, Orchards/Evergreen Lions Club, Vancouver Fire Department and Vancouver Police Department Motorcycle Unit taught safety lessons to the children. The preschool families raised money to purchase helmets for children in the community and also enhanced the natural area of the preschool playground. Additional funding was provided by the Clark County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

East Clark County: Camas and Washougal

Camas: 360 Pizzeria donated half of its daily profits to the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington on Oct. 14. Funds raised will help the clinic provide health care to the uninsured.

Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek

Hazel Dell: Clark College Service-Learning in the Community students, WSU master gardeners, Growing Groceries mentors and garden members spent the afternoon of Oct. 14 putting the Hazel Dell School and Community Garden to bed for the winter. Workers spread wood chips, donated by Thomas Family Tree, on garden paths, cleaned summer plants from the raised beds and planted more than 30 flowers donated by Sweet Nectar Nursery in the butterfly and hummingbird garden.

Hazel Dell: The Hazel Dell Grange raised enough money to cover the cost of an emergency roof repair during a contra dance fundraiser evening on Oct. 8. Live music was provided by Vancouver band ABOO — A Band of Our Own. Experienced contra dance caller Gordy Euler — who spends his days as a community planner for Clark County — provided instruction to the 40 or so dancers at the event. Starting in December, the Grange will host contra dances on the second Friday of each month. Contact Sue Gray, suegray@pacifier.com or 360-750-0113; or Chlovena, chlometzger@aol.com or 360-693-6888.

Orchards, Sifton and Brush Prairie

Brush Prairie: The Rock Solid Community Teen Center kicked off a newly formed teen group called Really Outrageous Concerned Kids, or ROCK, on Oct. 1. The group is built of one or two students from each middle and high school in the Battle Ground and Brush Prairie area. The group’s goal is to help raise awareness in the fight against dangerous behavior and substance abuse.

Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights

Van Mall: Courtyard Village Vancouver hosted its annual Art for the Soul event recently. Clark County artists produced paintings, sculptures and photographs, and the Village kitchen staff and chef Juan Coello supplied hors d’oeuvres and desserts. Rick Owen and Marj Cearley, residents at the Village, and David Camp, Village general manager, received honorable mention for their artwork. Washougal’s Julie Olsen, who was the grand prize winner with her pastel and oil painting, received a bottle of wine from Three Brothers Winery and a $50 gift card to Olive Garden.

Northwood: More than 160 racers competed in a cyclocross race Oct. 2 at David Douglas Park. Racers competed in nine categories. The race was planned in part by David Saltzberg, who lives about a mile from the park. “We had a fantastic day with food, music, great weather and fast racing,” he said in an e-mail.

Edgewood Park: The onions were already sweet — and then certified executive chefs Aaron Guerra and Patti Curfman of Vancouver’s Northwest Culinary Institute got a hold of them. Guerra and Curfman produced a 10-course luncheon in Hermiston, Ore., for officials of the Sweet Onion Association, plus several prominent food editors and writers. The menu included a Gorgonzola and fried copa mousse in a profiterole, Lamahjoon (India-inspired lamb and spinach pizza), oxtail ravioli with fresh trumpet and chanterelle demi, crab cakes with a sweet onion window, a grilled apple and pear tower with a sweet onion and cherry mustard glaze, and a warm onion-figgy cobbler. The guest list included writers and editors from Woman’s Day, Ladies Home Journal, Cooking Club, Vegetarian Times, Better Homes & Gardens, KitchenDaily.com, Every Day with Rachel Ray and The East Oregonian. The venue was River Point Farms in Hermiston.

East of Clark County and the Gorge

Skamania County: Stevenson Youth Football wore pink shoelaces at a game on Oct. 9 to support breast cancer awareness.