Parks and Recreation

St. Paddy’s Day for Parks Seeing Double

The Parks Foundation celebrates St. Paddy’s Day with two events.

St. Paddy’s for Parks – Friday Fun : On Friday, March 11, join the adults 21 years and older in the heated, indoor venue. Irish food provided by Beaches and Irish beer a-flowing! Dance the night away with headliners ‘5 Guys Named Moe’ as well as the Vancouver Firefighters Pipes and Drum Corps and the Molly Malone Irish Dancers.

The next day, Saturday, March 12, don’t miss St. Paddy’s for Kids, where families are in for some great fun! St. Paddy’s for Kids is a free, public event that offers fun activities for children.

Spring Soccer Hits the Field

Registration for the 2016 Spring Recreational Soccer Season is open!

The Washington Timbers provide two Recreational programs, Vancouver United (VUSA) and Camas-Washougal (CWSA). The Club is a non-profit organization with a long history of providing soccer opportunities to the community. According to Washington Timbers Club Executive Director Sean Janson, “The focus is on the player and family, and we strive to ensure all players have opportunity for fun, development, competitive play, and life experiences. We offer soccer for all players age 4-19 and for players of all skill levels and ability.”

Romance by Lantern Light

“Lantern Tour: Walking Vancouver Barracks” enjoys the special theme this month of ‘Romance at Vancouver Barracks.’ The ranger-led program will walk visitors through the grounds of Vancouver Barracks by lantern light, connecting attendees to the national park’s military history through thematic storytelling. The upcoming tour is scheduled for Saturday, February 13, 2016.

“These new additions to our Lantern Tour Series give visitors the opportunity to join a smaller, more personal tour at a reduced price-point, through the heart of Vancouver Barracks,” said Greg Shine, Chief Ranger and Historian, “and connect to the stories, people, events, and landscape of the national park’s military era.”

Sweetheart Dance Benefits Fort Vancouver

The 2016 Sweetheart Dance, sponsored by the Friends of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2016, from 7 pm to 10 pm at Pearson Air Museum, located at 1115 E. Fifth Street, Vancouver.

The Sweetheart Dance is reminiscent of the USO dances of the 1940s. Participants are encouraged (though not required) to wear period costumes and Class “A” uniforms, to take a step back in time and enjoy the evening. Beacock’s Swing Band, founded over a decade ago by Vancouver musician Dale Beacock and conducted by Cary Pederson, will perform dance music from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Klineline Kids Fishing Registration Now Open

Klineline Kids Fishing online registration opened as of February 1, 2016. Register for this fun kids fishing derby and mark your calendars!

If you’re not familiar with the event, over a two-day period 8,000 to 10,000 people will gather at the Klineline Pond at Salmon Creek Park to help children experience fishing, playing outside, and learning about water safety and our natural resources. To create stewards for our future fisheries we need to introduce children to the benefits of fishing as an individual and family activity, and as a way to become more aware of the outdoor environment.

Vancouver Water Center Birthday Bash

Did someone say Party? Join the folks at the Vancouver Water Center as they celebrate their 20th birthday in style.

Kids and their families are invited to join in a special Second Saturday birthday celebration from 1 to 3 p.m., February 13, at Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way. They promise to have a River of Fun learning about February Floods!

Enjoy hands-on activities, water science games and birthday cupcake treats while

Get Outside, Learn, Earn, and Lead

Columbia Springs’ Volunteer Lead program is like a club for people who want to give back and spread a love of the outdoors with their community. Volunteers who attend Volunteer Lead Training are asked to commit to 20 hours of service in one year. Leads who complete the training can help with school field trips, Salmon in the Classroom programs, community events, habitat restoration, and with the fish hatchery operations.

The 2016 Volunteer Lead Training takes

New Play Equipment Available at Stockford Village Neighborhood Park

Clark County Parks and Recreation unveils new play equipment available for public use in Stockford Village Neighborhood Park, along NE 105th Street just west of Interstate 5. The 4.2-acre neighborhood park built in 1978 previously offered a swing set and monkey bars. The equipment was outdated and did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act so Parks Department staff had recommended its replacement.

Swinging New Years 2016 at Luepke Center

People age 50 and better are invited to ring in the New Year with the sounds of yesteryear at Vancouver Parks and Recreation’s seventh annual Swinging in the New Year’s Eve Dance Thursday, December 31 at the Luepke Senior Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. in Vancouver.

Guests can dance to great live music by the Beacock Dance Band, while enjoying light refreshments and party favors. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for City of Vancouver residents and $18 for non-residents. Advance registration is required.

Santa Makes Early Visit at Marshall House

Visitors to Christmas at Fort Vancouver this Saturday, December 12, are invited to stop in the historic Marshall House for a visit with Santa, and to experience the elegant house all decked out for the holidays.

Santa will be in the house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Supplies will also be provided for children to write letters to Santa and put them in the North Pole Mailbox. Cider and hot chocolate will be served. Parents are encouraged to bring their cameras.

Who’d Have Thought to Turkey Trot?

Since 2002, families in Clark County have met for an early am run before the holiday’s festivities. As popularity and numbers grew, the families realized that their traditional morning Turkey Trot could become a really meaningful way to serve the hungry in their communities, especially on a day like Thanksgiving. So, the run became organized and now 100% of the race proceeds are directly donated to Clark County Food Bank and the funds gathered from race entries, T-shirt purchases, and Polar Plunge registration provide enough resources for tens of thousands of meals! Get involved in the great cause and family-friendly fun and register for the 2015 Clark County Turkey Trot, 5K and 10K!

Explore Lewis and Clark with Camas-Washougal Historical Society

Step back in time with the Camas-Washougal Historical Society as they welcome local historian Tom Wilson, presenting his talk “Elk, Salt, and a Monstrous Fish: Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia,” on Saturday, November 21, at 2pm, at the Camas Police Department community room (the meeting is here due to the Two Rivers Heritage Museum facility being closed through March for major work, including changes to displays).

The PowerPoint presentation will focus on the roughly four months that Lewis and Clark spent near the mouth of the Columbia River. Wilson will be dressed in period clothing and bring a variety of replica items that were used on the expedition.

Fort Vancouver Visitor Center Grand Re-Opening

The final touches are underway, everything from signage to stories have been updated. And this weekend, the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center at 1501 E Evergreen Blvd. will celebrate its grand Re-Opening.

This special event will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2015, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. This free opening will provide the public with their first look inside the remodeled 1961 facility, which has been closed for over a year during renovations. There will be refreshments and live music by the Vancouver Community Concert Band at the event. This grand opening coincides with the kickoff of the National Park Service’s Centennial celebrations, and updates the facility to better serve the local community, visitors , and educational groups.

Rural Growth Plan Alternatives Seek Public Input

Clark County has scheduled two public meetings to introduce the proposed rural growth plan alternative.

The public meetings are scheduled to provide information and request citizen feedback on a newly revised proposal for the rural component of the next growth management plan. The meetings are to be held in an open-house format, and are scheduled for the following dates and times:

Open Day at Pearson

Always fun and informative, Pearson Air Field is open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. every Saturday, featuring a free educational program provided by Pearson Field Education Center.

Come down to historic Pearson Field to experience the Fort Vancouver National Trust’s Pearson Field Education Center. This free educational experience features a Flight Simulator Lab, vertical wind tunnel, glider-building station, historic airplanes on-site for viewing, collections on display, and various ongoing educational programs that will propel students of all ages into the wonderful world of flight. Come experience the Golden Age of Aviation at the first airport in the Pacific Northwest and one of the oldest continuously operating airfields in the country.

Make a Difference Day 2015

You probably already make a difference somehow, somewhere, to someone every day, but here’s a chance to do so with a bunch of other committed community members.

Here are a couple of activities and ways you can participate in make a Difference Day here locally.

Clark Public Utilities Stream Team

Volunteers are invited to join Clark Public Utilities Stream Team to celebrate the annual Make a Difference Day, October 24th, 2015 with stream-side tree planting, entertainment, and refreshments. The event will be held rain or shine, and will kick-off with a coordinated planting effort, followed by a celebration of volunteer efforts and annual service awards. On-site training, tools, and trees will be provided.

Columbia Springs Family Nature Fest

Columbia Springs invite explorers of all ages and abilities to experience a one of a kind urban nature adventure. Family Nature Fest features a sing-along with “Recycle Man”, Oregon Zoo animals, trout hatchery tours, Spanish/English bilingual nature hike, “Forest Pharmacy Hike,” and a comedy and magic show by Rose Festival’s “Clown Prince,” Angel Ocasio. The event also includes activities for toddlers, a scavenger hunt, and more!

Community Foundation Grant Spurs Marine Park Improvements

Thanks to community donations and volunteers, Vancouver’s Marine Park received a much-needed facelift over the summer. The City of Vancouver invites the community to join them in the park on Sept. 25 to officially recognize and thank the businesses and partners that made this project possible.

The recognition event begins at 12 p.m. in Marine Park in the park shelter, located on Southeast Marine Park Way, next to the Water Resources Education Center.

The Marine Park improvement project was paid for with a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington. The grant was made possible thanks to a donation from the Shirley and Jim Johnson Charitable Fund. With those funds and the volunteer efforts of members from the Southwest Washington Contractors Association (SWCA), 13 picnic tables were removed and replaced, a drinking fountain was added and landscaping repairs were made in the park.

12th Annual Oktoberfest at Shorty’s Garden and Home

Season’s change, days get shorter, and October happens. And while the calendar may say September, here comes Oktoberfest. Friday September 25 is the 12th Annual Oktoberfest presented by Shorty’s Garden and Home. From 5:00 to 11:00PM enjoy live music and entertainment by Donaumusikanten, coming direct from Germany, and opening band Festival Brass, who brings some new songs from the Munich Oktoberfest.

9th Annual Lake Shore Doggie Dive

If you missed the Pooch Plunge, this may be your last chance to get the pooch to the pool.

On September 26 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm the Lakeshore Athletic Club outdoor pool goes to the dogs! Prepare your pooches and give them a chance to dash and splash before the club shuts down the outdoor pool for the season. There is a $15 donation per dog and all proceeds benefit the Southwest Washington Humane Society.

Wheels and Wings and Fun in Camas-Washougal

The Port of Camas-Washougal will hold its annual Wheels & Wings / Community Appreciation Day at Grove Field Airport on Saturday, September 12th from 10 am to 2 pm.

Free gate admission plus free hot dogs and sodas are being provided by the Port to show its appreciation to the community for their involvement and support.

Pooch Plunge and Bark in the Park

Time to make a date with your four legged best friend! The 3rd Annual Pooch Plunge and Bark in the Park is coming up at Marshall Community Pool…

StreamTeam Knocking Out Knotweed

The beautiful and lush Salmon Creek Watershed is a source of pride for our entire community. Here is your opportunity to make sure it remains healthy.

StreamTeam needs volunteers to join them in knocking out the invasive and aggressive Knotweed.

Pick a date, and mark your calendars!

NW Challenge 2015 Vintage Motocross Weekend

Washougal Motocross will be turning back the hands of time at the NW Challenge 2015 on Saturday and Sunday, August 22-23, 2015. This event is two days of moto-yesteryear at Washougal MX Park, showcasing vintage bikes with racing on a grass track …

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