Welcome, summer! Check out the incredibly diverse events going on in Southwest Washington for June. From the Long Beach to Stevenson, Vancouver to Winlock, there are plenty of choices and no excuses for staying home!

June 10 and 25 – Waikiki Beach Concert Series – Cape Disappointment State Park. No, you don’t have to fly to Hawaii to experience this Waikiki Beach. The summer concert series kicks off with Mighty Ghosts (country pickin’, bluegrass harmonies and back-porch folk) on June 10 and Southwest Washington’s favorites Misty Mamas (home-style bluegrass, oldtime, gospel and folk) on June 25. Concerts are at 7 p.m.

Misty Mamas

June 10-25 – Magenta Theater Company presents Life with Father – Vancouver. Magenta Theater presents the classic comedy set in the 1800s. Magenta’s intimate, and recently reconfigured, theater in downtown Vancouver is a very fun place to experience plays up close and personal!

Life with Father

June 11 – Divine Consign Home and Garden Tour – Vancouver. Tour homes and gardens in historic downtown Vancouver. Proceeds will benefit at-risk youth. Tickets and tour maps may be picked up at 1101 Officers Row in front of the Grant House on the day of the tour beginning at 11 am. $20 in advance. $25 at the door.

June 11 – Fleur de Lis Festival - Westport Winery, Westport. Enjoy this well-programmed festival including Art in the Vines, local blue cheese samplings, book signings, a belly dance troupe, music, French Onion Soup, grapevines for sale and 5000 blooming iris. And, of course, don’t forget the wonderful wines of Westport Winery, too.

Tasting wine at the Westport Winery

June 11 – The David Lanz Liverpool Trio – The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson. The Skamania Performing Arts Foundation presents pianist David Lanz, flutist Gary Stroutsos, and cellist Walter Gray. The trio most recently came together to perform David’s arrangements from the recording Liverpool…Re-Imagining the Beatles.

David Lanz Liverpool Trio

June 18 – Fort Vancouver Brigade Encampment, Vancouver. See costumed re-enactors demonstrating the annual return of the fur trappers to Fort Vancouver. Hands-on activities in the Fort Vancouver Village just west of the Fort’s stockade, on the trail to the Land Bridge.

Re-enactors at the Fort Vancouver Village in 2010

June 18-19 – 30th Annual NW Garlic Festival – Ocean Park. More than 70 specialty food and craft vendors will offer prepare and use garlic in every imaginable way. As they say, “Just follow your nose” to the festival.

June 19 - Vancouver USA Marathon – Vancouver. It may be too late to start training, or is it?! The event includes a half marathon and welcomes walkers. Vancouver’s first marathon will should be a good one. Produced by Energy Events.

June 24-26 – Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze Festival – Westport. You are going to have to enter the festival Web site to learn about ALL the pirate events. Prepare to read pirate lingo or walk the plank!

Pirates on parade

June 24 – Gorge Blues and Brews Festival Friday Night Waterfront Jam – Skamania County Fairgrounds, Stevenson. The Gorge Blues and Brews Festival kicks off with a Friday night jam. The party starts at 6 pm and the show, featuring local musical talent, begins at 7 pm. Music will include the soulful vocals and driving rhythms of Jackbone Dixie as well as traditional sax blues from The Richard Wilkins Blues Band. Free!

June 25 – Gorge Blues and Brews Festival - Skamania County Fairgrounds, Stevenson. Three blues bands, 16 regional micro-breweries, 8 wineries and food vendors. Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King will be the headliners. Admission is $15 per person and includes your choice of a commemorative beer mug or wine glass. Children 12 and under are free.

Gorge Blues and Brews Festival

June 25-26 – Recycled Arts Festival – Vancouver. One of the most creative events of the year happens in Esther Short Park on the last weekend of June. For a preview, take a look at last year’s Festival, take a look at this ZEST blog post.

Glass garden sculptures at the 2010 Festival

June 24-26 – 75th Annual Egg Day Festival - Winlock. The parade starts at 11 a.m. June 25 with the theme “Egg Days and Diamonds Forever.” The festival will include an Egg Day Run and royalty. Check out this charming video about the World Largest Egg and Winlock.

World's Largest Egg in Winlock

Spring is kicking in with LOTS of activities and events in Southwest Washington. Here are a few ideas to get you moving:

March 18-April 24 Spring break is FIVE weeks long at the World Kite Museum in Long Beach. Make a kite, get coupons for local businesses at a museum treasure hunt, participate in themed weekends at the Spring Fling.

April 1-3 – Passport Weekend to a World of Wines in 40 Miles -Start the month with a trip to Columbia Gorge wineries with this special event, which takes place on both sides of the river. Details here on where to purchase your $15 passport, which will give you special offers including lodging deals.

April 1 – First Fridays. Both Vancouver and Camas have first Friday events. Enjoy art, meet the artists, have dinner and celebrate with friends. Camas even has “Will you pick the golden egg?” contest happening at various shops. Details are at Vancouver Art Walk and Camas First Friday.

April 2 – 30 – Woodland Tulip Festival No need to travel to The Netherlands to touch tulips. Tour the bulb fields and display gardens of Holland America Bulb Farms. This annual event includes crafts, music, children’s activities and more. Check here for details.

April 4 – Guitarist Greta Pedersen performs a matinee concert at the Columbia Theatre in Longview as part of the Rainy Months Series. Information and tickets are available here.

April 9 – International Discovery Walk Festival This beloved event attracts walkers from all over the world to Vancouver. It is such a delight to see the flags of the countries represented. Biking and swim events are offered, too. Admission charge. Go to the Festival Web site for more information.

April 16-May 8 – Lilac Days Festival We have plant hybridizer Hulda Klager (plus MANY volunteers) to thank for this fragrant festival, which is held on the Klager homestead in Woodland each year. All things lilac are offered at a special store (including lilac starts) and Hulda’s home is open for tours. The Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens are located at 115 S. Pekin Road, near the Holland America bulb fields. Admission. Click here for more details.

April 23 – Easter Tea Tour the historic house at the Pomeroy Living History Farm and enjoy tea with scones, sandwiches and desserts. Admission. Visit the Pomeroy Web site for more information.

April 27 – What do I do now? A financial summit for women will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Red Cross Building at the Fort Vancouver National Site. Financial writer (www.sixtyandsingle.com) Julia Anderson will moderate a panel of experts. Admission. Details and tickets are available here.

There is so much to do this month. See you out there in Southwest Washington!

We have way too much stuff at our house. When we joke about moving to a boat (which won’t happen but we can joke about it, anyway), we ask “Will it fit on the boat?” The piano? No. More clothes? No. More furniture? No. New experiences? YES!

My favorite gifts are experiences — presents that get me moving, seeking, learning, growing or relaxing. The memories of those experiences WILL fit on the boat.

Here is a short but fun list of experiences (with gift certificates available) in Southwest Washington (of course!) that you can give this holiday season, or year round, to friends, family or to yourself:

Pacific County
Give a gift certificate to one of my favorite places, Shakti Cove Cottages. These cute little cabins are within walking distance of the beach at Ocean Park, include kitchens and are near some of the best areas of the Long Beach Peninsula including Oysterville and Nahcotta.

Entrance to Shakti Cove Cottages

Consider including a gift certificate to Nanci and Jimella’s Klipsan Market Café just down the road. Remember the famous and fabulous Ark restaurant? That was Nancy and Jimella’s before they sold it. Their tradition of wonderful food continues in Klipsan Beach. Call 360.665.4847 for details.

Clark County
The beautifully restored Camas Hotel offers a relaxing getaway that is surrounded by shops and restaurants including Oliver’s at the hotel. Call for details and reservations.

The charming Camas Hotel

How about a gift certificate to Magenta Theater? Their 2011 plays include classics Life with Father and You Can’t Take it With You. It’s a sweet deal to have dinner in one of the many restaurants in downtown Vancouver and then stroll down to Magenta’s space on Main Street, near 6th.

Cowlitz County
Speaking of theater, do not overlook the recently restored Columbia Theatre in downtown Longview. Upcoming events include ‘S Wonderful, The Fab Four, 39 Steps (4 actors doing 150 characters!) and more including performances for children. Call for a gift certificate!

The Columbia Theatre

What about a pre-show dinner? Consider a gift certificate to JT’s Steak & Fish House, which comes highly recommended. Call 360-577-0717 for a gift certificate.

Skamania County
A night or two in the beautiful Skamania Lodge would make anyone happy. You could include a gift certificate dinner or brunch at the lodge or Big River Grill in downtown Stevenson.

The view from Skamania Lodge

Dinner at the Big River Grill

Klickitat County
Maryhill Winery offers a beautiful tasting room overlooking the Columbia River. A gift certificate to the winery can be used on their wines and items in the retail store. It’s a wonderful drive out to the winery and can easily include the remarkable Maryhill Museum.

The stunning terrace at Maryhill Winery

One more suggestion
Okay, after purchasing “experiences” for your loved ones, you may still feel the need a gift in hand to fill a stocking or to wrap for under the tree. Stop by or shop online at the Fort Vancouver Bookstore for the 2010 ornament – Fort Vancouver Village by Paul Lanquist. You’ll find lots of other gift ideas related to Southwest Washington, too.

The Fort Vancouver Village 2010 Ornament

And please HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY AND PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

By Sarah Coomber

Over the past two months my 5-year-old and I had completed numerous hikes but stayed pretty close to home. Sensing we were ready for an out-of-town hike, I hustled him and my husband out the door on a recent sunny Saturday morning. Destination: June Lake.

Father and son on the June Lake trail

I had learned of June Lake a couple of days earlier when The Columbian’s Allen Thomas described it as cold, clear and wading-friendly in his July 22 column on summer hikes for families. As a native of Minnesota and lover of lake country, mention of such a lake draws me like an ant to ice cream. Turns out the big bonus on this hike is the spectacular view of Mount St. Helens that regularly pops out from behind the trees. (I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t take time to take a photo of it!)

We figured the June Lake hike might be a stretch for our son—the trail is 1.4 miles each way—so we tried not to fixate on getting to the lake. But we also packed backpacks full of loot: a cashew-raisin-chocolate chip mixture (heavy on the chocolate), energy bars, turkey jerky and water. With snack breaks every 20 minutes or so and a couple of lifts on the home stretch, our junior hiker did wonderfully. Along with his dad, he napped all the way home. Our adventure, not including driving, took us a bit over two hours.

The trail climbs nearly 700 feet, from 2,710 to 3,400 feet above sea level, a steady rise but easy hiking. The lake, which is small but pretty, provides an excellent incentive and then a great break at the end of the trail. We changed into flipflops and sandals at its little beach and cooled our feet while gazing at the waterfalls on the opposite side of the lake. Also of interest is a lava flow that backs the beach and, apparently, another trail system that continues from there. More information is available at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Web site.

We encountered several young children on the trail who seemed to be having a grand time as well, and only one who had mounted a walking protest. She made it to the lake but not happily or quietly, and her mother reported that bugs are an issue for her. I did not notice any bugginess, but in Minnesota the mosquito is our most constant companion during the warm months, so I might not be the best judge.

The trailhead for June Lake is located a little more than an hour’s drive east of Woodland, Wash., just south of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. It is an out-of-the-way location, so we were surprised to find dozens of cars already there to greet us. But once we got on the trail, we had plenty of time alone in the woods. It appears there are a few other trails heading out of that parking area.

Getting there: See the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument map.

Good to know:
• The trail is good but not stroller-friendly.
• Parking is free.

Bring:
• Snack and water
• Flipflops or water shoes for the lake

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…Just like the ones I used to know…”

White Christmas is not my favorite holiday song. I’m more of a Silent Night kind of gal. I like the solitude of the song. But this year, with kids arriving on December 26, we decided we would go for the white stuff while exercising our snowshoes—and hearts, lungs and thighs—on Christmas Day.

Skiing, camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, fill in your favorite expedition, why is the first trip of the season always such a struggle to get off the ground? Where are the mittens? Are these the boots that go with the snowshoes? What are we going to eat? Did you fill the gas tank? And on and on. We were determined to get out before the crowds on Christmas morning. No need to even think about it. The minutiae of the first trip slowed us down. And the crowds seeking snow like us? We would see.

By noon, we had gathered snowshoes, poles, coats, socks and more socks, mittens and hats, extra mittens and hats, Christmas lunch, maps, chains, shovel, cell phones (for an area with no service), layers of fleece and day packs with some percentage of the “10 essentials.” And, of course, the critical Sno-Park Permit. But more about that later.

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