Hello everyone and welcome to 2013! Wow, it seems like just the other day we were all worrying about Y2K... That's been 13 years! Crazy how time flies. We'd love to share a couple things happening behind the scenes with the website. Early in 2012 we were pretty badly h@ck3d and it really messed up the look, feel and functionality of Clark County Real Estate Guide. We've hobbled the site through the remainder of the year. It's still been a great resource for people looking for "things to do" in Vancouver and the entire Clark County area. It's also been great for those looking to purchase or sell their home with The Chumbley Team. However, we need it to be better. For the last part of 2012 we've been working with Jim Marks at Virtual Results to design us a killer new site. I'm excited to say, it's just about ready to roll! This site will offer a more robust home searching ability, wonderful neighborhood information, highlighted space for our listings and of course it will still have over 365 posts telling about all the fun things to do in Vancouver, WA (and surrounding Clark County area). Here's a little screenshot teaser...

Look for this rollover to our new site very soon. In the mean time, if you are looking to buy or sell a home, plex or investment property please pick up the phone and give us a call. We look forward to serving you. We wish you all a most wonderful, happy new year and close with this classic U2 tune, New Years Day! Enjoy.

Tis the season!

The annual lighting of the Vancouver, WA Christmas Tree in Esther Short Park takes place this Friday, November 23rd. If you haven't attended this event, it's a lot of fun. There are huge amounts of people, lots of activities and overall merriment. Below is the schedule of events for this years Downtown Holidazzle. It's important to note that the actual lighting takes place at 6pm. Don't be late for this. Santa will be watching... 3 p.m. – Vancouver Farmers Market vendors open at Esther Short Park 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Loci train rides available around Esther Short Park 3 p.m. – Dixieland Jazz Band at the Vancouver Hilton 4 p.m. – Vancouver Community Concert Band Concert at the Vancouver Hilton 5: 30 p.m. – Combined Vancouver High School Choirs at Esther Short Park 6 p.m. – Community Tree Lighting with Santa at Esther Short Park 6:20 p.m. – Vancouver Pops Orchestra Concert at the Vancouver Hilton Yes, it will likely be raining so dress appropriately. Don't let that keep you away, after all this is the Pacific NW. ;)

It's time for the 2012 Clark County Fair!

Today kicks off the 2012 Clark County Fair! It's time to enjoy some carnival rides, time to eat more calories than any one human should eat in a day. Kettle-corn, Dairy Women's Milkshakes, amazing sweet grilled onions covering a yummy burger from The Smokehouse. Corn on the cob, funnel cakes, snow cones and more... Time to see all sorts of animals. Animals like horses, cows, llamas, pigs, dogs, cats and even bees. It's a great time to enjoy our local artists and crafters in the Clark County Event Center with all their fun quilts, cards, sketches, flowers, photos, paintings, jams and baked goods. Also in the big hall are vendors selling all sorts of fun, cool, quirky things. Ya never know what you might walk out the door with? In addition to all these fun things at the Clark County Fair, don't forget the great events of each day. The Grandstand Entertainment is FREE with your admission to the fair. The schedule is as follows: Saturday August 4th: MOTO X - Big Air Bikes 2pm and 6:30pm (one of my personal favorites) Sunday August 5th: Medieval Jousting 2pm and 6:30pm Monday August 6th: Barrel Racing 2pm Roughstock 6:30pm Tuesday August 7th: Mutton Bustin' 2pm Bull Riding 6:30pm Wednesday August 8th: Truck Pull 2pm and 6:30pm Thursday August 9th: Demolition Derby 2pm and 6:30pm Friday August 10th: Tuff Trucks 2pm and 6:30pm (one of my personal favorites) Saturday August 11th: Monster Trucks 2pm and 6:30pm Sunday August 12th: Monster Trucks 2pm and 6:30pm

This year Washington State enacted the Foreclosure Fairness Act which will provide assistance to those families and individuals who are struggling to make their mortgage. If you have fallen behind or are looking at the need to begin falling behind this video will be a huge help to you. It will explain your rights and the services available through the Foreclosure Fairness Act. If you live in Clark County, WA and would like additional assistance please feel free to reach out. We're here to help. While you likely feel like you're the only one struggling to make the mortgage, rest assured, you're not. Many times every single week we meet with families and individuals who for one reason or another find themselves at that crossroad of what to do regarding their house payment. Let us help you wade through these murky waters and help you get to the other side as smoothly as possible.

Wow! Vancouver, Washington is having their very own marathon THIS Sunday, June 19th, 2011. Yes, that's on Father's Day. I can tell you that this father won't be out on the course because I've already ran the race! Check it out... On Sunday at 7am the first ever Vancouver USA Full Marathon will kick off. In addition to the full marathon Vancouver is also offering a half marathon that kicks off at 8:30am. You can register for either event in person at the Fit Right NW Sports and Fitness Expo taking place all day Saturday, June 18th at the Vancouver Hilton. This is a great exposure for OUR Vancouver, WA and guess what? The Vancouver USA Marathon IS A QUALIFIER FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON! I love that the start and finish line for the marathon and half marathon is at the beautiful Esther Short Park. You can get all the Vancouver USA Marathon Course Information here. If you'd like to follow along in a very high tech way you'll be happy to know that they have created a Vancouver USA Marathon iPhone app. It gives course information as well as bio info and you can track your favorite runner. Hopefully you head down and sign up to do this great course or go and root on your favorite friend or family member! I know I will. :)

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. ~Lee Greenwood

I love this song and the lyrics that go with it. It makes me choke up every time I hear it. Especially if you really stop and listen to what is being sung. This tribute is one of the best I've seen to go along with the song. Please watch it all the way through and remember those who've given it all for our freedom. Also, don't forget those who still live while continuing to die a little each day from their service to our country. Hug a veteran! As a society we remember all those who've passed on on Memorial Day but let's not forget what it was originally established as... Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Rather than go on with words, I'll share some photos... To the men who gave their lives in Vietnam November 8th, 1965... To my dear friend Robb Needham. Your sacrifice and smile will never be forgotten.

Easter is upon us. I know lots of people are looking to locate an Easter Egg Hunt or two. I'll highlight a few around town. I know this isn't all of them but hopefully you'll find one or two of interest. SATURDAY APRIL 23RD, 2011 Easter Egg Hunts Big Al's Easter Egg Hunt is on Saturday April 23rd. They have two different times. The 4 and under hunt will begin at 10:30am and the hunt for the 5 to 10 year old kids will take place at 11am. Big Al’s is located at 16615 SE 18th Street, Vancouver, WA 98683. LifePoint Church Eggstreme Egg Hunt is Saturday, April 23rd at 9:30am and 11:30am. It is for ages 2 through 5th grade. They'll have over 25,000 eggs with candy and prizes. LifePoint is located at 305 NE 192nd Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684. Vancouver Farmers Market will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at 10am on Saturday the 23rd. It will be held in Esther Short Park. Bring your family down for a great time collecting Easter Eggs and afterward enjoy walking through the market and visiting our vendors. This year we will have two hunts for different age groups. For those 4 and under we have an area for kids and their parents to collect eggs in a more relaxed atmosphere. And for those ages 5 - 10 a larger field will be filled with eggs and a few special surprise treats as well. SPECIAL NOTICE: The MCCDCT Easter Egg Hunt is the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The hunt is done at McKenzie Stadium behind Evergreen High School. This hunt is for physically and mentally challenged kids. Wheel chairs and walkers can cross this field easily. This hunt is Saturday, April 23rd at 5:15pm. It will be at McKenzie Stadium (Behind Evergreen High School). If you have any questions please call 360-513-8201. SUNDAY APRIL 24TH, 2011 Easter Egg Hunts Camas Parks and Recreation will host their Easter Egg Hunt at Crown Park in Camas. It is on Sunday the 24th at 1:30pm. This hunt is for children between 2 and 9 years of age. You'll find over 10,000 candy and prize filled eggs at this hunt location. Crown Park is at NE Everett and NE 17th Avenue. (Please remember, ALL children MUST be accompanied by adults at all these events.) Thanks to my real estate pal Ines in Miami for the cool photo!

I'm so excited! It's been way to long since the Liberty Theatre in downtown Camas, WA has been open. Liberty has been a staple of the City of Camas since 1927 and deserves to be the local public movie house. I'm very happy to share that the Liberty Theatre is open for business. They kicked things off tonight for St. Patrick's Day with the Grease Sing-A-Long movie and the place was packed. I was having dinner at Twilight Pizza and the line at Liberty wrapped around the corner. I walked in front of the theater as they were getting out and everyone was laughing and talking about how wonderful it was to be back in this 350 seat venue. The following comes from their website describing what you can expect to see happening at Liberty Theatre...

There are varied of tastes and diversity in this area and we feel an assortment of film genres and categories are the key to our success. The Liberty programming will be more “repertory” style, with different movies and different times and more turn over. On most weeks, you’ll get a choice of at least two movies and sometimes more. The Liberty will be showing films off of the National break, meaning that new films will show up at the Liberty 3 to 7 weeks after they are released nationally. This means we don't have to run the same film for several weeks on end to satisfy studio requirements and can provide a wider variety of films for you to see. It also means we can keep our prices more economical; you'll be able to see a first rate presentation at the Liberty for only $3.50.

In addition to reasonable movie prices you'll also find family affordable prices at the concession stand. With the economy like it is this is a most welcomed addition to have a night out. Make sure you head down to Camas and enjoy a movie or two! Liberty Theatre is located at 315 NE 4th Avenue, Camas, WA 98607 and can be reached at 360-859-9555. You can also connect with Liberty Theatre on Facebook. Reflecting on the Liberty Theatre...