Clark County Fair

It’s that time of year again! Time to enjoy some carnival rides, test your luck at shooting an over-sized basketball through an undersized hoop to win a larger than life stuffed animal. 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, deep fried Twinkies and on an on… 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 6th: Medieval Joust at 2pm and 6:30pm
Sunday, August 7th: Medieval Joust at 2pm and 6:30pm
Monday, August 8th: Wild and Wooly Show at 2pm & Northwest Bull Riding Championships at 6:30pm
Tuesday, August 9th: Northwest Pro Rodeo at 2pm and 6:30pm
Wednesday, August 10th: Truck Pull at 2pm and 6:30pm
Thursday, August 11th: Extreme Moto-X at 2pm and 6:30pm (my personal favorite of the fair!)
Friday, August 12th: Demolition Derby & Truck Derby at 2pm and 7:30pm
Saturday, August 13th: Monster Trucks and Tuff Trucks/Pro Arena at 2pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, August 14th: Monster Trucks and Tuff Trucks/Pro Arena at 2pm and 7:30pm (another fave at the fair!)

Make sure you get out to the fair at least once during the next week and a half. It’s always a fun day! How can something that’s celebrating its 143rd year be bad?

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.

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…

Today is the day. I launch my new little “project” by highlighting a new neighborhood in Clark County, WA each week. As I mentioned last week I’m sure it will morph as time goes on and I get into a normal routine. Let me get right to it. I figured that I might as well start with one of our oldest neighborhoods in Vancouver, WA.

Arnada neighborhood

Arnada is one of our oldest neighborhoods in downtown Vancouver and one of my favorites too. It is bounded on the east side by I-5, on the south by 15th Street, Main Street is the western boundary and Fourth Plain tops it off on the north. Here’s a little video snapshot of Arnada.

Please check back throughout this week as I share about this great neighborhood.

The Mission: February 17th, 2010 through February 16th, 2011 write one blog post each and every day highlighting something to do in Vancouver, WA (& surrounding cities).

Status: Task completed on schedule. Every single day one blog post was written. Almost every post included a video from on location as well as photos from each location.

All blog posts lived here on the Clark County Real Estate Guide. The permalink to each post was then placed on the 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA Facebook Page. Over the course of the year the Facebook page grew at a very steady pace. At the end of the 365th day there were over 14,000 “likes”. I’ve been so thankful for the wonderful reception this page got.

67% of the fans are women. The fan base spans over 19 countries all over the world. Approximately 75% of the fan base is from the Vancouver/Clark County/Portland area. The next largest group represented is in Seattle. 83% of the fans are between the age of 18 and 54.

Over the course of the 365 days 8,281,995 post views occurred on Facebook! A post view is defined by Facebook as “the number of times people (Fans and non-Fans) have viewed a News Feed story posted by your page”. This blows my mind!

Approximately 100,000 visitors stopped here at the Clark County Real Estate Guide throughout the year. The most viewed post of the year was Day 295: Magical Lights On 63rd Street with almost 1,200 visitors!

As I mentioned on Day 365, this “project” is not done! There are still lots of wonderful things to share about Vancouver and Clark County, WA. I will not continue daily but will continue regularly. I’ll also be adding content to the site that I believe will enhance and improve upon what is already here.

I’ll be announcing these changes on 3-1-11. Please stop in then to see what is coming and I hope you’ll either subscribe to get these posts via email or via an RSS feed.

If you have any stories of new places you’ve discovered or enjoyed during the first 365 days I’d love to hear about them. I’d love it if you’d leave a comment below. Please share this site with your friends and family who may not be aware of it. It’s a great resource from a native Vancouver guy whose family has been in Clark County since 1893. Remember, you can type anything into the search box on the top right side of the site and it’ll find all posts with whatever keywords you desire (i.e. pizza, wine, hike, theater, etc.)

Day 365 of 365!!!

Can you believe it? Today is Day 365! Yes, this is the 365th day in a row I’ve written a blog post about my hometown, Vancouver, WA. I’ve shared parks, trails, events, activities, restaurants, coffee houses, venues, wineries and countless other great things. It’s been a most amazing year. The business owners I’ve met. The wonderful people who call Vancouver and Clark County home. The people who used to live here and are enjoying reminiscing about Vancouver. Those who are considering relocating here. Everyone is wonderful.

If anyone would have told me what today looked like on February 17th, 2010 I’d have never believed it. I’ve had the opportunity to not only help encourage locals to “Get Out, Explore & Enjoy Our Community” but I’ve been able to help lots of small business owners set up and tweak their Facebook pages. I’ve also had the opportunity to share my experiences locally and nationally. I’ve taught classes, webinars, been on panels and loved sharing what I’ve done with the Clark County Real Estate Guide and the Facebook page 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA.

Everyone has been dying to know what the big finale is. What is Day 365? I’ve contemplated this for quite some time. As I pondered my different choices I kept coming back to the same conclusion. There really is no “finale”. There are 364 blog posts about great things to do in Vancouver plus TONS of things I didn’t get to these first 364 days. So, today I encourage you to keep exploring this site. Keep exploring Vancouver (& surrounding cities). The things to do in Vancouver, WA never ends. Even if you don’t agree with something I suggest, find the places you love and keep going back. All our small (and large) businesses need each of us. It takes us, the entire community to make our local economy grow.

The other thing I get asked all the time is “what’s next”? What happens after 365? I’ll not fully disclose this yet. Stay tuned for some changes here at the Clark County Real Estate Guide. Will I keep sharing the things to do? Absolutely! I’ll not be posting 7 days a week any longer. I’m thankful I committed to it and saw it through to its completion. I’m very proud of this accomplishment. It still amazes me I have completed it. I joked that I’d go to Disney World when I hit Day 365. I’m happy to say, I spent today at Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom all day today! What a great time it was. I’ll be taking the next week-ish off from here. I hope you’ll browse the site and go exploring some old posts. You know, on the top right is a search box. You may use it just like if you were searching Google. Type in any keyword or phrase and it’ll find anything I’ve covered over the last year. Have no fear, I WILL be back!

I hope you’ll keep coming back and I hope all of Clark County, WA (& beyond) love what is coming next. Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for your support and love. I really do appreciate you all!

Special thanks to my wonderful friend Brian Copeland for the awesome Goofy photo! Thank you for sharing in the journey I’ve taken over the last 365 days. Also, thanks for spending Day 365 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with me! If anyone ever needs Nashville real estate service Brian is your man!

Day 360 of 365…

Valentines Day will be here in a few days, so I thought why not share about a local florist with some real history. Since 1940 Garside Florist has been bringing beauty to Vancouver and Clark County. This family owned and operated business has been providing quality and service for all our floral needs. Whether you are simply wanting to pick up a simple arrangement or have a fully designed party they can meet your every need.

In addition to all the wonderful flowers they offer you’ll find a huge variety of baskets, plants, gifts and cards. It’s a fun store to wander around in and the people who work there are all so very friendly. When you go in make sure to look for their Orchid vines. They are awesome.

Garside Florist is located at 6610 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98661 and can be reached at 360-694-3331. You can also connect to Garside Florist on Facebook.

Day 357 of 365…

It dawned on me yesterday, I hadn’t shared Pearson Air Museum here on 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA. How is that possible? I’ve shared a few events throughout the year that have taken place at Pearson Air Museum and on Pearson Field but never the actual museum.

Today is the day. Pearson Air Museum is a great tribute to aviation locally and beyond. This museum is filled with some amazing airplanes and experimental flying devices. Planes from World War I and World War II sit inside this wooden hangar that was built in 1918. It is the second oldest wooden hangar in the United States. It sits alongside Pearson Air Field which is the nations oldest active airstrip. (Side note: if you’ve ever wondered why downtown Vancouver doesn’t have super tall buildings, it’s partially due to Pearson flight restrictions)

In the shop you’ll find a huge selection of memorabilia, books, games and other aviation related material. Another cool feature is you can rent out the main hangar as well as other areas of the museum and field. Whether you need a space for 25 or 2,500 they can accommodate you (they can actually handle up to 5,000). Please click through to get information on Pearson Air Museum event rentals.

Pearson Air Museum is located at 1115 E Fifth Street, Vancouver, WA 98661 and can be reached at 360-694-7026. You can also connect with Pearson Air Museum on Facebook.

Day 346 of 365…

Last weekend I attended the Night of Magic VI: Grand Illusion at the Old Liberty Theater in Ridgefield. I’d not been there before and was very impressed with it. I thought I should share this cool place with everyone.

Old Liberty Theater was built in 1946 but has operated as an actual movie theater very few of its years. It has had it’s current owner since 1995. I was able to visit with the owner a while and it’s always fascinating to learn history of our old buildings. Don and his family have created a wonderful place to go hang out with their great coffee shop that is in the lobby. They also serve some super tasty ice cream and baked goods. I enjoyed a waffle cone with mint chocolate chip ice cream. That single scoop waffle cone seemed to last forever.

In addition to the coffee shop they rent out the theater for all sorts of local community events and shows. If you’re looking to reserve something there give them a call and set it up. I’d recommend you stop in and check them out and also keep an eye on their schedule to see one of their shows. The prices are very reasonable and it’s a fun old theater.

Old Liberty Theater is located at 115 N Main Avenue, Ridgefield, WA, 98642 and can be reached at 360-887-7260. You can also connect to the Old Liberty Theater on Facebook.

Day 345 of 365…

Several times during the last 345 days I have shared many different parts of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Fort Vancouver, the Marshall House, The Grant House, etc. I thought, it’s time to share the Visitor Center.

The Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center is a great local resource for a wealth of historical information. You’ll find a huge selection of books and reference materials about Fort Vancouver and other Pacific NW history. They have a bunch of fun souvenir type things and also some foods and jams from Fort Vancouver. Another benefit are the National Park Service staff. They have a wealth of knowledge and love sharing it with those who come in. While I was there today we all talked about the Hidden Family, the Slocum House and things around the Fort. You can also enjoy a 22-minute film called “One Place Across Time” that is a great warm-up for touring the Historic Site.

In the adjoining room you’ll discover a great interactive walk through room that shares the history of Fort Vancouver, the surrounding grounds and the Hudson’s Bay Company. There are a ton of artifacts that have been recovered from the grounds and some great information about life in the 1800′s here in Vancouver, WA.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center is located at 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver, WA and can be reached at 360-816-6230.

Day 303 of 365…

Nothing like a little nostalgia to warm the soul. Today I had a little of that. I had a business meeting with my buddy Jason and we decided to grab a pizza at Smokey’s Hot Oven Pizza. Just walking in the door brought back such fun memories of playing baseball, soccer, basketball, football, etc here in Vancouver, WA. You see, if you have ever played any sort of sport here in Vancouver dating all the way back to 1965 you likely ate a pizza or ten at one of the Smokey’s Pizza locations.

In addition to sports, Smokey’s has been a meeting place for all sorts of groups here in Vancouver, WA. It’s also a great place to just go hang out and play video games and enjoy lunch or dinner with family or friends. They are a family owned and operated business which is wonderful. If you’ve never been, make sure and check them out. If you haven’t been in a while take a walk down memory lane and enjoy a fun time and great food. They also have a great looking Happy Hour menu.

Smokey’s Hot Oven Pizza has two locations to serve us here in town. They are located in Orchards at 10411 NE Fourth Plain and you can reach them at 360-256-6680. They are also located in Hazel Dell at 6920 NE Hwy 99 and can be reached at 360-695-5005. You can also connect with Smokey’s Pizza on Facebook.