“Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers’ Service at Vancouver Barracks” is the theme of this year’s Celebrate Freedom Veterans Parade. Presented by the Fort Vancouver Historic Trust and the Lough Legacy, it is the 24th annual event and the first time the route will be completely on the national site.

The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.  For more information and a route map, visit www.FortVan.org.

The School of Piano Technology for the Blind has planned a benefit concert, “Harmony for the Holidays,” featuring the Misty River Band at the Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland, on Sunday, Dec. 5, from 2  to 4 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, 1-866-448-7849, all Ticketmaster outlets and at the Aladdin Box Office, 503-234-9694. General admission is $20, or $22.50 at door. VIP admission (including a reserved seat, autographed CD and Meet the Band) is $50, or $55 at door.

Continuing the annual tradition, Gov. Chris Gregoire and First Mike issued an open invitation to children to the Executive Mansion’s front porch from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, for a Halloween treat. This year’s Halloween theme will be “The Addams Family.”

Trooper, the First Dog, will play the role of Cousin Itt. Some of the treats will contain a golden ticket, an invitation to attend a special holiday reception on Friday, Dec. 3.

Continuing the annual tradition, Gov. Chris Gregoire and First Mike issued an open invitation children to the Executive Mansion’s front porch from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, for a Halloween treat. This year’s Halloween theme will be “The Addams Family.” The Governor will be in full costume as Morticia, the matriarch of the family, and will greet trick-or-treaters dressed as the popular television character.  The First Gentleman will assist the governor as Gomez, Morticia’s loving – make that adoring – husband.

Trooper the First Dog

Morticia and Gomez will be joined by their children Wednesday and Pugsley, in addition to Lurch, Uncle Fester and Grandmama. Trooper, the First Dog, will play the role of Cousin Itt.  There will also be an appearance by ‘Thing,’ who will periodically hand candy bars to Morticia and Gomez for distribution to the children. Some of the treats will contain a golden ticket, an invitation to attend a special holiday reception on Friday, Dec. 3.

With a heavy snowfall forecast for the mountain passes this week, drivers can start using studded tires and truck drivers should make sure they have chains, Washington State Department of Transportation officials said this week. Forecasts call for winter storms with snow levels dropping to 3000 feet today through Tuesday for all major Cascade Mountain passes.

Weather forecasts call for warmer and dry conditions by Wednesday. Because of the challenging conditions ahead in the mountains, WSDOT officials decided to allow drivers to install studded tires starting today, prior to the Tuesday, Nov. 1, seasonal tire restriction lift. The weather should clear by Wednesday, so if travelers are staying in the lower elevations and not crossing a mountain pass, WSDOT requests they wait until Nov. 1.

Find a list of items to carry in that winter-driving emergency kit, details about WSDOT’s winter program, answers to frequently asked questions and more at www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter.  Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 511.

“Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers’ Service at Vancouver Barracks” is the theme of this year’s Celebrate Freedom Veterans Parade. Presented by the Fort Vancouver Historic Trust and the Lough Legacy, it is the 24th annual event and the first time the route will be completely on the national site.

In April 1899, soldiers from Company B of the Twenty-fourth U.S. Infantry Regiment arrived at Vancouver Barracks. This marked the first time in the history of the post that a unit from one of the Army’s four African-American regiments, known as Buffalo Soldiers, were the post’s regular garrison of troops.

The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, with the firing of Howitzers on the parade ground of the Fort Vancouver National Site. It will begin at the east end of Officers Row at the corner of Evergreen Boulevard and East Reserve Street.  After going west along Officers Row, the parade will turn south at the traffic circle and proceed onto Fort Vancouver Way through the Vancouver Barracks, turn east onto Fifth Street, pass the reconstructed Fort Vancouver and end at the Pearson Air Museum.

For more information and a route map, visit www.FortVan.org.

Candidate for Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik invites you to an Election Night Watch Party on Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Atrium Lounge, 606 Broadway Street, Vancouver. For more information about Tony Golik, visit www.electgolik.com.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 30, Arts Equity is welcoming Thomas Rheingans and the “Live at the Fries” Concert Series under their production umbrella. Rheingans and Llewellyn J. Rhoe, of Arts Equity, have joined forces to produce an expanded seven concert season with lower ticket prices, now on sale at brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

Front row, from left: Superintendent Shonny Bria, Deputy Superintendent Diana Gilsinger and Principal Shayla Ebner. Back row, from left: Assistant Principal Steve Michaelis and Board members John Idsinga, Steve Pagel, Monty Anderson and Sam Kim.

Amboy Middle School has been named a Washington State School of Distinction for its five-year record of improvement in reading and math test scores. The announcement was made Saturday, Oct. 23, at a meeting of the Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, which this month just happened to be at Amboy Middle School.

The award is made annually to the top five percent of the state’s schools as measured by improved test scores. This is the second consecutive year a Battle Ground district school has had a School of Distinction. “This award reflects a lot of hard work by the staff and students over a long period of time, with plenty of support from parents and the community,” said Amboy Principal Shayla Ebner. “It didn’t just happen overnight. We have outstanding community support, hard-working students and dedicated teachers who make good use of collaboration time and work as a team.”

An award ceremony for winners from throughout Southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Battle Ground Public Schools’ district office, 11104 N.E. 149th Street in Brush Prairie. For details, contact Diana Gilsinger at 360-885-5338 or visit www.battlegroundps.org.

The Clark County Historical Museum and Community Military Appreciation Committee will celebrate Clark County’s veterans at the museum 1511 Main Street, in Vancouver on tonight, Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m., First Thursday Museum After Hours presents “A Salute to Clark County’s Veterans” by the Lewis & Clark Young Marines and Columbia River Detachment, Marine Corps League. For information about museum hours and special exhibits, or to make a tax-deductible donation to the museum, call 360-993-5679 or visit www.cchmuseum.org.

The Washington State Department of Transportation reminds us that it’s time to prepare for winter travel. Drivers heading over Washington’s major mountain pass highways, such as US 12 White Pass, US 2 Stevens Pass and I-90 Snoqualmie Pass, should be prepared for winter conditions.

Find a list of items to carry in a winter-driving emergency kit at www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter. Travelers can also sign up for mountain pass e-mail alerts and find many other ways to “know before you go.” Here’s what drivers can do to prepare:

• Get your car ready and plan extra time if driving through winter conditions.
• Carry chains and know the traction and chain requirements.
• Watch a video to learn how to install your tire chains.
• Sign up for news at www.wsdot.wa.gov/inform.
• Go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather for statewide weather forecasts and road temperatures.

Loves Street Playhouse, 126 Loves Ave. in Woodland, presents Seven Keys to Baldpate, a mysterious, melodramatic farce by George M. Cohan.
 

The show runs through Nov. 7, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain. Advance ticket prices are $8 for seniors and youth and $10 for adults. Tickets may be purchased at the door for an additional $2 if seats are still available. Purchase tickets online at www.lovestreetplayhouse.com or call 360-263-6670.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Mount St. Helens Institute received the 2010 Partners in Conservation Award from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The award recipients, explained Salazar, “embody a broad spectrum of conservation work ranging from preserving historic battlefields, restoring watersheds and wetlands, protecting wildlife, conserving water and fighting invasive species to teaching conservation values to the next generation.”

The Mount St. Helens Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of all ages gain an understanding of the natural processes and cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest’s volcanic landscapes.

Visit their web site for information at www.mshinstitute.org.

The Vancouver Watersheds Council, Americans Building Community and MacKay & Sposito, Inc., invite the community to the 3rd annual National Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers will meet at Leverich Park, just north of 39th Street and east of I-5, at 9 a.m. for registration and a free pancake breakfast provided by Nutter Corporation and Newman’s Own, Inc. National Make a Difference Day is the result of a partnership between USA Weekend magazine and HandsOn Network, and aims to get people involved in their communities. For more information, visit www.usaweekend.com/diffday.

Volunteers will plant native trees and shrubs (provided by the City of Vancouver Public Works Department) along Burnt Bridge Creek, clean the alleys in the Fourth Plain Village neighborhood, and help start a new community garden in the Rose Village neighborhood. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own gloves and shovels.

“Make a Difference Day presents us with the opportunity to join a national event and take action in our community,” says Gary Bock, executive director of the Vancouver Watersheds Council, a nonprofit organization which educates the public about the importance of protecting Vancouver’s watersheds.

To register for the event, call the Vancouver Watersheds Council at 360-852-9189, or e-mail Emily Hirschman at emily@vancouverwatersheds.org.

Clark County Presiding Judge Barbara Johnson received the Vocational Service Award of the Rotary Club of Vancouver, an award recognizing individuals who exemplify outstanding commitment to their business or profession over many years, leaving a lasting positive influence on their vocational areas and the community in general, and who reflect the values of Rotary. Appointed to the bench by Governor Booth Gardner in 1987, Judge Johnson was the first female judge in the history of Clark County Superior Court.

On Thursday, Nov. 4, Clark College geology professor Dr. Charlene Montierth will launch the college’s 2010-2011 Faculty Speaker Series with a presentation on geologic risks in the region.  The event, “Volcanoes and Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Oh My: Living on a (Tectonic) Edge,” is free and open to the public. It will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium on Clark’s main campus at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory will close for the winter at the end of the day on Sunday, Oct. 31. The observatory will reopen in mid-May for the 2011 visitor season. The opening date is dependent on weather and snow levels.

For more information and winter hours, visit www.parks.wa.gov/mountsthelens or call the center at 360-274-0962.

Tim and Lee Hutton-Welch

The challenge issued by Tim Welch and his wife, Lee Hutton-Welch, was exceeded by donors to the Longview-based Lower Columbia Community Action Program Foundation, leading to a $145,416 total gift.

For the first two weeks of October, the Woodland couple offered to match donations up to $35,000. The money is to help the nonprofit build its foundation.

As of Friday, Oct. 15, a total of $72,708 was received in response, prompting the Welches to increase the match.

“This campaign is no longer about one family’s gift. It’s about who we are as a community and how we are planning for the future,” Tim Welch said in a statement on Friday. “Lee and I have been humbled by this experience and wish to thank all those people who rose to the challenge.”

Also known as CAP, the charity provides safety net services, such as food assistance, as well as self-sufficiency programs such as job training.

More information is available online at www.lowercolumbiacap.org.

Local agencies and employers have joined forces to offer a Southwest Washington Hiring Event for Veterans on Thursday, Nov. 4. The job fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Clark College Gaiser Hall, 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. Employers from Cowlitz and Clark Counties with job openings will participate. For more information or to register as a participating employer, call 360-696-8417 or go to www.go2worksource.com