Tag Archive for: Downtown Camas

,

Virtual First Friday Week: Pumpkin Contest + Star Wars Costume Contest

All week long, the Downtown Camas Association has been having a fun daily virtual game or activity that has been posted on the Downtown Camas First Friday Facebook Page which culminates in a Facebook Live event on First Friday, October 2 at 5 pm where DCA leaders will announce the winners from the week and you’ll have many chances to win for watching and responding. This is what has been happening:

  • Sunday: Star Wars Trivia and Caption This! (Star Wars Trivia is at the bottom of this web page. :))
  • Monday: Autumn Word Search & Jumble and Seek & Find the Star Wars Characters in downtown
  • Tuesday: Which Star Wars Episode?
  • Wednesday: Pick & Pic! Choose your favorite Star Wars character and post a pic of a cool Star Wars inspired pumpkin!
  • Thursday: Post a pic of you in your Star Wars Costume! Or at least a pic of the costume you would wear if you had one! You’ll be entered to win 5 times if it’s you wearing one! Plus we will give prizes for the Best Adult and Best Kid Costume sponsored by iQ Credit Union!
  • Friday: Pumpkin Pageant Merchant Passport–virtual or in person! Get 5 extra chances to win for doing passport in person! Artfully carved pumpkins will be on display at participating businesses on Thursday and Friday and you vote for your favorite (passports will be posted on Thursday morning and are due by 3pm on Friday). The merchant that gets the most votes wins a prize. Click here for the passport!
Camas
www.lilyatelier.com

Plus after-hours art shows, shopping and dining on First Friday!

  • These shops will be open late on First Friday: &Co, Allure Boutique, Arktana, Attic Gallery (Earl Hamilton Solo Show), Camas Antiques, Camas Gallery, Cedar Street Bagel Co, Juxtaposition, Lily Atelier, Natalia’s and Papermaker Pride. Come support our shops and restaurants downtown.
  • Natalia’s Cafe has a stunning Star Wars Christmas-themed exhibit and will be offering cabbage rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup as First Friday specials.

You have until 3pm on First Friday to complete each of the activities to be entered to win downtown gift cards and prizes sponsored by  the Downtown Camas Association and iQ Credit Union. Let’s have fun together!

To learn more, visit www.downtowncamas.com

/0 Comments/by
, ,

DCA Officially Dedicates Downtown Mill Photo Collage Friday Afternoon

The Downtown Camas Association (DCA) officially dedicated the Mill Photo Collage Friday afternoon with a ribbon cutting at the Universal Martial Arts building at the corner of 4th Avenue and Adams.

The collage honors the history of the Camas Paper Mill with original images.

DCA Board President, Caroline Mercury, emceed the event, which was mostly a live-streamed virtual ceremony, providing context about the public art project from concept to construction.

“It’s just our pleasure to dedicate this beautiful photo collage to the city of Camas as a wonderful public art project that the DCA has executed to honor the huge role that the paper mill played in making Camas what it is today.”

Mercury was dressed in a paper dress to honor the occasion and the history.  The dress is a replica from a 1940s Paper Festival, which was the precursor to the contemporary annual Camas Days event.

“About four years ago, the design committee at the DCA began incubating the idea for a large-scale mural, collage, of vintage photos from the mill collection, and then entered Anna Fry,” said Mercury. 

Former and longtime mill employee Fry was involved in community relations and was the champion of this project through the GP Foundation process.

Big Hook Graphics was the company who put together the giant photo collage following direction from the talented artist, Allan Jeffs.

The Clark County Historical Museum also contributed to the project. Kitchen Electric added dusk to dawn lighting to illuminate the strumming mural. Additional funding came from Riverview Bank and the Clark County Historical Commission.

DCA Executive Director, Carrie Schulstad, explained the collage has a QR code that visitors can scan to get more information. Schulstad thanked Mercury for her daily commitment to making this project come to fruition.

Mill
www.lilyatelier.com

“Her love of the mill is just incredible as you can tell, and we are so lucky to have her in our community,” said Schulstad. “The town is fantastic and it grew up to serve the mill so if you would like to learn more there is a QR code that’s right there on the legend and you can click that and it takes you on a tour of downtown.”

Camas Mayor Barry McDonnell was there, accompanied by the brand-new City Administrator, Jamal Fox.

“Anytime you ask anyone in Camas who has been here for a while they have some sort of connection to the mill, whether they work there, they knew someone that was there … or maybe they just like to catch the toilet paper rolls that get thrown out at the Camas Days parade.”

Following his speech, McDonnell cut the official ribbon.

The photo collage was originally scheduled for its official dedication in April, but due to the pandemic that was delayed.

#downtowncamas #camas #photocollage #camaspapermill #papermakerpride #lacamasmagazine #lacmag 

Mill
From left: Marquita Call, owner of Camas Gallery, City of Camas Administrator Jamal Fox, and CW Chamber Executive Director Jennifer Senescu.
/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Popular Restaurant Nuestra Mesa Re-Opens Today After 11-Day Closure

Camas, WA — After a self-imposed closure on July 19, the popular Mexican restaurant, Nuestra Mesa, is re-opening its doors today for full dine-in and takeout service.

Mesa voluntarily closed its doors upon learning a family member had tested positive for COVID-19. Customers were told the situation, and were politely asked to leave that Sunday afternoon.

Since that time, all Mesa employees were tested and the entire restaurant was professionally cleaned. It was a thorough three-hour process in which all surfaces were sanitized.

“All our employees tested negative for COVID-19 and our restaurant underwent a thorough, professional cleaning,” said Todd Moravitz, co-owner of the restaurant. “We thank you for your patience. We made your safety and the safety of our employees a priority.”

Mesa serves gourmet Mexican cuisine in historic downtown Camas. They are following all state-mandated COVID-19 safety guidelines, and have physically distanced outdoor seating, as well. Hours are 11:30-9 daily.

Learn more at www.nuestramesacamas.com or visit their social media sites on Facebook and Instagram.

For takeout or dine-in reservations, call 360.210.5311.

Mesa
www.artfuljuxtaposition.com
/0 Comments/by
, ,

Nuestra Mesa Temporarily Closes; Family Member Tests Positive for COVID-19

The owners of Nuestra Mesa announced today that a restaurant family member tested positive for COVID-19, and that they will temporarily close.

“A MESA family member tested positive,” said Todd Moravitz, co-owner of MESA. “We care about the community, and we’re taking all the same safety precautions as Grains of Wrath. All of our employees will be tested early this week, and our restaurant will be professionally cleaned. We hope to re-open soon, but we first must address this.”

Moravitz has been in contact with Brendan Greenen, partner and General Manager of Grains of Wrath, and both establishments plan to use the same mobile COVID-19 testing unit, which is able to show results within 15 minutes. 

“Our restaurant follows all COVID-19 health and safety protocols,” said Moravitz. “Our customers have supported us through this entire pandemic, and we appreciate your patience as we do our due diligence to ensure everyone’s safety.”

MESA closed abruptly Sunday afternoon notifying guests of the situation, and will keep the public updated as more information becomes available.

On Saturday, Grains of Wrath discovered a direct employee of theirs tested positive for COVID-19, and abruptly closed, as well. Both restaurants are very stringent with following CDC and state mandated coronavirus safety and health protocols. Customers are required to wear face coverings upon entrance, and all employees wear them while preparing and serving food.

MESA
https://www.lesschwab.com/store/?storeId=714
/1 Comment/by
, , ,

Downtown Camas Business Signs Program Now a Fun, Cool Reality

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, with most people confined to their homes, you probably haven’t seen the long-planned Downtown Camas Signs program become a reality.

“We have been wanting way-find signs for years,” said Carrie Schulstad, Executive Director of the Downtown Camas Association (DCA). ”Last year there was a little extra funding through downtown maintenance, and so we reached out to businesses to see what we could do with those funds. The way-finding signs are what stuck. We did a collaborative effort, and it’s an example of how Main Street works. The merchants all paid their signs, but the city paid for the poles and the installation. The end result is stunning!”

The DCA coordinated the project with all the local merchants.

A total of eight poles and 40 signs for downtown retail stores and restaurants were constructed and placed a few weeks ago. In addition, there’s a mill town collage, which is covered in plastic, and will be unveiled when society reopens. It was supposed to be unveiled April First Friday.

A few signs have to be re-done and will be installed soon.

“We are expanding the vibrancy of downtown Camas to 3rd and 5th streets and to all the side streets. It’s been a challenge because those streets don’t have all the electrical infrastructure that 4th Avenue does,” said Schulstad. “These signs help people know what stores are on these other streets. It creates awareness.”

And, of course, the timing of this is the great irony. When businesses re-open they will see a nice addition to downtown.

“We look forward to seeing everyone back as soon as it’s safe to do so,” said Suzanne Ferguson, owner of Juxtaposition, which is a brand-new furniture store. “The signs are beautiful.”

Wendy DelBosque, who manages Natalia’s Cafe, says the new signs add a nice touch to a “beautiful downtown.”

Signs
www.artfuljuxtaposition.com
Signs
On the corner of 4th and Dallas.
/0 Comments/by
, ,

Juxtaposition Open House + Ribbon Cutting Event Starts at 5 Today

Juxtaposition, a new home furnishings store in downtown Camas, is having their Open House & Ribbon Cutting Celebration today from 5-6 pm. The public is invited to attend.

The ribbon cutting, officiated by the Downtown Camas Association, the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Camas, begins promptly at 5:30. The address is 425 NE 4th Avenue, Camas, in the former Post-Record building.

“We are so excited to officially open the store,” said Suzanne Ferguson, owner. “There’s a lot to see here with so many beautiful things. Juxtaposition is about transitional to modern home furnishings, and we already feel so welcome here in historic downtown Camas.”

“We understand some may desire to stay home due to the coronavirus, and we totally respect that. We look forward to seeing you when this all passes.”

The evening will include live music from the Opus School of Music with food being catered by Natalia’s, with wine from the Birch Street Lounge, beer from Caps and Taps, live art by Elida Field, and flowers from Acorn and the Oak. Juxtaposition will also be giving away small prizes throughout the evening.

To learn more, visit www.artfuljuxtaposition.com or follow their Facebook (@juxtaspositioncamas) and Instagram (@juxtapositioncamas)

/0 Comments/by
,

Go Green is the Theme For Today’s Downtown Camas First Friday

First Friday – March 6th, 2020, come to Downtown Camas and celebrate Go Green. Pick up a special passport and activity list at the Journey Community Church at 304 NE 4th Avenue.

Lucky leprechauns, a “Green Zone” featuring local schools, businesses and non-profits that care for the environment, and the wearing of green will all be a part of this fun event. The event runs from 5-8 pm.

Here’s what’s going on downtown for First Friday:

  • “Find the Lucky Leprechaun”: Each participating merchant will have a “lucky leprechaun” in their business, and for every leprechaun you find, you receive a prize ticket to be entered to win green prizes and more from the merchants. Lucky leprechaun “passports” can be found in participating stores and at the DCA table in Journey.
  • Wander through the “Green Zone” at Journey church and learn how easy it is to make this world a greener place with fun educational kid-friendly activities and giveaways provided by local nonprofits. This year we will have: World Vision, Master Gardners, Eartha the Clown, Ivy League, Waste Connections, CHS Green Team, IQ Credit Union, and Camp Windy Hill.
Green
www.VixonCabinets.com

Art Shows and Receptions

  • Ribbon cutting at 5 pm for the “Camas Love” mural on 5th Ave.
  • Enjoy fun recycled crafts with the Camas High School “Green Team”
  • Eartha the Clown will be there doing face-painting and Earth education
  • Connecting Camas Clothes drive (senior project)
  • Merchants will have lists in their windows showing all the ways our downtown businesses care for the environment.
  • Kids’ crafts at the DCA tables!
  • Customers wearing green get an extra prize ticket!
  • For every $10 spent in downtown you get a ticket to enter to win.

So many fun activities!

To learn more, visit http://www.downtowncamas.com

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Business Scene: Lily Atelier Launches New Website! LilyAtelier.com is Born!

For the first time in its 16+ year history, Lily Atelier, the iconic Downtown Camas women’s clothing boutique, now has a website — www.lilyatelier.com — which is now open for business.

When Marilyn Reed, Lily Atelier’s new owner, purchased the store in November 2019 she came with a plan to build on the brand’s success, which included a new website, store renovations, technological additions, and many other projects.

“We’re so pleased that Lily now has a website,” said Reed. “This helps us provide an ever better level of customer service, and it allows us to reach so many more people.”

The site encapsulates the Lily Atelier brand with vendor images and descriptions, sale items, product for purchase, a look at the store’s history and where it’s headed, as well a new blog to keep customers updated on Lily news.

“Our blog will build on our fantastic social media sites to include news about product, staff, store updates, and fashion tips. It’s so exciting,” said Reed.

Local Camas merchants have been very supportive of the expansion, and consider Lily Atelier a destination boutique.

“People come from all over to visit Lily Atelier,” said Carrie Schulstad, Executive Director of the Downtown Camas Association. “Having a website will help them reach even greater heights! This store is a great contributor to the success of downtown Camas. We couldn’t be happier for them. We are very grateful and thank them for their added enthusiasm and investment in downtown Camas, and for the increased engagement that they’re planning for.”

The iconic women’s boutique has become a destination venue for many of their customers, and many call in orders from all over the country as they are able to procure hard-to-find products. Lily Atelier is also credited with being a major contributor to the continued Downtown Camas renaissance.

Lily Atelier
Visit www.LilyAtelier.com

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Annual Downtown Camas Awards Show Highlights Tremendous Successes

It was a full house Monday at Journey Community Church for the annual Downtown Camas Association (DCA) Awards night.

In attendance were local merchants, business owners, DCA board members, city council representatives, and Camas Mayor Shannon Turk.

Emceed by DCA Executive Director, Carrie Schulstad, the evening began by reviewing statistics about the growth and successes of Downtown Camas.

Schulstad reported the following:

  • A 26 percent increase in First Friday attendance over 2018. 
  • First Fridays started in 2005, became more family friendly in 2014, and have steadily increased in popularity.
  • The annual Car Show, Girls Night Out, Boo Bash, Plant and Garden Fair all helped bring people into the downtown area.  
  • The first Camas Car Show started in 2006 with 10 cars as a First Friday event.  The Car Show moved to Saturdays, and in 2019 there were 250 cars with an attendance of 5,000+.  
  • It was the 10th anniversary of Girls Night Out. 
  • Boo Bash brought in 2,500+ kids with parents.
  • New events in 2019 were Little Art Camas and Picnic in Color.
  • The DCA has 175 volunteers.
  • There were 12 Downtown Camas ribbon cuttings in 2019.

“Little Art Camas was a huge success,” said Schulstad. “Picnic in Color happens on the Sunday of Camas Days, and it brought out 250 kids. It’s helping kids to find their inner artist. We do so many events so people have a compelling reason to come to downtown more often, but we really couldn’t do what we do in downtown if we didn’t have great merchants. They bring it every single day!”

Downtown Camas
Best DT Improvement-Exterior Award: Hidden River Roasters

Design

DCA President, Caroline Mercury also chairs the design committee, which focuses on the aesthetics and tone of Downtown Camas.

“We hear often from newcomers who say how cute Downtown Camas is,” said Mercury. “We are Mayberry with a paper mill, which we love. We fund the flower baskets through community donations. We have extended the flower baskets on 3rd and 5th. And we really want to extend the whole look of downtown.”

Vega, Salud and A Beer at a Time put the baskets on their buildings.

Mercury also highlighted these points:

  • The DCA repainted the Downtown Camas sign on 4th and Adams. 
  • The lights on the buildings are a DCA project through a grant from PUD. 
  • They replaced all the light strands with LED. 
  • The lights costs $300-$500 per building depending on the footage. 

“The lights add to the aesthetics of the downtown,” said Mercury. “It creates an ambiance when you’re downtown at night. Thank you to the building owners who participate in this. It was Ken Navidi’s idea to string up the lights.” 

Election

Mercury reported they have a public art grant to paint a mural at the US Bank parking lot, which will be a 10 x 20 collage.

“Work will be starting soon, and we hope to have that up the first part of 2020,” said Mercury. “It’s a tribute piece to the mill.”

Awards

Here are the award recipients:

  • Best DT Improvement-Exterior: Hidden River Roasters
  • Best DT Improvement-Interior: Attic Gallery
  • Outstanding Window Display: Natalia’s Cafe
  • Creative Local Marketing: Caps N’ Taps
  • Putting Camas on Map: Grains of Wrath
  • Change is Good: Camas Gallery
  • Something New in Camas: Cedar Street Bagel Company
  • Outstanding Customer Service: Hidden River Roasters
  • Exceptional Employee: Allie Baden of Caffe Piccolo
  • Downtown Spirit Award: Erica and Wendy of Natalia’s Cafe
  • Volunteers of the Year: Amanda Whitcombe and Lee Lapp
  • Student Volunteer of the Year: Emily Curry
  • Lighting Our Community Award: Ken Navidi, Greg Goforth, Doug Quinn, Craig Schulstad, Randy Curtis

To learn more, visit www.downtowncamas.com

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Emmy Award-Winning TV Host David Dunlop Visits Attic Gallery

Beginning September 6 and all through the month, Attic Gallery will feature the works of master artist David Dunlop, who will be part of Friday’s Plein Air event, as well as the featured guest at the gallery’s First Friday reception from 5-8 pm.

September 6th-September 28th
David Allen Dunlop: Oil Paintings on Dibond

DAVID DUNLOP is a modern-day old master whose luminous landscapes draw from both Renaissance techniques and contemporary science.  His paintings have been shown internationally and are held in the collections of major corporations including Aetna Insurance, Citibank, Colgate Palmolive, Delta Airlines, GE Capital Corporation, IBM, Mobil and more.

EMMY AWARD WINNING TELEVISION HOST
David is the engaging host and writer of the 13-show national PBS television series, Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop, for which he won an Emmy and a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2009. In 2017, the second series was nominated for an Emmy. Landscapes Through Time is distributed  internationally and returned to U.S. national television in 2018. Both series were produced by SimmonsArt and directed by Connie Simmons and the first was also co-produced by Connecticut Public Television. David is also the host, artist and writer in several other  multi-DVD series on painting landscapes produced by SimmonsArt, blogs regularly, and has a devoted following on YouTube.

EXHIBITIONS
David’s work has been reviewed extensively, including, Art New England and The New York Times. After being juried into the prestigious Art of the Northeast USA, David won the Jens Risom Award and David and his son Max Dunlop won the Revington Arthur Award.

Scholarship
VancouverLaserSkinCareClinic.com

LECTURER
David’s reputation as a painter who combines artistic skill, knowledge and enthusiasm prompted The Metropolitan Museum of Art to invite him to lecture on 4000 years of landscape painting in 2005.  He has been a visiting artist/lecturer at many museums and institutions, including the Huntsville Art Museum, Huntsville, AL; Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ; Springfield Museums, Springfield, MA; New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT; Caramoor Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT; and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.

Dunlop
“Columbia Gorge” by David Dunlop.

His PBS program on Cezanne is included in the exhibit Cezanne and American Modernism at the Montclair Art Museum.David is exhaustively well-read in pursuit of the underlying principles of art, exploring original sources and recent advances in neuroscience.

TEACHER
David has been a painting teacher at Silvermine Art Guild for many years and has a devoted following around the world.  He teaches workshops on many varied topics throughout the world as well.

David graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2011. He earned an MFA from The Pratt Institute, NY, NY. He is on the faculty of the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT, where he teaches, lectures, and leads workshops, as far afield as Italy, France, Spain and Japan. He was honored with their Living Art Award in 2017. David lives in Wilton, CT, with his wife, Rebecca Hoefer.

To learn more, visit www.atticgallery.com

/0 Comments/by