On Saturday, July 24th the “A Toast of Camas” Wine & Microbrew Street reached capacity at about 9:30 pm. Its overwhelming popularity served up many positive challenges, resulting in a need to increase the event space and offerings. Next year we will have either a second beer truck or a station designated for cans of beer.

We are still selling tickets for the Alaskan/Horizon Airlines Give-A-Way of FOUR airfares to Hawaii, until August 10th. There will be two winners, of two tickets each. So far only about 360 tickets have been sold. Your odds are VERY good as the prize will still be raffled, no matter how many tickets we sell!

The Camas Days event has many moving parts: Vendors, Live Music, Wine & Mircrobrew Street, Food Street, Grand Parade, Kids Street, Kids Parade, Bath Tub races, etc. And each of those moving parts has a team of volunteers and sponsors to make it possible.

We would like to send a special THANK YOU to Pat Ray, Tim Hazen, Bert Duncan, Rachel Loper, Krista Bashaw, Sydnie Erickson, James, Alyse Erickson, Aaron Lutz, Nick Brown and Carma Zarosinski. And to our sponsors, Lacamas Community Credit Union, Nies Insurance, Waste Connections/Columbia Resource Company, Georgia Pacific, Columbia Credit Union, Hip Chicks Consulting,    iQ Credit Union,  Schwabe Law Offices, Alaskan Airlines, US Bank, Camas Meadows, and The Columbian/Camas-Washougal Post Record.

And to our pourers and amazing clean up crew of friends of Dawn from Lily Atelier! 

It’s been a busy year for the Chamber and I can’t believe July is behind us already.  There have been so many events and activities since last Fall, and all of them have been successful in their own way, but none of them compared to Camas Days.  We were treated to great weather, many excellent vendors for food, crafts, and other goods, and most of all scores of wonderful people from the community.  I am always struck by the way Camas Days draws everyone into downtown all weekend long and especially by the social gathering that wine street becomes in the evening.  

I have enjoyed my term as the President this year and I hope we can all look back on 2010 and remember it as the turning point.  Like all businesses, we have had our challenges with customer base and cash flow but we managed to take the right steps at the right time to remain reasonably healthy.   We had several Business After Hours events, business openings, and Chamber Happy Hours to get people together and promote their businesses.  We had some very interesting speakers for the monthly luncheons at Camas Meadows.  Who could forget the inspiring story of Kilong Ung? Despite losing most of his family, he escaped the Cambodian genocide in the mid-1970’s, came to the U.S., and became very successful.   Another inspiration for me was at the Annual Award Banquet and the heartfelt acceptance speeches given by the teacher of the year recipients for both Camas and Washougal School Districts’.   It was clear that they truly loved what they did and that passion made a difference for so many young people. 

I very much want to thank both Brent and Chandra for their tireless efforts to keep the Camas/Washougal Chamber running smoothly.  I would also like to thank all the Board members and volunteers who donate their time and energy to help make possible the many things the Chamber does throughout the year.  You all make a difference in this community.