Trout Lake fair this weekend
The 42nd annual Trout Lake Fair kicks off Friday with the community potluck social, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Elk Meadows RV Park. Live music will accompany the hamburger and hot dog meals. One change from the regular schedule is cancellation of the Saturday morning fireman’s breakfast, and Honor Society car wash.
Saturday will begin with a 5K/10K run for the serious runners, starting at 8 a.m., and a one-mile fun run for those who prefer to keep the end point within view from the start of the run. A parade will head out from the west end of Guler County Park at 11 a.m.
The Johah Ministries facility is the place to be after the parade and through the afternoon. Insided exhibits, plenty of good food and 4-H livestock exhibits will be on hand this year. A silent auction and fun and games will involve spectators of all ages in the fun. The timber carnival returns, perhaps testing your skill with a two-man cross cut saw. The evening is capped with a family barn dance at Trailhead Bed and Breakfast, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The fair ends Sunday with a community church service at the Jonah Ministries.
Farmland preservation task force to meet in Goldendale
The state Farmland Preservation Task Force will hold their next meeting in Goldendale on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The public is invited to attend the meeting, which will be held at the Goldendale Grange, 228 East Darland Street. The meeting will start at 9 a.m.
The Task Force will discuss the role of the Growth Management Act in farmland preservation, the link between water and working lands, and review other state efforts to enhance agriculture in the State of Washington.
The office of Farmland Preservation is a program within the Washington State Conservation Commission. The office was created in 2007 as part of Governor Gregoire’s working lands initiative. The Farmland Preservation Task Force consists of 18 members from around the state who have been meeting regularly since December of 2007.
The mission of the Task Force is to promote the vitality of farming, farmers, and ranchers by ensuring that we will continue to have productive agricultural lands in Washington State.
Serving on the 18 member Task Force is local legislator and farmer, Senator Jim Honeyford (R- Sunnyside). Also on the Task Force representing farmers in the South Central region is Jacob Anderson of White Salmon.
Anderson is a third generation farmer and livestock producer in Klickitat County.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the Task Force, along with local officials and land owners, will have the opportunity to tour the south central region and speak with local land owners about the challenges and opportunities they face.
Additional information about the office of Farmland Preservation can be found at www.scc.wa.gov.
Embarq to expand county DSL access
Embarq announced that it is expanding its broadband services to a number of areas in Klickitat and Skamania counties and high-speed DSL service in these areas should be available by year end.
Fiber optic cable construction will soon be underway in the Rim Rock area of Klickitat County, as well as to the community of Wishram, which will bring DSL services to these areas by the end of 2008. The new fiber optic cable will increase the capacity of the local Embarq network and effectively handle the additional traffic associated with DSL expansion.
The largest Embarq project in the area is at the west end of Klickitat County, just north of White Salmon. Embarq will be placing high-speed fiber optic cable, as well as a next-generation switch, to better serve area customers.
The project was initiated by the Washington State Transportation Department to address safety hazards on Snowden Road. Embarq will invest about $600,000 in construction and equipment, which will mean an additional 100-150 lines of DSL-equipped infrastructure, as well as enhanced products for existing DSL customers.
In Skamania County, additional broadband access is coming to North Bonneville with the help of the City of North Bonneville and the Corp of Engineers. This project will expand the broadband capacity of existing equipment, allowing Embarq to meet the communications needs of the community.
In addition to new construction, new technology has been adopted by Embarq to extend the service reach of existing DSL deployments.
“Currently, DSL broadband technology has a coverage area of about three miles from the point where the equipment is located,” said Jon Krutsch, Network Manager. “With the new technology, we will be able to expand DSL another mile and, in some cases, two miles further out. We are looking at sites now to decide where to effectively expand services. Customers will be notified as soon as their location is identified as newly equipped.”
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