Home & Garden Show draws national interest
Lou Marzeles
Editor
The Goldendale Regional Home and Garden Show is only in its second year, and while its location would seem to make it a hinterland event, vendors and interest are coming in from around the country.
The Show is next Friday through Sunday, April 16, 17, and 18, at the Fairgrounds, and it’s shaping up to be one of the largest events to be held in the area. Almost a hundred vendors will be there, up from 77 last year, some from as far away as Illinois and New York. Early estimates are that some 4,000 people will attend the three-day event, now being informally called by some the “Spring Fair.” If the estimates turn out to be accurate, the number of people attending the show will exceed the population of Goldendale.
“It’s big,” Greater Goldendale Chamber of Commerce executive director Mindy Blomquist said of the Show at last week’s Java Talk. “It’s up there with the county fair.”
The Show’s draw reflects the strong nationwide interest in gardening and home improvement, as well as Klickitat County’s agricultural strength. Timed with the advent of warmer weather and loaded with practical home and gardening features, the Show is poised to put Goldendale and the county on a broader regional, and perhaps national, visibility.
Workshops and special events are lined up for all three days of the Show. Among the highlights are Ed Hume; Brian Santos (“the Wall Wizard”); a bug expert who will tell you anything you want to know about any bug you bring in; live music all day Saturday, including a lunch-time kids’ concert; and lots of fun fair food.
Volunteers are still very much needed, according to Blomquist. “We especially need help early Tuesday and Wednesday mornings,” she said. “Some of the vendors require three days to fully set up, and we have to start with marking the booth spaces, which has to be done early in the morning.” By “early,” she means pre-dawn. But volunteers get to park for free close to the event. To volunteer, call the Chamber office at 773-3400.
Seniors advocates say health care bill in state will affect older citizens
For almost 200,000 people in Washington State, the new federal health care plan will mean help paying for prescription drugs, according to advocates for seniors. They say there will also be affordable access to coverage for nearly a million people in the state who currently have no health insurance.
Ingrid McDonald, advocacy director for AARP-Washington, says the plan provides some immediate relief to hundreds of thousands of seniors and others on Medicare who fall into the so-called doughnut hole in prescription drug coverage.
“Twenty-two percent of our Medicare beneficiaries in the state, almost 200,000 people, fall into this gap in coverage each year. In 2010, people who fall into the doughnut hole will receive an immediate one-time check for $250.”
Coverage will increase so that, eventually, the doughnut hole will be closed, says McDonald. As for the rest of the plan, Republicans identified technical flaws in the measure that required one final round of votes in the House and Senate to repair. Pres. Obama told a rally in Iowa that costs will come down for families and businesses under the plan, which he says will reduce the national deficit by $130 billion over the next decade.
130,000 uninsured people in Washington State between the ages of 50 and 64, who are too young for Medicaid, will gain access to coverage, according to AARP. Pre-existing conditions will also be addressed, McDonald adds.
“Under this bill, there is going to be an end to discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, which impacts a lot of people in this age range. Right away, if anyone, regardless of age, can’t get insurance because of a pre-existing condition, they will have access to immediate temporary coverage.”
The plan also brings relief to the nearly one million people in Washington State of all ages who have no insurance, They will be able to purchase affordable coverage through state-based health insurance exchanges.
The Dalles Dam tours offered through spring and summer
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will offer guided tours this spring and summer of The Dalles Lock & Dam powerhouse.
Visitors will begin their 45-minute tour in the Probstfield Foyer to learn about the dam’s history, operations, power generation and fish passage facilities, then travel to the mezzanine for a view of the dam’s nearly half-mile long powerhouse and its 22 generators. The tour will conclude with a presentation on the life cycle of salmon and a view of the dam’s fish ladders.
2010 tours will take place on April 10, 11 and 18; May 15, 16, 29 and 30; June 5, 12, 13, 26 and 27; July 3, 24, 25, and 31; Aug. 7, 8, 28 and 29; and Sept. 11, 12, 18 and 19.
Saturday tours will start at 11 a.m., and Sunday tours at 2 p.m. The June 5 tour will be a special walking tour from The Dalles Dam Visitor Center along the riverfront trail to the Probstfield Foyer in honor of National Trails Day.
The tours are accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities and children in strollers. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended. All visitors over age 16 must have valid photo identification. Vehicles are subject to search; visitors should arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tour time.
Mandatory pre-registration starts two weeks before each tour. Contact The Dalles Lock & Dam Ranger Office at (541) 506-7819 to register.
For more information about The Dalles Lock & Dam, visit http://www. nwp.usace.army.mil/op/d.
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