Camas-Washougal Post-Record

September 27, 2011

Camas volleyball sets sights on Prairie tonight

The volleyball rivalry between Camas and Prairie is well-documented. Tonight in the Papermaker warehouse, it enters the next phase. "This is one of the biggest rivalries for our school," said Camas head coach Julie Nidick. "The ball will bounce the way it bounces. I want to come out and see our girls play Camas volleyball. Attack with everything." For the past three years, the Papermakers have defeated the Falcons for the district title. After Camas beat Prairie three times in 2010, the Falcons are looking for some payback. There is something about seeing Prairie on the schedule next that brings out the fire in the Papermakers.

September 27, 2011

Efraimson earns third at Nike Pre-Nationals

The Camas High School girls cross country runners turned it up a notch at the Nike Pre-Nationals Saturday, on the Portland Meadows race track. Freshman Alexa Efraimson amazed her coaches and teammates again by snatching third out of 98 competitors in the Jim Danner Championship. She completed the 5,000-meter course with a personal best time of 17 minutes, 58.2 seconds. "To know I'm just a freshman is exciting, but I still have a lot to learn and a lot to work for," Efraimson said. "Every race and every practice, I want to get better."

September 20, 2011

Garrett Erickson of Camas checks out one of the many vehicles on display at the Braggers Rights Classic Car Show, sponsored by Georgia Pacific. Proceeds benefit local charities.

Cruising into Camas

From Grateful Dead themed "hippie vans" to a 1938 Ford Roadster, the Braggers Rights Classic Car Show Cruise-In had a little something for everyone. Take George Boeckel, for example. The Milwaukie, Ore., resident enjoyed showing his 1970 Pontiac Judge and chatting with onlookers at the same time. "This was a 15-year project," he said. "It began when my son wanted to get a car and bought a 1972 Pontiac LeMans." Boeckel went to a dragstrip in Central Oregon with his son, and never has been the same since. He and wife, Terry, have spent many hours of their free time in the last 15 years restoring the "Judge" to mint condition and attending several car shows along the way.

September 20, 2011

Michael Knight sits with Liberty Middle School Principal Marilyn Boerke on one of the five benches he made for the school as a part of his Eagle Scout project last year.

Carved from determination

Camas resident Michael Knight was determined to become an Eagle Scout before he finished middle school. He almost didn't make it. Right before he was set to leave for Scouting camp to collect the last few merit badges he needed, his appendix nearly burst. "We are talking two hours before he was to leave (for camp)," Nadine Knight, his mom, said. Michael was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.

September 20, 2011

Members of the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club spent time distributing backpacks to children in need at area schools recently.

Giving every student a good start

Every year when children return to school, most look forward to the routine of a buying a new backpack and school supplies. But for some, especially since the economy has declined, it is a routine to be dreaded. While their classmates compare new backpacks and school supplies, kids who are not as fortunate avoid the traditional rite of passage. That's where the Camas-Washougal Rotary backpack program comes in. Every fall, club members distribute the backpacks to more than 100 students at the start of school.

September 20, 2011

Student enrollment increases in Camas and Washougal districts

Despite a still lagging economy, enrollment is higher than projected in both the Washougal and Camas school districts. Washougal's full-time equivalency count is 2,833, an increase of 39 from last September, and 84 more than projected in the budget. The FTE count for Camas is 5,887 students, an increase of 259 from last September, and 1.4 perecent more than projected in the budget. Donna Gregg, director of business services for the Camas School District, said the increase is likely due to several factors.

September 15, 2011

School Notes

There will be a meeting regarding advanced placement classes on Monday, Sept. 19, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Washougal's Washburn Performing Arts Center, 1201 39th St.

September 13, 2011

Dianne Morgan is retiring after 30 years with the Camas Public Library. The reference librarian said she will miss all the patrons. "It's the people that make this job great. They are like family to me."

A storied career

Dianne Morgan is so dedicated to Camas Library patrons that even a wardrobe malfunction couldn't keep her from doing her job. "Dianne was walking away from the circulation desk with a patron when her slip fell down around her ankles," co-worker Debbie Chevron recalled. "Dianne, being the professional she is, reached down to pick up her slip, put it in her pocket and kept on walking." Morgan, 60, will be retiring at the end of September after 30 years at the library. It's been a storied career for someone who felt totally overwhelmed at the beginning. "The first day, I was told to sort the books by author, title and subject, and some of the subjects I'd never even heard of before," Morgan said. "I was sure they were going to figure out I was some kind of fraud."

September 13, 2011

Floating, tanning and jumping off rocks into the water were all popular activities at the Sandy Swimming Hole last week.

Beating the heat

Usually after school is back in session, people are thinking about football, pumpkins, brisk weather and wintering their gardens. But with the hottest weather of the year hitting Camas and Washougal, many are still in full summer mode. During the last week, the Northwest has welcomed several 90-plus degree days, for the first time since last summer. Ironically, right before the heat wave began Labor Day weekend, weather forecasters had argued that perhaps the Northwest wouldn't see temperatures more than 90 degrees until 2012.

September 6, 2011

Belle Mathieu (foreground) and Debra Sampson serve "Hot Mana Chili" at A Twist on Time. Sampson, co-owner of the store, said she doesn't use a recipe when cooking it.

Gettin’ chili

Friday may have been a warm night, but in downtown Camas, merchants were getting chili. Or, more correctly, serving chili and soup that either they had made themselves, or had a local restaurant concoct for them. The idea for a soup and chili cook-off First Friday event came from Carrie Schulstad and other members of the Downtown Camas Association. First Friday happens each month and there is a different theme every time, with the goal of promoting downtown Camas. "We thought this would be a great idea to cross promote local restaurants, merchants and the Camas Farmer's Market," said Schulstad, vice-president of the DCA.