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Community groups, vendors and food sellers who plan to take part in this year’s Ethnic Support Council International Festival need to get their registrations in by the close of business today. This year’s International Festival is the 22nd annual, and will take plans on Saturday, June 2nd at Lower Columbia College. Organizer Cindy Lopez Werth says that the free family event is held each year to celebrate the community’s growing diversity, bringing together multicultural entertainment, children’s activities, ethnic food booths, “world market” vendors and community information tables. Today is the hard deadline to get signed up for this year’s event. If you’d like more information on registration, contact Cindy Lopez Werth at 451-4427, or you can sign up at the Ethnic Support Council office, which is located in downtown Kelso at 311 Oak Street. They’ll be open from 9 am to 5 pm today.

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Local food banks will benefit to the tune of more than 41 thousand pounds of food that was collected in Saturday’s “Stamp Out Hunger” Letter Carriers Food Drive. The final total came in at 41,570 pounds, down a bit from last year’s total of 47,580 pounds. All of the food collected goes to the Help Food Warehouse, which will then distribute that food to the food banks operated by charities around the area. Lois Shelton with the Help Food Warehouse says that even though the total amount of donations was down a bit, they’re still very excited by the way people stepped up, and she says that this collection will help keep the food banks stocked deep into this summer.

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Washington state’s worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic. State officials are seeking help from federal disease experts and are urging residents to get vaccinated amid worry that the number of cases is likely to spike. Washington has had 10 times the cases reported in 2011, and Cowlitz County is right in there with the rest of the state. The Cowlitz County Health Department reports 52 cases so far this year, including ten new cases in the past two weeks. Last year, Cowlitz County had a total of 71 cases. Health Department officials are working to set up a series of vaccination clinics around the county; those under the age of 19 will get the shots for free, and only a nominal fee will be charged to adults. Health officials remind all adults that the vaccination they received as kids is no longer effective. A booster called Tdap will be made available to those who haven’t been recently vaccinated. Find out more by contacting the Cowlitz County Health Department at 414-5599.

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Just one week prior to the 32nd anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the roads to the mountain are re-opening, and visitor centers are preparing for the summer season. The Washington Department of Transportation says that the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway will re-open all the way to the Johnston Ridge Volcano Observatory, starting at 8 am tomorrow. WashDOT officials say crews have been working since the middle of last month to clear the nearly 20 feet of snow that fell on the highway this winter. This weekend also marks the re-opening of the building at Coldwater Ridge, which will now be called the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. Using $700,000 in federal stimulus dollars, the building has been refurbished, and will now serve as a base of operations for half-day or multi-day programs that will be coordinated through the Mount St. Helens Institute. The Institute will be up at Johnston Ridge on Saturday, hosting its annual “It’s a Blast” event, running from 10 am to 5 pm tomorrow. They’ll have kids’ events, guided hikes, ranger talks and other activities. All ages are welcome, but it will cost $8 per person to get in. Johnston Ridge will then open for the 2012 season on Sunday. The Weyerhaeuser Forest Learning Center actually opens its 2012 season today. Through June 10th, the Forest Learning Center will open from 10 am to 4 pm, Friday through Sunday, then from June 15th to September 3rd, the FLC will open during the same hours, Friday through Monday. Outdoor facilities, restrooms and the Gift Shop will be open until 6 pm, seven days a week. Admission to the Forest Learning Center is free. Cowlitz County’s Hoffstadt Bluffs is also open, with the Fire Mountain Grill hosting its annual Mothers Day brunch on Sunday. Call 274-5217 for reservation information.

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Oregon State Police continue to investigate a fatal one-car crash that took place yesterday afternoon on Highway 47 south of Vernonia. At about 2:40 pm, a car driven by Rhoda Laura Buckner, 74, of Vernonia went off the road and hit a tree. Troopers say that Buckner was northbound at milepost 66, when for unknown reasons, her 1995 Honda Accord drifted off the road and went head-on into the tree. They say that she was wearing a seat belt, and her airbags deployed, but she was declared dead at the scene. The highway was closed for about three hours after the collision.

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3rd Avenue in Longview was closed for about an hour yesterday afternoon at the intersection with Industrial Way and California Way, following a multi-car collision that took place just after 1 pm. The driver of a Subaru called 911, reporting that they’d been rear-ended by a log truck. Longview Police and aid crews responded, and actually found that one log truck had side-swiped another log truck before colliding with the Subaru. The driver of the Subaru was taken to the hospital, after complaining of neck pain. It took about an hour to get the damaged truck and the wrecked car removed from the scene, with the road re-opening at about 2. At this point, no citations have been reported, but the crash investigation is continuing.

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Users of West Side Highway need to know about a road closure that’s planned for most of next week, in the area about two miles south of Castle Rock. The Washington Department of Transportation says that State Route 411 will close in that area at 8 am Monday morning, as WashDOT crews work with the Cowlitz PUD to clear brush that overhangs power lines and the highway. The closure will be in place from 8 am to 4 pm, from Monday, the 14th to Friday, the 18th. A detour will be posted, using Hazel Dell Road and Delameter Road, adding about two miles to the trip. I-5 is also available as an alternate route.

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The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21 is now offering a reward of $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved in the April 9th burglary of their union hall on 14th Avenue in Longview. Longview Police say someone got into the building on that night, stealing checks, credit cards, cash and other union paperwork from the building. Those involved also vandalized the interior of the building. Local 21 President Dan Coffman says that you can call the Longview Police Tip Line at 442-5920 if you have information on the case. You can also leave an anonymous tip on the CrimeStoppers Hotline at 577-1206.

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Skyler Lee, 12, of Longview was the center of attention earlier this week in Washington, D. C., as she received one of this year’s Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The sixth-grader at the Kelso-Longview Adventist Academy is being recognized for her dedication to the Coats for Kids campaign, having collected more than 2,000 coats for the local Salvation Army. Skyler says that her motivation is simple. Lee was among 102 youth volunteers who were honored at the 17th annual Prudential Spirit of Community award presentation, selected out more than 25 thousand applicants. She received $1,000 and a silver medallion, in addition to this week’s trip to the nation’s capitol.

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Friday:
Featuring a number of Mark Morris High School graduates, “Daniel Kirkpatrick and the Bayonets” perform Friday night at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, with curtain set for 7:30 pm. Call 575-8499 for ticket information.

You’re invited over to the Monticello Hotel Ballroom on Friday night, as the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Central Labor Council and Occupy Longview team up to present a Working Class Solidarity/Social Night. It runs from 7 pm to midnight, with live music, a no-host bar and other activities planned.

The Thornton Wilder classic “Our Town” opens tonight in the Dana Brown Mainstage Theatre at R. A. Long High School, presented in connection with Longview Historic Preservation Month. Curtain is set for 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday night.

The 35th anniversary of Community Home Health and Hospice will be celebrated at an event being Friday evening at the Cowlitz County Expo Center. The social hour for “Home at Last” starts at 6 pm, then dinner starts at 7. Call 414-5406.

The Ryderwood Spring Arts and Crafts Fair is planned for this weekend, running from 10 am to 4 pm Friday and Saturday in the Ryderwood Community Hall, located right in the middle of town on SR 506.

The Rainier High School Theatre Club presents “Beauty and the Beast, Junior” Friday and Saturday night at 7 pm, along with a 2 pm matinee up in the Rainier High School Auditorium.

Saturday:
The annual Girls on the Run 5K Fun Run is set for Saturday at Longview Memorial Stadium, things are set to start at 9 am Saturday, but there’s a limit of 300 participants, so you’ll need to arrive early to make sure you get signed up.

The annual Les Nelson Memorial Breakfast and Auction Fundraiser will be held Saturday morning at the Cowlitz County Expo Center, with a great meal planned, and hundreds of items up for bid. Doors open at 7:45 am, and all proceeds will benefit the Cowlitz County Chaplaincy.

The kids at Northlake Elementary School are holding their Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, running from 9 am to 1 pm at the school on Olympia Way. Along with veggies, berries, herbs and ornamental plants, they’ll also have some student art on sale. You can tour their garden, and even meet “Steve the Garden Rabbit!”

Head by Kelso True Value Hardware and Marine on Saturday, as they team up with the WSU Master Gardeners for their annual Free Tomato Day. A free tomato plant is available to the first 200 people that stop by.

Remember to get your donations out for the 20th annual Letter Carriers Food Drive, collecting food for Lower Columbia CAP and the Help Food Warehouse. Letter carriers and volunteers will collect those donations through the day on Saturday.

Historic Preservation Month continues this Saturday in Longview, with a short walking tour of the Old West Side planned to start at 10 am. Mayor Dennis Weber will lead the tour, which is set to start at 10 am Saturday at Kessler and Maple.

Check out the rides of local high school kids at the 26th annual All High School Car Show, running from 9 to 11 am on Saturday at LCC. The event will run in the lot next to the Automotive Building at LCC.

The regional Scoutcapades and Pinewood Derby for the Chinook District of the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America will be held on Saturday at the Three Rivers Mall. They’ll have a number of Scouting demonstrations, along with activities and other fun. Things get started at 10 am, and are set to run through 7 pm.

There’s a Ladies Purse Exchange set for Saturday afternoon at the Kelso-Longview Elks Lodge, an event to benefit Children’s Community Resources. Bring by your gently-used purse and a $10 donation for an afternoon of dessert, prizes, raffles and other fun. Tickets will be available at the door.

The annual Hulda Klager Lilac Days wrap up this weekend, concluding on Mother’s Day at the historic homestead on South Pekin Road near Woodland. Hours are 10 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday.

The Cowlitz Community Farmer’s Market is now up and running, open every Tuesday and Saturday through October. They’ll be open with fresh produce, flowers, honey and other goodies from 9 am until 2 pm in the 7th Avenue parking lot across the street from the Cowlitz County Fairgrounds.

Sunday:
As part of the Celebration Concert Series at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Longview, the “Kaleidoscope” concert is planned for Sunday, with musical performances, storytelling by Leslie Slape, and an orchestral performance. It’s set for 3 pm on Sunday, with donations collected at the door. Proceeds will go to Cowlitz County CASA

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