Beads Glorious Beads

Local businesses will be offering beads and games to First Friday participants. In addition, Journey Community Church and Purely Organic Skincare will serve hot cocoa and River Quilts will have a craft project. First Friday runs from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Camas. The participating businesses are: o A.L. Insurance: 418 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Ballard and Call: 408 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Bead Paradise: 415 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Camas Antiques: 305 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Camas Hotel: 405 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Camas Technology Specialists: 310 N.E. Fifth Ave. o Deja Vu Camas: 726 N.E. Second Ave. o Journey Community Church: Fourth Avenue and Birch Street. o Liberty Theatre: 315 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Purely Organic Skincare: 216 N.E. Fourth Ave., Ste. 102 o River Quilts: 337 N.E. Fourth Ave. o Salon Onyx: 416 N.E. Cedar St. o The Uncommon Gift: 407 N.E. Fourth Ave. o The Wild Hair: 418 N.E. Cedar St. With the holidays over and January in full swing, time can seem to drag on during the sometimes dreary, short days. In downtown Camas, merchants are hoping to chase away the post-holiday blues with a night of crafting and cocoa. The evening will begin at Bead Paradise, where attendees will check in and receive a free bracelet. The "progressive beading" event will continue at other participating downtown merchants. Some will also have a quick game and the winner will receive a ticket. These can be redeemed at the end of the evening at Bead Paradise to be entered in a drawing for gift certificates from local merchants. First Friday events are sponsored by the Downtown Camas Association. Carrie Schulstad, DCA vice-president and event liaison, is looking forward to hosting a family friendly event. "It's all about connecting and having fun with each other," she said. "Customers can get to know their downtown merchants better and everyone can be involved. As with all the DCA events, we hope this will be an enjoyable one that brings people down to their downtown to see all that our wonderful town has to offer." Aisha Rabbani, manager at Bead Paradise, said she is looking forward to the event as well. "When it was suggested, we thought it sounded like a lot of fun, and we're trying to get families downtown," she said. Each participating business will be given a different colored bead. Customers can go from store to store to finish their bracelet. "So many First Friday events are adult based, but this will be a fun one for the kids," Rabbani said. "These bracelets are easy to make and we'll have hot cocoa." The bracelets and beads are free unless participants want to upgrade to a different style of bracelet, Rabbani added. "We have a wide selection and everyone loves to make these, especially the kids," she said. "There are all kinds of beads to play with and they can mix things up a bit." Schulstad added that the event will help the community support local merchants. "I'm also looking forward to seeing people's faces when they win the games and get tickets to win prizes," she said. Rabbani said she's excited about having a broad mix of people in the store. "Our goal is get the young and old in here together," she said. "That is something I'm looking forward to seeing, new people downtown. We want to keep things busy during the winter."

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