Are flowers, art the way to your mother’s heart?

Looking for something to do this Mother's Day weekend? You won't have to go too far, as there are plenty of activities planned in Camas and Washougal this weekend, including the 22nd annual Camas Plant and Garden Fair and the second annual Washougal Studio Artists Tour. Camas Plant and Garden Fair Now in its 22nd year, this event is sure to fulfill every gardener's wishes with an entire downtown's worth of plants, trees, flowers, planters, herbs and a huge array of garden-inspired art and furniture on Saturday, May 11. Organized by the Downtown Camas Association (DCA), this annual event keeps expanding to include unique plant and garden offerings. This year's fair features more than 100 local nurseries, plant and tree growers and artists, including three new vendors: Oregon Coast Wasabi, Shady Grove Farm and Knots & Fringe, Co. "This fair is a beloved blend of amazing quality plant and garden options and also community fun," DCA Executive Director Carrie Schulstad said in a press release about event. "For the gardening lovers, this event brings so many unique choices with many hard-to-find offerings. In addition, there is plenty to do for all ages and having all our wonderful downtown merchants and restaurants right here makes this such a one-of-a-kind experience that keeps people coming back year after year." The plant and garden fair kicks off at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 11, and runs through 4 p.m. that day. "This is the event that garden enthusiasts wait all year for," said Tina Eifert, the vendor liaison for the fair, in the press release. "We're thrilled to host this exciting celebration of garden art, and all things flowery, green and sprouting, curated from the best vendors in the area, on the tree-lined streets of beautiful downtown Camas." Although many attendees come to the fair to shop for plants and garden art, the event also features several gardening experts who will be stationed at more than 15 spots to talk about everything from container gardening and effective gardening techniques to how to care for carnivorous plants and how to keep mason or honeybees. There will be "yellow sun" signs on booths that have expert vendors on hand. The fair is family-friendly and will feature several activities for children, including a "Find the Ladybug" game in which players search for "ladybugs" inside participating downtown Camas businesses and receive tickets for each ladybug to enter into a drawing for a basket filled with gardening goodies. A "Kids' Zone," featuring garden-inspired crafts and activitis, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, on Northeast Dallas Street between Northeast Third and Northeast Fourth avenues, and there will be a strolling juggler and a free petting zoo for children to enjoy during the fair. A live music booth at Northeast Fourth Avenue and Northeast Cedar Street will host Bret Malmquist, playing acoustic jazz guitar, from 10 a.m. to noon, and Lance Kinniard, playing folk and indie music, from noon to 3 p.m., Saturday. Scout Troop 554 will have wagons on hand to help attendees transport their purchases back to their vehicles. Sponsors of the annual event include: Waste Connections of Washington-Clark County, iQ Credit Union, Lizzabeth A. Home D?cor and Gifts, Vancouver Vision Clinic, Georgia-Pacific, Renewal by Andersen, Gutter Helmet, Life Force Chiropractic, Roxana Ahmadifard-Edward Jones, the city of Camas, Columbia Litho Printing and Graphics, Blossom Natural Health and Hibbs Creative. For more information, or to see a full list of vendors for the May 11 Plant and Garden Fair, visit cwplantfair.org/vendors. Washougal Studio Artists Tour In 2018, Washougal artists banded together to create the inaugural Washougal Studio Artists Tour and give the public a glimpse inside Washougal area art studios. Washougal mixed-media metal artist and tour coordinator Angela Ridgway said the 2018 tour attracted visitors from Camas-Washougal as well as from "the Portland area and beyond," including several folks who were visiting Washougal for the first time. "We were delighted with the success of our first tour last year," Ridgway said. "Being invited into an artist's studio is wonderful way for the public to see where the magic of creating art happens and learn about both the art and the artists." The public has another chance to meet Washougal artists over Mother's Day Weekend, at the second annual Washougal Studio Artists Tour. This year's tour will feature 19 local artists at 11 art studios. The self-guided tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12, throughout Washougal. Visitors can plan their own self-guided tour, stopping in at one or two -- or all 11 studios -- depending on their interests and time constraints. The tour route takes visitors through the Washougal foothills, along the Washougal River and through the Washington's "Gateway to the Columbia River Gorge." "We heard many compliments from visitors last year on how scenic the tour drive was. Washougal is such a beautiful place that it is no wonder it attracts and inspires so many talented artists," Ridgway said. For more information about the tour, which is sponsored in part by the city of Washougal's hotel/motel tourism tax fund, the other 16 artists taking part or to find a tour map, visit WashougalStudioArtists.org. To read a Post-Record article about three of the Washougal artists featured on this year's Mother's Day weekend tour, visit camaspostrecord.com/news/2019/may/02/washougal-artists-prepare-for-mothers-day-weekend/.

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