Arts of the Mountain you will find Fine Arts, Music and Food at The Silver Lake Grange on June 24th and June 25th 2023.
2023 we will be celebrating our 11th year! We are planning 2 full days of arts, artist and music all at one venue!!
Artists of many varieties, Stained Glass, Recycled Metal, Jewelry, Wood Working, Mixed Media, Painters and many others will be displaying and selling their wonderful artworks. While your eyes are entertained with beautiful artwork, your ears will be delighted by our wonderful Acoustic Musicians.
The Festival takes place at the historic Silver Lake Grange, in a park like setting with a beautiful view of Silver Lake's glistening waters, under the magnificence of Mt St Helens.
3104 Spirit Lake Hwy Silver Lake WA
July 26, 27, 28 & 29
The History of the Cowlitz County Fair~
On September 3rd and 4th 1937 the Cowlitz Valley Fair was held for the first time in Catlin Park, beginning a tradition that has lasted seventy-five years and continues on to this day as the Cowlitz County Fair. With the exception of the four years during World War II, the annual fair has provided such stimulating and amusing entertainment as a milking contest between civic leaders from Longview and Kelso held the very first day of that very first fair. Contestants included Kelso Mayor W.E. Chinn, Kelso Kiwanis President Thomas H. Van Noy, President E.G. Ditlersen and Secretary Eugene Crumb of the Kelso Chamber of Commerce VS Longview Mayor John P. Bell, Longview Kiwanis President Verne DeVilbiss, President J.L. Norris and Secretary L.K. Martini of the Longview Chamber of Commerce. The winner was Dr. J.L. Norris of Longview.
Other events of the day included the livestock judging contest and the Home Economics judging event. There were fair exhibits on clean easy milkers, grange feeds, grange flour, international trucks, batteries, tires, and J.I. Case Farm Machinery. The first day centered on farms and gardens. The Rose Valley Grange won first in the Grange exhibit division with a variety of farm produce. Pleasant Hill was 2nd and Kalama 3rd. The Judges were Mr.& Mrs. Heye Meyers of Vancouver.
COWLITZ COUNTY FAIR FOR THE 1st TWENTY-FIVE YEARS 1937 - 1962
Our fair began as The Cowlitz Valley Fair held at Catlin Park. But it didn’t stay put. The location moved to 15th Avenue and Ocean Beach Hwy in 1941, next to 7th Avenue and the old LP&N railway in 1942, then to Saddle Club Park in Longview at 14th and Baltimore in 1946, back to 7th Avenue in 1947, and finally to the present location in 1950. During this time the fair underwent two additional name changes: The Cowlitz County Fair in 1946 and The Columbia Empire Fair in 1949. There were no fairs nationwide from 1941 -1945 by government order due to WWII.
Right from the beginning the fair was a family friendly event. Admission increases reflected this, starting from only .25 to .50 cents for adults and from .10 to .25 cents for children under the age of 15. By 1962 admission was .75 cents for adults and the .25 cents for kids stayed the same and the age requirement was dropped to under 12 years of age and covered all of the events. The attendance grew from approximately 3,000 in 1946 to 23,302 in 1962.
From the beginning, the fair has had a western flare throughout, with many Country Western singers, comedians, and various other western themed performers. Events and entertainment included horse shows, juvenile rodeos, Sheriff’s Posse horse shows, many dog & chimp acrobatic performers, and jalopy races. Also in attendance were governors, noted political leaders, and T.V. & movie personality guest appearances. One of the exciting attractions was seeing who would win the crown for “Queen of the Fair.” Many of the young ladies who won the title of Queen had also first won a Rodeo title, demonstrating how hard working these youths were in the early days of the fair.
New building additions to the fair began with the construction of the automobile building in 1947 and went on to include the floral building, modern restrooms, model milk parlor and office building in 1948. Also added was a new horse show arena in 1952, a dormitory for youngsters who stay overnight for livestock exhibits in 1953, a caretaker’s house in 1954, and lastly in this time period, a 40’X120’ livestock building.
Tuesdays – 9 am to 2 pm
(May through October)Saturdays – 9 am to 2 pm
(April through October)
7th Avenue - Longview
(across from Cowlitz County Fairgrounds)
Crafted Brew Fest is a celebration that brings craft beers from around the Northwest and beyond to the Civic Circle in Longview, WA on Saturday, October 7th. You will be able to enjoy Fresh Hop beers, great tasting food from local vendors, amazing items from our marketplace vendors all while listening to great music and enjoying different game activities. All proceeds from Crafted Brew Fest go to the Rotary Club of Longview’s service projects
Each year, thousands of visitors step back in time to discover the 1880’s Victorian Farmhouse and country gardens that comprise the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.
To showcase the site, the Gardens and historic buildings have been lovingly maintained by the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a nonprofit volunteer organization. The Society fully funds the care and upkeep of the historical site from the proceeds of Lilac Days, dues and donations. With the help of our volunteers and members, the Society continues to carry on the work of growing and showing the beautiful lilacs including those hybridized by Hulda Klager many decades ago.
Lilac Days 2023
April to May
History of Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens
Woodland is perhaps best known as the home of Hulda Klager (1863–1960), who was a prolific breeder of lilacs. The "Lilac Lady" Hulda Klager née Thiel, was long the pride of Woodland. She immigrated from Germany to Wisconsin in 1865, when she was just two years old, and came West when her family bought a farm in Woodland. Later she married and settled down on the family farm. When a friend gave her a book about Luther Burbank, she began creating flowers, hybridizing new varieties of roses, dahlias, even apples, and lilacs in particular. By 1920 she had created such a magnificent array of new hand-pollinated lilacs that she opened her garden on Lilac Week every spring for visitors. The floodwaters of 1948 rolled over her garden, destroying every shrub and hand-pollinated lilac. The loss grieved those who visited her garden or who had purchased her lilacs. From all over the Northwest, people sent starts of her lilacs from their own gardens. By 1950, at the age of eighty-seven, Klager, who loved flowers and who had been honored by the state of Washington as well as such organizations as the nationally famous arboretum at Cambridge, Massachusetts, again opened her home for Lilac Week. After her death in 1960, the Woodland Federated Garden Club, shocked that the garden might be bulldozed for industry, succeeded in raising money to buy it and have it declared a state and national historic site.
Woodland, WA 98674
Kelso Highlander Festival
Tam O'Shanter Park
Kelso, WA 98626
When: September 9th & 10th 2023
Experience a whole weekend of Scottish & Celtic culture, with the Avenue of Clans, Scottish craft & food vendors, Scottish music & dancing, as well as Highland Games.
Saturday, September 9th, 2023
At beautiful Tam O'Shanter Park on Saturday, September 9th, 2023 the festivities begin. At 9:00 am the Highland Dance Competition. and Highland Games begin. At 10:00 am please join us for the annual Highlander Festival Parade. Also beginning at 10:00 am join us for the Kelso Garden Club Flower Show "Journey Through The Highlands". At 11:00 the Silent Auction begins. At 12:30 the Opening Ceremonies & Parade of Clans begins on the field. The Silent Auction ends at 4:00. The entertainment continues all day Saturday with music by: Beltaine and pipe bands from Ft. Vancouver and Tacoma Scots. This is located under the covered area.
Sunday, September 10th, 2023
At 8:00 AM please join us for the Kirkin' of the Tartan Worship Service at Tam O'Shanter Park and again at 11:00 AM at the Kelso Methodist Presbyterian Church in Kelso at 206 Cowlitz Way. There will be a bagpiper and a Highland Dancer performing.
The Highland Games will begin at the park at 9:00 AM with those hardy lads and lasses tossing the caber and throwing the stone. There will be entertainment in the afternoon at the park with the Wicked Tinkers, and Beltaine.
The Kilted Klassic Golf Tournament at Three Rivers Golf Course will be held on July 31st. Contact Mike Fowler 360-749-4925 if interested
The Longview Squirrel Fest is the first of its kind on the West Coast and in the Mount St. Helens region! We're nuts over this one-day festival in honor or our furry friends. Launching the first Longview Squirrel Fest was a dream of a local group, The idea came from the Sandbaggers who helped build and maintains the Nutty Narrows Bridge on the Civic Circle in Longview, they wanted a fun event that would be nutty enough for everyone from age 2 to 102.
The Civic Circle is transformed into an all day venue of fun, games, and music for the whole family to enjoy.
Kids 5 k Run
Go Nutty Squirrel Fest Parade
Craft Vendors
Food Vendors
Kids Games & Activities
Karaoke
Beer & Wine Garden
Main Stage - Musical Entertainment
Event: August 19th 2023
sQuatch Fest 2024
You can expect world renowned Speakers, Authors and Researchers along with Brew Mountain that will be serving some of Washington’s finest beers. The Kids Cave will be back with even more for the children to do and don’t forget the fantastic vendors where you can find some one of a kind items. Stay tuned for updates.
Event Location: Cowlitz County Event Center
Date: Friday, January 26th & Saturday, January 27th
Hosted by: Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce
Cowlitz County Event Center
1900 7th Avenue
Longview, WA 98632
July 27 28 & 29 at 7:00 pm
The History of the Rodeo
The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo originated as a PRCA rodeo in 1975 under the direction of rodeo committee members Ron McCoy, Mel Boultinghouse, Cal Christensen, Vern Eaton, Wayne Gossett, Bill Merz, George Moore, Les Nelson, and Jan Searing. The rodeo was originally called The Cowlitz County Fair & Rodeo, but after Mount Saint Helens spewed its fire and thunder upon this area in 1980, committeeman George Moore suggested in 1981 that the rodeo’s name be changed to The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo.
Since 1981, the rodeo has been known by this memorable name, which though was derived from a volcanic eruption, it also aptly denotes the thundering hooves and energy, which this rodeo brings to town.
When the rodeo began in 1975 we used a borrowed, portable arena that was erected just before the Cowlitz County Fair opened, and had to dismantle it after the fair ended. In 1979, we established a permanent arena. Although this arena was a vast improvement over a portable arena, we now have a state of the art arena, which we are proud to state was entirely constructed by committee members. Cowlitz County Fair Grounds 1970's Our present committee is comprised of 12 committee members, whereas we had 8 committee members when the rodeo originated.
Christensen Brothers was our original stock contractor. Gold Buckle Rodeo Company is our present stock contractor. We began with $300.00 per added event, and now we add $3,000.00 per event, including barrel racing. Since this rodeo’s origination we have consistently drawn top cowboy and cowgirl contestants to the competition. The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo committee believes that the keys to success in having a great rodeo consist of having excellent stock, quality contestants, talented bullfighters, funny clowns, and exciting half-time entertainment. Each year we strive to make the rodeo the most successful rodeo competition we can bring to the Lower Columbia region. We hope that you have the opportunity to experience the Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo!
Longview, WA 98632
The Unique Tin car show and Cruise has become one of the premier car shows in the northwest. We are the second or third largest event in Cowlitz County and bring 500 or more classic and performance cars to the area every August. We provide a fun and profitable show for the local economy, give support to local charities and businesses, and manage to enjoy doing it. We hope to continue for years to come.
When: August 26th, 2023
Location: Cowlitz County Event Center
1900 7th Avenue
Longview, WA 98632