About Hood River County, OR

This Guy Is Fun & Feisty... Meet Arnie!

Arnie is a 2 year old chihuahua, who is super fun and friendly and how cute is he?! He's up for pretty much anything and seems to love most everyone. Talk about happy-go-lucky... this guy is active and playful, but is also a softy at heart who settles down nicely to snuggle and cuddle. He's so funny when he rolls around to scratch his own back. Arnie is truly the life of the party.

Wordless Wednesday - Take A Swim Break

Swimming is one of my (Gretchen) and our boys' favorite pass times and the Hood River Aquatic Center offers a great place to do it. There are two different pools: one a warmer therapy pool, the other huge, warm and includes lap swimming lanes, a slide, basketball hoops, a zipline and a rope swing.

Hood River School District releases students two hours early twice a month for teacher development and now open swim hours are available to students on those afternoons. The cost is $1/student, but the first 50 students to arrive get in for FREE, thanks to community donations. So, take a swim break at the Hood River Aquatic Center, 17th Street and May Avenue, Hood River.

Calling All Roller Babes! Gorge Rollergirls Wants You!

It has finally come to Hood River, the sport that is making a resurgence nationwide... Roller Derby. And Gorge Rollergirls is recruiting. Already about 10 ladies strong, the team is looking to make up two teams of 20 ladies each to compete locally and regionally.

No experience is required. All you need is the will to work hard and the readiness to have a ball! You'll need knee and elbow padding and be ready to pick up a bruise here and there.

In case you don't know, roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five players each who skate a circle around an arena/gym. Each team designates a "jammer" who scores by lapping members of the opposing team. The opposing team members try to hinder her progress and her teammates try to help her along while hindering the other team's jammer.

The sport had a massive following in the 1940s through the 1960s (think Laverne and Shirley) and in recent years has regained popularity. It is even being considered as an official sport for the 2020 Olympic Games.

For more information, attend the Gorge Rollergirls informational/recruiting meeting this Thursday, March 8th at 6:30 at Double Mountain Brewery, 8 Fourth Street, Hood River. Maybe try the sport on for size to see if it's for you! For more information, e-mail gorgerollergirls@gmail.com

Celebrating Women: Lunafest, 2012

I (Gretchen) attended Lunafest a couple years ago when invited to go with a group of friends. It wasn't something that had caught my attention on it's own, but I was willing to go with "the girls". It ended up being a rather profound experience and I look forward to this year's selections.

Lunafest is a traveling film festival of award-winning short films, which tours the country, featuring films made by, about or for women. It celebrates women's perserverence, commitment, humor and joy in poignant glimpses in the lives of women worldwide. It is sponsored by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, to simultaneously promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women’s issues, and support worthy women’s nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In Hood River, the festival is brought to the Columbia Center for the Arts by Soroptimist International, a global voice for woman, and it benefits the Breast Cancer Fund and Community Service projects in Hood River.

Don't miss this fulfilling event on March 7th and 8th, 7 p.m. at the Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Street, Hood River. Tickets are $10. Advance purchase is recommended as the show usually sells out. For more information, please call 541-387-8877.