Saturday Thumbs
Saturday, May 10, 2008 9:44 AM PDT
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Back for a second year
Thumbs up to the organizers of the downtown Longview Saturday Market, which launched its second year of operations Saturday with a festive celebration of the city’s 85th anniversary. In addition to the usual fare of arts and crafts, plants and produce, Saturday’s market features a vintage car show, a noon Pug Parade down Commerce Avenue to Farm Dog Bakery on Broadway and musical performances.
The birthday celebration begins around 1 p.m., with the arrival of R.A. Long and his wife, Ella (played by Drs. Travis and Phyllis Cavens) in a 1923 touring car. A serving of birthday cake will follow inside the Merk at 1337 Commerce Ave.
Sounds like a good day’s activities. If the weather obliges, it could be a terrific way to spend of few hours.
Kiss the money goodbye
Thumbs down: That $13.2 million grant Washington state won last year to enhance the teaching of Advanced Placement courses in math and science is history. It’s lost because of the financial incentives it would have provided for teachers who improve test scores. The Washington Education Association didn’t much like the idea of tying teacher pay to student performance on exams. Neither did the teachers union like the involvement of an outside party, the grant provider, in teacher-pay decisions.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided $10 million for the grant, couldn’t understand why a compromise couldn’t be worked out. Other states receiving similar grants had teachers unions and found ways to accept the grant money, said foundation official Steve Seleznow. “Honestly, I can’t figure out why they couldn’t solve this.” Neither can we.
Tall ships return
Thumbs up: The Lady Washington, the Official Ship of the State of Washington, and her companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain are headed back to the Washington coast and Columbia River next week, after a seven-month tour of California and Oregon ports. The two tall ships will put in at the Port of Ilwaco on Wednesday to offer public tours and sailings.
On Friday, they’ll sail up the Columbia River for stops at Rainier and St. Helens and then on to Portland for the Rose Festival, which begins May 29. Plan to tour these replica 18th-century ships before they depart the area. It’s well worth the time.
Quality contributions
Thumbs up to Joan LeMieux. Daily News reporter Thacher Schmid’s story Thursday on the success of Longview’s 32nd Avenue community garden reminded us of the retired school teacher and former county commissioner’s extraordinary contributions to this community’s quality of life.
LeMieux was an early champion of the use of community gardens in the city. She was among the founders of the Lower Columbia Farm to Table Network, which sponsors dinners featuring local produce. Just last month, she was named a “Healthy Lifestyles Champion by Cowlitz County on the Move. That title, which goes to individuals and organizations that make the county a heathier place to live, is well-deserved.
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