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While driving through the streets of Castle Rock, one can’t help but notice there are flowers everywhere.

Nowhere was this more apparent during the last few week than at Gateway Park, on your way into town. The Castle Rock America in Bloom Team put together multiple work parties to turn the small property from a mud hole between Huntington and Front Streets into a green belt teeming with blooms.

The Friends of the Castle Rock Library will be holding their regular book sale July 18 and 19, and residents from all over the area are invited to come and support this vital fundraiser.

Taking place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 18, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 19, the sale will feature a number of books and movies at reasonable prices, all of which are being sold to support the ongoing activities of the Friends program. Hardcover books will be $0.50 each, paperback books will be $0.25 each, children’s books will be as low as $0.10 each, DVDs will be $0.50 each and VHS will be $0.25 each.

More than 300 people gathered in Vader on Friday for their fourth annual Independence Day community celebration.

Organized and supported entirely by community volunteers, the celebration included a parade, vendors, kids games and culminated in a fireworks show lasting more than 30 minutes.

The Community of Rainier, Ore., will be holding their annual Rainier Days in the Park summer festival, and all area residents are invited to this free community event. Featuring family-friendly games and prizes, this event brings entertainment from all around the region, culminating in a huge fireworks display on Saturday night.

A Toledo student has so far surpassed a fundraising goal to buy play equipment for her disabled younger brother, and is continuing in her efforts to raise money for her brother’s special needs class, as well.

10-year-old Hailey Brown had begun The Hudson Project on June 22 with the goal of selling bracelets to raise $400 for her brother Hudson to have a specialized swing, as Hudson, just 6 years old, was born legally blind and deaf, as well as autistic. As of this Monday, Brown has raised $850 through bracelet sales and community donations, and she is expected to raise even more this weekend during Cheese Days.

Coming up this weekend, the 14^th annual Winlock Pickers’ Festival will be taking place at Winolequa Park, and the community is invited to take part in their large-scale music event. Organized by the Winlock Acoustic Music Association, tickets are $10 per day, with a free gospel concert schedule for Sunday morning. More information can be found at winlockpickersfest.com.

I’m Becky Standal, and this review is for Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Seventeen-year-old Theo is on her way to becoming an elite ballerina. Several days a week she takes the train into Chicago and goes to ballet. She has good friends and does well in school. Her days of not eating and her heartbreak over her first boyfriend are behind her.

Ryderwood’s 4th of July activities had something for everyone! While the Parade wasn’t as long as in years past, the variety made for a quality event. In addition to the full participation of the Vader-Ryderwood Fire Department, a new Jackson St. Float and some new old cars & motorcyclists joined the usual array of golf carts, clowns, and bicyclists. The horses brought up the rear for obvious reasons!

The BBQ and Picnic was an unqualified success – they ran out of plates at the 200 mark. Music in the Gazebo and a Pie Walk rounded out the afternoon. It was nice to see so many new and returning neighbors, along with visiting family members and friends enjoying the Community’s fun and games. I heard that a good group of Ryderwood-ites attended the fireworks in Vader and that the display was excellent.

Bob says: 40 new bricks added to Toledo’s Wall of Honor at Kemp Olson Park, fast becoming a signature stop on itineraries for class reunions, motorcycle trips, veterans and genealogy chroniclers. Download apps at www.toledolionsclub.org, pickup apps at The Wall, email dearoldbob@toledotel.com or call (360) 864-8335.

Did you catch it? Cheese Days 2014 runs July 11-13. Last week it was incorrectly posted in this column as July 13-15. Schedule correction: Senior Center will NOT host their Baked Potato Bar this year. Second Saturday Pancake Breakfast will run as usual, along with the Second Time Around Sale. Contact diana, diana.haug@lewiscountywa.gov or (360) 864-2112.

Our community organizers are at it again with their annual City-Wide Yard Sale coming up Aug. 2. Made up of dozens of residents holding their own yard sales on the same day, participation is on an at-will basis, and last year’s participants took home an average of $100 apiece in sales. To get your home marked on a map to be handed out during the event, contact organizer Judy Costello at (360) 295-3036.

What a great 4th event in Vader this year! I want to thank everyone for their help Reg and Linda Smith fireworks display and street advertising, Linda Smith and Rich Brice parade organizers, Steve Krohn sound system ,Judi Costello vendors and entertainment and Apple Electric Kelly Costello power supply .

All the above group financially support and work all year planning this event . We were very pleased with our financial donations from the community this year thank you to one and all.

By PATRICK MYERS

SOUTH BEND - Aaron Strozyk is opening the Oyster Shack for the summer once again, for the third summer in a row. The Shack will be open from 11 am to 7 pm, Thursday to Monday. The Oyster Shack is located out in front of the 101 Public House on Robert Bush Drive and Willapa Road.

The Cowlitz Public Shooting range has opened again to local residents after failure to meet a building permit deadline led to the facility being shut down last month.

Located just north of Castle Rock at the end of Toutle Park Rd., the shooting range had been closed by county officials June 10 after a construction deadline of May 29 had passed without the completion of a training building at the site.

The Willapa Harbor 11-12 District All-Stars lost twice at the tournament at Montesano on June 28 and 30. Below are the highlights.

Local authorities are seeking help solving a burglary taking place near Toledo May 6.

It is believed sometime between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. an unknown number of suspects forcibly entered a residence on the 900 block of SR 505, north of Toledo, and stole a Dell touch-screen computer, an HP Photosmart printer, three 32” flatscreen TVs, several baseball hats, a black Puma soccer backpack, a soccer jersey, soccer shorts, a black Xbox 360, 11 Xbox 360 games, two bottles of cologne and $300 cash. The estimated loss is $5,200. Neighbors did report seeing a gray or silver Hyundai parked in the victim’s driveway during the times in question.

A rear end collision occurring on I-5 near Toledo early Monday morning remains under investigation, according to the Washington State Patrol.

At around 1:30 a.m., a northbound Peterbilt semi driven by a 50-year-old Sacramento, Cali., man struck the rear of an International tow truck near Milepost 65, north of Toledo. The driver of the tow truck, a 33-year-old Portland, Ore., man, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with unspecified injuries, while the driver of the Peterbilt was reportedly uninjured.

Local fire and EMS calls between June 30 and July 6.

Summer has finally come and for many in Washington, that means getting out of town for a relaxing vacation. According to Airlines for America, air travel is expected to hit its highest level in six years this summer, with about 210 million passengers expected fly U.S. airlines between June 1 and August 31. That includes nearly 30 million travelers on international flights.

With travel comes planning, including what we want to wear, which attractions to visit and how long we'll be gone. But what people often neglect to consider when planning their vacation is their health. Unfortunately, mishaps can happen while in a different city, state or even country, and it is important to be prepared.