VANCOUVER, Wash. — As a news reporter I have good days and bad days. This is a good week! That’s because we are focused on a great community all week long on KGW News at Sunrise. It's “We Love Vancouver” week, and I get to tell the positive stories about a city that has a lot of wonderful stories to tell.
From its rich history to its new waterfront development, Vancouver is a happening place. And I happen to live there! Full disclosure, I actually live just outside city limits. I’m proud to call the area north of the river home, and to tell Vancouver’s stories all week long.
Day 1: Monday, Sept. 24
On Monday, we focused on Vancouver’s history, as a bountiful land for native peoples to a trading post for furs at Fort Vancouver to being the prune capitol of the world for a half century to being a major hub for breweries — a distinction that appears to be making a comeback. Life is good in Vancouver USA!
We also spent a segment talking to the Humane Society of Southwest Washington about their program and the great pet friendly dog parks and places downtown that welcome our four-legged family members. It was super to meet Dunkin the dog, and I hope he gets a good forever home. All are welcome in Vancouver!
Day 2: Tuesday, Sept. 25
A beautiful morning, with the harvest moon setting and Mt. St. Helens lighting up from our vantage point at Washington State University Vancouver. Today we focused on the university’s growth and its connection to the community. WSU Vancouver is nearly 30 years old and in a short time has grown into a great institution that prides itself in its programs and access for students from all walks of life. In 2018 the campus graduated more than 1,000 students for the second year in a row. The student population is about 3,500.
We profiled a program with a long name, the Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program. You can just all it the MAP program! It connects business students in the latter part of their college careers with local business owners who are looking for help to take their businesses to the next level. From nuts-and-bolts analysis and advice to help with marketing, the students and business owner work with an experienced mentor from the business community. Started in 2011, the programs provided approximately 108,000 hours of free consulting and generated more than $12 million in new revenue into the local economy. It’s a win-win and just one example of how the university is connected to Vancouver. We had a great visit with WSU Vancouver Chancellor Emile “Mel” Netzhammer, who gave us the full scoop! Go VanCougs!
Tomorrow we’re talking Farmer’s Markets as we continue to celebrate Vancouver.
Day 3: Wednesday, Sept. 26
Day three of our We Love Vancouver week has us talking farmers markets. And there are some good ones to talk about! Early this morning we were at 1300 Franklin St., which is the address of the Clark County public services center, near the courthouse. It’s also where a Wednesday farmers market happens out front, and today happened to be the final one of the season. We met a woman who micro farms different little spots of land and comes up with enough to sell at the farmers market!
We also talked about the big farmers market down along Esther Short Park, That has a couple hundred vendors and can draw 10,000 people over the weekend. It runs through October and is open both Saturday and Sunday. It is very popular, with everything from produce to food to crafts and flowers. And it's a great pet friendly place to your bring dog on a leash and meet up with friends. Coming up on its 30th anniversary, it is only going to get busier with the new waterfront development nearby opening up this weekend.
Coming up tomorrow, we will talk to former mayor Tim Leavitt about the waterfront development and what it means for Vancouver’s future.
Day 4: Thursday, Sept. 27
We had a great visit at Relevant Coffee in uptown Village, on 19th just off Main Street. Relevance been in place for a year-and-a-half with a retail store, but roasting coffee longer than that. Mitch Marshall and his team have it going on! One espresso and one cappuccino for me, both excellent, organic and handcrafted! Thanks Relevant!
We also spent some time with the conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and a violin virtuoso from Japan, here this coming weekend to kick off the 2018 season, the 40th for the symphony in Vancouver. We also talked about their gala happening on Saturday as well.
Day 5: Friday, Sept. 28
With Rod Hill and Nina Mehlhaf anchoring from the Vancouver Waterfront, photographer Louis S. and I spent the morning nearby at 808 Sunrise Deli. Talk about hospitality, Ron and Jodi Buchanan took great care of us and their many friends and regular customers. We ate awesome chicken teriyaki and monster breakfast burritos, and drank some good Kona coffee.
Ron is in Vancouver for 41 years, but was born and raised in Hawaii. Aloha shines through in the food and attitude. Oh, and they’ve got the best bagels going! Good times, to finish off the week at 808 Harney Street in Vancouver.
Thanks Vancouver, we love you! And I live there. Well, almost!