The Cowlitz Black Bear baseball experience includes fun for all ages with game-day promotions and opportunities to win prizes throughout the game. During the season’s 31 home games, Corby the Bear, team mascot and an active fixture at the ball park, will help to create a festive atmosphere, provide photo opportunities, give hugs and perform antics, as well as always supporting the team. The lush and well-groomed baseball park, David Story Field at Longview’s Lower Columbia College, with its history of hosting many championship games, conveys a nostalgic feel.

I love food that grabs you for breakfast, that challenges your taste buds and sticks to your ribs, served with hot strong coffee, cream and good conversation or lots of newspapers. Breakfast is my favorite meal.

Most Reader readers probably know little or nothing about the founder of St. Helens, Oregon. That will change when the Historical Society of Columbia County presents “Henry Knighton Days,” along the waterfront in St. Helens. For those curious to know how the different towns in the lower Columbia area came to exist, here is a great opportunity to learn a little history and have a fun day at the same time.

CRR is celebrating! To mark the launching of our new website, the CRR crew will be aboard the Hawaiian Chieftan for the Battle Sail on Sunday, May 1, 2 pm, in Rainier. We hope to see many CRR readers on the “opposing” ship. Be sure to wave. And watch out for stray cannonballs.

Approaching what for me would be the trip’s highlight, the road to Pendleton brightened, but many dark clouds still towered over us. The drive itself along Hwy 14 would be a great journey with its panoramic views of the river. The surrounding forests, grasslands, vineyards, flowers, and desertscape, Ian said. The scenery “ . . . never failed to entice, impress the mind, and feed the imagination.” A moment of wonder struck us while taking brief glances of the scene across the river. We saw what appeared to be a medium sized hill crowned with a cloud...

With the approach of Spring, local residents look forward to warmer weather and celebrating Easter, Mother’s Day and —the best excuse for a refreshing margarita — Cinco de Mayo. And nobody throws a better Cinco de Mayo celebration than Hector Alcazar, an American citizen with roots in Mexico.

Next time you’re in Portland and want a quiet place for a picnic lunch, get some deli food to go and check out nearby Willamette Stone State Park. Not only is it a lovely little wayside stop, but it’s also uniquely significant. Located three miles west of downtown Portland, historic Willamette Stone State Park marks the starting point for all land surveys in Oregon and Washington. The small forested park offers a walking trail, bird watching, picnicking, and a bench with a view of the Tualatin River valley as well as interpretive signs at the official survey monument.

But it’s Broderick’s Cuban adventures that fascinated me. Broderick has visited Cuba almost every year since 2002 and feels “safer there than any place else in the world.” In 2005 he was the first American to have a one-man show in Havana. He currently represents three Cuban artists, each reflecting a different view of life in modern day Cuba. Broderick characterizes his oil painting style as “hyperbolic reality.” His paintings are large, stylized street scenes with strong, colorful architectural features and figures. Broderick also offers picture framing and painting classes which he describes as “just a blast.” Go for the art. Stay for the stories.

Saké. The Japanese originated alcoholic beverage made with rice is one of the most misunderstood drinks in America. This is just one of the challenges for operators of SakéOne, of Forest Grove, Oregon, as they endeavor to create and share some of the highest quality, premium sakés in the United States. Located in the northern Oregon wine country, SakéOne was established there to take advantage of the pure waters that run off the eastern slopes of the Oregon Coastal Range. Rice, the other main ingredient they use to produce saké, comes from the Sacramento Valley of northern California.