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Tune in for Ridgefield’s 2021 State of the City address!

The 2021 State of the City will premiere on Friday, April 30th at 6PM! Stream the video on Facebook or YouTube to hear an update on the past year’s achievements as well as current and future projects.

Watch on YouTube anytime after 6PM on Friday, April 30th: https://youtu.be/ENPGhlToeiY

Ridgefield Forward is once again sponsoring a Victory Garden Contest to celebrate the number of green thumbs in the 98642 area code. The contest runs from May 1 through August 23, 2021. The winners will be announced September 1, and will win $20 in Main Street Bucks for use at downtown Ridgefield businesses and a $20 gift card for Lava Java.

There are five contest categories:

• Greenest Garden- Does your garden use solar power, drought resistant plants or up-cycled materials? Tell us how your garden is improving our planet!
• Best Garden That Gives Back- Is your garden a haven for yourself and others? Does it feed the community or provide nutrition that has made being healthy easier? Tell us how your garden has provided peace and respite for you, your family, friends, pollinators, birds or other wildlife or how it is nourishing you or the community.
• Best Youth Garden – Calling all 18 and younger people! We would love to see what you can do!
• Most Improved – Are you new to gardening or a practiced gardener reimaging your garden space? Make sure to take some before pictures for the judges to compare to the final masterpiece.
• People’s Choice (most positive Facebook comments) – Get your friends and family involved, don’t be afraid to toot your own horn!

Contest Rules: Gardens must be in the 98642-zip code. They can be at a home, community garden or business and must be grown in 2021. Households or businesses with more than one garden may submit entries for each garden. All ages are encouraged to participate.

Please submit your contest photo by posting it on the Ridgefield Forward Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RidgefieldForward/. Indicate for which category you would like to be considered and tell us why you should win! If you don’t use Facebook, you can still participate by emailing your pictures to mdonavan@gmail.com. At the end of August, our judges, Lava Java owner Phuong Tran, Ridgefield Forward co-founder and Landscape Architect Tracy Ceravolo and Ridgefield Main Street Executive Director Marykay Lamoureaux will visit contest entrants to tour the gardens in a COVID safe manner and then deliberate on the winners. You may opt-out of an in-person garden tour and submit photos instead. Date and time for garden tours to be coordinated in August.

Sponsors: This contest is co-sponsored by Ridgefield Forward, a collaboration of local volunteers focused on reducing and reversing climate change, Ridgefield Main Street whose mission is to create a sustainable, vibrant downtown that is the heart and soul of our city by showcasing our unique destination and history, and by nurturing our sense of community and Lava Java Cafe owner Phuong Tran, who is passionate about conservation and helping the planet.

*Photo submission is considered permission to post; however, ownership of all images shall be retained by the photographer. Please note that all photos submitted will be posted on the RF Facebook site and may be used for contest purposes

Questions? Megan Donavan Dudley, mdonavan@gmail.com

We are so excited to welcome our community back to Overlook Park for First Saturday on May 1st!

Join us downtown to celebrate the anniversary of Ridgefield First Saturdays with First Saturday vendors, Ridgefield Art Association Spring Art Show, a scavenger hunt, and more!

All staff, volunteers, vendors, and guests are asked to stay home if you are not feeling well, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19.

Overlook Park

Columbia Play Project – 9AM-12PM: Bring the kids to join Columbia Play Project’s lawn games for the young and young-at-heart and learn how this community organization is bringing exploratory play spaces in Clark County.

Learn more about the Columbia Play Project on their website. All COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed, including masks, distancing, and sanitization.

First Saturday Vendors – 9AM-1PM: We are so excited to welcome our vendors back to Overlook Park for the first time since December, 2019! If you would like to join us, please check out our First Saturday Vendor Information. The following vendors will be at our 2021 May event: Amilkar Hummus, Pacific Northwest Sunshine, Distinctive Hues Jewelry, Harvest of Peace Microgreens, Alpenrose Dairy, Raindrop Giftshop, Sherri Fahey Crocheted, Thundercloud Designs.

Ridgefield Art Association Art Show – 9AM-1PM: The Ridgefield Art Association Spring Art Show returns for 2021! Check out the art show while you are at Overlook Park and see the work of 7 talented local artists.

100 Miles in 100 Days Pre-Registration – 9AM-1PM: Visit the City booth at Overlook Park to register for the 2021 100 Miles in 100 Days Challenge! Participants who register at May First Saturday, or who show proof of registration at the event, will receive $5 Main Street Moola on the spot!

Downtown Ridgefield

As part of our return to in person First Saturdays, we are encouraging downtown businesses to participate in the celebration with their own promotions and events. Take a walk downtown and enjoy the Art and Soul of Ridgefield.

First Saturday Logo Silhouette Scavenger Hunt: Explore the streets of Downtown Ridgefield and search for the components of our Ridgefield First Saturdays logo! Details to come.

Ridgefield Community Library: The Ridgefield Community Library will be offering a May Day craft. Visit the temporary location at 228 Simons St to participate.

Carts by the Park: Did you know Ridgefield is getting a food truck park? Carts by the Park, located at 219 Pioneer St, will be open with food vendors on Saturday, May 1st.

Fin & Feather: Sidewalk activities including kids coloring books, firearm safety information, suicide prevention information, and firearms owners inventory cards.

Myrtle’s Tea House: Offering free iced tea and cookies on Myrtle’s front patio beginning at 11AM.

Traveling Activity Bags

We know our First Saturday Activity Bags have been a great success the last several months. In May, we want to bring the Activity Bags to you! Activity Bags will include materials to make flower crowns, sidewalk chalk and more fun swag and activities. The City will bring bags to neighborhood parks for first-come-first-serve pick-up according to a set schedule. Check our website for the schedule: https://ridgefieldwa.us/event/first-saturday-may/. Schedule will be posted by Wednesday, April 28th.

My blog is undergoing some updates, so posts may not appear correctly for awhile. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by next week. Stay tuned!

The Ridgefield Food Project (aka Green Bag Project) was very happy to receive a donation from Reser’s Cares, the charitable arm of Reser’s Fine Foods of Beaverton OR. The money will be used to purchase food for the Ridgefield Family Resource Center and Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

The donation was initiated by Drew Bleth, of Ridgefield, who is employed by Reser’s Fine Foods.

Thank you Reser’s and Thank you Drew!

Reser’s is a privately held company located in Beaverton OR that employs over 4,000 people at over 14 major facilities and in eight communities across the US and Mexico.

Bill Baumann, receiving check from Drew Bleth; Chris Poppert of the Resource Center looking on.