2021 marks the 112th year the fair has celebrated local agriculture. Through the years, the fair has evolved from a simple agricultural fair to a full-blown entertainment event! Fair attendees young and old will find themselves wishing for more hours to explore the fairgrounds.

For the Animal Lovers

The SW Washington Fair’s roots are deeply based in agriculture and you’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with local FFA and 4-H members and their animals.  You’ll love walking the rows of roosters and coming nose to snout with award-winning swine! Make sure to ask plenty of questions, these kids know their stuff and are usually beaming with pride as share their knowledge with you.

If you need to stock your freezer, make sure to visit the Junior Livestock Sale where you’ll have the opportunity to purchase livestock raised by local youths, some of who have more than two years invested in their animals. This year, the livestock sale will be held on Friday, August 20th at 6pm.

Carnival

The SW Washington Fair has a large midway devoted to thrills and fun! Ride the Ferris wheel with your sweetheart, slide down the Super Slide with your kiddo or try your hand at winning a goldfish. Rides and games are not included with your admission. Once you’ve paid your fair admission, you can purchase tickets to ride your favorite rides, or purchase an all-day carnival wristband. We recommend skipping the line and purchasing both prior to your visit online!

Kids

Although it might seem obvious, the Southwest Washington Fair is the perfect place to bring your kiddos of all ages. Here’s a list of our favorite things to do (in no particular order):

• Get your carnival wristbands and ride ALL the rides
• Find a seat and watch the rodeo
• Buy a buttery ear of corn or an elephant ear from one of the delicious food vendors
• Stop by the big top and see the circus
• Guess how many teeth are in each Selachimorpha’s mouth at the Shark Tank
• Sign your family up for one of the many family & kids contests
  • Diaper Dash
  • Watermelon Eating
  • Most Freckles
  • Pie Eating
• Get the band together and compete in the Talent Show.

The Southwest Washington Fair has something for you, your friends, and your family. Grab your favorite people and let’s all go to the fair!

When’s the last time you said “Let’s all go to the fair?”  Whether it’s been two years or ten, we recommend gathering your friends and heading down to the 2021 Southwest Washington Fair.

2021 marks the 112th year the fair has celebrated local agriculture. Through the years, the fair has evolved from a simple agricultural fair to a full-blown entertainment event! Fair attendees young and old will find themselves wishing for more hours to explore the fairgrounds.

For the Animal Lovers

The SW Washington Fair’s roots are deeply based in agriculture and you’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with local FFA and 4-H members and their animals.  You’ll love walking the rows of roosters and coming nose to snout with award-winning swine! Make sure to ask plenty of questions, these kids know their stuff and are usually beaming with pride as share their knowledge with you.

If you need to stock your freezer, make sure to visit the Junior Livestock Sale where you’ll have the opportunity to purchase livestock raised by local youths, some of who have more than two years invested in their animals. This year, the livestock sale will be held on Friday, August 20th at 6pm.

Carnival

The SW Washington Fair has a large midway devoted to thrills and fun! Ride the Ferris wheel with your sweetheart, slide down the Super Slide with your kiddo or try your hand at winning a goldfish. Rides and games are not included with your admission. Once you’ve paid your fair admission, you can purchase tickets to ride your favorite rides, or purchase an all-day carnival wristband. We recommend skipping the line and purchasing both prior to your visit online!

Kids

Although it might seem obvious, the Southwest Washington Fair is the perfect place to bring your kiddos of all ages. Here’s a list of our favorite things to do (in no particular order):

• Get your carnival wristbands and ride ALL the rides
• Find a seat and watch the rodeo
• Buy a buttery ear of corn or an elephant ear from one of the delicious food vendors
• Stop by the big top and see the circus
• Guess how many teeth are in each Selachimorpha’s mouth at the Shark Tank
• Sign your family up for one of the many family & kids contests
  • Diaper Dash
  • Watermelon Eating
  • Most Freckles
  • Pie Eating
• Get the band together and compete in the Talent Show.

The Southwest Washington Fair has something for you, your friends, and your family. Grab your favorite people and let’s all go to the fair!

The post The 2021 SW Washington Fair Opens August 17 appeared first on Experience Chehalis.

Community

You’ll be doing more than just exercising when you join Thorbeckes Wellness Center, you’ll be joining a community of great people, some of whom you already know! Some Thorbeckes members report seeing their neighbors, coworkers, and even their high school basketball coach regularly when they come in to exercise.

Don’t worry if you’re new to the area, because their small-town friendliness extends to you, too! Thorbeckes is a great place to find new friends. Join a group fitness class, sign up for one on one training, or enroll your kiddo in one of their popular youth activities- Thorbeckes boasts a ton of options.

Group Wellness

Over 50 group classes are offered each week at Thorbeckes and are included free with your membership. Some of their most popular classes include Silver Sneakers, Body Pump, RPM cycle classes, and yoga.

If you are looking for an activity that’s a little easier on your joints, your membership also includes access to the Centralia Community Pool and a variety of aquatic fitness classes.

And there is so much more! Just hop over to the Thorbeckes website to check out all they have to offer.

For the Kids

If your family includes kids, there are a ton of activities to satisfy a variety of interests.

Some of Thorbeckes most popular youth activities can be found at the Centralia Community Pool. Whether your intention is for enjoyment or safety (or a little of both), private, semi-private, or group, so you can find the best match for your child.  The pool also has plenty of open swim hours that your whole family can enjoy. Your bigger kids will have a blast jumping off the diving board or sliding down the water slide while your littlest splash in the 24-30 inch kiddie pool.

Gymnastics at Thorbeckes is super popular and a great place to meet other kids and families. Gymnastics is available for youth of all ages- infant classes begin at age 18 months! For the more experienced gymnast, Thorbeckes offers team gymnastics, geared towards developing high-level competitive skills.

Check out all of the youth activities available on the Thorbeckes website

You can count on the Thorbeckes team to be kind, helpful, and willing to help you find the activities that will benefit you. If you’d like more information about Thorbeckes Wellness Center, check out their website, or call 360-748-3744.

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Fiber Internet is now available in Downtown Chehalis!

We have fiber downtown.  And simply put — it’s a game changer.  Today’s businesses rely on internet speed more than ever. Beginning December 2018, fiber internet through Rainier Connect became a reality for our downtown businesses.  Speed of service impacts how quickly you can work, as well as the quality of your customer’s experience when doing business with you.  Both are major drivers vital to your bottom line.

For more information on fiber plans available through Rainier Connect, call 360-623-1494.

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Bring the family out to this nostalgic parade filled with whimsical floats, lead by this year’s Grand Marshal, Rob Snaza, and of course finished with an appearance by Santa himself! This year’s winner of “Best Theme/Best Entry Overall” will win $500 to donate to a local nonprofit of their choice. This event is free to attend!

Make sure to stop by Market St. Bakery to pick up a hot mocha courtesy of  The Chamber & Market St. Bakery.  (1 Free mocha per person, limited quantity) Are you part of this year’s parade? Stop by Courage Coffee next to the check-in table to pick up a complimentary hot coffee or Mocha!

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Southwest Washington Dance Center’s performing company, Southwest Washington Dance Ensemble, will present their 23rd annual production of the full-length Holiday classic “The Nutcracker”.  The ballet will take place in the “state of the art” Corbet Theatre, on the campus of Centralia College, on December 14, 15 & 16.  Performance times are 7:30 pm on December 14, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm on December 15 and 1:00 pm and 5:30 pm on December 16. The 2018 production of “The Nutcracker” is under the direction of Danielle Brosco. The Dance Ensemble is made up of over 130 dancers from Southwest Washington Dance Center and children and adults from the Lewis and South Thurston County areas.  Local performers with lead roles are Scott Middleton as Heir Drosselmeier; Mark and Sandra Young as Mr. & Mrs. Staulbaum and Trent Vlach as Mother Ginger and the Rat King.  Isabel Langhaim and Katelynn Guenther share the role of Clara.  Dancing principal roles are: Marisa Hall, Sofia Lopez, Brenna Witchey, Brianna Jones, Delanie Hill, Gracie Ericson, Gideon Newkirk, Lily Ericson, Sophie Moerke, Tanner Calder and Conner Bailey.

As always, the ballet is full of new choreography, costumes, and lots of surprises.  Under the directorship of Brosco, this year’s production is sure to delight all Nutcracker fans. Even if you have come before, this year’s Nutcracker is not to be missed.  The cast is very excited to share this year’s production with a continually supportive community. Each performer brings something special to their part and with over 100 parts in the ballet, there is plenty for the eye and ear to feast on!  It’s a magical experience for the whole family.

One does not need to drive to Seattle or Portland to see a wonderful Nutcracker.  This production truly rivals the big city productions with handmade costumes and sets created by gifted local artists.  A faithful group of volunteers labor on costumes, props, all the behind the scene jobs and serves as the technical crew.

This event is a major source of income for Southwest Washington Dance Center.  As a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization, they depend upon grants and fundraisers to help meet their budget.  This year so far, SWDC has received major sponsorships for Nutcracker from Advocate Printing, Shelton Structures, Inc, Innovations in Eye Care, The Chronicle, KITI/Live 95, Security State Bank, John L. Scott Realty, McGregor Auto & Muffler, IP Callisons, Traci Hall, Dave’s Dry Cleaning and Giske Image Design.  Many other area businesses and individuals have also contributed to making “The Nutcracker” a success.

Ticket prices are $24 for adults and $16 for seniors 62+, military and children 18 and under.

Tickets are available online at swwdance.org or by stopping by or calling the Dance Center at 360-748-4789. SWDC is located at 437 N. Market Blvd. in Chehalis.  After December 9^th, tickets will only be available online, at the box office of Corbet Theatre on the campus of Centralia College from the hours of 1:00-8:00 pm or by telephone.  All seating is reserved. Two special ticket deals are available this year. Tickets will be sold for the Thursday December 13 dress rehearsal as a “Pay What You Can”. Tickets will be sold only at the door beginning at 4:30 pm. The performance will begin at 6:00 pm. A special family rate will be offered at the Sunday, December 16, 5:30 pm performance. For every 4 tickets purchased you will receive one free. Tickets for the family special rate must be purchased at Southwest Washington Dance Center. For groups over 10 a group rate is available through the Dance Center office.

For information regarding the Nutcracker Ballet visit the web site at www.swwdance.org or call 360-748-4789.

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Get acquainted with Chehalis

Each year the Experience Chehalis brochure is printed and distributed. The brochure features a map of Chehalis, an events calendar, lodging listings and descriptive text and photos informing and inspiring visitors and potential visitors.  The brochures will be distributed within the city, as well as county-wide and into Thurston County.  They will be included in welcome bags distributed by the Chamber and the Chehalis Parks & Recreation Department, specifically to visitors coming into our area for sporting events.  This piece has been widely utilized as a helpful guide and trip planning tool and one that our local attractions and business community have come to rely on to inform visitors.

To obtain a supply of the Experience Chehalis brochures for your business or organization, please contact us at 360-345-1738 or email info@experiencechehalis.com.

Download the brochure

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Supporting tourism across Lewis County

It is with pride that Chehalis continues to offer this marketing piece representing all of Lewis County. We believe the importance of promoting not only Chehalis-centric opportunities but those that extend outside our city limits in order to create a getaway with broader appeal.  Visitors can choose Chehalis as their home base while experiencing a wide range of activities throughout Lewis County.  Visitors do not recognize city limit signs, and we strive to serve our visitor by providing information for a well-rounded visit to our area.  Each year we design, printing and distribute the guides through Certified Folder Display along the I-5 corridor from Portland to Seattle and at SeaTac Airport and the Washington State Ferry Terminals.

*Jan 2020:  This project has been discontinued due to funding City of Chehalis Lodging Tax funding constraints.

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Recycling Containers Installed in Downtown Chehalis

August 2018 – A partnership between the city of Chehalis and the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team (CCRT)* has announced the installation of four recycling containers in the city’s historic downtown this spring as a pilot project to encourage recycling of plastic bottles and aluminum cans while visiting downtown Chehalis.

The blue recycling containers are on loan from the City of Seattle throughout the summer and into fall.  They have been placed next to existing waste receptacles on Market Boulevard.  Annalee Tobey, CCRT Executive Director stated, “The plan is to test run the program in hopes that they are well-utilized before investing in the containers permanently.  If all goes well, we would like to expand the program to several additional containers in the area.  Our thanks to Lewis County Solid Waste for assistance and suggesting we reach out to the City of Seattle.”  City of Chehalis staff has agreed to maintain the containers.

These new recycling containers are one of several improvements the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team is focusing on downtown.  CCRT hopes this addition will make recycling easier and more convenient for people to recycle while visiting Downtown. “The presence of recycling bins downtown is a visible way for residents, employees and tourists to understand that Chehalis is doing their part by recycling,” said Tobey. “We encourage our downtown Chehalis patrons to use these receptacles to keep our downtown clean, safe and beautiful.”

UPDATE:  The program has been a success and CCRT purchased four permanent recycle containers in 2019.

*Chehalis Community Renaissance Team was renamed Experience Chehalis in 2022.

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