Blog | Concrete, Washington

The Eagles are Coming . . .

November 19th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

… and so is the annual Skagit Eagle Festival! We’re pleased to announce a number of exciting highlights you can enjoy in January, when the festival is underway.

The Kuteeyaa Dancers
Native American dancers will perform on Saturday, January 21 at 1:00 p.m in the historic Concrete Theatre, 45920 Main Street in Concrete. Admission is $10. Kuteeyaa is made up of many Tlingit Clans: T’akdeintaan, Wooshkeetaan, Kiks.ádi, Kaagwaantaan, Deisheetaan, Teikweidí, L’uknax.ádi and Chookaneidí. They also have members from the Puget Sound area consisting of Quileute and Muckleshoot peoples.

Skagit River Float Trips — the best way to view the eagles — by various local companies, including Skagit River Guide Service.

The Grassmere Village Art Walk & Recycled Art Show
January 21-22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
44568-44586 State Route 20, Concrete
Works from local artisans will be on display and/or for sale in a variety of Grassmere Village shops and restaurants. Included in the show will be the third annual Recycled Art Show, in which entrants are encouraged to be creative with recycled materials. Entry forms, rules and details for both events may be obtained by contacting Anne Bussiere at (360) 853-7227.

Watch for lots more information about the Skagit Eagle Festival coming soon!

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Chamber Meeting Notes

November 10th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

Chamber Meeting Notes Nov 10, 2011

If you were unable to attend the Chamber meeting on November 10, please review the notes.

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Is Concrete Haunted?

September 19th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

Q. Come on, are there really ghosts in Concrete?
A. Well, that depends on who you talk to. Walk through town with us, hear the stories, you be the judge.

Q. Why a Ghost Walk?
A. Because Concrete has a history of colorful characters and stories. We believe there are many folks who liked the town so much, they decided to stay. After you hear what some of the present-day Main Street merchants have to say, we think you’ll agree. A ghost walk is a fun (and slightly frightening) way to bring the past to life.

Q. What’s an example of a Concrete Ghost Story?
A. The old “Mount Baker Hotel” was built in 1924 by a man named Stoneman to take care of the influx of people during the building of the Lower Baker River Dam. Over the years, the hotel has served as a rooming house, hotel, liquor store, café, barber shop and office building. It was also the bus stop for the Ben Solomon stage line in the early days. According to local story-tellers, if you go upstairs in this building, you may see a little girl about 4, with red hair and a pink shirt. This apparition may try to push you down the stairs but people who have had this experience say that all you can feel is a sort of tingle go through your body. It’s also said you can hear a little girl’s voice saying “The bad woman’s gonna hurt me!” or, “Turn around, the bad woman will hurt you!”

Q. How do I sign up for the Concrete Ghost Walk?
A. Details of the 2011 event.

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North Cascades Fly In

July 17th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

North Cascades Fly InJuly 22 and 23, 2011
Mears Field in Concrete

July 22 – Friday
Early arrivals & Registration
Aircraft judging for awards
Camping. Restrooms and showers at pilots lounge
Fly-bys and buddy rides
Open-Cockpit Rides available
Skagit Aero museum open to the public
7:30 pm Movie at S.A.E. Museum Hangar #3
9:00 pm Hot air Balloon burn (weather permitting)

July 23 – Saturday
Aircraft arrivals & Registration
7:00 am – 11:00 am Breakfast at the High School
Food vendors on site all day
Fly-bys and buddy rides
Open-Cockpit Rides available
Aircraft awards presented in the afternoon
7:30 pm Movie at S.A.E.Museum Hangar #3
9:00 pm Hot Air Balloon burn (weather permitting)

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Puget Sound Energy Tours

July 16th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

Make your reservation now to tour Puget Sound Energy’s largest hydropower operation, located in the beautiful, mountain-rimmed Baker River Valley off the North Cascades Highway. See PSE’s internationally lauded facilities for transporting migrating salmon around the utility’s two large dams. Visit the new PSE-built hatchery for boosting Baker River sockeye salmon runs. Gaze downriver from atop the 312-foot-high Upper Baker Dam.

Poetry & Music Festival

July 11th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

A popular part of the Cement City Street Fair & Motorcycle Show is the Poetry & Music Festival that takes place in the Concrete Theatre.

We’re pleased to have the following poets and musicians joining us this year:

Stephany Vogel
Stephany Vogel is a visual artist and poet who has been exhibiting and teaching in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. This is the 4th year that Stephany has produced Cement City Poetry & Music.

Dick Harris
Richard Lee “Dick” Harris, Bellingham, returns to the theatre of his youth to read his upriver poems. Harris came to the Upper Skagit River Valley with his parents in 1935. He lived beside the Cascade River, “across the ferry” at Rockport, and in Concrete. While attending Concrete High School, he wrote high school sports and “Teen Topics” for the Concrete Herald. He will have copies of his book Reimagine: Poems, 1993-2009 with him. It is also on sale at Albert’s Red Apple Market. You may learn more about his writing by visiting his website, www.richardleeharris.net.

Jason Miller
Jason lives and writes in Concrete. His poems have appeared in Kinesis, Willow Springs, Northwest Boulevard, and Northwest Literary Forum. He holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University and is the publisher and editor of Concrete Herald.

Sam Osteen
Sam’s musical career has run the gamut from garage bands, lounge acts, an Elvis impersonation show, to blues, punk and heavy metal rock bands. His most recent work has been providing musical soundscapes for his wife Betty Bastai’s art installations.

Greg Cardinal
Born in Red Skelton’s hometown of Vincennes, Indiana, and raised in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky to adulthood, Greg was brought to the Northwest on a family vacation when he was 11 years of age and fell in love with the mountains and forests and people of this great state of Washington. After numerous vacations to the Northwest, he finally realized that it just made sense to move out here. Though music was a part of his early education, he didn’t start studying guitar seriously or writing his own songs until 7 years ago. Now music is the real passion of his life, and he wants to share his observations in song of the human condition.

Bill Jordan
Bill has a strong, sultry voice and dives into the realm of social issues and the love between a father and daughter. He’s been singing since he was 7 years old and playing the guitar since was 9.

Cate Perry
Cate sings at various venues around the area, including Ristretto in Mount Vernon and Thai Season in Anacortes. Cate writes fiction and teaches secondary English.

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Cement City Street Fair & Motorcycle Show

July 10th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

Saturday, July 23, 2011
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

You can be sure it’s summer when there’s dancing in the streets! On Saturday, July 23, the Cement City Street Fair in Concrete will feature everything from a Zumba demonstration and a motorcycle show to poetry reading and blood pressure screenings. Sponsored by United General Hospital, in collaboration with the Concrete Chamber of Commerce and local businesses, the fourth annual street fair is designed to bring healthy family fun to eastern Skagit County.

“It’s our way of reaching out and working with the community,” explains Nicole Paterson, communications assistant at United General. “We always look forward to bringing health screenings and resources to Concrete.”

The street fair kicks off with the Cinder Shins 5k Fun Run at 8:00 a.m., sponsored by Concrete Herald, meeting at the Town Sign. Following the run, you can watch or join in a Zumba demonstration (a fitness program that features world music) presented by Encore Fitness in front of the Concrete Theatre.

The motorcycle show is sponsored by Eagles in Flight and is open to bikes of all makes and models, with check-in required by noon and judging taking place at 1:00 p.m.

Main Street will be lined with arts and crafts booths, and families can also enjoy a children’s activity area that includes games and crafts. Volunteers are needed in this area. Please let us know if you can assist!

Live music on the street will be provided by local performer Dave Chapman at 10:00 a.m., “Detour,” a country swing band from Tacoma at 11:30 a.m., and well-known singer Marcia Kester from Mount Vernon at 1:00 p.m. Radio station KSVU 90.1 FM will be broadcasting from the event and will provide information about its new on-air programming and volunteer opportunities.

Activities will also be held at the Concrete Theatre throughout the day, including free tours, cartoons, and a series of rare motorcycle film footage in a locally produced documentary titled, “Motorcycles: the Good, the Bad and the Custom.”

Also featured at the Concrete Theatre is the third annual Cement City Poetry & Music Festival, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., with regional poets and performers, including: Dick Harris, Sam Osteen, Cate Perry, Bill Jordan, Stephany Vogel, and Jason Miller.

Vendor Application Form
Motorcycle Registration Form

For more information about the event, please contact events@unitedgeneral.org or (360) 856-7662.

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4th of July Celebration

July 1st, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

We hope you’ll join us for the FIRST EVER 4th of July celebration in Concrete on Monday, July 4. Enjoy the parade at 11:00 (or be in the parade by lining up at 9:30 a.m. near the Post Office), and then stay around in Town Center following the parade for:

No-Host Picnic: Bring food for your family, or stop in at a local eatery for some to-go fare to enjoy in the center of town (Main Street and Baker Street).

Zumba Demonstration: Encore Fitness invites you to watch and try a Latin-flavored fitness experience.

Kids’ Movies: Concrete Theatre hosts 30-minutes films for children and families.

Happy Independence Day!

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Pass is Open

May 25th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

At long last, the North Cascades Highway — affectionately known as The Pass — has reopened for the season! Which means if you’re looking for an amazing day or overnight trip that includes some of the most incredible scenery in the state, you’ll want to head east on Highway 20 and keep going — stopping, of course along the way. We’re looking forward to seeing you at our businesses and attractions in Lyman, Hamilton, Birdsview, Concrete, Rockport and Marblemount! And the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce will welcome you on “the other side.”

The Concrete and Winthrop Chambers of Commerce held a Pass Opening Party on May 25, just minutes after the pass opened. Shown here, toasting the event at the Washington Pass Overlook area, are, left to right:
Steve Mitchell, Winthrop Chamber board member and owner of Rocking Horse Bakery in Winthrop
Lori Loomis, Winthrop Chamber board member and owner of Backcountry Coffee Roasters in Winthrop
Valerie Stafford, Concrete Chamber president and owner of Concrete Theatre in Concrete
Annie Bussiere, Concrete Chamber board member and owner of Annie’s Pizza Station in Concrete

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We’re Planning a Pass Opening Party

May 14th, 2011 by Concrete Chamber

We are all waiting anxiously for the North Cascades Highway to open, and in fact, we have a party planned for the day it finally does! Members of the Concrete Chamber of Commerce and Winthrop Chamber of Commerce will be meeting near Washington Pass / Liberty Bell Mountain to exchange greetings and good wishes from our respective communities. We encourage you to join in the fun and make a day of it by traveling over the pass if you can spare the time.

The question is: when? This isn’t a party we can mark our calendar for, since we only know one or two days in advance when the pass will open for the year.

For the very latest information go to: Washington State Department of Transportation. You’ll find the status report, as well as a link to sign up for email updates written by Jeff Adamson in Wenatchee and Dustin Terpening in Burlington (shown here), representing both sides of the mountains. And check out Dustin’s video posted on YouTube on May 13, 2011.

Then, standby with your party hat.

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Concrete Chamber of Commerce