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!

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

Q. Come on, are there really ghosts in Concrete?

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.

Read more!

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. 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

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.

Vendor Application Form
Motorcycle Registration Form

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

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!

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

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.