The coastal lingcod fishery reopened Saturday, and anglers are dusting off their gear in anticipation of what should be another excellent season.

“Lingcod are very abundant on the south central coast, and 10 years ago they were deemed overfished by a heavy commercial fishery, but since then their population has been stabilized,” said Mark Cedergreen, president of the Westport Charterboat Association. “Fishing is very good in the spring, and the fish tend to be bigger.”

Lingcod fishing off La Push, Westport and Ilwaco is open daily through mid-October. The minimum size is 22 inches, and the daily limit is two lingcod.

The bonus in this spring fishery is that charters will head out first in the morning to target abundant black rockfish (10 fish daily limit), and then head out to deeper water in search of lingcod.

Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com.

“I took a picture of an old boat while I was in Ilwaco, Washington. My wife and I were on a road trip on the scenic highway 101. We had started our adventure in Hoodsport, WA, and we had just passed through Long Beach, WA on our way to the Redwoods of California. In Ilwaco we had stumbled upon a small market fair. Vendors in tents stretched up and down the walkway along the water. Boats were resting in the water like watchful observers of all the bustling activity. I stopped at one street vendor and bought a pocket knife. Then we ventured off to take pictures of the boats. A boat called the “Never Level” stood out. It was awkwardly out of place among the nicer boats. It seemed tired and neglected. It had worked hard without complaint. I hope this painting gives the “Never Level” some long needed attention.”

Visit DanoCreative.com for purchase information on The Rusty Incumbent of Ilwaco (18″ x 14″ Acrylic on Canvas)

QR codes, a barcode that can be scanned by a smartphone, have been installed in the city of Long Beach, Washington. The installation is the first in a series targeting visitors and tourists.

These QR codes are present throughout the city, and provide visitors with instant information at 29 points of interest. These include popular spots which are often frequented even by passers-by. The codes are incorporated in small signs.

The “Quick Response” code is a square barcode that helps in accessing location coordinate, text or contact information and even URL’s onto a phone very quickly. If the phone is equipped with a barcode scanner app, then the camera just needs to be point at the code to read its contents.

These two-dimensional barcodes offer a novel way of exploring the area without being rushed. As cell phones are used to read the codes, catching up with interesting details or curious facts, which can be accessed easily, is fun.

When a smart phone is used to scan the code, it quickly links the visitor to information about the point of interest. With these codes strewn about liberally, in parks and other frequented places, sight-seeing and exploring becomes a pleasure. No need to rely on those unreliable guides or a ‘Boring Guide book’!

A tour of Discovery Trail, which winds through the dunes and offers ocean vistas as well as historic sites, proffering endless excitement can be had by unearthing the information in the 19 codes which are present.

To begin the Discovery Trail tour, the QR code at the World’s Longest Beach Arch on Bolstad Avenue needs to be located. Additional QR codes can be spotted throughout the downtown area as well as at the City parks and playfields.

Read the full article at tmcnet.com.

Next time you visit Long Beach, make sure to take your smartphone. The Washington beach town — known for its kite museum, beach drive and Jake the Alligator Man — has introduced new signage that incorporate QR codes at more than two dozen points of interest.

Read the article.

“Yes, we’re a well-kept secret,” says Museum Director and Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation board member Melinda Crowley. “I think a lot of people on the Peninsula don’t even know we exist.”

What’s fun about the museum is that North Coast residents might take their culture for granted because they’re swimming in it. But cranberry farming on the coast has a 100-plus-year history.

Learn about Bog Boots and the Seven Bounce Test, Weed Whackers and Dibbles.

Don’t miss the gift shop, which is filled to the brim with things cranberry. Some items are unusual, including cranberry soap, body and hand wash, cranberry muffin room freshener and cranberry shower gel. There are also cranberry candles and cards. On the wall are several beautiful circular wreaths made of red cranberry vines.

Entry to the museum is free of charge.

Read the full story in the Daily Astorian, where you’ll also find a recipe for Ruth Crowley’s Cranberry Crisp.

• Friday – March 19th at 7:00 PM
• Saturday – March 20th at 7:00 PM
• Sunday – March 21st at 2:00 PM
• Friday – March 26th at 7:00 PM
• Saturday – March 27th at 7:00 PM
• Sunday – March 28th at 2:00 PM

Tickets are now on sale for the Peninsula Players production; get your tickets early as their musicals are always very well attended.  You can purchase tickets at Okies Thriftway in Ocean Park, Stormin Norman’s in Long Beach and the Imperial Schooner in Ilwaco, for $15 each.

Peninsula Player and Mame Director Bob Lindberg:

I am excited about the upcoming production of Mame. We have a hard working and talented cast who will bring this musical comedy to the boards. Along with our talented cast, we also are honored to have the talented accompanist, Barbara Bate at the keyboard.

Rita Smith  will be leading the cast with her portrayal of the title role. Her role is a challenging one since she is in all the scenes with the exception of one and is also the musical director for the show. I believe she takes the role to new heights as she fights for her adopted son with Mr. Babcock, played by Frank Lehn

Her confidant is Vera played by Joyce Jones. After some career moves they become estranged  which leads to the song, “Bosom Buddies”.  Joyce is playing another role in which she has to appear to imbibe on too much alcohol. She complains that she is being type cast. I don’t think that is necessarily true.

The young boy playing young Patrick is Joey Campbell. Joey returns to our stage after a successful performance in Fruit Cakes in December. It is a large role for someone as young. The older Patrick is played by Everett Pace who played the romantic lead in Oklahoma. Older Patrick gets involved with a snooty girl played by Brandy Ahlers whose parents (Laurie and Clint Carter) are shocked by some of goings on of Mame.

Dennis Howard plays the romantic interest of Mame. This comes at a time that Mame has hit bottom and eats Shredded Wheat for dinner. Dennis comes to the rescue and the plot leads on from there. It is only when the Nanny played by Carea Kuhn returns from some time in the big city that sky really falls. But, all is well as the finale is performed.

Directing a musical can be a challenge. Not only is it expensive to receive the rights to the show, but there are so many more things that are involved. George Power is in charge of  the set design. Laurie Carter is coordinating the “behind the scenes” work as the show’s Producer.

Two of the songs you may recognize are the title song “Mame” and “We Need a Little Christmas”. It is a fast moving comedy with several belly laughs and a few snickers. It will a fun way of spending some time enjoying local theater.

In March North Head Lighthouse offers spectacular chances to see whales moving north to Alaskan waters for the summer.  Especially when the weather is like this.  Wednesday morning the skies were clear and the temperature approaching sixty degrees.  I knew it was a little early to expect to spot the whales in migration, but it was worth the walk just to check out the view.

~Blaine Walker, Proprietor, 42nd Street Café

On Saturday, March 6, 2010, I drove Washington State Route 100, around in circles down near Ilwaco and the southwesternmost point in Washington. Triple digits, hooray!

A fun little road in the corner of our state; always a nice place to drive. Take a walk out on the jetty, next time you’re there.

Read the post, with lots of photos.

It is soon time for the Long Beach Slow Pitch and Fast Pitch Tournaments.  Baseball tournaments take place all summer long here in Long Beach.  Contact Joe Hightower for player information, or just come enjoy a free afternoon watching great softball.

long-beach-softball.pdf