We built our expandable cedar potato bins back in 2016 and have used them every year since, though not always for potatoes. This year, we have moved the bins to a sunny spot that will catch first light, and have purchased some red and purple seed potatoes to grow. We love the purple varietie…

Waterville Library’s second in a series of six community art displays to be featured in 2021 is “Recycled Art” and the exhibit is up in the library window through the end of April.

The South Douglas Conservation District Tree and Shrub Sale was back on April 3 this year, and judging by the volume of sales, people were more than ready to take advantage of the chance to buy trees, shrubs and wildflowers specially selected for North Central Washington’s climate and habitat.

You may recall my stratification process of the various seeds I had collected last autumn, namely cherry, apricot, peach, and plum. I placed them in pots with a small amount of dry soil and abandoned them. Yes! I totally walked away and left them to go through our hard, cold winter and they …

There's just something about seeing a dump truck back up and unload a big pile of gravel. It's a show, albeit everyone acts like it's no big deal. It is! It takes you back to the sandbox, playing with trucks and shovels in the sand, and digging holes to the other side of the earth.

The NCW Fair office has moved from its old location just next to the fairgrounds entryway to a previous rental house at 609 W. Third St.

April Tedder of Orondo became friends with Bruce and Cathy Clark, owners of Blue Rooster Services in Waterville, through a Facebook group.

I finally was able to get a good look at my bed. It was gifted to me by our local Waterville Community Garden and is a surprisingly large area (12' x 4') to plant whatever fruits, vegetables, flowers, or herbs I would like this growing season. The snow has finally melted enough for me to be …

Columbia Valley Community Health’s (CVCH) mobile clinic, called Connect, will be at the United Lutheran Church parking lot in Waterville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 31 and April 29, with a lunch break for staff from 1 to 2 p.m.

An online auction held March 13 through 21 brought in about $29,000 in proceeds, according to Fair Manager Carolyn Morley. In addition, crab sales brought in a profit of $2,560. Additional proceeds included donations totaling $700 and sponsorships totaling $1,800.

Talk about a serendipitous moment in action. We do a lot of projects using upcycled or recycled materials. I just can't seem to throw out those amazing containers. I see so much potential in them and this time, the two plastic containers I saved were perfect for my hydroponic starts. One con…

Waterville School students have helped fill up the newly established Waterville Emergency Supply Closet at the Federated Church. During a supply drive held Feb. 22 to March 4, students in grades pre-K through six donated 925 items for the supply closet, according to ASB advisor Samantha Fletcher.

After almost six weeks of finding alternate routes west of town, Waterville motorists once again had access to the Pine Canyon Road beginning the evening of March 14.

Waterville Mayor Jill Thompson told the town council at the March 1 regular meeting she believes the town swimming pool will be able to open this summer, with some extra precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These may include limiting the number of swimmers in the pool at a…

This June will be seven years for me and my apple tree! I'm not sure how old my tree is, but its trunk has doubled in size and it has given us some delicious apples over those seven years.

I had a great idea to try growing radishes indoors, in small containers. I bought an inexpensive aluminum pan with a clear lid to hold the small plastic yogurt containers and to protect the plants. It is like a mini greenhouse sitting on my coffee table, positioned in exactly the right spot …

Gardening has a way of spreading, expanding not only on the land, but into the minds and hearts of a community. One just never gets over the fact that a small seed, as if by magic, can grow into a plant to feed a multitude. Gardening has value, in that it can feed the hungry masses, but it c…

When the pandemic shut Washington schools down last March, Meredith Mittelstaedt, who was then a junior, remembers people saying school would probably be closed for a few weeks. At that point, no one imagined the challenges of the pandemic would go on for at least a year afterward.

II took the outer leaves from two red cabbages, chopped them up into some boiling water, and let them sit for about 10 minutes. I then strained the water from the cabbage into a mason jar, producing a lovely, dark purple solution. I was a little skeptical that anything could happen, but lo a…

Waterville resident Sharon LaCrosse began 2020 with the resolve to produce 52 weeks of stitchery during the year. She started on Jan. 1 and worked to complete a 5-inch by 5-inch piece each week. At the time she had no idea that 2020 would give her so much material and emotions to work throug…

The Pine Canyon section of U.S. Highway 2 between Orondo and Waterville has been closed since a rockslide covered the road at Milepost 144 on Feb. 2. While inspecting the slide, officials discovered a cracked boulder that is now hanging over the highway. This has led the Washington Departmen…

It was recently brought to my attention that since we are eating more healthily, a great amount of potential composting materials have been ending up in our trash. We already recycle everything we possibly can. We have a cardboard bin, aluminum can bin, plastic bottle bin, and a paper bin. A…

During the Feb. 1 Waterville Town Council meeting, Mayor Jill Thompson reported commercial logging is moving forward as scheduled on Badger Mountain. The thinning operation will create a park-like spacing of trees and reduce fire danger. Thompson said the town will receive a report each mont…

In the aftermath of the destructive fires in Bridgeport and Mansfield this September, Phyllis Browning was one of the Waterville residents who worked to get needed supplies to fire victims.

Searching for hydroponic start trays and a way to test the pH of my nutrient solution has led me on quite a journey.

It took a good half hour to trudge through varying depths of our last snowstorm’s powder to free from the ice and snow, with great effort, a length of PVC pipe to photograph along with the other things I am accumulating for my Dutch bucket system project. It is amazing how one foot can end u…

Following a public hearing, the Waterville Town Council voted at its regular meeting on Jan. 19 to re-zone the area encompassed by Birch Street, Walnut Street, Chelan Avenue, and Rainier Avenue from Residential-1 to Residential-2. Residential-2 allows for multi-family housing.

Since 1993 the organization Together for Youth has been working in North Central Washington Communities to help local youth to thrive. Two of the important programs the organization currently is running include the Crime Victim Advocacy program and parenting classes.

The Badger Mountain Ski Hill opened for the season on Jan. 16. It was a foggy morning, but that didn’t stop skiers from Waterville and beyond from flocking to the hill to ski.

Members of the Waterville Lions Club met on Jan. 13 to discuss the possibility of opening the Badger Mountain Ski Hill on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.