Families In The Park, the Hood River County School District Community Education free summer concert series, returns for its 37th year with performances every Thursday of August in Jackson Park.  Community Education director Matt Rankin says it’s both a concert and a way to bring people and community groups together to celebrate Hood River.  This week’s headliner is Kalimba, performing the music of Earth, Wind, and Fire.  Families In The Park runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Thursday evening in August in Hood River’s Jackson Park.

The newest segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail will be dedicated this weekend.  The three additional miles range from the new Wy’eth Trailhead to Lindsey Creek.  Don Hamilton of the Oregon Department of Transportation says a part of this section is actually the route of the old highway.  The portion of the trail offers scenic views in addition to safe and accessible passage around Shellrock Mountain, where the shoulder of Interstate 84 is at its narrowest, and on the west end connects to existing trail segments linking Starvation Creek and Viento State Park, creating six miles of car-free trail.  Saturday’s ribbon-cutting will begin at 10 a.m. at the new Wy’eth Trailhead, located off of Interstate 84 Exit 51, and follow the signs for event parking.

A number of artists are outdoors in the Gorge this week as part of Maryhill Museum of Art’s as part of the 2019 Pacific Northwest Plein Air event.  Maryhill’s Lou Palermo explains the roots of “plein air” painting come from the tradition of the Impressionists, using true color to capture an immediate reaction.  The results of this week’s work will be unveiled at an opening reception at Maryhill on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and shown in an exhibit from Sunday until August 24.  The paintings will be available for purchase with a percentage of sales benefiting Maryhill.

Columbia Gorge Community College’s community and business survey is continuing through August 26.  CGCC President Marta Yera-Cronin says they are asking people how are they doing, both what the College is doing well and how the school can do better.  The survey opened June 28 and continues through August.  It is available by going online to the College’s website, cgcc.edu.

The City of The Dalles will be offering its Local Government Academy for a second time this fall.  The academy is a free program open to those interested in learning more about and getting involved with The Dalles city government.  Assistant to the City Manager Matthew Klebes says it is an ideal program for those interested in volunteering to serve on municipal committees or commissions.  Participants will attend sessions with every City department.  The first class is set for September 10 in The Dalles City Hall.  Applications are due by August 30, and are available at the City of The Dalles website.

Southwest Washington Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler will host a telephone town hall meeting Monday at 5:30 p.m.  The 3rd district representative will provide updates on legislation she is involved in and take questions and comments.  Southwest Washington residents wishing to take part in the telephone town hall can call in at any point during the event at 1-877-229-8493, and use passcode 116365.  Those who would like to receive a call to join in the town hall can call Herrera Beutler’s Vancouver office at 360-695-6292, or go to her website at herrerabeutler.house.gov and enter their contact information.

A man died in a single vehicle motor vehicle accident on Highway 26 east of Mitchell on Saturday afternoon.  According to the Oregon State Police, the pickup truck driven by 36-year-old Drew Knowles of Mt. Vernon was eastbound on Highway 26 when for unknown reasons he left the roadway and traveled off a steep embankment.  The OSP says Knowles sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.  Westbound Highway 26 was closed for several hours after the crash.  OSP troopers and other emergency medical personnel were called to the scene at about 1:50 p.m. on Saturday.

The body of a 36-year-old man reported as missing since disappearing last Sunday while floating the Deschutes River has been found.  According to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Jonathan Jensen of The Dalles was located on Thursday by family and friends searching the Columbia River.  His body was located about a mile-and-a-quarter downriver from the mouth of the Deschutes.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responded to retrieve the body.   Jensen of The Dalles was last seen late Sunday afternoon standing in the Deschutes River.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office indicated when the group he was with returned to assist him, he was gone.

An RV was destroyed by fire on Thursday afternoon just west of Rufus on Highway 30.  The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office says the RV had parked in dry grass when the fire occurred.  Crews were able to successfully put out the grass fire, but the RV was lost.  Both occupants of the vehicle were not injured.  North Sherman and Moro fire crews responded to the incident.  The sheriff’s office is reminding people to always be cautions when pulling off to the side of the road, as heat from the vehicle in combination with dry grass and hot temperatures can be a recipe for disaster.

Fire damaged a home in The Dalles on Thursday.  According to Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, the fire at 408 West 13th occurred just after 5 p.m. on Thursday.  MCFR’s Jay Wood says the origin of the fire has not yet been determined…but it started in the backyard.  It began in the grass, but then got under the siding and into the crawlspace and some of the walls.  Wood estimated damage in the area of $10,000, adding no one was injured.