Family fun day, paint pour workshop, Mary Poppins, and more. 
Happy Friday, Vancouver. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Vancouver Brief serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.
📰 In the news
Local happenings: Councilor Harless braces for three way primary, swimmers are urged to avoid Vancouver Lake after toxin spikes, and Providence Academy gets heart shaped garden — catch up here.
State-level stories: Washington is testing breath sensors that stop impaired drivers, teams have found bees unseen since 1917, and new trail stretches are open — see what else is brewing.
National headlines: The Social Security Administration sticks with paper checks, teen phone usage linked to anxiety, and unresolved vehicle recalls — peruse the best of the rest.
Highlights this week
- Identify and protect Washington’s native pollinators
- Get free tax help this Monday
- Join beginner ESL class every Tuesday
- Practice ASL conversation with fellow adults
- Enjoy free on-site summer meals for youth
- Got debt? National can help you cut ties
🫶 We got your back
BBQ: Think all great barbecue sits south of the Mason-Dixon? Local pitmasters are quietly slinging bib-worthy brisket, savory ribs, and creative sides that deserve a spot on your BBQ bucket list.
Finance: Life’s full of sneaky plot twists, like your car’s ominous clunk right after payday when your account’s already on life support. Learn how to build an emergency fund that gives you a cash cushion so surprise bills never steal the show.
Tunes: Ready to ditch the same old playlist and feel the bass thump through your chest? From up-and-coming indie acts to surprise cover bands that’ll have you singing into your drink, Underbar turns every night into a front-row spectacle. Earplugs optional, good vibes guaranteed.
Hair: More than half of all women experience hair thinning at some point. Whether it’s stress, aging, hormonal shifts, or genetics… there are more options than ever (from topical formulas to supplements and beyond) that’ll help boost healthy hair growth and reduce shedding over time. Take this free quiz and explore your options.
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📆 Around town this weekend
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirey outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
Today
🎺 Community Concert: Columbia River Brass Quintet @ Vancouver Arts Hub | Friday (7/25) at 7:00pm – If you want to banish your recliner, bring a picnic and chairs to Vancouver’s Arts Hub for a free outdoor set by the Columbia River Brass Quintet on SoundsTruck NW’s stage. It’s family-friendly, and the perfect cure for couch-potato syndrome with brass and community vibes.
🎸 Amped Up: Celebration of 90’s Rock @ Alberta Abbey | Friday (7/25) at 8:00pm – Brush off your flannel and practice those air-guitar moves for a 90s rock revival at the Alberta Abbey. Tribute bands channel the grit of Stone Temple Pilots, Alanis’s angsty poetry, and No Doubt’s ska-punk party. Guaranteed to unearth your questionable hairstyle.
This weekend
👨👩👧👦 Family Fun Day @ Grant House | Saturday (7/26) at 11:00am – Grant House lawn is turning into a free family playground, with face painting, yard games, and stage acts to keep the little ones busy. Roll out your picnic blanket, grab Razo’s tacos, toss back a Kona Ice, and pretend you haven’t forgotten how to limbo.
🖌️ Paint Pour Workshop @ Live Laugh Love Art | Saturday (7/26) at 4:00pm – Skip your usual bar stool and dive into a paint-pour workshop, solo or with your crew. They provide every messy tool, artful refreshment, and a patient host to prevent your canvas from resembling your last weekend’s laundry experiment.
☂️ Mary Poppins @ Metropolitan Performing Arts | Sunday (7/27) at 2:00pm – Our humble playhouse just imported Broadway magic with Mary Poppins, the practically perfect musical that charmed audiences worldwide. Expect nanny life hacks with a side of tap shoes, memorable songs, and dazzling dance numbers. Tickets run $20 general admission, $16 for military, students, and seniors.
🎪 Venardos Circus @ Vancouver Mall | Sunday (7/27) at 7:00pm – Trade the couch for the striped tent at Vancouver Mall’s parking lot with Venardos Circus. It’s a Broadway-style, animal-free extravaganza marking a decade of jaw-dropping acrobatics, deadpan jokes, and enough popcorn to make your dentist raise an eyebrow.
🧤 The Gauntlet @ Curious Comedy Theater | Sunday (7/27) at 7:30pm – Fifteen improvisers are duking it out in a survivor-style comedy brawl at the Annex, and you get to send them packing one by one. Think Whose Line on an obstacle course, with your cheers (or boos) deciding the champ. Bring popcorn, leave dignity at home.
Next week
🔍 Summer Lecture Series – Veterinary Forensics: From Victim to Verdict | Monday (7/28) at 5:30pm – Veterinary forensics? Think CSI meets paws and claws, minus the horror. Linda Fielder from the Animal Legal Defense Fund will show how shelters, cops, and prosecutors collaborate to expose abuse and secure justice. Enjoy light refreshments and a chance to chat before tickets vanish.
🧵 Creative Crafts: DIY Fabric Dyeing @ Battle Ground Community Library | Tuesday (7/29) at 1:00pm – Grab a cotton tee or tote bag and join your neighbors for a hands-on DIY fabric dyeing sesh. No art-school chops needed, just tolerate questionable color combos, embrace spilled dye camaraderie, and score wearable bragging rights.
🛸 Deep Space Adventure: Choose Your Own Mission @ Cascade Park Community Library | Tuesday (7/29) at 5:00pm – This live-action space survival game drops you in the captain’s chair, complete with asteroid fields, resource scouting, and moral panics over dwindling air supplies. Think Oregon Trail in zero gravity, minus dysentery, plus genuine space trivia, and a perfect excuse to geek out.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
🎶 Live music & entertainment
- 7/25 Mary Poppins @ Metropolitan Performing Arts – 6 pm
- 7/25 Columbia River Brass Quintet @ Vancouver Arts Hub – 7 pm
- 7/25 Amped Up: ’90s Rock @ Alberta Abbey – 8 pm
- 7/25 Jennifer Batten & Full Steam @ Billy Blues – 9 pm
- 7/26 Singin’ in the Rain @ Heritage High School – 1 pm
- 7/26 Ángel Ocasio @ Vancouver Community Library – 2:30 pm
- 7/27 Family Show @ Curious Comedy Theater – 3:30 pm
- 7/27 Game Face Improv @ Curious Comedy Theatre – 5:30 pm
- 7/27 Taken by the Sky @ 14 Acres Vineyard – 6 pm
Price is right – Vancouver edition
How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).
*This 👇 could be your listing. Hit us up if you’ve got a home (or 12) to sell.
Listed by: Ashley Sagor (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW Real Estate)
A grand double staircase sets the scene for this First Place stunner, where crown molding, rich hardwoods, and soaring ceilings meet a kitchen loaded with granite, Jenn-Air appliances, and a walk-in pantry big enough to get lost in. The bonus room comes ready for game night with a wet bar, drink cooler, and built-in speakers, while the oversized three-car garage gleams with epoxy floors.
Large windows frame views of a backyard that feels like your own secret garden. Entertaining is a breeze with a covered patio, gas grill hook-up, and sound system, all tucked behind mature greenery just minutes from East Vancouver hotspots.
Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →
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