Escape to the Magical Scottish Highlands in The New Blue Parrot’s Production of Brigadoon

Another play by one of my favorite local theater companies. Tell them Stephanie Hatton of Goof Proof Services sent you.

The New Blue Parrot Productions presents Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s musical, Brigadoon. This show, set in a magical village in the highlands of Scotland, opens at the Heritage High School Theater located at 7825 NE 130th Ave., Vancouver, WA. Show times are 7:00 pm, June 26 – 27 and July 10 - 11; two matinee shows will be performed at 1:00 pm on June 27 and July 11.

Brigadoon a production of The Blue Parrot’s Children’s Theatre. Directed by Anne Bock and produced by Brian McClatchie, the show is cast with children from all over Clark County, ages 6 – 19. With the help of Mike Turley (Music Director) and Melinda Dunn (Choreographer), this talented troupe will present this famous love story though Scottish-style dance steps and a musical score which includes the songs Almost Like Being in Love, Come To Me Bend To Me and I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean.

Originally popularized by Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse in the movie version, this first production of Lerner and Loewe’s actually launched their careers. This talented duo went on to create the famous productions of My Fair Lady, Paint Your Wagon, Gigi and more.

Brigadoon is an enchanted village that appears for one day every 100 years. If anyone of the village leaves it will vanish forever. A stranger can stay if and only if he loves someone in the town enough to lose everything from the "real" world. Audiences will fall in love with Tommy Albright, the romantic Yank who falls in love with the young Fiona MacLauren and has to make the choice of staying with his true love or go back to America to get married to the overpowering Jane Ashton. Jeff Douglas is Tommy's sarcastic friend who is valiantly and hilariously pursued by the man-chasing Meg Brockie. Jean MacLauren and Charlie Dalrymple are a young couple who are to be married on the day the two visitors enter Brigadoon. Harry Beaton is Jean's jilted suitor who threatens to leave Brigadoon and cause it to vanish forever and Mr. Lundie is the local schoolmaster who explains the tale of Brigadoon to the two travelers.

Tickets for Brigadoon are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and youth (16 and under). Groups of 15 or more are eligible for a group rate of $9. A $55 Family Value Pack is also available. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.newblueparrot.com/ or by phone, 360-696-1155. Sound enhancement available for the hearing impaired; FM radios with discreet earphones required. For further information, contact Pam Turley at 360-696-1155 or pturley@newblueparrot.com

The New Blue Parrot Productions (NBP) is comprised of The New Blue Parrot Theatre and The Blue Parrot Children’s Theatre. It is a non-profit performing arts company, serving Clark County and the Portland Metro area. NBP provides professional, quality musical, comedic and dramatic live theatre. Its programs are produced in partnership with the Evergreen School District. To learn more about the Company and its educational programs, log on to http://www.newblueparrot.com/.

Chabad of Clark County Dedicates the Clark County Torah

One year ago at the Chabad Jewish Center in Vancouver Washington, the first lines of a new Torah scroll were written. Now, one year later, this scroll is nearly complete. Chabad of Clark County invites the entire community to welcome its new Torah which arrives from Israel and will be dedicated on Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 2 PM. Parking is at the Chabad Jewish Center at 9604 NE 126th Ave., in Vancouver, WA and attendees will be transported by shuttle to building 11 in the Eastridge Business park.

Participants will witness the inscription of the final words and by doing so, they will fulfill the 613th Commandment of the Torah - to write a Torah scroll. According to the Rebbe, “A new Torah scroll brings about new blessings for the entire community.” This Torah, which is the very fabric that holds the Jewish people together, is written in memory of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg of Mumbai, India.

Following the final inscription, the Torah will be lead in a lively, parade-like procession under a chuppah – similar to the bridal canopy that is a central tradition at Jewish weddings. Like a bride and groom, the Torah will be treated with honor and joy. The old scroll will be taken out to greet the new Torah upon arrival at its new home in the Chabad Jewish Center. Afterwards, guests will enjoy an elaborate hors d’oeuvers and dessert buffet. Live music and children’s entertainment will be provided. For more information about this event and for remaining dedication opportunities, contact Chabad at 360-993-5222 or send an email to info@chabadclarkcounty.com

Chabad-Lubavitch is a philosophy, a movement, and an organization. The Chabad Jewish Center, led by Rabbi Shmulik and Tzivie Greenberg, serves the entire Jewish community of Clark County. To learn more about the Center’s holiday programs, children and teens groups, adult Torah study and more, log onto http://www.chabadclarkcounty.com/ or call 360-993-5222.

A Big Fat Welcome to Washougal's Best Western Parkersville Inn & Suites

Hallelujah! We've got a hotel in Washougal. We haven't had decent accommodations since the Park Hotel stood on the corner of 17th & B Street in the late 1890's. That place must have been just swell back then. And wouldn't be fun to have that now? Well we don't. We've got a brand new Best Western Inn and Suites located at 121 South 2nd St.

This $5.5 million hotel, owned by Shree Bhagya Laxmi LLC, offers 79 smoke-free rooms, including 54 suites. It just so happened that I needed accommodations for my parents when they come to visit in May. I was so pleased when the Inn opened at the end of March. The second I walked through the doors and into beautiful lobby, I knew that my parents would be happy staying at the Inn. Jeff Brody, General Manager of the Inn, very kindly gave me a private tour of the facilities.

The decor is simply lovely with clean lines in a combination of colors found in nature - a perfect complement to our area on the Columbia River. Amenities include:

• Pool
• Spa
• Sauna
• Exercise room
• Business center
• Complimentary hot breakfast (not just the typical waffle iron and petrified bagels, folks)
• Views of the Columbia River
• Flat screen TVs in every room

If you are planning on driving our way in the summer, I recommend staying a day or two in Washougal. Sleep comfortably at the Best Western Parkersville Inn and Suites while enjoying the multitude of recreational activities of the Columbia River Gorge. If you're attending the 2009 Washougal Motocross Nationals, book your room or suite now. If you see Jim at the Inn, tell him Stephanie Hatton from Goof Proof Services, sent you.

Goof Proof Announces Resume Writing Service

Goof Proof Services now offers an expert resume writing service. From the very basic one page resume to the multi-page executive level resume - Goof Proof will strive to make you look good on paper.

Your resume should be more than an exhaustive work history. It should be a powerful marketing tool that presents a summary of the benefits of your product—YOU. Most employers use the resume as a tool to screen job seekers “out” as well as “in”. Goof Proof will craft a resume that will present your accomplishments in a powerful way and get you noticed.

We can polish an existing resume or write one from scratch. Our resume specialist will work with you to determine the resume format that will best suit your particular job search. Our service includes proper formatting including use of white space, fonts, bullets and other attributes for maximum impact. We will also use your information to create a focused central message and position statement that includes industry-specific keywords. Do you need a resume tailored for a specific company and position? We can do that for you, as well.

Our rates are highly competitive, starting as low as $35 to upgrade an existing basic resume. Contact us today for a quote and get started on finding that perfect job with the perfect resume.

Jewish Business Network Fundraiser Features Comedian Mark Schiff

The Jewish Business Network (JBN), located in Vancouver, WA, is holding its third annual fundraising event entitled, A Day of Hope. This will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Vancouver on Saturday, February 7th, 2009 at 7:30 PM. Proceeds from this event will benefit local families in need as well as the children of the “Good Family” Orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine.

The theme for this year’s event is Comedy Night and will feature comedian and comedy writer, Mark Schiff. He has been the opening act for Jerry Seinfeld on many occasions. Seinfeld says, “Mark Schiff is one of the funniest, the brightest, the best stage comics I’ve ever seen."

Also featured this evening is a raffle in which guests can purchase tickets ranging from $10 to $25, depending on the value of the prize offered. Prizes include a $1,000 Westfield Mall shopping spree, a Nintendo Wii™ and Wii Fit™, an Ipod® Touch or Iphone®, a 42" Panasonic® Plasma HDTV, Dell® Vostro® A860 Laptop and much more. A Split-the-Pot raffle will also be held. Guests can enter to win half of the total pot collected with a guaranteed minimum of $500.

Reservations are $50 per person. This includes a catered gourmet kosher dinner, dessert and entertainment. Reservations can be made online at http://www.thejbn.org/ or by calling 360-450-3256.

Virus Alert

I just got this virus alert from my friends at Creative Computer Solutions (CCSI) here in Vancouver, WA.


We have seen a large increase in the number of viruses that are being passed around via email. Two of the major ones we are seeing is a Hallmark Greeting Card and a Adobe Flash Player update. You should delete any Hallmark Greeting Cards, and do not install any Adobe FlashPlayer updates. As always, if you do not personally know where an email is coming from, delete them. If you get a greeting card, call the person to personally say "season's greetings" but do not open the email. More information about the virus can be found at:www.symantec.com.

Everyone Needs an Editor

You've just spent a lot of time - hours perhaps - writing a press release, a technical specification, some marketing copy, a menu or whatever it is that pertains to your project or business. In fact, you're practically married to the thing and you can recite the content word for word. So what do you do now?

• Do you send it off to the printers and order expensive copies?
• Do you attach it to an email and send it out for company-wide distribution?
• Do you make twenty copies of the document and take it with you to a meeting?
• Do you send it out to media for area-wide (even nationwide) advertising?
• Or do you stop and think, "Maybe this needs a fresh pair of eyes".

Everybody needs an editor - professional writers, business executives, administrative assistants, public servants - EVERYONE. Except for casual emails, anyone who wishes to make a positive impression on their colleagues or customers should run their written materials by an editor. This fresh pair of eyes will help ensure that what you say about your company or project will leave a lasting, positive impression.

Once you've decided to hire an editor, there are some steps you can take that will save the editor time and SAVE YOU MONEY. Here are some self-editing exercises:

1. Print a hard copy. Sometimes, seeing your writing on paper will reveal more errors than what you can see on the screen.
2. Read your writing out loud. In this exercise, you'll hear where you've used improper grammar as well as an overuse of rhyme or rhythm. You'll immediately recognize when you've omitted some words.
3. Read it backwards. You've read your paper so often, you can hear it in your head. Try reading in backwards. You'll catch misspellings, incorrect word choices and duplicated words.
4. Spellcheck, but don't rely on this tool. The spellchecker will not pick up all improper word choices (i.e. choose / chose).
5. Delete that clever turn-of-phrase. You may enjoy your cleverness, but you might lose your readers. It's best to keep ideas simple.
6. Kill the commas. Except in the usual places - such as before the word "but", in a series, or around a parenthetical expression - consider the use of other forms of punctuation or when in doubt, leave it out.

Once you've tidied up a bit, you can send this to the editor who will fine-tune your work while at the same time, maintain your voice, your objectives and your ideas.