Not long ago, we talked about how fragile America’s food system has become. Farmers and ranchers face growing challenges — from water regulations and rising input costs to corporate consolidation and uncertain markets. Yet one thing hasn’t changed: when farmers and rural communities stand together, we are stronger.

Columbia Gorge CASA is pleased to announce the return of the CASA Fall Family Run for its second year, presented by McDonald’s of the Gorge. This festive, family-friendly event will be held on Friday, October 4, 2025, at the Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead in Hood River. The event serves as a meaningful opportunity for the community to come together in support of CASA’s mission to advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District is continuing its Pool Options Study to evaluate the future of the aging Hood River Aquatic Center.

For more than two years, retired lawyers and other volunteers have been helping Gorge residents apply for expungement (or “set aside”) of their Oregon criminal records. The volunteers operate free walk-in clinics twice a month in The Dalles and Hood River. More than 220 people have sought help through the clinics since June 2023. Most who come to the clinics live in the Gorge, but the clinics are open to anyone who needs help.

Art and culture take center stage this week across the Gorge, from juried pastel exhibitions to Hispanic heritage celebrations, live music, and community festivals filling Hood River, The Dalles, and beyond.

New! Gorge Gigging Guide Highlights gives you a quick look at the week ahead in music, comedy, performance, festivals, and more! It’s a Great Way to get a handle on planning for the Best in what The Gorge has to offer! 

Not that long ago—within the lifetime of folks still living in Wasco and Sherman Counties—the farm fields echoed with the steady clop of draft horses. Harness jingled at dawn, sweat darkened their hides by noon, and at day’s end the team pulled the wagon home. It was the rhythm of farm life.

The History Museum of Hood River County is proud to present Timewinder Tales (formerly Cemetery Tales). This year’s performances are a bit different than those in the past, and we could not be more excited to present this new version of the show! You will hear from four powerful and influential Latina members of our community who will share their stories and inspirations.

Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA) is proud to present the Northwest Pastel Society Members Show 2025, featuring more than 100 works by 66 artists. This juried exhibition, celebrating the vibrancy and versatility of pastel as a medium, will be on display at CCA September 5–28.

On Wednesday mornings across the Columbia Gorge, coolers snap open, boxes are labeled, and flats of greens, fruit, eggs, breads, cheeses, and flowers head out the door. By afternoon, those orders—placed through Gorge Farmer Collective, a farmer-owned cooperative of 35+ local farms- are waiting at neighborhood pickup spots from The Dalles to Mosier and Lyle.

New! Gorge Gigging Guide Highlights gives you a quick look at the week ahead in music, comedy, performance, festivals, and more! It’s a Great Way to get a handle on planning for the Best in what The Gorge has to offer! 

What if half of Shakespeare’s plays had been lost forever? Columbia Center for the Arts invites audiences to find out in The Book of Will, a witty and heartwarming historical drama by Lauren Gunderson, opening September 12 in Hood River.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the CCCNews Podcast, Mid-Columbia Center for Living Executive Director Al Barton warned that looming changes to Medicaid could leave rural Oregonians with fewer behavioral health services — even as demand continues to grow.

Columbia River Gorge, OR & WA. Born during the early days of the pandemic, the Gorge Farmer Collective (GFC) has become a trusted local food source for hundreds of families, allowing customers to source local foods from dozens of farms online with one easy click.

New! Gorge Gigging Guide Highlights gives you a quick look at the week ahead in music, comedy, performance, festivals, and more! It’s a Great Way to get a handle on planning for the Best in what The Gorge has to offer! 

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: A Timeline of Trouble, How Our Farms Got Here

Opening Celebration September 6 for Our New Exhibition, A Sense of Place, Exploring the History and Evolution of the Imperial Stock Ranch - Where Sustainable Sheep Ranching from the High Desert of Central Oregon Meets the World of High Fashion and the Olympics.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible businesses, private nonprofits, and residents in Oregon of the Sept. 15 deadline to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by the Rowena Wildfire occurring June 11-19.

New! Gorge Gigging Guide Highlights gives you a quick look at the week ahead in music, comedy, performance, festivals, and more! It’s a Great Way to get a handle on planning for the Best in what The Gorge has to offer! 

It pains me to read about people starving in countries in Africa and in Gaza. News is overwhelming. Besides human suffering, many pets are devastated. Local posts on Facebook and other social media do a noble job of alerting us to lost pets or those needing new homes.