In the mood to dress up and hit the town? The Summer Solstice Run and Walk might be a good fit.
The races start at 6 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Vancouver, and are preceded by a costume contest at 5 p.m. Runners and walkers can choose to cover 3 miles or 6 miles. Both races start and finish in front of Northwest Personal Training, 1011 Broadway. Northwest Personal Training is staging the event as a fundraiser for the Clark County Family YMCA youth programs.
Cost is $60, $25 for ages 17 and younger.
Most of the course is flat. It goes through downtown Vancouver, around Esther Short Park, along the waterfront, past Pearson Airport, and back downtown via Fort Vancouver and Officer’s Row. The costume contest has a variety of categories, but a costume is not required to run or walk.
The band Groove Machine will perform for the free post-run street dance. Anyone not up for the run or walk can participate by volunteering or by cheering on the runners then attending the post-race beer garden and street dance. To volunteer or to learn more, call 360-574-7292 or visit www.nwpersonaltraining.com and click on the events and adventures link.
Soccer fair on Saturday
The Southwest Washington Soccer Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Hudson’s Bay High School, 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
The free event is an opportunity to learn about youth soccer in the area and to register for fall soccer leagues. Each of the youth soccer clubs in Clark County will be represented, and the event will include a variety of vendors and free games, plus raffles for soccer prizes.To learn more, visit www.swysa.net.
Rick Story returns to UFC
Vancouver mixed martial arts fighter Rick Story returns to action Friday, taking on Brock Jardine as part of a made for TV production in Atlantic City, N.J.
Story’s fight is part of the preliminary card for UFC on FX 4. The match featuring 170-pounders can be seen on Fuel TV, which is available to Direct TV and Dish subscribers in Clark County. The Fuel TV broadcast begins at 3 p.m.
Story, 27, is a co-owner of Inferno Fitness and Sports in the Salmon Creek area. He is 13-5 as a professional fighter. This is his first fight since a November loss to Martin Kampmann, Story’s second consecutive defeat after a six-match winning streak.
Because of injuries, Jardine is the third opponent matched against Story for this event. Jardine, 26, is making his UFC debut.
There are four fights scheduled to be featured on the FX network (Comcast Cable ch. 53/753) beginning at 6 p.m., highlighted by a match between lightweight challengers Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.
