Go, Ideas for your weekend: Concert series, Waterfront Blues Festival

1. Sounds of summer

This week marks the start of Vancouver’s popular summer concert series.

The Noon Concert series will take place each Wednesday July 8 through Aug. 12 at Esther Short Park’s pavilion, West Eighth and Columbia streets, Vancouver. The Vancouver Pops Orchestra, a community orchestra of local musicians, will perform at noon July 8. Before and after each concert, kids of all ages can take part in Science in the Park. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 8, children can discover what it’s like to be a marine biologist and study life in the ocean with crafts and experiments.

The Six to Sunset Concerts will celebrate 28 years of music in the park, with concerts every Thursday July 9 through Aug. 13. Hit Machine will kick off the series from 6 to 8 p.m. July 9, as the five-piece band performs hit songs from ’70s and ’80s, along with classic rock and song medleys. Grab a blanket or low-back lawn chair for a spot in front of the Esther Short Park pavilion. All events are free. www.cityofvancouver.us/parksrec

Meanwhile in Camas, the annual Concerts for a Cause series will begin on the golfing green of Camas Meadows, 4105 N.W. Camas Meadows Drive. Each Tuesday, the concert will feature a different band performing with proceeds benefiting a different local charity. 5 Guys Named Moe, an 11-piece band playing retro-pop music, will perform 6:30 to 9 p.m. July 7, benefiting the Mount St. Helens Institute. Admission by donation; $5 suggested. www.concerts foracause nw.com

2. Friday Night Tails

Camas First Friday is all about the dog days of summer. From 5 to 8 p.m. July 3, the Downtown Camas Association will celebrate canine companions with a doggie fashion show and costume contests at 6 and 7 p.m., themed crafts, dog breed quiz at participating businesses, live music and more. Four-legged friends are invited to attend on leashes. The Liberty Theater will show the 1943 film “Lassie Come Home” at 8 p.m. Admission is $3, with a dollar of each ticket going toward the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society. All of the activities are along Northeast Fourth Avenue in Camas. 360-216-7378 or www.downtowncamas.com

3. Red, white and blues

See the best of local and national blues, R&B, soul and funk musicians at the 28th annual Waterfront Blues Festival. This is one of the largest fundraisers for the Oregon Food Bank, with 100 percent of tickets and gate donations going to help the hungry. Discover popular local acts along side headlining musicians. Allen Toussaint and Galactic with Macy Gray will perform July 3. Con Brio, Dave and Phil Alvin with the Guilty Ones perform July 4, with a Fourth of July fireworks show at 10:10 p.m. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Quinn Sullivan and Buddy Guy wrap up the festival on July 5. Catch the live performances from noon to 10 p.m. July 3 and 4, and noon to 9 p.m. July 5 at Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 1020 S.W. Naito Parkway, Portland. Admission is $10 suggested donation, with reserved seating available through festival passes, for $40 to $300. www.waterfrontbluesfest.com

4. Neighborhood parade

The Felida Children’s Parade in Felida Park is open to all. Participants are encouraged to wear patriotic costumes to march in this community parade. After the parade, bring a lunch and enjoy picnic games, music by the Vancouver Community Concert Band, community displays and refreshments. The parade begins at 10:45 a.m., with events to 2 p.m. July 4 at the Felida Community Park, Northwest 122nd and 127th streets, Vancouver. Admission is free. 360-573-4030 or 503-384-5492.

5. Bookstore fun

Vancouver’s Barnes & Noble will Get Pop-Cultured, with a month devoted to comics, science fiction, movies and more. It begins with a night of “Doctor Who” at 7 p.m. July 3, featuring trivia and costume contests at Barnes & Noble, Vancouver Plaza, 7700 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver. Inspired by the first “Magic Tree House” book “Dinosaurs Before Dark,” the bookstore will feature a dig site for young dino hunters at 10 a.m. July 4. The “Outlander” series by Diana Gabaldon will be highlighted at 2 p.m. July 5. The event also includes collectible figures, Throwback Thursdays, which celebrate a different decade of pop culture each week, “To Kill a Mockingbird” Read-A-Thon, and Dr. Seuss Spectacular. Events are free. 360-253-9007 or www.bn.com/events