Reporter's Notebook

Paul Leonard can be reached at pleonard@vbjusa.com

Another kind of green stimulus plan

Those who are Irish, or Irish-at-heart, should already know that it will take more than the afterglow of a Great Recession to keep the sons and daughters of Eire from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day next week with a little wearin’ of the green, singing and plenty of beer drinking.

Besides, when compared to 600-plus years of colonization by the English, a potato famine or any of the other trials and tribulations endured by the Irish for a millennium, two years of economic malaise in Southwest Washington doesn’t seem all that bad, really.

So with this celebratory air in mind, together with VBJ’s mission to “keep it local,” here is a list of local activities for everyone, regardless of nationality, to enjoy a little piece of that famous Irish blarney in the face of adversity:

Skamania Chamber Business After Hours at Walking Man Brewery, 240 S.W. First St., Stevenson. Tuesday, March 16, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day early with food and beverage and tours of the brewery room where Walking Man’s award winning ale is created.

ShamRock St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, presented by the The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits, 2420 Columbia House Blvd, Vancouver. Wednesday, March 17, 11 a.m. to midnight. 75 percent of all draft beer sales to benefit Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation and the Summer Reading Program.

St. Patrick’s Day at Dulin’s Cafe and Espresso Bar, 1708 Main St., Vancouver. Wednesday, March 17, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Performance by Vancouver’s Celtic Muse. Menu includes corned beef and cabbage, along with other traditional Irish favorites, beer and wine.

St Paddy’s Day pub crawl with Vancouver Firefighters, Pipes & Drums, various locations, Wednesday, March 17, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Come cheer on a band featuring some of Vancouver’s finest at nine mostly-downtown Vancouver establishments. Scheduled times and locations for the pub crawl can be found here.