The Historic Liberty Theater reopened in March. Read all about it in the Vancouver Business Journal. The Camas Hotel will offer some special movie packages once opening night is set. Visit the Liberty Theater website for more information.

Camas Hotel
Some things old, some things new ...

Built in 1911 by Prussian immigrant Paul Hinz, the Camas Hotel will be 100 years old this year. The hotel is the oldest commercial building in Camas, and thanks to recent renovations, is in excellent shape, in spite of having weathered heavy storms since it opened its doors as the "Commerical Hotel".

One of the hotel's rivels, the first Camas Hotel, originally stood across the street. However, in the 1930's that hotel was torn down, possibly due to fires that destroyed other buildings in that decade. After the first Camas Hotel was demolished, Paul Hinz' "Commercial Hotel" adopted the name.

Paul Hinz lived in the hotel with his wife and three children for several years after completing construction. His wife passed away while his children were still young, so he raised his three children in the hotel. He was rumoured to be very strict, according to some older Camas residents who still remember the Hinz children as their classmates.

No story in Camas would be complete without some mention about the local Paper Mill, which is an integral part of the town's history. In the 1930's the city agreed that the Crown Willamette Paper Mill could ad pulp processing, and it became a 'kraft' mill". This provided many new jobs, but unfortunately led to a distinctive odor in the town. Camas, in spite of it's charm, beauty and lovely lakes, became known for being the "stinky town across the river" to many Portlanders. This didn't help the town's hotel business, and Paul Hinz decide to fight the mill. He sought damages for the loss of business, and was awarded a settlement of $5,000 in 1932. This was a lot of money in those days, but it made Paul a somewhat unpopular man in town, due to the fact that so many people worked at the mill.

Fortunately for Camas, Georgia Pacific, who currently own the mill, installed hi-tech clean smokestacks over a decade ago so residents and visitors can enjoy fresh air along with all the many other charms of this historic riverside town.

Paul Hinz' grandaughter, Rosemary Greenlee visited Camas last year, and brought a number of old photos of her grandfather, his family and the hotel. We'll be happy to share them with you on your next visit.

A 100-year-old building is bound to house a few ghosts. There have been two sightings that I know of, one by our onsite manager, who heard a woman cry out in the basement one night (no one was there). We've heard rumours of a tragic love triangle that led to 3 deaths in Camas in the 1940's. One of the people involved was staying in the hotel. This could be one source of ghosts.

We invite you to celebrate our 100th birthday by joining us on "Centennial Sundays" with 25%off your room rates. Also, on the First Friday in March at 5:00 pm, local historian Virginia Warren will reminisce and share some colorful stores about growing up in Camas. Come and vist Oliver's new Atrium lounge on first friday if you care to learn a little more about the history of Camas.

Portland and Vancouver fans cast their votes last month for the top restaurants in various catagories. Oliver's won the Best Fine Dining catgory with ease. Chefs Morris Fenton and Gwyn Manney were beaming like happy parents when they first learned of the award. Morris, a Scotsman, quickly warned his staff, "Now we've really got to step it up because everyone will expect more of us." If they continue to turn out amazing fresh & flavorful cuisine presented with style, and the staff provide attentive and courteous service we'll all keep going back for more. Did I mention those awazing cocktails that Ben, the bartender turns out? Mark your calendars for some "Drinking Lessons" in October, hosted by Ben. More on that later ...

We are delighted to welcome Chefs Morris Fenton and Gwyn Manny to our new onsite restaurant: Oliver's at the Camas Hotel. They have assembled a talented team for the restaurant including bartender Ben Edel!

Oliver's will be open for Father's Day, on Sunday, June 20. with some special additions to the dinner menu!

For more information on the menus and upcoming events visit: www.oliversatthecamashotel.com

Girls Night Out in Camas on May 20th was blast. Hundreds of Ladies turned out for the big event, and had fun dining, shopping getting free spa treatments, and winning prizes while raising funds for local breast cancer charities. Organizers Carrie Schulstad and Shannon Van Horn deserve (shown left), among others, deserve a big round of applause.

Raffles were offered all over downtown. The winner of the Camas Hotel Raffle was Amy Richie of Vancouver. She won a night at the hotel for two, with breakfast included, and some free goodies (pink spa socks, pink notepad, a couple of Harwood's drink coupons, etc.) and two tickets to the Coronation of the Rose queen at Portland's upcoming rose parade.

Congratulations Amy!