Oakpointe Communities Celebrates the Return of Black Diamond Community Events this September with Labor Days Festival and Hometown Harvest

Ten Trails is excited to invite residents and others in the Black Diamond area to two special events in September. These events include Black Diamond’s long-standing Labor Days festival, taking place September 4-6, and Oakpointe’s third-annual Hometown Harvest Carnival event on September 18. “When it comes to creating exceptional places to live, work and play, each neighborhood is only as good as the community it’s comprised of,” said Brian Ross, CEO of Oakpointe. “What makes a place great is a sense of camaraderie and togetherness, which is exactly why we’ve decided to become a sponsor of Black Diamond’s Labor Days and bring back our Hometown Harvest Carnival. After more than a year of staying home and staying healthy, we’re excited to get back to safely supporting these outdoor gatherings as a way to help bring the entire Black Diamond community together.” More information on both events can be found below:

Black Diamond Labor Days – September 4-6, 2021

The city of Black Diamond, Washington prides itself on its deep historical roots and time-honored traditions. Its Labor Days festival is one that residents look forward to year after year – for over 100 years now. This year’s theme is “Welcome Back,” and each day will include a variety of ways to celebrate, such as a parade, live music, food vendors, and more. For the first time ever, Oakpointe’s Ten Trails community will be kicking off the event on September 4 with a Bike and Scooter Rodeo next to the Ten Trails Welcome Center from 2-4 p.m. This family-friendly event is geared toward helping children learn the rules of the road while practicing important bike-safety skills, and Oakpointe will give away 200 helmets to any child who needs one. Families are invited to stick around Ten Trails that evening for an outdoor movie night beginning at 8:15 p.m. in Civic Park, where they’ll be showing “Toy Story 4.” For more updates and details on Black Diamond Labor Days, visit: http://www.blackdiamondlabordays.org/.

Hometown Harvest Carnival – September 18, 2021

Oakpointe’s third-annual Hometown Harvest Carnival takes place on Saturday, September 18 from 12-6 p.m. in the heart of Ten Trails. After a year away, Oakpointe anticipates this year’s celebration could be the grandest one yet, so the event will span both Civic Park and Village Green. Community members are invited to come and enjoy a variety of food trucks, a beer and wine garden, games, 40+ local arts and crafts vendors, live music courtesy of local country singer Aaron Crawford, and plenty more. Oakpointe is also offering a tasting tour that stops by many of its Ten Trails model homes. Participants will be given a “tour passport” that can be stamped at each destination for a chance to win prizes along the way. Oakpointe is excited to be partnering with Lill Family Wines to share a special Ten Trails-branded wine, which will be available for purchase and consumption in the Beer and Wine Garden located at Civic Park. For more updates and details on the Hometown Harvest Carnival, visit Ten Trails on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TenTrails and click on ‘Events’. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043

Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day This Year 

Finding ways to celebrate the holidays to make them special for kids can be challenging during Covid restrictions, but there are plenty of ways you can make St. Patrick’s Day fun at your new Ten Trails home!

Scavenger Hunt to Find a “Pot of Gold”

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Create a series of clues for kids to search in your home and backyard, all leading to a “pot of gold” prize that can be actual money, coins, or chocolate coin candies.

Buy Shamrock Plants 

Shamrocks are very hardy indoor plants and will bloom throughout the year under the right conditions. These make a great starter plant for kids as they are low maintenance and easy to care for. Buy shamrocks at nearby Four Corners Maple Valley or a local nursery for a pretty, holiday-themed plant the whole family can enjoy.

Dress up in Green 

Make sure everyone in the family has something green to wear on St. Patrick’s Day for their in-person, zoom learning, or day at work. Tradition says if you forget to wear something green, you may get pinched by the leprechaun!

Make Traditional Irish Fare 

Traditional Irish recipes like Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread are great staples to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. For a fun, easy treat to make with kids, try making Irish “potatoes” which are not made with any potato at all. These no-bake candies consist of cream cheese, coconut, butter, sugar, and cinnamon and resemble small potatoes when rolled together and chilled. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043  

Alternatives to Resolutions to Start off Your New Year

This has been an unprecedented year for the entire world, with many of us looking for a big change in the new year. Rather than making the same tired old New Year’s Resolutions that you likely will not keep, why not switch it up a bit and try a different approach to mark the beginning of 2021? Research shows that a focus on creating new habits is way more effective in changing unwanted behaviors than traditional resolutions. For example, instead of resolving to lose weight in the new year, create a new habit for 2021 that you will take a walk for 30 minutes every day after dinner. Need some inspiration for new healthy habits for 2021? Here are a few suggestions you can try out:

Practice Daily Gratitude

According to Psychology Today,  a regular gratitude practice is correlated with a greater sense of overall happiness. Practicing gratitude helps release feel-good chemicals in our brains and cultivates a sense of mindfulness. When you are focused on your many blessings, you are not dwelling on the things that are perceived to be going “wrong.” With so much turmoil and uncertainty over the past year, it can be easy to feel uneasy and anxious. Adding a gratitude practice to your day may be just the thing to turn those negative feelings around in the new year.

Reach out to Someone to Connect Once a Week 

The pandemic has made life for many much more isolated than ever before. With restricted ability to travel and see friends and loved ones, the past 10 months may have been very lonely for some. Make a new habit in the new year to reach out to a friend or family member once a week for a phone call check in or virtual visit. As humans, we crave connection and these weekly check-ins with friends may not only do you a world of good, but might be what your friend or family member needs as well!

Move Your Body Every Day 

Make a habit to move your body each day in a way that is most fun for you and that will not feel like a chore. If you hate running, do not make a new habit of running miles every morning or you will quit before January is even over. Dance, walk, play with your dog, ride your bike, or hike local trails. Daily exercise contributes to better overall health and a sense of well-being. Find the thing that you enjoy doing and make a habit of finding time for it every day! 360.460.4043 www.TenTrails.com

Take Time for Self-Care this Holiday Season

Taking time to care for oneself may seem counterintuitive when there is so much to do in a day with busy families juggling home-schooling, working from home, and the daily stress of a pandemic, but self-care is more important now than ever! If you do not take time for yourself, you cannot be of service to others. Striking this delicate balance is important, especially during the busy holiday season.

Spend Time in Nature

Getting outdoors is one of the best ways to relieve stress and decompress. At Ten Trails, our residents have easy access to the outdoors via our network of community nature trails along with our many outdoor parks and walking paths.

Stream Your Favorite Show Via One-Gig Internet

Everyone has that one television program or film that only they enjoy out of everyone in their household. Make viewing time “me” time by scheduling a special time to view it solo. Thanks to the one-gig, ultra-fast internet at Ten Trails through Wave, streaming your favorite programs is easier than ever.

Find Time for Daily Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress and a healthy way to care for oneself! Balance the overindulgence that comes with the holiday season with making time every day to move your body. Even if you do not have a home gym, Ten Trails has options for you to exercise using our community amenities like our many biking lanes and jogging pathways.

Connect with Others 

The term “social distancing” is commonly used in our society when referring to pandemic guidelines, however what we really are required to do is keep physical distance from one another. This means you can be as social as you need to be for your self-care needs as long as you do it safely and remotely! Schedule a video call with a friend, coordinate a virtual book club or plan a holiday party over Zoom. There are so many creative ways to connect virtually these days to help us all maintain our sanity and foster important connections, especially during this time of year.   www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043