The Centennial Picnic will be held at Lord Hill Farms in Snohomish on July 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join in on the free festiviites at this old-fashioned picnic with carnival games, barbecued burgers and hot dogs, ice cream, cotton candy and a variety of games and activities for all ages. Also, several million dollars in ROII rebate checks will be distributed. Bring your friends, family and colleagues – we're 100-years-young and going to have some fun!

The National Association of Home Builders has named Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP of Shirey Contracting in Issaquah, as its 2009 Remodeling Advocate of the Year. The association honored Shirey at the 11th Annual NAHB National Green Building Conference in Dallas last month.

Join us for Happy Hour at the Bellevue Daniel's Broiler Vintage Lounge on Wednesday, July 8 to mingle and network with fellow association members. Sponsored by the Professional Women in Building Council (formerly, the Women's Council), this no-host event is a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. Everyone is welcome.

Low impact development (LID) is rapidly changing in the Puget Sound region, from being simply allowed and encouraged to being required where feasible. In this presentation on Thursday, July 16, Bruce Wulkan, Stormwater Program Manager of the Puget Sound Partnership, will address factors leading to this change and describe the latest thinking on the most commonly used and accepted LID techniques in the region.

Learn how green homes provide buyers with lower energy costs and higher value in this NAHB Certified Green Professional designation course July 22 and 23. This course for building professionals discusses strategies for incorporating green building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction.

The Master Builders Care Foundation, along with HomeAid builder captains CamWest Development and Shea Homes, were recognized for excellence in community service within the homebuilding industry at PCBC. The Care Foundation and each builder captain received Gold Nuggets for Community Spirit in the Homebuilding Industry at the Gold Nugget Awards Luncheon on June 18.

Our association honored 18 members at the annual Remodeling Excellence Awards (REX) banquet held Saturday, June 20 at the Lynnwood Convention Center in Snohomish County.

Don't miss out on the King County Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 14 for the 7:30 a.m. shot gun start. Home of the University of Washington Golf team, Washington National Golf Course is a great course for the novice and scratch players, too. There are limited openings left for golfers and sponsors as well – be sure to sign up today!

Thirty-four members have already become members of the Century Club. To qualify for the Century Club, members must recruit a minimum of three new members in 2009. Our association will permanently memorialize Club members for their contribution to our membership during our centennial year, by engraving their names in the brick walkway to the entry of our office building.