Christmas caroling, and other holiday events, as well as a Standing Rock rally and Amnesty International letter-writing are among the weekend’s activities on the North Olympic Peninsula.
For more about Geoffrey Castle’s Christmas concert in Port Angeles and information about other arts and entertainment news, see Peninsula Spotlight, the Peninsula Daily News’ weekly arts and entertainment section included with today’s PDN.
Information also is available in the interactive calendar at www.peninsuladailynews.com.
PORT TOWNSEND
Carol singing
PORT TOWNSEND — Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center will host its annual Christmas Carol Singalong at 5 p.m. today.
There will be no admission charge at the center, 3918 San Juan Ave.
Taking part this year will be a Christmas Band with violins, cellos, flutes and guitars.
Theresa Chedoen will be at the piano.
Ornament making
PORT TOWNSEND — The NW Discovery Lab will host a free open house and ornament-making session for all ages from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Light snacks, cookies, organic eggnog lattes and holiday spirit sharing will be offered at the free event at 62-A Tanglewood Lane.
The Discovery 4-H Club will help kids make origami creations.
The Discovery Lab also will showcase arts and sciences from photography to robotics, to celebrate student work.
Visitors will have opportunities to tour the lab, view student projects and speak with staff and others involved in it.
For more information, call 360-385-3387 or email danell@nwdiscoverylab.org.
Standing Rock rally
PORT TOWNSEND — Pacific Northwest Standing Rock Support will hold a rally at the corner of Water and Kearney streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday before a presentation planned at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The rally against the Dakota Access Pipeline will take place rain or shine. Participants are invited to bring signs.
The group that traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota in November to support the tribe in its effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline will share its stories, images and recordings Sunday at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave.
More than 40 people took more than $20,000 in donations and supplies to the protesters opposing the construction of the pipeline.
Protesters, who call themselves water protectors, had been camped on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation for months in opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline by Energy Transfer Partners that would transfer oil from North Dakota’s Bakken region through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois. The $3.8 billion pipeline would transport about 470,000 barrels of domestic crude oil a day.
Since then, the Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross beneath the Missouri River.
Nearly all of the 1,172-mile pipeline has been built by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners except for a mile-long section across federal land and beneath Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir.
Conversation cafe
PORT TOWNSEND — Conversation Cafe will meet at 11:45 a.m. today.
The public is invited to take part in discussions at Alchemy Bistro and Wine Bar, 842 Washington St.
The topic for this week is snow.
For more information, go to www.conversationcafe.org.
Discounted swim
PORT TOWNSEND — Mountain View Pool will offer a discounted open swim from 6 to 8 tonight.
Everyone is invited to swim for $2 at the pool, 1919 Blaine St.
The whole pool will be dedicated to play. Noodles, rings and other floating toys will be available.
No lap lanes will be offered. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by a guardian.
A free swim will be offered from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The pool will be restricted to adults only from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and open to all from 2:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, phone 360-385-7665, email ascalf@cityofpt.us or visit www.cityofpt.us/pool.
Sink the ship
PORT TOWNSEND — Amnesty International Local 1106 Chapter members invite the public to join them in writing letters “to sink the ship of injustice” from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
The letters will be written at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave.
Part of Amnesty’s annual Write for Human Rights campaign, the event will mark this season of goodwill by gathering and writing advocacy letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience around the world.
Christmas ghost tour
PORT TOWNSEND — The public is invited to join Grymm, a local haunted historian, for an hourlong tour of the streets of Port Townsend, history and haunted tales of Christmas long ago this weekend.
There will be two tours daily today, Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., starting from Haller Fountain at Washington and Taylor streets.
For ticket information, go to www.twistedhistorytours.com.
Tours take place in all weather, and there is some rough language.
Patrons of Key City Public Theatre’s “Spirit of the Yule” receive $5 off the tour price.
Tag and card demo
PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Library will host a gift tag and card demonstration from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today.
Mary Stolaas will demonstrate how to make bags, tags, boxes and cards for the holidays.
For more information, call 360-385-3181 or go to www.ptpubliclibrary.org.
Discovery dance
PORT TOWNSEND — Discovery Dance will host the Cat’s Meow quintet at 7 tonight.
The dance will be at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
The price of admission includes a dance lesson with instructor Janice Eklund at 7 p.m. Dancing begins at 8 p.m.
This is a smoke- and scent-free dancing event. No previous experience or partners are required.
Cat’s Meow repertoire include big band swing, standards, jazz, Motown, Latin, boogie woogie and rock ’n’ roll.
For more information, email info@discoverydance.org or go to discoverydance.org.
UFO meetup
PORT TOWNSEND — Olympic UFO Meet Up will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The meeting will be at the Port Townsend Friends Meeting House, 1841 Sheridan Ave.
Pete Orbea will present a program about psychic and scientific investigations of the paranormal.
Orbea, a Port Gamble resident, leads GhostWalks and is a special investigator and coordinator of the annual Port Gamble Ghost Conference. He is also a member of the Olympic Peninsula Paranormal Society and Paranormal Research and Investigations.
Attendees will be invited to continue their discussions at another location following the meeting.
Space will be available for people to meet in private.
For more information, call 360-344-2991 or email olympic.ufo@gmail.com.
Gingerbread House contest
PORT TOWNSEND — Entries into Port Townsend’s annual gingerbread house contest will be accepted beginning today.
The contest, which has traditionally been held uptown at Aldrich’s Market, this year will be at Flagship Landing, 1007 Water St.
Entries will be accepted through Dec. 30.
Entry forms can be found at www.ptmainstreet.org or picked up in person at Whistle Stop Toys in Flagship Landing.
Entries require a fee of one canned food item to be donated to the Jefferson County Food Bank.
Judging will be in three categories: individual children 12 and younger; children’s group, which must be made up of children 12 and younger; and the 12-and-older category, which can be done as an individual or a group.
The gingerbread houses will be on display starting today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and judging will take place Jan. 7 at 1 p.m.
Winners will receive prizes, which include gift certificates to Elevated Ice Cream and Candy Co., Whistle Stop Toys and the Rose Theatre.
SEQUIM
Christmas carols
SEQUIM — Christmas carols will be sung in downtown Sequim from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Dungeness Community Church will sponsor Community Christmas Caroling led by Craig Buhler at Centennial Place on the northeast corner of Sequim Avenue and Washington Street.
Visitors are invited to sing along or just listen.
‘Sonic Sea’
SEQUIM — Movie Night at the Dungeness River Audubon Center has been rescheduled to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The movie to be shown at the center at 2151 W. Hendrickson Road is “Sonic Sea,” a film about protecting life in area waters from the destructive effects of oceanic noise pollution.
The screening is free and open to the public.
Swearing in
SEQUIM — Sequim Police Department veteran Sheri Crain will be sworn in as Sequim police chief at 11 a.m. today.
The ceremony will be in council chambers at the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St. The public is invited.
Crain joined the department 25 years ago, rose through the ranks and served directly under former Chief Bill Dickinson, who recently retired. His last day on the job was Dec. 1, although his retirement was official Thursday.
Crain has been serving as interim chief since Dec. 1.
Her appointment to the permanent post was announced Dec. 5.
Thrift shop open
SEQUIM — The Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild’s Thrift Shop, 204 W. Bell St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
It’s the last Saturday of the year for the shop at 204 W. Bell St., which donates proceeds through the hospital guild.
Last-minute gifts will be on sale from a large array of items in the shop including jewelry, clothing, decorations, glassware and dishes, furniture and books and puzzles.
All white-tagged items will be offered at half-price.
The shop will close Monday and reopen Jan. 3.
Elks bingo
SEQUIM — The Sequim Elks Lodge will host bingo games from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Admission will be free at the lodge at 143 Port Williams Road.
Minimum buy-in for the game is $10, and the Elks will offer popular bingo games, including progressive. Players must be 18 or older.
Snacks and refreshments will be available.
All proceeds will go to the Elks scholarship program, charities supported by the Elks and lodge operating costs.
Discussion group
SEQUIM — The Sequim Great Decisions Discussion Group will host a discussion from 10 a.m. to noon today.
The discussion will be at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
The topic for this discussion will be “The Power of Populism: How and Why Has Populism Re-emerged with a Vengeance in the Heart of the Advanced Industrial World?”
The suggested background reading for the discussion are the articles in the special section “The Power of Populism” in the November/December edition of Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign relations. New members are welcome.
For more information and a schedule of future meetings, visit http://tinyurl.com/SequimGreatDecisionsDiscussion.
Open barn
SEQUIM — The Happy Valley Alpaca Ranch will host a free Holiday Open Barn from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The public is invited to visit the animals, enjoy hot cocoa and apple cider, munch on holiday cookies and have photos taken with the alpacas at 4629 Happy Valley Road.
The ranch store also will be open with handmade goods and imported alpaca products.
A variety of yarns and roving also will be available.
For more information, call Mike or Linda Gooch at 360-681-0948.
Pet pictures with Santa
SEQUIM — The Co-op Farm and Garden will host the arrival of Santa from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Santa will be available for photos with pets at the co-op, 216 E. Washington St.
Pet owners are asked to bring their own cameras.
For more information, email Becky Smith at b.smith12312@yahoo.com.
Toy collection
Sequim — The last time the Mount Olympus Chapter of the Marine Corps League will collect Toys For Tots at the Sequim Walmart will be today and Saturday.
Money donations also are welcome. The group will be at the store from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
AGNEW
Marathon bingo
Agnew — Agnew Helpful Neighbors will host a marathon bingo session at the Agnew Hall, 1241 Barr Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
There will be soup, sandwiches, pies and snacks available. The group has regular bingo every Tuesday evening with dinner, pies and snacks.
Proceeds go to building maintenance and the group’s scholarship program for local students.
For more information, call 360-504-3620.
PORT ANGELES
Legos at library
PORT ANGELES — Free Lego Junior Maker programs are planned at the Port Angeles Library from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The program will be the first of four at the library at 2210 S. Peabody St.
The others will be at the same time Jan. 21, Feb. 18 and March 18.
Library staff will encourage participants to write stories about their Lego creations, which will be photographed during the program.
Parents or caregivers are asked to accompany all children younger than 8. All materials will be provided.
Lego bricks and creations will remain in the library at the conclusion of each program.
For more information, see www.nols.org.
Drumming workshop
PORT ANGELES — Zorina Wolf will teach an introductory workshop on hand drumming from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The workshop will be at Strait Music, 1015 E. First St.
Donations will be welcome.
A rhythm concert with Ches Ferguson will follow the workshop.
Those who have hand drums are urged to bring them; otherwise, drums will be available for use.
Wolf is the author of “Whole Person Drumming — Your Journey into Rhythm.”
Books and DVDs will be available for sale.
For more information, call 360-452-9817.
To speak to Wolf, call 650-743-6252.
Movement stories
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Library will host a Movement Storytime at 10:30 a.m. today.
The free program, for children up to 5 years old and their parents or caregivers, will be offered at the library at 2210 S. Peabody St.
Movement Storytime features songs, rhymes and stories for movers and shakers.
The idea is that children will strengthen their bodies and brains with creative movements and explore their imaginations while practicing balance and creating rhythm.
For more information, visit www.nols.org; phone 360-417-8500, ext. 7705; or email youth@nols.org.
Holiday dinner for vets
PORT ANGELES — Smuggler’s Landing will host its fifth annual Veterans Holiday Dinner on Sunday.
The dinner is free to all veterans at the restaurant at 115 E. Railroad Ave. Reservations are required.
Reservations for the three time slots can be made by calling the Northwest Veterans Resource Center at 360-797-1791 or emailing nwvrc@outlook.com.
Let them know if you want the 3 p.m., 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. seating. There is room for 75 people at each seating.
Monday Musicale
PORT ANGELES — Monday Musicale will meet in the Queen of Angels fellowship hall, 209 W. 11th St., on Monday.
The noon meeting will be followed by 1 p.m. entertainment, open to the public.
It is free and open to all ages.
Curry Winborn and Gary McRoberts, a piano duet, will perform.
For reservations or more information, phone Ruth Welch at 360-457-5223.
Holiday gift drive
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Citizen Action Network (PA CAN) and Specialty Services II, a substance abuse treatment center, are working together to make the holidays brighter for those in treatment.
They are collecting new hats, scarves, gloves, hygiene products and candy as gifts for those in treatment.
Gifts can be dropped off through Dec. 20 at Specialty Services II, 825 E. Fifth St., or can be picked up by a PA CAN leader.
For more information or to arrange a pickup, email Gooding at portangelescan@gmail.com.
Additional information can be found at www.facebook.com/portangelescan.
JOYCE
Benefit
JOYCE — The Crescent Bay Lions Club will host an all-you-can-eat breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday.
Proceeds from the meal at the club, state Highway 112 and Holly Hill Road, will help Crescent Bay members support high school yearbooks, scholarships, holiday food baskets, glasses for people in need and other community projects.
The menu will include eggs cooked to order, hot cakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, ham, bacon or sausage, and coffee or tea.
The breakfast is held every Sunday through May 14, except for Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
FORKS
Food and toy drive
FORKS — The Forks Police Cadets will hold a food and toy drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The drive will be at Forks Outfitters, 950 S. Forks Ave.
The cadets, in a joint effort with the Forks Fire Department and Forks Ambulance, will collect food and toys at the store.
Prime rib dinner
FORKS — The Forks Emblem Club will host a prime rib dinner from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Proceeds from the dinner at the Elks Lodge, 941 Merchants Road, will benefit local charities.
Prime rib, chicken or Cornish game hen will be served with tea, coffee, water and dessert.
For more information, call 360-374-2524.
Lefse potluck
FORKS — The Lefse Underground will host a lefse-making potluck from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The potluck will be at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 250 N. Blackberry Ave.
The group will teach how to make the Norwegian potato staple at the church.
Following an introduction of the tools and process, there will be full lefse production. At least four batches of potatoes will be prepared in advance. A potluck lunch will follow.
Indoor Triathlon
FORKS — The Forks Athletic and Aquatic Club will host an Indoor Mini or Sprint Triathlon from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The event at 91 Maple Ave. is a fundraiser for The Caring Place and Pregnancy Resource Center.
In the Sprint Triathlon, participants will swim a half-mile, bike 13 miles and run 3.1 miles. In the Mini Triathlon, participants will swim a fourth of a mile, bike 5 miles and run 1 mile.
Handmade baklava will be for sale. All entrants will get a T-shirt. There will be prizes for the person raising the most money for The Caring Place as well as others for fastest times.
For a sign-in sheet and fundraising sheet, contact the FAAC at 360-374-6100 or Deborah Dillon at 360-374-9770.
