Lectures, demonstrations, even high tea offered this weekend

Even if the weather is too chilly and gray for activities outdoors, there’s plenty to do indoors on the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend.

For more on the arts, see today’s Peninsula Spotlight, the Peninsula Daily News’ weekly entertainment guide.

For information on other activities, see “Things To Do” on Page C2.

Here is a sample of activities to enjoy this weekend.

High Tea

SEQUIM — The Twelfth Night High Tea, a fundraiser for Olympic Theatre Arts in Sequim, will be at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. today and Saturday.

The teas will be in the theater’s gathering room at 414 N. Sequim Ave, Sequim.

Tickets are $22. Guests will be invited to tour the new theater.

Pianist Sharlene Miller and singer Denise Graham will provide music during all four teas.

Finger sandwiches, ham and cheese pastries, smoked turkey and cranberry-orange aioli sandwiches, scones with cream and ginger curd, lavender shortbread, Italian cream miniature cakes and chocolate truffles are all part of the homemade spread.

So is Yorkshire Gold, a specially ordered blend of teas from India, Africa and Sri Lanka.

“This is a dress-up affair,” said Berta Warden, one of the chefs, who wore a plumed hat and Victorian dress to the tea last year.

To buy tickets, visit www.OlympicTheatreArts.org or phone 360-683-7326.

Trail fundraiser

PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula Trails Coalition’s Adventure Travel Speaker Series fundraiser kicks off today with John Wegmann’s “Cortez to the Panama Canal: Adventures South of the Border.”

The Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St. will host the travel lecture series every Friday at 7 p.m. in January.

Admission is $5 for adults and children younger than 12 are admitted free.

All proceeds go toward building and maintaining the Olympic Discovery Trail by purchasing tools, equipment and lunches for volunteers.

For more information, phone 360-452-8641 or visit www.olympicdiscovery trail.com.

Grand opening

SEQUIM — The Center of Infinite Reflections, 144 Tripp Road, will host a grand opening for its new facility from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The public is invited to view the facility, attend short lectures and demonstrations from workshop leaders and enjoy the wildlife and landscape of the 15-acre site.

Discount coupons for future classes will be provided.

Saturday’s demonstration schedule is yoga at 10:30 a.m., Your Personal 2010 Number at 11 a.m., Dancing Toward Your Center at 11:30 a.m., Native Drum Making at noon, Intuitive Development at 12:30 p.m., Body Centered Drumming at 1:30 p.m., Qi Gong at 2 p.m., Story Board Writing at 2:30 p.m. and Writing/Journalingat3 p.m.

For more information, phone 360-460-7941.

Puget Sound film

PORT ANGELES — A free screening of the PBS “Frontline” documentary “Puget Sound’s Poisoned Waters” is planned at 7 tonight.

The screening will be in the county commissioners public meeting room at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.

Orcas Island filmmaker Hedrick Smith’s documentary says that some of today’s greatest pollution threats stem from urban sprawl and overdevelopment, as new housing and commercial developments send contaminated storm water into rivers and bays, polluting local drinking-water supplies.

For more information, phone David Freed, program coordinator for the Washington State University Extension Clallam County, at 360-565-2619.

Breakfast slated

JOYCE — The Port Angeles Lions Club will serve an all-you-can-eat benefit breakfast at the Crescent Bay Lions Clubhouse from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday.

The breakfast is $6 per person. Proceeds will go toward purchasing a new health screening van.

The Crescent Bay Lions Clubhouse is at Holly Hill Road and state Highway 112.

Legos at library

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Library’s Legos program will be at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Children ages 8 through 12 can read about, imagine and build Lego creations inspired by zoo animals during the program at the library, 2210 S. Peabody St.

All programs will start at 2 p.m.

Two more Saturday Legos programs are planned: The Feb. 13 program will feature a pirate theme and Bionicles will be on March 13.

No registration is required.

For more information, phone 360-417-8502 or visit www.nols.org.

Solar talk

PORT TOWNSEND — Jonathan Clemens, owner of Olympic Energy Systems, will talk about designing and implementing a solar electric grid tie system for home or business from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Clemens’ presentation is part of the Sol Ãâcole “Energy Now and for the Future” speaker series at Solar Motive, 308 10th St., Port Townsend

In a grid tie system, homeowners can essentially become independent producers, using the power that they generate and selling any surplus back to the utility.

Clemens will discuss the technologies, design considerations and economics of grid tie systems as well as those of the more complex off-grid systems.

Sol Ãâcole, French for “sun school,” will continue the Saturday series through January with future topics including electric bikes and scooters, small wind systems and solar thermal applications

In early February, an all-day follow-up workshop will be offered to those who wish to learn the details of designing a home solar system.

For more information, phone 360-385-7477 or e-mail info@solarmotive.net.

Hydrogen lecture

PORT TOWNSEND — Hydrogen expert David Sanborn Scott will speak at the Passionate Minds Lecture Series at the Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St., at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Scott, vice president for the Americas of the International Association for Hydrogen, chaired the Canadian Advisory Group on Hydrogen Opportunities that produced the report, “Hydrogen: National Mission for Canada.”

He also established the University of Victoria’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems.

Scott won the Jules Verne award in 2006 for “outstanding contributions to hydrogen physics, hydrogen energy, sociology and philosophy.”

He is the author of Smelling Land: The Hydrogen Defense Against Climate Catastrophe.

Tickets, $10, are available at Quimper Sound, 230 Taylor St.

The lecture series is put on by the School of Athens, Port Townsend, an informally organized group of citizens.

Van Romer speaks

AGNEW — Leslie Van Romer will present “You’ve Got to be Different to Make a Difference,” at Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 73 Howe Road, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Van Romer’s talk will focus on the interconnections between people how each individual’s gifts, talents and experiences not only cause differences between people but also make differences in other people’s lives.

Van Romer is the author of the weight-loss book, Getting Into Your Pants, and companion workbook, Getting Into Your Pants PlayBook.

She is a chiropractor, motivational health speaker and has produced a series of CDs and DVDs on health-related topics such as diabetes, osteoporosis, breast cancer, aging, weight loss and food myths.

For more information, phone 360-417-2665.

Waterfront Walk

PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Peninsula Explorers Volkssport Club has scheduled a walk along the Waterfront Walk after its breakfast meeting Saturday.

The group will meet at 9 a.m. at the Port Angeles CrabHouse Restaurant at the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St.

The Waterfront Walk is a route along the Port Angeles Waterfront Trail, a newly opened portion of the Discovery Trail and city streets. The walk is 6.8 miles.

Wheelchairs are possible on the walk. There is one steep hill. Strollers and pets on leashes are OK.

For more information, phone 360-681-5405.

Bank says goodbye

PORT ANGELES — The downtown branch of Bank of America, 102 E. Front St., will say goodbye to the public with cake and punch on the branch’s final day of service from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

The branch’s services and most of its employees will be transferred to the bank’s other Port Angeles branch at 134 W. Eighth St., company spokeswoman Britney Sheehan told the Peninsula Daily News in October.

No employees will lose the jobs because of the closure, Sheehan said.

For more information, phone 360-452-2737.

Amateur Radio

SEQUIM — The Sequim PC Users Group will present a discussion about Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the Olympic Public Safety Communications Alliance Network at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The meeting will be in Room E-3 at Sequim High School, 601 N. Sequim Ave.

Clallam County Emergency Coordinator and Amateur Radio Officer Dan Abbot will explain how these services provide multiagency communications interoperability during an emergency or disaster.

A suggested donation of $5 is requested for visitors.

For more information, visit www.spcug.net or e-mail spcug1@gmail.com.

Gardening lecture

PORT TOWNSEND — The first lecture of the Jefferson County Master Gardeners Lecture Series, “Special Plants for Special Places,” will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Richie Steffen, curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Gardens in Shoreline, will talk about techniques for growing rare plants at the presentation at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.

He will discuss creating and taking advantage of microclimates, and show some of the plants one can grow with preparation.

A special focus will be given in the last half of the lecture to creating plantings in dry, shady areas.

Steffen manages the rare plant collection and acquisition of new plants at the garden and is a committee member of the Great Plant Picks program and president of the Hardy Fern Foundation.

The series will be on Saturdays in January and February. Refreshments will be served, and there will be chances to win door prizes at each lecture.

Series tickets are $42 and are transferable. Single tickets may be sold at the door on a space-available basis for $10.

Ticket sales help underwrite the Jefferson County Master Gardeners Foundation Grant Program. In addition, 10 percent of proceeds from the lecture series will be donated to food banks serving residents of Jefferson County.

For more information, phone the master gardeners at 360-379-5610, ext. 200.

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