An Oktoberfest celebration and a Horseman’s Ball in Port Angeles . . .
Garden planting and birdwatching in Sequim . . .
The Last Chance Salmon Derby in LaPush . . .
The North Olympic Peninsula is packed with events this weekend.
The oddest of this weekend’s events is the Port Townsend Kinetic Skulpture Race.
It is chronicled along with arts and entertainment events in Peninsula Spotlight, our weekly entertainment guide.
Peninsula Spotlight is included in today’s Peninsula Daily News.
Other weekend events are in the “Things to Do” calendar, available online at www.peninsuladailynews.com.
Here are some of the weekend’s highlights:
PORT ANGELES
Oktoberfest on tap
PORT ANGELES — Tickets are still available for Oktoberfest 2011, a benefit for the residents of St. Andrew’s Place Assisted Living Community.
The event will be held at the Port Angeles Masonic Temple, 622 S. Lincoln St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
The evening will include a German buffet, wine and beer, live music and live and silent auctions, including a dessert auction.
Tickets are $20 and are available today in Port Angeles at St. Andrew’s Place, 520 E. Park Ave., and Jim’s Pharmacy, 424 E. Second St., and in Sequim at Pacific Mist Books, 121 W. Washington St.
They will be available for $30 at the door on Saturday.
For more information, phone 360-417-3418 or visit www.portangelesoktoberfest.org.
OMC gift shop sale
PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Medical Center Auxiliary gift shop plans a two-day holiday shopping and gift shop clearance sale today and Saturday.
The sale will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days in the Wendel Room in the basement of the Port Angeles hospital, 939 Caroline St.
The nonprofit auxiliary supports the hospital and community through donations of equipment, Lifeline subscriptions and college scholarships.
Since 1980, it has donated more than $390,000, said Patty McCarty, auxiliary president.
The group also is recruiting new volunteers to work in the gift shop. To volunteer, phone Kathy Coombes at 360-565-9110.
Homebuyer class
A free homebuyer education class will be held in the Haller Room of Lincoln Center, 905 W. Ninth St., from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
The class is sponsored by Homeward Bound in partnership with Eagle Home Mortgage and Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty.
The class will include the current ins and outs of the process from the lender and real estate professional.
The class is designed for those new to homebuying and for those who have not purchased a home in the past five years.
Classes fulfill HUD requirements with a certificate issued by the state Housing Finance Commission.
The certificate is required for many new homebuyer programs including Washington state House Key Bond loans, USDA, Habitat for Humanity and USDA Rural Development loans.
Homeward Bound is a not-for-profit agency.
To register, phone Homeward Bound at 360-460-5533 or 360-565-2068, or email info@homewardboundclt.org.
Sunday breakfasts
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles Masonic Lodge No. 69 will hold all-you-can eat breakfasts the first Sunday of each month starting this Sunday.
Breakfast will be held at the Masonic Temple, 622 S. Lincoln St., from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This Sunday’s menu includes scrambled eggs, sausage, patties, hashbrowns, french toast and milk, orange juice and coffee.
Suggested donation is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and older, and free for children 10 and younger.
Proceeds will benefit the Masons’ charity and scholarship funds.
‘Cannibals’ wanted
PORT ANGELES — Auditions for Trey Parker’s black comedy, “Cannibal! The Musical,” will be held in the Peninsula College Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., at 5:30 p.m. today.
The musical is based on the story of Alfred Packer, the only person in American history to be convicted of cannibalism after an ill-fated trip to the Colorado Territory, where he and his companions lost their way and resorted to unthinkable horrors, including toe-tapping songs.
Parker, the show’s writer, is a co-creator of the “South Park” television series.
Parts for 14 or more men and one woman (possibly more) are available.
No experience is necessary to audition, but actors must be willing to sing, dance, act and carry on.
Actors may bring their own monologues, but cold readings will also be available at the auditions.
The play will be directed by college drama professor Lara Starcevich.
Kristin Quigley Brye will conduct, and Richard Stephens will design sets and costumes.
For more information, email Starcevich at laras@pencol.edu.
Horseman’s Ball
PORT ANGELES — A Horseman’s Ball presented by the Peninsula Performance Horse Association will be held Saturday at the Clallam County Fairgrounds, 1608 W. 16th St., at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family at the door.
The Peninsula Equine Youth Foundation Scholarship Fund will hold a silent auction.
Toy and food drives will be held, and concessions will be served by 4-H groups.
Music will be provided by country-western band Haywire.
The event is open to the public, and western dress is encouraged.
Zen retreat set
PORT ANGELES — NO Sangha will hold a zazenkai, a one-day zen retreat, at Murre Cottage, 420 W. Third St., from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
NO Sangha is a Zen community that has been based in Port Angeles for more than 14 years,
Alternated zazen (seated meditation), kinhin (walking meditation) and private, individual instruction are available.
There will be silent coffee-tea breaks, and a vegetarian soup and bread lunch will be offered.
A sutra (chanting) service will be held at 10 a.m.
Sensei Kristen Larson, a teacher in the Diamond Sangha Teachers Circle, will give a dharma talk on the lifelong nature of koan study at 1 p.m.
For more information, phone 360-452-5534 or email NOSangha@aol.com.
Drive for PAHS
PORT ANGELES — Price Ford Lincoln of Port Angeles will host a Drive One 4 UR School fundraiser for Port Angeles High School on Sunday.
The event will be held at Walmart, 3471 E. Kolonels Way, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For each test-drive, $20 will be split among Port Angeles High’s Distributive Education Clubs of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and SkillsUSA programs.
Price Ford Lincoln will supply brand-new Ford and Lincoln vehicles to test-drive.
There is a limit of one test-drive per address. All drivers must be 18 years or older and have a valid driver’s license.
For event information, phone Price Ford Lincoln at 360-457-3333.
Cancer survivors
PORT ANGELES — Bayview Safeway, 2709 E. U.S. Highway 101, will host a celebration for survivors of breast cancer from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Survivors can visit for cake and refreshments and get a picture taken for a photo commemorating the event.
There will also be a prize drawing.
SEQUIM
Fall plant sale
SEQUIM — The Washington State University Clallam County Extension Master Gardeners will hold their annual fall plant sale this weekend.
Plants will be available for purchase at the Master Gardeners’ Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, with a half-price sale of leftover plants running from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Proceeds from the plant sales support Master Gardeners public education and demonstration garden projects in Clallam County.
Visitors will find hundreds of plants grown by local Master Gardeners, including Russian sage, sedums, ferns, heuchera, heathers, saxifrage, hardy geranium, New Zealand brass buttons, creeping jenny, purple-leafed garden sage, lupine, hellebore and iris.
In addition, the group will offer large trees and shrubs donated by Rose and Tim Jaeger upon the closure of Henery’s Garden Center in Sequim.
The trees include river birch, Japanese snowbell, flowering cherry, Italian cypress and dwarf Alberta spruce.
An information booth is staffed during the sale to answer gardening questions. Used garden books and tools also will be for sale.
For more information, phone Lori Kennedy at 360-417-2279, or lkennedy@co.clallam.wa.us.
Backyard birding
SEQUIM — The Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, will offer “Being a Backyard Birder” classes starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The series of nine monthly classes is intended for residents of the area who are interested in knowing more about birds seen locally each season of the year and learning how to make their homes good habitats for wild birds.
Each monthly session will cost $5 for adults, with those 16 and younger free.
After the completion of any five sessions, participants will be offered complimentary membership in the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society.
The class schedule:
■ What Bird is That? on Oct. 1.
■ “Gardening for Winter Birds” on Nov. 5.
■ Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 10.
■ “Birds: The Inside Story” on Jan. 7.
■ The Great Backyard Bird Count on Feb. 18.
■ “Gardening for Spring Birds” on March 3.
■ “Bird Migration” on April 7.
■ “Bird Songs and Calls” on May 5.
■ “Out of the Nest” on June 2.
For more information, phone the Dungeness River Audubon Center at 360-681-4076.
Thrift shop open
SEQUIM — The Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild Thrift Shop, Second and Bell streets, will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Holiday gifts, home accessories and a selection of fall clothing will be offered. All white-tag items will be marked at half-price.
Volunteers are needed. For more information, phone 360-683-7044.
Fall Mall planned
SEQUIM — The third annual Soroptimist Fall Mall will be held at the Sequim Boy & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
A list of vendors is available at www.sisequim.org/FallMall.html.
PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY
Donate life jackets
PORT TOWNSEND — Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 47 will collect new or slightly used life jackets to the Point Wilson Lighthouse at Fort Worden State Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. each Saturday through October.
The collection is part of the auxiliary’s “Lend a Life Jacket” program.
They collect the life jackets and distribute them for public use at the Port Townsend Boat Haven.
Auxiliary members will give tours of the lighthouse in exchange for the life jackets at the collection events.
Film screening set
PORT TOWNSEND — In recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Jefferson County will show a free film at the Rose Theatre at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Author, actor and co-producer June Swadron will show her original play, “Madness, Masks and Miracles,” on DVD.
The movie’s songs and music reveal the “dark night of the soul,” the masks that those with a mental disorder wear to avoid criticism and stigma and the process of discovering and being comfortable with oneself as a whole person.
Swadron will introduce her work and take part in an audience question-and-answer session hosted by colleague Esther Hart.
A free raffle will follow. For more information, phone 360-385-1503 or 360-379-9949.
Caregivers event
PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Caregivers Coalition will offer a day of respite from usual duties and an opportunity to gain information and emotional support.
Liz Taylor, a former columnist on elder issues for The Seattle Times, will serve as keynote speaker at a workshop with a focus on caregiver health and wellbeing.
“A Time For You” is the theme of the workshop, which will be held at Quimper Universalist Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 2333 San Juan Ave., from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Other topics covered at the event will be dealing with dementia, depression, “Powerful Tools for Caregivers/Communication” and legal issues.
This event is sponsored by Jefferson Healthcare and the Olympic Area Agency on Aging.
Pre-registration is required by phoning 360-385-2552 or emailing gregghm@dshs.wa.gov.
Parenting classes
PORT TOWNSEND — Psychotherapist Elaine Loughlin and her son, John Loughlin-Presnal, will offer Circle of Security parenting classes at Jumping Mouse Children’s Center, 1809 Sheridan St., beginning at 7:30 p.m. today.
The Circle of Security parenting program is designed to help shift focus from traditional models of managing child behavior to enhancing the quality of the parent-child relationship.
The free classes will continue through Nov. 18.
Registration is required.
For more information, phone 206-587-7211 or email circleofsecurityinfo@gmail.com.
Tri-Area plant sale
CHIMACUM — The Tri-Area Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Plants for sale will include perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, ground covers, herbs, native plants, exotic plants and house plants.
Club members use funds raised for their beautification efforts and local humanitarian and scholarship projects.
WEST END
Last chance derby
LAPUSH — The Last Chance Salmon Derby will be held out of LaPush Marina on Saturday and Sunday.
The $25 entry fee for the two days of fishing will entitle entrants to eligibility for $500 cash for the largest coho and chinook, $250 for second-largest, $100 for third-largest and $100 for largest bottomfish.
Tickets are available at Forks Outfitters and Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks, LaPush Marina, Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles and the Forks Chamber of Commerce.
Rules are printed on the back of the tickets.
For more information, phone the Forks Chamber of Commerce at 360-374-2531 or visit www.forkswa.com/salmonderby.
Algae talk
FORKS — The 2009 algae bloom that killed thousands of seabirds off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula will be the topic of a talk today.
Julia Parrish, executive director of Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, or COASST, will discuss “The Perfect Storm: Harmful Algae, Migratory Seabirds and Warming Seas” at the free presentation at the University of Washington Olympic Natural Resources Center Social Hall at 1455 S. Forks Ave., Forks.
The talk will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., preceded by light refreshments served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
COASST volunteers collect data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline pattern of bird mortality on North Pacific beaches.
Data collected provide information to address marine conservation issues and protect marine resources.
COASST will offer a training session for new volunteers at the social hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The event is free to the public; new volunteers are required to pay a $20 deposit for materials received.
To RSVP, contact COASST at 206-221-6893 or coasst@uw.edu.
Rummage sale
FORKS — The Friends of Forks will host its annual rummage sale Saturday.
The sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bank of America building.
A bake sale is planned as well.
For information, phone 360-374-9293.