On this holiday weekend, is there more to do than celebrate tonight and watch television?
You bet there is.
In addition to New Year’s Eve celebrations, art shows, hikes, lectures and other events are offered across the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend.
PORT ANGELES
Art Is a Gift
PORT ANGELES – There are two more days to purchase artistic goods at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center’s Art Is a Gift show and marketplace.
The show will be open today and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the art center at 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
The center will be closed Saturday for New Year’s Day.
Discounts of 10 percent have been offered on the art since last Sunday.
Some 50 artists from the Olympic Peninsula and Western Washington have contributed to Art Is a Gift.
For information about Art Is a Gift, phone 360-457-3532 or visit www.PAFAC.org.
Hurricane Ridge skiing
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Those with a yen to ski this holiday weekend will find the rope tows and Poma lift open today through Sunday at Hurricane Ridge — if weather permits the road from Port Angeles to be open.
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club will operate tows to the top of the ski runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sledding for children 8 and younger and snowshoe walks also will be available.
Ranger-led snowshoe walks are at 2 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Group walks are on the same days at 10:30 a.m.
Phone 360-565-3136 for reservations or more information.
People who choose to drive up Hurricane Ridge Road must carry chains.
Those who do not wish to drive can make reservations with Willie Nelson’s All Points Charters & Tours.
To make reservations, phone All Points Charter & Tours at 360-460-7131.
The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday.
Before driving to Hurricane Ridge, always phone the road and weather hot line at 360-565-3131 first to make sure a sudden snowstorm hasn’t closed the road.
Market open
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Farmers Market will be open for business at The Gateway transit center, corner of Front and Lincoln streets, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
“We think there is no better way to start off the new year than to make a commitment to yourself to take better care of your body by eating healthier foods,” said Cynthia Warne, market manager.
“We have everything you need to begin enjoying the benefits of local organic foods.”
For more information, phone Warne at 360-460-0361 or visit www.portangeles farmersmarket.com.
SEQUIM
Benefit on New Year’s Eve
SEQUIM — “Raging Praise,” a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Sequim Bible Church, will benefit Haitian refugees tonight.
Six live bands will play Christian rock music at the church at 847 N. Sequim Ave., beginning at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Admission is by donation.
Proceeds will benefit the “One Well for One Village” program to supply a Haitian village clean drinking water.
Performing will be Grafted In, The Crossings, SBC Contemporary, SBC Youth Band, The Vineyard and Against the Grain.
Child care will be provided. The event is alcohol-free.
Snacks, desserts and espresso will be available.
For more information, phone 360-683-4135.
New Year’s celebration
AGNEW — A celebration from 1 p.m. today until 1 a.m. Saturday is planned at the Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 73 Howe Road, Agnew.
Activities include a “Radical Forgiveness Ceremony” from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; “Quantum Light Breath Meditation” from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.; “Goal Setting for the New Year — Anthony Robbins Style” from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; a potluck from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; bunco from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m; an hour of group singing, drumming and chanting from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and music and dancing from 9:30 p.m. to midnight.
“Conscious Connecting Conversations” also will be held from 9:30 p.m. to midnight.
A blessings and burning bowl ceremony will follow at midnight.
Preregistration is required for “Radical Forgiveness Ceremony,” “Goal Setting” and bunco. The cost is from $10 to $50.
For more information, phone 360-457-1515 or 360-808-2662.
Shoe drive
SEQUIM — Sleep Country USA will begin its annual Shoe Drive for Foster Kids on Saturday.
Donations of new shoes for boys and girls in all sizes can be dropped off at the store at 1041 W. Washington St.
The drive will continue through Jan. 30.
The store is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Holiday sale at gallery
SEQUIM — The Blue Whole Gallery will end its annual Holiday Gift Sale today.
The sale at the gallery at 129 W. Washington St., features works by Blue Whole Gallery member artists including jewelry, ceramics, fabric, glass, wood and metal work, paintings and photographs.
The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, phone 369-681-6033.
WEST END
Kids story time set
CLALLAM BAY — Children ages 3 to 6 are invited to a story time at the Clallam Bay Library, 16990 state Highway 112, at 10:30 a.m. today.
The “Mittens — Warm Hands, Warm Hearts” story time will include stories, music and a craft project.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information about this program, phone the Clallam Bay branch at 360-963-2414 or visit www.nols.org.
PORT TOWNSEND and JEFFERSON COUNTY
New Year’s Eve bus
PORT TOWNSEND — Free bus service will be offered by Jefferson Transit on New Year’s Eve.
Starting at 8 p.m. today, Jefferson Transit will operate two routes, the No. 11 Shuttle and the No. 6B Tri Area Loop.
Free fare rides will run until final departure times of 2:30 a.m. and 2:05 a.m., respectively.
Jefferson Transit will offer the free rides as an alternative mode of transportation for those who do not want to drive or should not drive on the holiday and to help support riders who have to work on New Year’s Eve.
English country dance
PORT TOWNSEND — The RoseWind Cohousing Community will host a free English country dance — with instruction — on Sunday.
The dance will be at the RoseWind Common House at 3131 Haines St. from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Nan Evans from Portland, Ore., will teach dancing, while Fred Nussbaum and Friends will provide music.
The dance will be followed by a potluck dinner.
RoseWind Common House is a fragrance-free facility, and street shoes are not allowed.
For more information, phone Dan Post at 360-554-0417 or e-mail dan.post@frandango.org.
Christmas tree pickup
PORT LUDLOW — Port Ludlow Cub Scout Pack 4480 will pick up Christmas trees in the Port Ludlow area on Sunday.
To request a tree pickup, send a request to Cub Scout Pack 4480, c/o Craig Paterson, P.O .Box 206, Chimacum, WA 98325 with your name, address and phone number.
Organizers will phone to confirm that a request was received.
Suggested donations to the Cub Scouts for this service are $10 for a small to medium sized tree and $20-plus for a large or extra-large tree.
Trees should be placed at the curb for pickup early in the morning.
Flocked trees cannot be included in the pickup service because the trees will be used to create a wild bird sanctuary.
For more information, phone Paterson at 360-732-0258.
Birding cruise
PORT TOWNSEND — The last chance for a birding cruise to Protection Island this year will be New Year’s Eve.
The three-hour trip — hosted by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center in collaboration with Puget Sound Express — will leave from Port Townsend’s Point Hudson Marina at 1 p.m.
Naturalists from the center provide commentary during the cruise to Protection Island, a National Wildlife Refuge located at the mouth of Discovery Bay.
Trips may include an additional stop at the Kilisut Harbor/Mystery Bay area (between Marrowstone and Indian Islands).
Onboard refreshments are available.
Tickets are $55 per person — or $50 for members of the center, Burke Museum or the Audubon or Washington Ornithological societies.
Proceeds from the trip help to fund the center’s programs.
For reservations or more information, phone the center at 360-385-5582 or 800-566-3932, or e-mail cruises@ptmsc.org.
Museum display
PORT TOWNSEND — The Commanding Officer’s Quarters Museum at Fort Worden State Park will be open today.
The 1904 home that houses the museum has been specially decorated for the holiday season. It depicts Christmas at the turn of the 20th century.
The museum will be open for tours from noon until 4 p.m.
Adult admission is $4; children 16 and younger are admitted free.
Proceeds support programs of the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Art at the inn exhibit
PORT LUDLOW — The Port Ludlow Artist’s League’s second annual Christmas Exhibit at The Inn runs until Monday.
The free exhibit features local art from approximately 50 artists.
The exhibit, which began Dec. 4, is open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Artwork, crafts, jewelry and fused glass are on display in the lobby halls, Marina Room and sunroom of The Inn At Port Ludlow, 1 Heron Road.
Items are available for purchase at the inn.
Teddy Bear Hike
PORT TOWNSEND — Hikers are invited to bring their favorite teddy bears — or not — on the Seventh Annual Port Townsend Teddy Bear Hike at Fort Townsend State Park on Saturday.
Participants will meet at 10 a.m. in the main parking lot near the new event building, which is sometimes referred to as the barn, said the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society in its newsletter.
The hike will be from one to three miles “on quiet trails among big trees, beside carpets of moss, and surrounded by evergreen rhododendrons and evergreen huckleberry, the chapter’s winter newsletter said.
Hikes are asked to bring lunch or snacks.
For more information, contact Fred or Ann Weinmann at 360-379-0986 or fweinmann@cablespeed.com.
For more information about the chapter, see www.WNPS.org.
Quimper Wildlife Corridor
PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson Land Trust will host a docent walk in the Quimper Wildlife Corridor on Saturday.
The walk will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The theme is “Two Short Loop Walks: Never Get Lost in Cappy’s Trails Again.”
Participants will meet at 49th and Hendricks streets in Port Townsend.
Docent Mary Missig will guide participants on two short walking routes that can easily be remembered.
Admission free. All are welcome.
For more information, phone Erik Kingfisher, stewardship director at 360-379-9501, ext. 105.
Saturday hike
PORT TOWNSEND — The Olympic Outdoor Club will host a Dungeness River Trail hike on Saturday.
Hikers will meet at 9 a.m. at the Quimper Credit Union, 11524 Rhody Drive, Port Hadlock.
The hike is a round trip of 6.8 miles.
For more information, contact olympicoutdoors@yahoo.com.
Sunday hike
PORT TOWNSEND — The Olympic Outdoor Club will host a South Indian Island Trail hike on Sunday.
Hikers will meet at 1:15 p.m. at the trailhead.
The hike is a round trip of four miles.
For more information, contact olympicoutdoors@yahoo.com.