NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Jan. 17.
Women in film, a barn tour and a chance to sing in a community chorus are among the attractions offered on the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend.
For more arts and entertainment news, including a CD-release party for the band Old Sidekicks on Saturday night, see Peninsula Spotlight, the Peninsula Daily News’ weekly entertainment magazine, in today’s edition.
Also check the calendar of things to do at the PDN’s website, www.peninsuladailynews.com.
PORT ANGELES
Keys to new house
PORT ANGELES — Marine Cpl. Ammon Lang and his family will receive the keys to a new specially built house east of Port Angeles at a public ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The house at 72 Highlands Drive off O’Brien Road was built especially for the double-amputee combat veteran, mostly with volunteer labor, and will be given to the Langs free of charge.
Lang and his wife, Kiri, who have sons 2 and 4 years old, will move in after the ceremony.
They currently live in Kansas.
Lang stepped on an improvised explosive device June 11, 2011, while serving in Sangin, Afghanistan. The blast destroyed his left leg up to just above the knee and forced the amputation of his right leg just below the knee.
Massachusetts-based Homes for Our Troops spearheaded the construction of the home with the North Peninsula Building Association, said Jen Reed, marketing director for the East Coast nonprofit.
Relay For Life
PORT ANGELES — The Premier Kick Off for Relay For Life will be at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The free event at The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave., will begin the season for the 2014 Port Angeles Relay For Life season , organizers said.
Relay For Life, which raises money for the American Cancer Society, will be June 7-8 in Port Angeles.
For more information, phone Jennifer Baker at 360-461-3147 or email Deb West at debra@nti4u.com.
SEQUIM
Discussion group
SEQUIM — “Biology’s Brave New World” and “Keeping Science in the Right Hands” will be the topics before the Sequim Great Decisions Discussion group at the Sequim Library, 140 N. Sequim Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon today.
The discussion, which concerns domestic and foreign policy issues, are taken from the Foreign Policy Association’s “Great Decisions 2014 Briefing Book” and from Foreign Affairs, the bimonthly publication of the Council on Foreign Relations.
New members are welcome.
For more information, contact John Pollack of Sequim Great Decisions Discussion at 360-683-9622 or jcpollock@olypen.com.
For a schedule of future meetings, visit http://tinyurl.com/SequimGreatDecisionsDiscussion.
Senior class fundraiser
SEQUIM — Parents supporting the Sequim graduation party of the class of 2014 are hosting a rummage sale in the Sequim High School cafeteria, 601 N. Sequim Ave., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the 2014 Grad Party Committee.
Community members and parents and guardians of this year’s Sequim High senior class can deliver gently used items to the cafeteria between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. today.
The group will not accept worn-out, ripped, soiled, stained, broken or incomplete items.
For more information, phone Christine Paulsen at 360-461-1866.
Barn tour
SEQUIM — The Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley will host a tour of the recently renovated Cline Barn, 712 Clark Road, at 10 am. Saturday.
Barn owner Charles Steel will lead the tour of his barn, built in 1934, and describe renovations.
Tour admission is $20 for MAC members and $25 for nonmembers, payable at the door.
Fees support continued MAC programming.
Access to the barn loft requires the use of stairs.
For a list of MAC’s winter history program series, visit www.macsequim.org/classes-programs.
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.
This month, the shop is featuring winter coats and sweaters, as well as household accessories, furniture, jewelry and kitchenware.
All white-tagged items will be marked half-price.
New volunteers and consignors for the shop are being accepted.
For more information, phone 360-683-7044.
Pancake breakfast
SEQUIM — A pancake breakfast fundraiser sponsored by the Sequim Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital will be at the Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The breakfast will include eggs, breakfast meats, juice and coffee with live music.
All proceeds will go toward uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
For more information, contact Carol Labbe at 360-683-7130 or cjlabbe@olypen.com.
Pancake benefit
SEQUIM — A pancake breakfast to benefit Jerry Peterson at the Sequim Prairie Grange, 290 Macleay Road, is planned from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children younger than 10.
Grange members will sell tickets for a drawing.
Proceeds will go to assist Peterson, owner of Peterson Electric, with medical bills for treatment of a brain tumor.
Peterson, 38, is also a Sequim volunteer firefighter, and his associates will volunteer their help.
The menu features eggs, ham and all the pancakes one can eat.
For more information, phone Loretta Grant at 360-683-3194.
PORT TOWNSEND
Dance tonight
PORT TOWNSEND — Olympic Peninsula Dance will feature Jim Nyby and the F Street Band from 7 to 10 tonight.
The band will play at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and disabled, and $7 for those 12 and younger.
A “Smooth Lindy” lesson will begin at 7 p.m., with the dance beginning an hour later.
Both are open to the public. No partner or registration is necessary. Experienced dancers are encouraged to help beginners.
The band was originally formed in 2005 to raise funds for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
It blends New Orleans rhythm and blues, swing, Latin style, Chicago shuffle, roots and 1950s and ’60s rock ’n’ roll.
For more information, phone 360-385-5327 or visit www.olympicpeninsuladance.com.
Travel sketches
PORT TOWNSEND — Sandra Smith-Poling and Sandra Offutt are among the six artists invited to participate in “Travel Sketches,” a show opening at the Northwind Arts Center, 2409 Jefferson St., at noon today.
Artists will be showing the journals they created while traveling, as well as some of the paintings done based on their travels.
The Northwind Arts Center is open and staffed by volunteers from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays.
For more information, phone 360-379-8881 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Low-cost swim night
PORT TOWNSEND — Everyone swims for $2 on Cheap Night at Mountain View Pool every Friday, including tonight.
The Friday Night Rec Swim at the pool at 1919 Blaine St. is open from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The whole pool is dedicated to play. Toys are available. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by guardians.
For more information, phone 360-385-7665, email ascalf@cityofpt.us or visit www.cityofpt.us/pool.htm.
Landscaper speaks
PORT TOWNSEND — Heidi Kaster, owner of Dragonfly Farms nursery in Hansville, is the featured speaker for the Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation’s Yard & Garden Lecture Series at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Kaster will speak at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
The cost of the series is $45 per person, For a single presentation, it is $10.
Tickets may be purchased at the door, and it is recommended to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start.
Using her landscape design expertise, Kaster, who has been a landscaper since 1989, will introduce new plant combinations for Northwest gardens and containers.
For more information, contact Diane Threlkeld at 360-379-1172 or diane_threlkeld@yahoo.com.
Women in film lecture
PORT TOWNSEND — Jane Champion, professional video producer, and Janette Force, executive director of the Port Townsend Film Festival, will talk about opportunities for women in film and show clips of films produced by women at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The presentation will be at a meeting of the Port Townsend branch of the American Association of University Women at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave.
Refreshments will be offered beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The program is free and open to the public.
Force, who settled in Port Townsend in 1977, has worked in small-business management for nearly 30 years, as well as created theatrical experiences for schools and community.
She joined the film festival in 2003, managing special events until the board tapped her for director in 2009.
Champion, owner of Champion Video Productions in Port Townsend, has worked as a TV news videographer and editor for an ABC affiliate and as a chief producer.
For more information about the presentation, phone 360-390-5693 or visit http://pt-wa.aauw.net.
Trail work party
PORT TOWNSEND — A trail work party organized by the city’s Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board is set Saturday.
The work party will meet at the Cappy’s Trails trailhead at the end of Willamette Street at 9 a.m. and continue until noon.
Board chair Scott Walker assessed the trails recently and reported that many surfaces were much improved but still “mucky” and could use an additional layer of gravel.
Assisted by Jolly Wahlstrom, city parks maintenance manager Steve Wright will use the Parks Department tractor to haul most of the gravel from the trailhead gravel pile to appropriate spots along trail sections so work party attendees will not have to haul the gravel very far to spread it on the trail.
Volunteers should bring wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes and work gloves.
Snacks and beverages will be provided.
For more information, phone Walker at 360-301-2159 or Jolly Wahlstrom at 360-379-3362.
Bird Walk
PORT TOWNSEND — The Admiralty Audubon Bird Walk will travel from Point Hudson to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center pier in Fort Worden State Park on Saturday.
Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at the Point Hudson public parking area before walking to the beach at the science center.
Participants can either return on foot or shuttle cars. They are asked to call ahead if they want to shuttle their cars.
A Discover Pass is required to park at the Fort Worden beaches.
The trip leader will be Ron Sikes.
For more information, contact William Vogt at 360-531-2821 or geeezoman@bhvdesignlab.com.
Community Chorus
PORT TOWNSEND — The Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County is still accepting sign-ups, with no audition necessary, at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The chorus and its director, Leslie Lewis, invite new singers to sign up at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 1335 Blaine St., and then stay for rehearsals from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30.
All singers ages 16 and older are encouraged. The fee to join the chorus is $35.
The Community Chorus will practice each Sunday evening as it prepares for its spring concerts April 4-6.
The performances’ theme is “A Night at the Opera, a Day in the Country,” and the concerts will include the operatic music of Offenbach, Verdi, Puccini and Gilbert and Sullivan, all but one sung in English, plus pastoral American, English and Scottish songs.
For new singers and those who are returning to music after a long absence, the chorus provides several aids: bonus rehearsals with Hazel Johnson, separate sectional rehearsals and digital music files to listen to at home.
To find out more about Sunday’s registration, phone 360-385-1402 or visit www.PTchorus.org.
NORDLAND
Goat farming
NORDLAND — Washington State University’s Jefferson County Extension will offer a three-day course in goat farming at Twin Vista Ranch on Marrowstone Island beginning today.
The Master Goat Farmer Program, offered by WSU since 1988, provides goat owners with in-depth training on nutrition, pasture management, health and disease, lactation, mastitis, reproduction, housing, breed selection and food safety.
Class size is limited. Cost is $60 per person, plus $30 for additional family members.
Course presenters include WSU Northwest Regional Livestock and Dairy Extension Specialist Susan Kerr, WSU Cowlitz Extension County Director Gary Fredericks and Lorrie Conway.
Participants will experience hands-on and classroom presentations, along with a field trip to neighboring goat dairy Mystery Bay Farm.
To register, visit http://jefferson.wsu.edu.
For more information, email Susan Kerr at kerrs@wsu.edu or phone 360-848-6151 or Kellie Henwood at 360-379-5610, ext. 201.
CHIMACUM
Film screened
CHIMACUM — The animated film “Despicable Me 2,” rated PG, will be shown in the Chimacum High School auditorium, 91 West Valley Road, at 6 tonight.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the screening, sponsored by the Chimacum Middle School We Act Club.
The cost is $3 per person. Proceeds will support building a school in Haiti.
Baked goods and snacks will be available for purchase.
Chimacum students are working to earn their tickets to We Day, a “motivational effort that inspires kids and teenagers to take action and make a difference in local and global communities.”
Wassail in the orchard
CHIMACUM — Hot spiced cider, a bonfire and song will welcome the season at the Finnriver Winter Wassail Celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The celebration is free at Finnriver Farm, 62 Barn Swallow Road.
Participants can pay $10 for a supper of soup, bread and baked apples.
“Bonfire and merriment for all ages includes welcoming the robins to protect the trees, a bit of song and a toast to good health,” organizers said.
Participants are asked to bring drums, horns, whistle, pans or other noisemakers, as well as a special mug for the Wassail brew.
To RSVP for supper, email info@finnriverfarm.com.
For more information, visit www.finnriver.com.
Economy, ancestors
CHIMACUM — “It’s the Economy, Stupid” will be the topic of the featured speaker at the Jefferson County Genealogical Society’s monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
The talk will be at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road.
Society member Bev Brice will review how the ups and downs of the U.S. economy might have affected the lives of ancestors.
The group’s meetings are on the third Saturday of each month except August.
Admission is free, and visitors are welcome.
For more information, visit www.wajcgs.org.
FORKS
Predicting the weather
FORKS — Weather prediction will be the topic of a talk hosted by the Olympic Natural Resources Center at 6:30 p.m. today.
“An Introduction to Modern Weather Prediction: Is It Going to Rain or Maybe Snow?” will be presented at the center at 1455 S. Forks Ave.
Participants are asked to bring snacks to share with others.
Tom Rosmond — a consultant for the Naval Research Laboratory, the Marine Meteorology Division — will discuss how modern weather prediction tries to answer that question and show some of the science and technology used to support weather predictions.
Rosmond, a Forks High School graduate, also will discuss the accuracy of today’s weather predictions and suggest ways it could be enhanced and improved.
Rosmond previously worked at the Naval Research Laboratory and at the University of California, Fresno. He attended the University of Washington, graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in oceanography and a doctorate in atmospheric sciences.
During high school breaks, Rosmond worked in the family-owned business, Rosmond Brothers Lumber Co., a lumber mill that for 38 years operated on the current site of the 101 Business Park.
Evening Talks at ONRC is supported by the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund, an endowment that honors the contributions of Fred Rosmond and his family to forestry and the Forks community.
JOYCE
Lions breakfast
JOYCE — An all-you-can-eat benefit breakfast is planned at the Crescent Bay Lions Club, state Highway 112 and Holly Hill Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday.
The cost is $6 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and younger.
Breakfasts are planned at the same time every Sunday morning, except holidays, until the Sunday before Mother’s Day in May.
The menu includes eggs cooked to order, hot cakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, ham and sausage or bacon.
Proceeds help Crescent Bay Lions members support Crescent School yearbooks, scholarships for Crescent High School seniors, holiday food baskets, glasses for the needy and other community projects.