NEWS BRIEFS: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island flights set for Wednesday . . . and other items

COUPEVILLE — There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island at the outlying field in Coupeville this week.

On Wednesday, flights are scheduled in the afternoon.

The schedule is subject to change to meet mission requirements.

Comments, including noise complaints, can be directed to the station’s comment line at 360-257-6665 or via email at comments.NASWI@navy.mil.

All other questions can be directed to the public affairs office at 360-257-2286.

Audubon program

PORT TOWNSEND — The Admiralty Audubon Society will offer a community program, “Birds of the Lower Rio Grande,” at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The event is free and open to the public.

One of the world’s premier birding destinations is Texas’s Lower Rio Grande Valley, a subtropical area boasting 540 bird species, according to a news release.

Presenter John Gatchet will share bird photos, information and stories from this special birding hotspot.

Gatchet is a member of the American Birding Association (ABA), Oregon Birding Association, Washington Ornithological Society and Olympic Audubon.

He has written articles for the ABA and was a contributing author to Birds of Idaho.

Discussion group

SEQUIM — The Sequim Great Decisions Discussion Group will meet at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon Friday.

The day’s topic is “Improving Humanitarian Aid: How to Make Relief More Efficient and Effective.”

New members are welcome to the free talk.

The suggested background reading for this discussion is two articles from Foreign Affairs magazine’s July/August edition, published by the Council on Foreign Affairs:

■ “Improving Humanitarian Aid.”

■ “Regime Change for Humanitarian Aid.”

For more information, contact John Pollock at 360-683-9622 or jcpollock@olypen.com, or visit www.tinyurl.com/pdn-greatdecisions.

Scandia fall fest

PORT TOWNSEND — The annual Scandinavian fall festival will be held at Blue Heron Middle School, 3939 San Juan Ave., from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

This free event focuses on Scandinavian traditions, including a bake sale, Nordic arts and crafts, pea-soup lunch, homemade pies, a kids’ corner, live Scandinavian music, Leikkaringen dancers, Nordic knits and jewelry.

There will be vendor booths and live demonstrations.

For more information, phone Kari Mathews at 360-531-4512, email daughtersofnorway45@gmail.com or visit www.facebook.com/TheaFosslodge45.

Family history

CHIMACUM — Jefferson County Genealogy Society will meet at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, for a presentation, “Getting the Most From FamilySearch.org.”

The event is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

FamilySearch.org is a free website for researching family history.

Mary Kathryn Kozy, a lecturer for the past 10 years, returns to share her “how-to-detective-work” while using this large and varied website.

This opportunity is free and open to the public.

Donations are accepted.

For more information, visit www.wajcgs.org.

‘Kids Create Art’ Saturday in Sequim

SEQUIM — The Sequim Library is bringing back the “Kids Create Art” program starting Saturday.

These introductory art classes will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every third Saturday of the month through May at the library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.

Led by local artists, each Kids Create Art session — recommended for ages 7 to 12 — offers children an opportunity to explore various artistic media.

All classes in the series are free, but with class sizes limited to 20 attendees, preregistration is required.

To register, visit the Sequim Library events calendar at www.nols.org, phone 360-683-1161 or email youth@nols.org.

All materials will be provided.

This Saturday’s session, “Pastels and Pumpkins,” will be led by artist Carrie Rodlend.

Rodlend will share the world through an artist’s eye and teach the process of drawing or painting in fun, easy steps.

On Nov. 21, Eva Kozun will offer young artists an opportunity to celebrate World Hello Day with a sunflower painting project.

Each participant will paint a sunflower to take home as well as one for the “garden” display in the library’s children’s area.

Rodlend will return for the Dec. 19 session, “Winter Solstice Sun and Shadows.”

With this session, she will work with math, tempera paint, shapes and shadows.

YMCA wears pink

PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Peninsula YMCA, 302 S. Francis St., will offer a chance for the community to wear pink and participate in a breast cancer awareness fundraiser Sunday, Oct. 18.

The event features cycling, dancing and yoga, each for a half-hour, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Bring water and a yoga mat for this event.

Children 12 and older are welcome. Children must be large enough to fit on a bike comfortably and mature enough to participate in the classes successfully, according to a news release.

Registration is $20 per person; register between now and Saturday, as only 30 spaces are available.

All funds raised will go to Operation Uplift.

Playcare will be provided from 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. during this event.

Photos will be take for the YMCA’s Facebook page.

For more information or to register, contact Mikki Reidel, health and well-being coordinator, at 360-452-9244.

AAUW program

PORT TOWNSEND — AAUW Port Townsend will host a “Caring for Our Aging Population” program during a meeting at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St., from 9:30 a.m. to

11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The program will feature a panel discussion on the decisions facing individuals and their families as they experience changes in health and/or abilities during the aging process.

The panelists will review the relative costs for various residential options for seniors, including remaining at home, and provide their perspectives on how to plan for potentially difficult life changes and care decisions.

Led by moderator Eileen Baratuci, the five panel members are health care professionals and consultants who work with the elder population and are familiar with local resources and available programs.

The panelists are Sandy Boughner, owner of Home Instead Senior Care; Celia Fry, Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and partner in “Age at Home”; Heather Jeffers, administrator of Lifecare of Port Townsend; Nancy Krieg, community relations manager at Victoria Place in Port Townsend; and Joni Williams, geriatric case manager for seniors living at home.

The program, hosted by AAUW Port Townsend and its affiliate, the University Women’s Foundation of Jefferson County, is free and open to the public.

For more information on AAUW projects and membership, visit http://pt-wa.aauw.net or phone Anne Englander at 360-390-5896.

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