NEWS BRIEFS: Quileute tribe to welcome the whales in La Push ceremony Friday morning . . . and other items

LA PUSH — The Quileute will welcome the annual migration of the gray whales with song and ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday.

The ceremony will be at the youth ballfield area at Quileute Tribal School, 40 Ocean Drive.

It will include an address from elders, the annual feeding of the whales and whale and wolf songs.

Food and festivities will follow in the A-Ka-Lat Center at 1 p.m.

Gray whales migrate 10,000 to 12,000 miles up and down the Pacific from winter calving lagoons in Baja Mexico to summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea.

They can be spotted off La Push in April and May.

Road closures

OLYMPIA — Temporary, intermittent road closures are planned for several National Forest Service roads about 30 miles northeast of Forks beginning today.

Forest Service Roads 3000, 3000-300, 3000-320, 3000-330 and 3067 will be intermittently closed until approximately Dec. 31, the Forest Service said in a news release.

The roads will be closed intermittently to vehicle access while logging operations for the KOCC Timber Sale are underway and heavy equipment is in use.

A combination of Douglas fir, hemlock and some hardwoods will be harvested as the area is thinned for habitat restoration, the Forest Service said.

For more information, contact the Pacific Ranger District at 360-374-6522.

Vet ceremony

PORT ANGELES — A Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony is planned Saturday.

The event at the Clallam County Veterans Center, 216 S. Francis St., will begin with a coffee and cookie social at 11:30 a.m., followed by the ceremony at 1 p.m.

The public is welcome.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day is recognized annually on March 30 in Washington state after the efforts of Port Angeles Army veteran Norman Goodin.

Goodin drafted a 2010 proclamation that was signed by then-Gov. Chris Gregoire declaring March 30 as Welcome Home Veterans Day.

The day marks the anniversary of the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War in 1973.

Planting tips topic of talk this Saturday

PORT ANGELES — “New Ideas in Gardening” will take place at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

This free after-hours program highlights new ideas and old wisdom for keeping plants healthy and attractive, according to a news release.

Ciscoe Morris will discuss which perennials to cut back and divide, methods for pest control, pruning strategies, when and how to fertilize plants, and more.

Morris also will be on-hand at the conclusion of his talk to answer gardening questions and sign copies of his book, Ask Ciscoe, Oh, la, la! Your Gardening Questions Answered.

Books will be available for purchase beginning at 6 p.m., courtesy of Odyssey Bookshop.

To learn more about this program, visit www.nols.org and select “Events” and “Port Angeles,” email pbelfry@nols.org or phone 360-417-8500.

Youth Yard Sale

PORT ANGELES — The Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, 123 S. Peabody St., will hold a Youth Yard Sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Tables are available to rent for $10 to sell things or donate those items to youths for their tables so they have funds for upcoming outings and projects.

For more information, phone Damon Hopkins at 530-905-1444 or Kalia Hopkins at 360-775-8077.

Relay for Life

SEQUIM — A Relay for Life of Sequim kickoff will take place at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road, at 6 p.m. Monday.

Games and prizes will be offered to jump-start the relay season.

Learn about how to start a team and raise funds, and hear details about this year’s event.

For more information, contact Hannah Halstrom at Hannah.Halstrom@cancer.org or 425-404-2194, or visit www.relayforlife.org/sequimwa.

Plant clinics resume

PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County WSU Master Gardeners are starting up their weekly plant clinics.

Clients should bring in samples (in plastic bags with a paper towel inside the bag to absorb moisture) of plants, including stems, leaves, flowers, fruits or cones.

Master Gardeners also can help identify garden pests.

Come in any Monday, April 4-Sept. 26 (except holidays), from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the WSU Extension Office in Point Hudson, located at 380 Jefferson St.

For more information, email mastergardenerjefferson@gmail.com or phone 360-379-5610, ext. 210.

Nash’s lectures

SEQUIM — Nash’s Farm Store, 4681 Sequim Dungeness Way, will host talks throughout the month.

All classes are free and open to the public.

On Saturday, April 9, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., “Building Soil” will be presented.

Elizabeth Murphy, author, soil scientist and gardener, will show attendees how to improve a garden from the ground level.

On Saturday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to noon, “The Volatile Language of Plants” will be presented.

“We think plants are helpless in a world of plant-eaters; if that’s the case, they have done very well for hundreds of millions of years,” according to a news release.

“Plants may not be able to run from predators but through their subtle communication processes, they have found ways to deal with them.”

Finally, on Saturday, April 30, from noon to 1 p.m., “The Hidden Half of Nature” will be presented on the power of microbes in the soil and human’s bodies.

David Montgomery and Anne Bikle will uncover similarities between the root of a plant and the human gut that could transform how one grows food and could counter the onset of chronic diseases, according to a news release.

The last talk is sponsored by the Sierra Club North Olympic Club.

For more information about any of the talks, email patty@nashsorganicproduce.com or phone 360-681-6274.

TaKeTiNa rhythm

SEQUIM — Zorina Wolf will speak at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 6.

Wolf will introduce TaKeTiNa, a musical process that “promotes personal and musical potential through connection to rhythm, allowing complete beginners and musically accomplished participants to express and embody rhythm,” according to a news release.

Wolf is an advanced TaKeTiNa leader, pan-African drum teacher and founder of Village Heartbeat Studio in Sequim.

This class is free and geared toward adult participants.

Space is limited to 18 attendees, and preregistration is required.

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

Call for vendors

SEQUIM — The 2016 Sequim Irrigation Festival is accepting applications for juried vendors for the Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair, which will be held at the Civic Plaza on Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8.

Additionally, vendors can set up early May 6 and participate in the First Friday Art Walk at no additional cost.

The walk will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The deadline for vendors to apply is Friday, April 8.

This fair is for handcrafted items.

The cost is $20 to apply and be juried, and once accepted, the cost of a booth is $100.

Visit the Irrigation Festival website at http://tinyurl.com/z4ofh5q for the application and additional details.

Kiwanis auction

PORT ANGELES — The Kiwanis Club of Port Angeles is selling tickets for the Kiwanis Spring Auction & Dinner at 7 Cedars Casino.

The event will be held Saturday, April 9, at 5 p.m.

Along with the live auction, a silent auction, dessert raffle, wine pull and more will be available.

Shuttle service to and from 7 Cedars Casino also will be on hand.

Individual tickets are $50, while a table for eight is $320.

Tickets can be purchased at the First Federal downtown branch, 141 W. First St., or from any member of the Kiwanis Club.

The service-minded club supports many community events and organizations, including Camp Beausite, Olympic Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, college-bound high school seniors and Kiwanis Kidsfest.

For event questions and shuttle scheduling, phone 360-417-3131.

Additional information can be found at www.facebook.com/kiwanisportangeles.

Feline Fiesta

SEQUIM — Peninsula Friends of Animals (PFOA) will host a “Feline Fiesta” luncheon and auction with entertainment by the Hot Apple Pie quartet from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 9.

The event will be in the Cedars at Dungeness banquet room, 1965 Woodcock Road.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at PFOA, 257509 U.S. Highway 101, Port Angeles, or Heather Creek, 122 W. Washington, Sequim.

Proceeds will benefit the PFOA rescue animals.

Donations for the auction will be accepted.

For more information, phone 360-452-0414, ext. 6; email pfoa@olypen.com; or visit www.safehavenpfoa.org.

Suicide first aid

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District, in partnership with the Forks Community Coalition, will present Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), a two-day workshop, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, and Thursday, April 21.

Training will take place at the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center, 905 W. Ninth St.

“Our target audience is anyone who may come into contact with someone having thoughts of suicide,” said organizer Leeann Grasseth, Stevens Middle School prevention/intervention specialist.

ASIST teaches suicide first-aid intervention skills.

Over the course of the workshop (15 training hours), participants will learn specific skills that help identify those at risk and how to better listen to and care for those having thoughts of suicide.

The workshop fee is $65, and payment is required by April 11.

Seating is limited to 30.

It is mandatory to participate in both days.

A continental breakfast and lunch will be served.

Send registration and payment to Grasseth, 1139 W. 14th St., Port Angeles, WA, 98363.

Make the check or purchase order payable to the Port Angeles School District.

Fax purchase orders to 360-457-5709.

Email lgrasseth@portangelesschools.org or phone 360-565-1786 for more information.

Independent broker joins RE/MAX

SEQUIM — Marcus Oden, former office manager and real estate broker of RE/MAX Fifth Avenue, recently became an independent real estate broker with RE/MAX Prime in Sequim.

Dedicated to superior customer service, communication and professionalism, Oden specializes in residential sales and can assist in either the purchasing or selling of a home, according to a news release.

Oden can be reached at marcus.oden@remax.net or 917-763-9273.

RE/MAX Prime is located at 901 W. Washington St.

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