Racing sprint boats, gardening talks, concerts, walks and bike rides are among the pleasures of early fall offered on the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend.
For more information on the alternative-rock band Cake’s performance and the taping of an “eTown” radio show Saturday — and for other news for arts and entertainment on the Peninsula — see Peninsula Spotlight, the Peninsula Daily News’ weekly entertainment guide, in today’s PDN.
Other major 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
Sprint boat preview set
PORT ANGELES — Sprint boats from Team Twisted and their drivers will be at the Price Ford Lincoln auto dealership, 1527 E. Front St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Team Twisted, based in Port Angeles, is one of about 30 sprint boat teams that will compete at speeds of up to 100 mph at the new sprint boat track southeast of William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles on Saturday.
Today’s pre-race event will feature food from Billy Bob’s Open Pit BBQ and other refreshments as a fundraiser for Angels for Dan, a local support group for Dan Spicher, who has stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Tickets for Saturday’s races will be on sale, and there will be a raffle for four tickets with pit passes.
Saturday’s inaugural races will feature the U.S. Sprint Boat Association National Finals.
Gates will open at 8 a.m. at the newly completed Extreme Sports Park, 2917 W. Edgewood Drive.
Boats will warm up at 9 a.m., and races will begin at 10 a.m.
Tickets are $15, or $20 with a pit pass. Admission with a pit pass is $20. Children younger than 6 are admitted free.
Buy tickets at the gate (cash and checks only) or online at http://tinyurl.com/sprintboats.
Parking is $1.
The stadium-like layout of the boat track includes grassy terraced viewing for about 5,000 spectators.
Bring a blanket or lawn chair on which to sit; bleacher seating is limited to 500.
Microchip your pet
PORT ANGELES — A low-cost microchip clinic for dogs and cats will be held at the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society, 2105 W. U.S. Highway 101, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Cost for the microchip is $25.
Microchipping a pet ensures it can be identified if it wanders away from home.
The chip is the size of a grain of rice and will remain implanted in the animal for its lifetime.
The Humane Society also will kick off its Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, which runs from Saturday through Sept. 25.
Older dogs and cats will be available for reduced prices — as low as $10 for some adult cats — which includes its spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, microchip and initial veterinary exam.
For more information about the clinic, phone the Humane Society at 360-457-8206 during business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
CarFit inspections
PORT ANGELES — With the goal of keeping seniors safer on the roadways, driving experts will offer free CarFit inspections for seniors today.
Inspections are designed to help seniors find out how the “fit” of their personal vehicle affects their driving.
The inspections will be from noon to 3 p.m. at the Port Angeles Walmart, 3411 E. Kolonels Way.
The event also will provide motorists with community traffic safety resources intended to keep them driving safely longer.
“As we age, changes in our vision, flexibility, strength, range of motion and even size and height may make us less comfortable and reduce our control behind the wheel,” said Linda Pfafman, the event coordinator.
“CarFit provides older adults with the tools to understand and apply the safety features of their vehicles.”
Trained volunteers will complete a 12-point checklist with each driver.
Among the items checked are the positioning of the airbag, seat belt and head restraint to the driver, and the vehicle’s operational equipment (lights, hazard lights, horn, tires).
The inspection is performed while vehicles are parked. There is no driving test.
The free inspection takes about 20 minutes.
To make an appointment or get more information, phone Pfafman at 360-821-9991 or leave a message at 360-344-9721.
POW/MIA Day program
PORT ANGELES — A National POW/MIA Recognition Day program will be held at the Clallam County Veterans Center, 216 S. Francis St., from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today.
The event is open to the public.
Remarks will be given by Norm Goodin, commander, VFW Post 1024.
A proclamation will be read by Port Angeles Mayor Dan Di Guilio.
War statistics will be presented by Goodin and Korean War Veterans President Jerry Rettela.
Cake and coffee will be served, courtesy of the VFW Post 1024 Ladies Auxiliary.
Youth center fundraiser
PORT ANGELES — A bake sale and bike raffle will raise funds for The Answer for Youth drop-in center Sunday.
The sale will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Swain’s General Store, 602 E. First St., Port Angeles.
The sale will support the center, known as TAFY, at 711 E. Second St., which is an outreach center for youths and young adults.
SEQUIM
Outdoor concert finale
SEQUIM — The last outdoor performance of the year of the Sequim City Band will be held at the bandstand at the James Center for the Performing Arts next to Carrie Blake Park at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is free.
Music from John Phillip Sousa, Dvorak, Irving Berlin and selections from “Fiddler on the Roof” by Harnick and Bock will be performed.
Miles Vokurka, usually on clarinet in the band, will play an alto saxophone solo in a piece by Leroy Anderson, “The Last Rose of Summer.”
The percussion section will be featured during “Adrenaline Engines” by Randall Standridge.
Other marches by composers R.B. Hall and Will Huff will round out the concert.
Sousa’s famous march “The Black Horse Troop” will conclude the concert.
The last Sequim City Band concert of the 2011 season will be held indoors at the Sequim High School auditorium, 601 N. Sequim Ave., at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23.
The Sequim City Band is conducted by Sanford Feibus.
For more information, phone 360-683-2546 or visit www.sequimcityband.org.
Wellness fair, walk
SEQUIM — The Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic will hold its annual Clinic Fun Walk and Wellness Fair on Saturday.
The fair will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
Health screening booths are free at the wellness fair, and participants in the fun walk can choose a one-mile or a five-mile course.
This year, there will be an “Images of Health” costume contest.
Registration forms for the fun walk are at www.sequimfreeclinic.org.
For more information, phone 360-582-2976 or email fundraiser@dvhwc.org.
Pie social
SEQUIM — A pie social Saturday will celebrate the completion of a project to repaint the Dungeness Schoolhouse.
The social will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the historic schoolhouse at 2781 Towne Road.
The Museum &Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is hosting the social to celebrate finishing repainting the building.
MAC volunteers and supporters and local businesses such as the Red Rooster Grocery are donating pies, which will be offered with whipped cream, ice cream, coffee, tea and punch for a suggested donation.
Those who attend the social will have an opportunity to discuss Sequim-Dungeness Valley days gone by with several longtime area residents, some of whom attended the Dungeness School as children.
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.
Home accessories are featured, and a selection of fall clothing will be offered.
All white-tag items will be marked at half-price during this sale.
Volunteers are needed.
For more information, phone 360-683-7044.
Flea market set
SEQUIM — Sequim Prairie Grange, 290 Macleay Road, will host a flea market from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
More than 40 vendors are expected to be on hand for the event.
Tailgaters are invited to sell in the parking lot.
Food will be available, and a bake sale will be held.
For more information, phone Bob Clark at 360-683-4431.
Singles group meets
SEQUIM — A singles group for those older than 40 will have its inaugural meeting Saturday.
The first meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Oasis Sports Bar & Grill, 301 E. Washington St., said Mark Mulcay, who is organizing the group.
“I don’t think there’s much out there for 50-, 60-year-olds,” he said.
The group is for anyone older than 40, but he expects it will be mostly for those who are older, he said.
People can mingle in a casual, relaxed atmosphere, and find common interests and friends, he said.
For more information, phone Mulcay at 815-677-3903.
Blood drive slated
SEQUIM — Sequim Community Church, 950 N. Fifth St., will host a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 2:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
No appointments are necessary.
Organizers are also seeking assistance in promoting future blood drives by putting up posters or calling previous donors and urging them to give.
For more information, phone 360-681-7205.
Community drum event
SEQUIM — A community drumming event for World Peace will be held at Pioneer Park, 387 E. Washington St., from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Everyone is invited to join — bringing their own drums, rattles or plastic gallon jugs and wooden spoons — and a sack lunch and soda if wanted.
For more information, phone 360-460-2447.
Bunco game today
SEQUIM — The Sequim Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital will kick off its 2011-2012 fundraising year with a bunco game fundraiser at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave., at noon today.
The game is $12 per person.
Four bunco games each year provide a major source of fundraising for the Sequim Guild, which donates its funds toward uncompensated care for patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Members of the guild provide salads, sandwiches, fruits and desserts for each event, and prizes are provided by generous business owners, members and other donors from the community.
The public is welcome to attend.
To make reservations for the bunco game, email BuncoSQGuild@hotmail.com or phone 360-797-7105.
Benefit breakfast
SEQUIM — Sequim Ladies of the Elks will host a benefit breakfast for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sunday.
The breakfast will be at the Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road.
The menu includes link sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, orange juice, coffee and tea.
Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for children 6 to 10.
Children 6 and under will be admitted free.
Grow great garlic
SEQUIM — Clallam County Master Gardener Rita Dinger will present “Growing Great Garlic” at a presentation Saturday.
The free talk will be at 1 p.m. at McComb Gardens, 751 McComb Road.
Dinger won the Clallam County Master Gardener of the Year award for 2010.
New library event
SEQUIM — The Sequim Library is offering Paws to Read, a new children’s program, at 10 a.m. the third Saturday of each month through December.
In collaboration with Olympic Gentle PAWS, kids can practice their reading skills by reading to a therapy dog.
During the program, a librarian first will read to the children, then each child will have the opportunity to read to a therapy dog. All dogs and trainers are members of the Olympic Gentle Paws therapy dog group.
This program is suited for children ages 6 and older.
There is no preregistration necessary, and participants can stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The Sequim Library is located at 630 N. Sequim Ave.
For more information, visit www.nols.org or contact the Sequim Library at 360-683-1161 or Sequim@nols.org.
Ornamental grasses
SEQUIM — Washington State University Master Gardener Janet Oja will provide information about fall care of ornamental grasses Saturday.
The free presentation will be at 10 a.m. at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at 2711 Woodcock Road.
Oja will discuss planting and maintaining grasses, sedges and bamboo; advantages and disadvantages of various species; and how they benefit local wildlife.
She said attendees will see examples of grasses at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden when they are at their best.
She will present ideas on how to use them for arrangements and other home decorations.
A Master Gardener since 2005, Oja manages the grasses at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden.
The presentation is part of the Class Act at Woodcock Garden series, sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County, held the first and third Saturday of the month.
A free plant clinic will be held following the presentation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden.
For more information, phone 360-417-2279.
PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY
Bike ride, farm visits
PORT TOWNSEND — The Tour de Fermes 2011, set for Sunday, offers cyclists a chance to ride the roads of Jefferson County and visits some of the area’s farms.
The Port Townsend Bicycle Association is holding the ride in conjunction with the Washington State University Farm Tour.
Farms will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with many offering demonstrations, food and produce for sale and water for thirsty riders.
The bicycle club has mapped out several loops for interested riders, starting in Port Townsend or Chimacum.
For details on the farm tour, including for noncyclists, visit www.wsufarmtour.com.
For details on the bike ride, visit www.ptbikes.org.
Garden bed event set
PORT HADLOCK — A free workshop on Hugelkultur, a method of turning woody yard debris into self-fertilizing raised garden beds, will be offered Sunday.
The workshop will be from noon to 4 p.m. at Sunfield Farm, 111 Sunfield Lane off Rhody Drive.
All are welcome, and no registration is required.
Jefferson County Conservation District Manager Al Latham and Public Works Solid Waste Coordinator Al Cairns will lead this hands-on workshop and demonstrate how to create a fertile garden from “waste” materials that are readily on hand and usually free for the taking.
Strawberry shortcake will be offered.
The first 100 attendees will receive a free canvas tote bag, compliments of the Jefferson County Farmers Market.
The workshops are a partnership between the Jefferson County Department of Public Works, Jefferson County Conservation District and the Jefferson County Farmers Market Association along with Serendipity Farm and Sunfield Farm.
For more information, phone Cairns at 360-593-8941 or email acairns@co.jefferson.co.wa.
Community Chorus
PORT TOWNSEND — The second rehearsal for the winter concert of the Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County is Sunday.
Rehearsal will be at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea parish hall at 1335 Blaine St.
Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. before rehearsal.
Those who registered at the first rehearsal do not have to repeat the process.
Registration is $35, or $10 for high school students.
Winter concert dates will be Dec. 2 and Dec. 4.
The Community Chorus is a nonprofit, educational, artistic and recreational organization.
Singers at all levels are welcome.
Rebecca Rottsolk is directing this winter, with Lisa Lanza accompanying.
For more information, visit www.ptchorus.org/index.html, email pamm@olympus.net or phone 360-385-1402.
Donate for heart
PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend branch of Union Bank has planned two fundraisers this month for the American Heart Association.
A “Barstool Bingo” game will be held at the Hilltop Tavern, 2510 W. Sims Way, at 7 p.m. today.
A garage sale will be held at Union Bank, 2200 W. Sims Way, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 24.
For more information, phone 360-379-4624.
Family-friendly dances
PORT TOWNSEND — The new season for Olympic Peninsula Dance, a group that sponsors family-friendly dances each month, begins tonight at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
The evening will start with a rumba lesson at 7 p.m.; no partner nor registration is necessary, while experienced dancers are encouraged to help beginners.
Then Katzenjammer, the duo featuring Charlie Gould and Val Vontourne, will provide music for dancing from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Admission is $15 for adults, or $10 for people with disabilities and students with any school identification. Children 12 and younger get in for $7.
For more details about these monthly dances, phone 360-385-6919 or 360-385-5327, or visit www.OlympicPeninsulaDance.com.
Donate life jackets
PORT TOWNSEND — Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 47 will collect new or gently used life jackets at 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.
Life jackets are distributed 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.
Sidewalk sale set
PORT TOWNSEND — A sidewalk sale at downtown businesses is planned Saturday and Sunday.
The sale is sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street Association.
Dance benefit set
PORT TOWNSEND — A Hawaiian dance party benefit for the Deb Johnson Scholarship Fund will be held at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St., from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. today.
The event is organized by the Port Townsend Basketball Club and the Jefferson County Community Foundation.
The dance will fund scholarships in memory of the former dean of the Port Townsend branch of Peninsula College, Deborah Belezos Johnson, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 55 on Jan. 28.
Scholarship awards will be made to graduating seniors of all three Jefferson County high schools who combine solid academic achievement and varsity athletic participation with a commitment to service in their communities.
FORKS/WEST END
Photographer profiled
Lynne Iglitzin will present “Trailblazing Photojournalist: Margaret Bourke-White” at the Forks Library tonight.
The free presentation will be at 7 p.m. at the public library at 171 S. Forks Ave.
A similar presentation was made at the Clallam Bay Library on Thursday.
The presentation will explore the life of one of the early 20th-century’s eminent photographers.
From images of the Great Depression to World War II photographs in Life magazine, Bourke-White’s groundbreaking work opened the door for women in photography.
Iglitzen lives in Seattle and was a professor of political science at the University of Washington for many years.
She has authored several books and is a founding board member of Youth in Focus, a program that promotes photography as a tool for motivating youth.
The presentation is sponsored by Humanities Washington through its statewide speakers bureau.
Additional support was provided by Friends of the Clallam Bay and Forks Libraries.
Paper shredding
FORKS — An opportunity to have personal documents shredded for free is scheduled Saturday.
The “shred event” will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Federal at 131 Calawah Way.
Shredding will be provided by LeMay Mobile Shredding.
