FORKS — RainFest, a celebration of the West End, will kick off with the Fabric of the Forest Quilt Show and vendors at the Forks High School auxiliary gym at noon today.
RainFest — which includes an extensive quilt show as well as other arts activities — will run through Sunday.
The quilt show and vendors will be at the high school, 191 Spartan Ave., from noon to 6 p.m. today, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
On Saturday, umbrella decorating — to celebrate the cloudy weather of the West End — will commence at 10 a.m. and run until the Impromptu Umbrella Parade begins at noon.
Decorating will be at the Peninsula College branch at 71 S. Forks Ave. The workshop is free.
The West End Art League Art Show will run all three days at the Bank of America, 481 S. Forks Ave.
It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. today, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Anita Wheeler, a member of the Quileute tribe, will tell stories handed down from her grandfather at the Salmonberry Market Place, 120 S. Forks Ave., tonight from 6:30 to 7:30. The event is free.
The Forks Community Orchestra will perform from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Forks Library, 171 S. Forks Ave.
A wine and cheese tasting will wrap up Saturday’s events from 6:30 p.m.m to 7:30 p.m. at the Salmonberry Market Place.
The quilt show will include professional quilters as well as locals, said organizer Marcia Yanish.
“Usually at the classes you can only get one block done,” she said.
“So sometimes it is years later before people finish them and it is really interesting to have them bring it back and show what they learned.
“That is our main purpose — to be an educational group and try to encourage new people to get into quilting.”
A quilting trunk show and lecture is set from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. today at the Department of Natural Resources Conference Center, 411 Tillicum Lane. Admission is $15.
Roxanne Carter, a nationally known quilter from Mulkilteo, will lead classes at this year’s Fabric of the Forest quilt show at RainFest.
Carter is known for her patterns, as well as for having developed simplified ways of doing difficult patterns, Yanish said.
Two classes on making quilts from well-known patterns are scheduled this weekend at the DNR Conference Center. Each class costs $50.
A class on making a “Falling Stars” quilt is set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.
A class on making a “Twirling Tulips” quilt is planned from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
