A chamber benefit concert, art walks and artist exhibits highlight this weekend’s events on the North Olympic Peninsula.
• The Port Townsend Chamber Music Series will perform a benefit concert at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Port Ludlow Beach Club, 121 Marina View Drive, Port Ludlow.
There will be a short reception following the free concert.
Members of the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra will be on hand to collect donations to support the Chimacum High School Cowboy marching band’s trip to represent Washington state this July during the Semiquincentennial Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
The band’s booster club must raise about $100,000 for the trip to cover travel expenses and new lightweight uniforms for the students.
Featured performers on Saturday include pianists Michael Carroll, Sung-Ling Hsu and Lisa Lanza; violinist Marina Rosenquist; harpist Barbara McColgan Pastore; lutist Guy Smith; percussionists Howard Gilbert, Thomas Blomster and George Shaffer; violist Anne Burns and cellist Pamela Roberts.
Donations will be accepted at the door.
The program will include:
• Downfall of Paris for Snare Drum Duo – Traditional
• South American Capers for Snare Drum Duo and Bass Drum by Sidney Berg
• Violin Sonata, Op. 108 in D minor, Adagio and Presto agitato by Johannes Brahms
• Ein seer guter Organistischer Preambel for Lute by Jacob Herringman
• Sonata for Cello and Piano, Allegretto amabile by Jean Hure
• Ein guter welscher tantz for Lute by Hans Neusidler
• “Fiestravaganza” Piano Duet by Shaun Choo
• Mille regretz, NJE 28.25 for Lute (Arr. H. Neusidler)
• TAM-BAS Tambourine Solo by James L.Moore
• Trio for Piano, Viola and Cello, Op. 11, Thema: Pria ch’io l’impegno by Ludwig von Beethoven
• “Ich klag den Tag” for Lute by Hans Neusidler
• Meditation from Thais for Cello and Harp by Jules Massenet
• Du Fiensela (Dont vient cela) for Lute by Hans Neusidler
• American Patrol for Snare Drum and Piano by Padre Martini (arr. By Forrest L. Buchtel)
For more information, visit www.ptsymphony.org/chamber-music-series- musicians.
• Steve Hampton will present “Backyard Sanctuaries: Gardening for Birds and Biodiversity” at 10 a.m. Saturday in Erickson Hall at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St., Port Townsend.
Hampton’s presentation, part of the 2026 Yard and Garden lecture series, will end with a Q&A session.
Master gardener plant clinicians also will be on hand to answer questions.
Tickets are $15 per person at http://2026yardandgarden.eventbrite.com or $20 at the door.
Hampton, an enrolled citizen of Cherokee Nation, is a birder, writer and Christmas bird count compiler for Rainshadow Bird Alliance. He has a doctorate in resource economics and was a resource economist for the California Department of Fish and Game.
The lecture series will conclude Feb. 14 with Jenny Glass’s presentation, “Working with Nature: Smarter, Safer Pest Management.”
Ticket sales support Jefferson County Master Gardener programs.
For more information, visit www.jcmgf.org.
• The First Friday Art Walk will celebrate with a red-themed event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at various venues in downtown Sequim.
Maps for the self-guided tour are available at www.sequimartwalk.com.
The art walk will welcome two new venues this month, Harmony and Vines, 120 W. Spruce St., and Spoonbar Sweets, 171 W. Washington St.
Other venues include:
— The Blue Whole Gallery, 129 W. Washington St., will host a reception for “Art from the Heart” from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The exhibit will feature bead work by Jennifer Rose and acrylic paintings by Mary Franchini.
“After a busy day at work or when life moves in turbulent ways, I sit down with my tiny little beads, and before long, all of that is gone,” Rose said. “I love beading and all of that love goes into every piece I create. A part of me is in each of my pieces.”
“When I am in the studio working, I’m happy and I feel complete,” Franchini said. “I love working with acrylics. They dry fast, and I can make changes easily.”
“Art from the Heart” will be on exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. t0 3 p.m. Sundays throughout February.
— Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave., will present OP Panto’s production, “It’s Not About the Hood,” at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20 per person at www.olympic theatrearts.org.
The panto, which was written and directed by Shannon Cosgrove, will run though Feb. 22.
— Sequim Museum and Arts, 544 N. Sequim Ave., will continue its exhibition of the Peninsual Art Friends in the Judith McInnes Tozzer Art Gallery.
Participating artists include Beverly Beighle, Melissa Doyel, Connie Drysdale, Cecilia Olivera-Hillway, Roger Huntley, Jerri Moore, Shirley Rudolf, Georgianna Seko and Susan Stewart.
For more information, including adding a venue or an artist to the list, call Renne Emiko Brock at 360-460-3023 or email renneemiko@gmail.com.
• The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center will host an opening reception for “Eternal Echoes” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the center’s Esther Webster Gallery, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.
Attendees will be able to view the exhibit, meet the artists and discuss the exhibit’s themes.
The exhibit highlights artists and death workers who engage with morality in thought-provoking ways, challenging taboos while honoring traditions and the deceased.
This exhibit features artists, authors and partners, including Gina lavocelli, Caitlin McCormick, Landis Blair, Rebecca Reeves, Death Under Glass, Anouk Kaiser, Rebecca Chaperon, Megan Rosenbloom, Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County and Carmen Watson-Charles.
“Through this show, I hope that viewers find a soft spot to land in the conversation around our customs and relationship to death,” said Lindsey Shepher, the gallery’s curator. “There are many aspects of this exhibit to explore that educate, connect, and help to bring hope to this aspect of the human experience”
In conjunction with the exhibit, the center will present “The Living Experience,” a lecture event at Field Arts & Events Hall, on March 8.
“Eternal Echoes” will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through March 29.
For more information, visit www.pafac.org.
• Gallery 9, 1012 Water St., Port Townsend, will host a reception for Nancy Aikman and Katy Morse from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday during Port Townsend’s First Saturday Art Walk.
Aikman and Morse are the featured artists for February.
Aikman creates cabochon jewelry and basketry from the needles of southern long leaf pines.
Except for the traditional Irish linen with which she ties her baskets, all of her material comes from nature. Her artwork is made with pine needles, semi-precious cabochons, glass beads, shed deer antlers, bone beads, recycled glass and metals.
Cabochons — from the French word “caboche,” or head — are natural gemstones that are shaped and polished instead of cut and faceted. These stones can be found throughout the world and typically have a flat side with a domed face.
Morse creates acrylic paintings using archetypal images of the divine and feisty feminine. Her acrylic paintings use bright colors that dazzle the imagination and guide women on transformational journeys.
Morse’s paintings and Aikman’s basketry and jewelry will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at Gallery 9 throughout February.
For more information, visit www.gallery-9.com.
• “Life Drawn” will be on display from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday at the Low Fence Horse Sense Gallery on 57th Street between Hill and Jackman streets in Port Townsend.
The exhibit will feature practice pieces, works in progress and completed works by members of the Quimper Arts Drawing Group.
• Sam Maynard will present “A Cocktail of Tunes” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Taps @ The Guardhouse, 300 Eisenhower Ave., Fort Worden Historical State Park, Port Townsend.
No cover charge.
• The Makah Cultural and Research Center will host a Valentine’s Day Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the classroom and adjacent spaces at the Makah Museum, 1880 Bayview Ave., Neah Bay.
The market will feature handmade gifts, jewelry and special treats, and it will take place in the classroom and adjacent spaces at the Makah Museum.
For more information, call Shirley Holden, the center’s education coordinator, at 360-645-2711 or email makahmuseum tours@gmail.com.
• Barbara Osborne will present “Pine Needle Basketry” at 10 a.m. Saturday during a meeting of the North Olympic Shuttle and Spindle Guild at the Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1033 N. Barr Road, Port Angeles.
The public is welcome to attend the free meeting.
For more information, email n.o.shuttleandspindle guild@gmail.com or visit www.nossg.org.
• Ken Wiersema and Ben Hannah will present “Bird Nests and Breeding Season Beginnings” at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road, Sequim.
Wiersema and Hannah will discuss nesting behaviors and provide a walk-through of bird watching for beginners of all ages.
The presentation will be part of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society’s Backyard Birding series.
Admission is by $5 donation. Proceeds support the society’s education and bird conservation programs.
• The Rainforest Council for the Arts will host a Fun-A-Day Library Takeover from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Forks Branch Library, 171 S. Forks Ave., Forks.
Community members of all ages are invited to display their artwork or to view and enjoy the creativity of their neighbors.
Attendees can meet artists and craftspeople, snack on light refreshments and take part in hands-on art activities.
Fun-A-Day is a free, non-commercial event open to the public.
For more information, call the library at 360-374-6402, email discover@nols.org or visit www.nols.org.
• The Salish Sea Makers Market will open its Love Makers Market from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Finnriver Farm and Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum.
The market will feature an array of artists and makers who hand make, curate vintage or upcycle goods.
For more information, email ssmakersmarket@gmail.com.
• Georgia Payne will present “Quilt Codes of the Underground Railroad” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles.
Payne will discuss the secret codes, messages and symbols hidden in quilts during the period around the Civil War to help enslaved people escape to freedom.
Her presentation, which will include a display of quilts, is based on the book “Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” by Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard.
For more information, call 360-417-8500 or visit www.nols.org.
• Carol Piening will call at a contra dance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Black Diamond Community Hall, 1942 Black Diamond Road, Port Angeles.
Music will be provided by The Contra Band, featuring Joey Gish, David Rivers and Will Jevne.
Piening will teach a free lesson at 7 p.m. to those who have paid admission.
Requested donation is $10 to $20 per person. Youths younger than 18 are half price.
• The Peninsula Trails Coalition will host a volunteer work party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Hall Baetz Viewpoint, 31 Fairmount Road, near the intersection with state Highway 20 south of Port Townsend.
Sunday’s work plan is focused on clearing of invasive plants, especially Himalayan blackberry roots, surrounding a log shelter on the site.
Participants are asked to bring gloves, shovels, spades, adzes, mattocks, axes and loppers.
Parking at the site is limited, so the coalition recommends carpooling.
