Centrum’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference is only one of several bookish entertainments planned this weekend on the North Olympic Peninsula, where weekend fare also includes hikes, dances, art shows and a library murder mystery party.
For more on next week’s Jazz Port Townsend — as well as other stories on 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 spotlighted in the Things to Do calendar, available exclusively online at www.peninsuladailynews.com.
Here are some of the highlights for this weekend:
PORT ANGELES
Midsummer dance
PORT ANGELES — The All City Midsummer Dance, aka Carol’s Summer Affair, will fill the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 W. Fourth St., on Saturday night.
Ballroom dance enthusiast and instructor Carol Hathaway is hosting the event — and invites dancers of all ages to join in.
Admission is free.
Saturday’s party will run from 7:30 p.m. until 11 p.m.
The Stardust big band will play, and DJs will spin rock, blues and country CDs during the breaks.
Teenagers are welcome, Hathaway emphasized. Potluck snacks will keep dancers fueled.
While free, there is a “cover charge” — bring a balloon on a ribbon that can be attached to one of the tables, said Hathaway, who will celebrate her 60th birthday this weekend.
“This party is my thank-you to the dance community for sharing with me over a decade of dance,” she said.
“Please just come armed with your balloon and have a fun time,.”
Alaskan novel
PORT ANGELES — Author Tammy Jones will present a slide show of events described in her new book, Alaska Bound: One Man’s Dream . . . One Woman’s Nightmare, at 7 p.m. tonight.
She will tell her story at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St., describing how one man’s dream to experience Alaska lures him and his wife from a sleepy coastal town in Washington to the northern wilderness.
Earlier, Jones will host an informal session on how to write and publish your own book.
This session will be at the senior center at 1 p.m.
Jones has ties to the Port Angeles area. In the early 1960s, her parents and older siblings lived across from Jefferson Elementary School.
Her father, the late Ray Porter, was a salesman.
In 2004, she and her husband lived in eastern Oregon, where she became a full-time logger.
In 2009, she found herself heading to Alaska with her husband to live out his ultimate fantasy: building a cabin in the remote Alaskan wilderness.
For more information, visit www.pennockislandproductions.com or phone the senior center at 360-457-7004.
Magic Dance of Life
PORT ANGELES — Medical intuitive and spiritual coach Andreas Goldemann will present a program, “Invitation to the Magic Dance of Life,” on Sunday.
From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., Goldemann will lead participants through ancient Celtic chants and intonations that are directed at helping to balance the physical, spiritual, emotional and energetic elements of the body.
The venue is Unity in the Olympics, 2917 E. Myrtle St., and admission is by donation. The afternoon will combine mystic, ancient wisdom with modern knowledge of quantum physics, neuroscience, song and movement, Goldemann said.
To learn more about Goldemann, an internationally known trainer in intuitive healing, visit www.AndreasGoldemann.com.
Unity in the Olympics can be reached at 360-457-3981.
Football fundraiser
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Football Booster Club will hold a garage sale fundraiser today and Saturday.
The garage sale will be at The Warehouse, 519 E. Second St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Ice-cream social
PORT ANGELES — Fairview Grange, 161 Lake Farm Road, will present an ice-cream social and a movie from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kevin Pembroke will host the 50-minute movie, “Not So Long Ago.”
Narrated by Bob Hope, the film covers the five years of peace time between the end of World War II and the start of the Korean War. It includes news clips from the time period.
Cost for the ice cream is $5 and includes banana splits, sundaes and “just about any type of topping you could want,” according to organizers.
Children 12 and younger eat free.
For more information, phone 360-461-9008.
CosPlay event
PORT ANGELES — A CosPlay — or costume play — event for youths in grades seven to 12 will be held at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 3 p.m. today.
Participants will learn how to make their own CosPlay costumes from local expert Richard Stephens, who is also an advertising representative for the Peninsula Daily News.
Stephens will give costuming ideas “on the cheap,” and participants will be able to take their creation home with them.
After Stephens’ program, they will also learn to make a simple boffering sword, which is a weapon made of foam used in live action role play or cosplay.
The event is part of You Are Here, the North Olympic Library System’s 2011 summer reading program for young adults, where teens throughout Clallam County are invited to read and review books.
For more information, phone 360-417-8502.
Cooking demonstration
PORT ANGELES — The first Port Angeles Farmers Market cooking demonstration of the year will be held at The Gateway center, corner of Front and Lincoln streets, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Nash’s Farm chef Karolina Tracz will whip up samples of spinach salad with roasted beet salsa and fish with seasonal herbs.
Other featured vendors at the market will include West Wind Farm, Amie’s Flowers and Herbs, Mystery Bay Seafood and Wild West Seafood.
Recipe cards and samples are available for free.
This is the first of five demonstrations at the Port Angeles Farmers Market from now through November that will highlight fresh food available at the market and offer tips and recipe cards for preparing the greens, grains, fruits, meats, cheeses, herbs and baked goods that local vendors offer.
SEQUIM
Wood art show
SEQUIM — Creations in wood will be featured at the Pacific Northwest Wood Artisans’ annual art show and sale at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The show will include carvings, turnings, intarsia, driftwood and chain saw works.
Many of these items will be available for sale.
Events will include a raffle, a silent auction and woodworking vendors with demonstrations.
Admission and parking are free.
Bridal open house
SEQUIM — The Cutting Garden will host its annual bridal open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Cutting Garden is located at 303 Dahlia Llama Lane on the north side of Woodcock Road just three-fourths of a mile west of Sequim-Dungeness Way.
Several vendors will be available to offer wedding ideas “to help make your wedding uniquely yours.”
Light refreshments will be served.
Attendees also can take a walk in the venue’s gardens.
For more information, visit www.cuttinggarden.com/events, email CuttingGarden@gmail.com or phone Catherine Mix at 360-670-8671.
Book discussion
SEQUIM — The Shipping News by Annie Proulx will be discussed at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 3 p.m. Saturday.
In this novel set among the fisherman of Newfoundland, Canada, Proulx tells the story of Quoyle.
From all outward appearances, Quoyle has gone through his first 36 years of life as a nobody.
He’s not attractive, he’s not brilliant or witty or talented, and he’s not the kind of person who typically assumes the central position in a novel.
But Proulx creates a simple and compelling tale of Quoyle’s psychological and spiritual growth, providing along the way a look at the maritime beauty of what is likely a disappearing way of life.
Multiple copies of the book are available at the Sequim Library and can be requested online at www.nols.org.
Preregistration for this program is not required, and drop-ins are welcome.
For more information about this and other library programs, visit www.nols.org and click on “Events” or contact the library at Sequim@nols.org or 360-683-1161.
Murder at library
SEQUIM — A heinous crime will apparently occur at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 5:30 p.m. today — and amateur sleuths are invited to solve the mystery at the library’s first-ever interactive murder mystery party.
The tongue-in-cheek whodunit begins at a book signing party by a rather unpopular mystery author, Agatha Mystery.
When all the suspects have toasted her — and she has given her scathing response — Agatha Mystery suddenly drops dead between the book stacks.
Who is the guilty party?
A trail of clues will be hidden around the library, and teams will be formed to determine which of the fellow party-goers committed the crime.
Prizes will be awarded to the team of sleuths that successfully catches the killer.
This event is suitable for older teens and adults.
The cast of characters will be played by Sequim Library staff and other volunteers.
Light refreshments and limited library services will be available during the evening.
Preregistration for this program is not required.
For more information about this and other library programs, visit www.nols.org and click on “Events” or contact the library at Sequim@nols.org or 360-683-1161.
Summer pruning
SEQUIM — Christina Pfeiffer will discuss summer pruning at McComb Gardens, 751 McComb Road, at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The seminar is free and open to the public.
Pfeiffer is a horticulture consultant, garden writer and instructor.
She is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist and a member of the Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin editorial board.
She teaches at Edmonds Community College and the University of Washington.
Guild sales set
SEQUIM — The Sequim Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital is selling hundreds of items in its Garage and Plant and Christmas in July sales today through Sunday.
The sale will be held at 81 Timothy Lane from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
Garage sale items include toys, furniture, books, tapes, clothing, home decor, kitchen items, clothing, shoes and more.
Indoor and outdoor plants will also be for sale.
Attendees can find homemade gifts and decorations at the Christmas sale.
Proceeds from the sale will be sent to Seattle Children’s Hospital to compensate for the care given to children in families without sufficient insurance or financial means to pay all or even part of the cost of medical treatments.
For more information, phone Carol Labbe at 360-683-7130.
Genealogy field trip
SEQUIM — The Clallam County Genealogical Society will visit the Seattle Fiske Genealogy Library today.
Carpools will leave at about 8 a.m. from the J.C. Penney parking lot, 651 W. Washington St., in Sequim for the Bainbridge Island ferry.
For more details, phone 360-681-0962.
PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY
Writers host party
PORT TOWNSEND — A celebration and reading for Alchemy of the Word: Writers Talk About Writing, a collection of writing by Goddard faculty from the Masters in Fine Arts in creative writing program, will be held at 7 p.m. today.
The event will be at Building 204 at Fort Worden State Park.
The event is free and open to the public.
No Discovery or Access Pass is required to attend.
For more information, email Erin Fristad at erin.fristad@goddard.edu, phone 360-344-4100 or visit www.goddard.edu.
Writers’ conference
PORT TOWNSEND — Four readings and lectures by authors are scheduled on the final two days of Centrum’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference today and Saturday.
The lectures and readings by prose writers and poets on the faculty are free and are held at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden State Park.
Today at 4 p.m., Paisley Rekdal will talk on “What Did You Know and When Did You Know It?: A Lecture on First Paragraphs.”
At 7:30 p.m., Wendy Call and Gary Copeland Lilley will read excerpts of their work.
On Saturday at 4 p.m., Pam Houston will talk on “Maybe They Are All Unreliable: Narrative Stance and the Slow Delicious Reveal of Understory.”
At 7:30 p.m., Bob Shacochis; Dorianne Laux and Jeannine Hall Gailey will read from their work.
Puffin Cruise Saturday
PORT TOWNSEND — Cruises to see the tufted puffins of Protection Island are scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday as well as July 30 and Aug. 6.
All cruises, which are aboard the Glacier Spirit, depart from Point Hudson Marina and venture close to the island at the mouth of Discovery Bay.
Nesting pairs of tufted puffins are in full breeding plumage and close to Protection Island now, said Anne Murphy, executive director for the marine science center, adding that the center cannot guarantee puffin sightings.
Naturalists provide on-board commentary during the cruises.
Proceeds benefit the center’s educational programs.
Cruises are $55 per person — $50 for members of the center, Burke Museum, Audubon Society or Washington Ornithological Society.
Reservations are required for each trip and may be made by phone at 360-385-5582 or 800-566-3932 or by email at cruises@ptmsc.org.
Information about the center in Fort Worden State Park also is available by phone, by emailing info@ptmsc.org or visiting www.ptmsc.org.
World music event
PORT TOWNSEND — A world music concert with Suzanne Teng and Gilbert Levy and Friends will be held at 7 p.m. today.
The concert will be at the Madrona MindBody Institute at Fort Worden State Park.
Also performing will be singer/songwriters The Aimee’s and storyteller Brian Rohr.
Teng and Levy, who perform world fusion instrumental music, have been described as “sensual and serene” and a “Critics Choice” by Billboard magazine.
Tickets are $15 in advance at Quimper Sound or $18 at the door.
For more information, phone 360-774-2235 or visit www.suzanneteng.com.
‘The Goonies’ set
PORT TOWNSEND — The Friday Night Flicks at the Fort program will show “The Goonies” on Littlefield Green at McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden State Park tonight.
Gates will open at 8:30 p.m., and the movie will begin at around 9:15 p.m.
There is a suggested donation of $5 to help support the movie program.
Released in 1985, “The Goonies” is about a band of children from the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Ore.
Hoping to save their homes from demolition, the kids go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willie, a legendary 17th-century pirate.
These outdoor films are supported by Vintage Hardware, Port Townsend Paper Mill, Port Townsend Hospitality and Frederickson Electric and the Port Townsend Film Festival.
Wildflower hike today
QUILCENE — The Olympic Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society will hike Mount Townsend Trail No. 839 today.
Hikers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Olympic National Forest Service Visitor Center, 295142 U.S. Highway 101, in Quilcene.
Trip organizers believe this will be the peak time for wildflowers along the meadows on the southern slopes of the mountain.
More than 250 vascular plant species have been reported on this trail, including rare and endemic species.
The trail climbs 3,000 feet to the summit in 3.8 miles.
Hikers should bring lunch, sturdy shoes, rain gear and water.
To register or for more information, email Ann Weinmann at aweinmann@cablespeed.com or phone 360-379-0986.
Music, poetry
PORT TOWNSEND — Music and poetry will be presented at noon today during Centrum’s Free Fridays at the Fort.
The special two-hour presentation will begin at noon on the lawn at the Fort Worden Commons, weather permitting.
Mbira dzeMuninga will perform traditional mbira music from the Shona people of Zimbabwe.
Poetry from Michael Schein, Maya Zeller and Gayle Kaune also are planned.
The Free Fridays series offers samplers of Centrum’s summer activities.
Participants bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Local and sustainable food is available.
Two other free noon shows are scheduled: On July 29, Jazz Port Townsend Participant Big Band Showcase will be directed by Clarence Acox, and Aug. 5, Orville Johnson & Friends will perform.
Sponsors of Free Fridays at the Fort are Enclume and the Peninsula Daily News.
Coyle concert set
COYLE — James Hurley will perform acoustic blues-pop and folk music during a Coyle Peninsula Music Series concert Saturday.
The event will be held at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is by donation for the all-ages show.
WEST END
Hoh River Potluck
FORKS — A summertime potluck will be held at the Hoh River Resort & Store, 175443 U.S. Highway 101, from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Parking is available downhill from the resort’s entrance, which is about 16 miles from Forks. Attendees should take the second road and make a left turn.
The public is welcome to attend.
Attendees can bring musical instruments, chairs, children’s games and rain gear.
An auction of donated items will be held at 4 p.m.
Potluck visitors should bring their favorite prepared dish or salads, desserts, veggies, chips and drinks.
For more information or to RSVP, phone 360-374-2414.
Eternal Tribe concert
FORKS — The Eternal Tribe, also known as etribe, will perform for free tonight.
The band will play at 7 p.m. at the Round House at 110 La Push Road.
The concert is hosted by Calvary Chapel Forks.
For more information, phone 360-374-3298 or visit www.calvarychapelforks.org.
Christian movie
FORKS — The Forks First Baptist Church will host a free screening of “The Second Chance” at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The church at 651 S. Forks Ave. offers Christian movies throughout the summer each Saturday.
Rimfire Shoot
FORKS — The West End Sportsmen Club will host the Rimfire Shoot on Saturday.
The shoot will be at 10 a.m. at the club at the end of Sportsmen Club Road.
For information, phone Clint Beyer at 360-640-1497.
