Featured image by StockSnap, via Creative Commons January 3 was J.R.R. Tolkien's 126th birthday. This high fantasy author is best known for his books, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both set in a mystical, magical place called Middle Earth. On January 13, McMenamin's is hosting a "Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!" celebration at … Continue reading There’s a big birthday bash for J.R.R. Tolkien in Portland January 13, and you’re invited

Featured image by Wild Cloud Creative A new reading tree sculpture, with butterflies and insects fluttering among the branches and leaves, will be revealed at an open house at the Children's Library in the Illinois Valley Branch of the Josephine Community Libraries Saturday, January 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at 209 West Palmer in Cave Junction, … Continue reading Children’s Library at Illinois Valley Branch shows off new artwork at open house January 27 in Cave Junction, OR

Featured image by mediamodifier, via Creative Commons Do you have family stories or stories of your own that you would like to preserve in a book? Now you can do it, from start to finish, at a four-week class hosted by the Clark County Genealogical Society. In these interactive two-hour weekly workshops, instructor Bob Ferguson … Continue reading Publish a book from your oral history at four-week class starting January 25 in Vancouver, WA

Featured image by John Hain, via Creative Commons A traveling exhibit focusing on events in 1968, the year Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and how those events shaped American culture, will stop for one day at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, Wednesday, January 17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The Black History 101 Mobile Museum … Continue reading Mobile museum celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy stops at Clark College in Vancouver, WA, January 17

Featured image by menglei, via Creative Commons Hungry for crab? Want to dance to classic rock music while helping the sight and hearing impaired? Then mark your calendar for the Lakewood First Lions Club's Fifth Annual Crab Feed on Saturday, January 27, 6 p.m. at the Sharon McGavick Center at Clover Park Technical College, 4500 … Continue reading Eat crab, dance to support sight and hearing programs January 27 in Lakewood, WA

Featured photo credit: Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce In Leavenworth, Washington, the festive lights shine far beyond the Christmas holiday season. They greet the new year and invite locals and visitors to join in a multitude of winter activities at Bavarian Icefest on January 13 and 14. Play games like Frisbee Sweep, Ice Cube Scramble, and … Continue reading Play in the snow at Bavarian Icefest January 13-14 in Leavenworth, WA

Featured photo: Ice carving at Lake Chelan Winterfest in central Washington (photo by Kristen J. Cox; courtesy Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce) Break that cabin fever with some fun in the snow at the Lake Chelan Winterfest this weekend and next in central Washington. Watch sculptors shape 45,000 pounds of ice into works of art. … Continue reading Ice carving, snowga, music, food and drink, and Tsilly at Lake Chelan Winterfest January 12-21

Featured image from a previous Conconully Snow Dog Super Mush (photo by Tom Reichner, courtesy Okanogan County Tourism Council) It's the largest mushing event in Washington State, and it's returning for its seventeenth season January 26-28 in Conconully. Watch dogsled teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Canada compete for prizes in three classes: 8-Dog … Continue reading Conconully Snow Dog Super Mush January 26-28 in northcentral Washington

Featured image: A human-dog team competes in a previous Methow Valley Doggy Dash. (photo courtesy Okanogan County Tourism Council) The Methow Valley Doggie Dash is a race unlike any other. Every year, dogs and their human companies gather at the Winthrop Town Trailhead in Winthrop, Washington, to compete for the Golden Poodle Award. This year, … Continue reading Methow Valley Doggie Dash returns to Winthrop, WA, February 18

Featured image: Flies (photo by Sarah Labuda, via Creative Commons) Learn the craft of tying your own fishing flies from some of the region's top experts at Clark-Skamania Flyfishers' annual Introduction to Fly Tying class starting Saturday, January 20, 2-6 p.m. The four-week class includes lectures and demonstrations about fly tying, along with hands-on activities … Continue reading Learn fly tying at a class starting January 20 in Vancouver, WA