A&E briefs — May 1, 2019

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Driftwood show set for Saturday

The Peninsula Driftwood Artists host the group’s 50th-annual show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Pioneer Memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St. Admission is free.

The event includes all-day demonstrations of how driftwood art is created, plus a raffle for multiple prizes (raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5).

Unfinished driftwood will be for sale.

See www.peninsuladriftwoodartists.org for more information.

Early bird deadlines for Juan de Fuca fest

Early bird pricing for the 26th annual Juan de Fuca Festival continues though May 1, with a second early bird deadline set for May 24.

Four-day passes are $65 through Wednesday, May 1, with passes increasing to $75 from May 1-24. Passes at the festival gate are $85. One-day festival passes are $30 for Friday or Monday (May 24 or May 27), $40 for Saturday or Sunday (May 25 or May 26); children younger than 12 are free.

Get tickets at Joyful Noise Music Center in Sequim, Port Book and News in Port Angeles or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4068980.

Held at the Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles, the Juan de Fuca Festival is set for May 24-27 and features four stages of various music and entertainment acts, plus a street fair featuring food and artisan booths, an outdoor beer/wine garden and activities for youths.

See www.jffa.org for a full schedule or for more information.

Waltz, two-step classes set

The Strait Wheelers present choreographed waltz and two-step lessons at the Shipley Center, 921 E. Hammond St. Organizers say this class is excellent for beginners and those with experience and will run through the summer. The group meets each Wednesday beginning May 1; from 5-6 p.m. are waltz lessons and from 6-7 p.m. are two-step lessons. The class is open to new students through May 22.

Cost is $2 for center members, $4 for non-members.

Contact Janolyn at 360-670-5547 or janolyn@olypen.com for more information.

St. Petersburg ensemble on PC stage

The final concert in the 2018-2019 Maier Hall Concert Series will be performed by artists who have traveled from the other side of the world to share their unique program with local audiences.

The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble will take the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, May 3, in Maier Performance Hall at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles. The group’s repertoire encompasses various musical periods and styles from ancient Russian chants to chorales of Western and East European masters, to modern contemporary.

Tickets are available from the Peninsula College bookstore at http://bit.ly/2GDud4p, or at the door. General admission is $15. Student admission (with ID) is $5 and season tickets are $50.

For more information, contact Dr. David P. Jones at 360-417-6405 or djones@pencol.edu. For more information about the series, see pencol.edu/cultural-events/concert-series.

Snider featured at Harbor Art Gallery

Harbor Art Gallery, at 114 N. Laurel St. in Port Angeles, celebrates the work of Lance Snider, the gallery’s Artist of the Month for May. Snider will be on hand to meet and talk with visitors during the Second Saturday Art Walk from 5-7:30 p.m. May 11, as well as Thursday, May 16, during gallery hours 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

A nature lover in real life, his art often includes his favorite animals — particularly pachyderms and cephalopods. Though he dabbles in pretty much every medium, charcoal is his favorite, with pen and watercolor a close second.

Comic book artist, journalist sets events

Joe Sacco, comic book artist and journalist, is Peninsula College’s 2019 Writer in Residence and will be the featured guest at multiple events, including keynote speeches and forums through May 2.

From 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, May 1, Sacco visits the Elwha Native Heritage Center, and from 1-2:30 p.m. the same day he appears in the college’s PUB conference room (J-47) at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.

From 12:30-1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, Sacco is the featured speaker at the college’s Studium Generale series at the Little Theatre, also on the PC campus, before appearing later that day (4-5 p.m.) at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend.

The Guardian newspaper describes Sacco as “a Maltese-American comic book artist and journalist whose work is a compelling combination of eyewitness reportage and graphic art storytelling techniques.”

For more information about the Writer in Residence program, contact Rich Riski at rriski@pencol.edu.

Book group to tackle ‘1984’

The Second Saturday Book Discussion Group meets to talk about George Orwell’s classic “1984” at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.

“1984” depicts a gray world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, quashing freedom in a totalitarian world, where news is manufactured according to the authorities’ will and people live by rote.

Copies of the title are available in various formats including regular print, large print, audiobook on CD and downloadable eBook; request them online by visiting the library catalog at www.nols.org. A limited number of copies of each book discussion selection are available at the library the month prior to each meeting.

To participate, simply read the book and attend the discussion; no reservations are needed and drop-ins are welcome. To view a complete list of 2019 Book Discussion Group selections, visit www.nols.org/book-discussion-groups.

Visit www.nols.org, email to discover@nols.org or call 360-683-1161 for more information.