Sequim Irrigation Festival names 2019 pioneers

The Sequim Pioneer Association has selected Barbara and Bruce Fernie as Grand Pioneers for the 2019 Sequim Irrigation Festival. Honorary Pioneers are Ron Newton and Marsha Welch. They will be honored at the annual Pioneer Dinner and Irrigation Festival Grand Parade in May.

Audubon members to host annual photo night

The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W. Henderson Road. The program, moderated by Christine Heliker, sees members sharing their favorite photos and saying a few words about the images, such as identity of the birds, location and time of year.

The program is free and open to the public.

PC welcomes Castro Luna, Washington State Poet Laureate

Claudia Castro Luna, a Seattle-based poet, teacher and Washington State Poet Laureate, will read from her works at 12:35 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, in Peninsula College’s Maier Performance Hall, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.

Castro Luna is the author of the Pushcart-nominated “Killing Marías” and “This City.” She served as Seattle’s Civic Poet from 2015-17 and is the creator of the acclaimed Seattle Poetic Grid. Her non-fiction work appears in several anthologies, including “This Is The Place: Women Writing About Home” (Seal Press).

She is working on a memoir, “Like Water to Drink,” about her experience escaping the civil war in El Salvador.

Her visit is made possible by Humanities Washington. For more about Castro Luna, see www.arts.wa.gov/arts-in-communities/washington-state-poet-laureate.

For more information, contact Dr. Kate Reavey at kreavey@pencol.edu.

SAGA group sets meeting, to elect board

North Olympic Peninsula SAGA (Sexuality And Gender Alliance) hosts a meeting and board election explore the creation of a PFLAG affiliate chapter for Clallam and Jefferson counties from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Port Angeles Library Carver meeting room, 2210 S. Peabody St.

North Olympic Peninsula SAGA is a group formed to explore the formation of a PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays) affiliate chapter to serve the LGBTQ community and their friends and families in Clallam and Jefferson counties. PFLAG was founded in the early 1970s to support and educate families and friends of lesbian and gay individuals. It has since grown to include all LGBTQ individuals, their families, friends and allies.

Participants in the January meeting will elect an interim board to oversee the formal procedures necessary to form a PFLAG chapter, and to take community input on the direction of the organization.

For more information, see www.facebook.com/groups/North OlyPenSAGAA.

Womxn’s Wave set in PT

The third-annual Womxn’s Wave is set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in downtown Port Townsend.

Created for “mobilizing the Olympic Peninsula to stand for dignity, equal rights and justice for all,” the event kicks off at 10 a.m. with music and a pre-rally at the Flagship Mall parking lot, 1121 Water St. An 11 a.m. “wave” down Water Street is set, with a rally and program from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. set at Pope Marine Park, 621 Water St. From 1-2 p.m., hear presentations and take part in community building in the Pope Marine and Cotton Buildings.

All are welcome. For more information, call 360-643-3690 or email to womensmarchpt@gmail.com.

Focus On Series zeros in on raptors

The next Focus on Series session, spotlighting “Raptors” and presented By Ken Wiersema, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W Hendrickson Road.

At each Focus On class, organizers and attendees tell stories and take a deeper look at the behaviors, adaptations, habitats, conservation status and more of some of local creatures.

Cost is $5 for river center members, $10 for non-members.

For more information, call 360-681-4076 or email to rceducation@olympus.net.

Coffee with the mayor

The City of Sequim Coffee with the Mayor program continues in January. City Manager Charlie Bush joins Sequim mayor Dennis Smith at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Black Bear Diner, 1471 E. Washington St.

The mayor will be at a published location each month to listen to anyone who wants to chat, ask questions, express a concern or make a comment about the city or the community. Contact Smith at dsmith@sequimwa.gov for more information.

Grange sets cook-off

Enjoy a soup cook-off with cornbread and Chinese dessert auction at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at the Fairview Grange, 161 Lake Farm Road, Port Angeles. To participate in the cook-off, bring enough soup for 10 people or more. Winner receives a $25 gift card for the winner. Organizers are also seeking contributions of desserts for the auction.

Admission is by donation. Children are welcome to attend.

Call Patti Morris 360-461-9008 for more information.

Hospital Guild’s speaker series open to community

The Sequim Dungeness Hospital Guild hosts the group’s monthly Speaker Series and business meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the conference room of 1st Security Bank, 114 S. Sequim Ave.

The first portion of this meeting is open to the public and features guest speaker Carol Labbe, president of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild, who will share information about fundraising projects and how they support local families with costs related to the Children’s Hospital. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Writer/speaker/activist Dedeke to ‘Testify’ at PC

Peninsula College’s Studium Generale welcomes writer, speaker and activist Shewa Dedeke for her presentation, “I Am Here to Testify Again,” beginning at 12:35 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in the college’s Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.

A year after serving in the Peace Corps Rwanda, Dedeke will reflect on living abroad during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Witnessing consistent violence on the black body through social media, Dedeke worked through her despair by reading James Baldwin, and honors his legacy through testifying,” event organizers say.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Kate Reavey at kreavey@pencol.edu.

County commission to elect officers

The Clallam County Planning Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles. The meeting agenda includes a number of work session items, including: election of officers (chair, vice-chair, the District I commission vacancy, an overview of the commission’s bylaws and a review of the Wireless Communications Facilities policies.

Call 360-417-2277 for more information.

Senior menu set

Sequim Senior Nutrition Site menus are served at 4 p.m. at Suncrest Village Retirement Apartments, 251 S. Fifth Ave. Suggested donation is $5 (60 and over), $8 guest and a 24-hour advance reservation is needed. RSVP (at least 24 hours in advance) to 360-683-8491. Menus are subject to change.

Thursday, Jan. 17: Applesauce, spaghetti and meatballs, green beans, dessert

Friday, Jan. 18: Coleslaw, lemon dill fish, rice pilaf, asparagus, dessert

Monday, Jan. 21: CLOSED (holiday)

Tuesday, Jan. 22: Chili w/baked potato bar, broccoli, dessert

Wednesday, Jan. 23: CLOSED.