County planning group to meet

The Clallam County Planning Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

Agenda topics include a briefing regarding a public hearing about interim official zoning controls for recreational marijuana producers, processors and retailers.

Call 417-2277.

SMUG talks operating system

The Strait Macintosh User Group meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave., Sequim.

Bill Wrobel will be showing off some of the new features of iOS 8. This is Apple’s newest operating system for the iPhones and iPads.

The public is welcome.

For more information, call Craig Gottschalk at 775-1250 or see www.straitmac.org.

OMC commissioners to meet

The Olympic Medical Center Board of Commissioners will meet in its regularly scheduled meeting at 12:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Linkletter Hall at Olympic Memorial Hospital, 939 Caroline St., Port Angeles.

Commissioners invite public comment at a community forum beginning at 12:30 p.m. regarding community health needs in preparation of the 2015-2017 Strategic Plan.

Other meeting agenda items include a discussion of design fees and scope of a Port Angeles medical office building.

Coffee with mayor

The City of Sequim Coffee with the Mayor program continues in October. Sequim residents can meet informally with Mayor Candace Pratt at 8:30 a.m. Thursdays, Oct. 2 and Oct. 16, at the Oak Table Cafe, 292 W. Bell St.

The mayor will be at a different 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.

Call Candace Pratt at 582-0114 or e-mail cpratt@sequimwa.gov with questions.

Checkpoints meeting is Oct. 4

The next Stop the Checkpoints meeting will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Museum at the Carnegie, 207 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles. The topic will be “Defending Civil Liberties — Stop the militarization of our borders, towns and schools.”

The public is welcome to attend and participate. For more information, call 452-7534 or see www.stopthecheckpoints.com.

Fire danger downgraded

Sheila Roark Miller, Clallam County fire marshal, announced Sept. 24 that a countywide burn ban has been downgraded to “moderate danger” to take effect immediately.

The lowering of the fire danger will allow recreational fires: a size no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.

Roark Miller reminds residents that burn barrels are illegal in Washington and there is no burning allowed in Urban Growth Areas.

ONP fall cleanup planned

The public is invited to participate in a work party hosted by the Friends of Olympic National Park from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road in Port Angeles.

Projects will include pruning, exotic plant removal, weeding, raking and local trail maintenance around the visitor center.

Some tools will be available, but participants are urged to bring their favorite hand tools and gloves.

For more information, call the Olympic National Park volunteer office at 565-3142.

Blessing of animals Sunday

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave., Sequim, welcomes all furred and feathered friends and their human companions at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, for the annual Blessing of the Animals service by the Rev. Robert Rhoades.

Tatoosh Island is topic

Joanne Pickering will talk about her life on Tatoosh Island at the Clallam County Historical Society’s History Tales lecture series at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, at the First United Methodist Church, 110 E. Seventh St., Port Angeles. Parking and entry to the church’s social hall are on Laurel Street.

History Tales is free and open to the public. Call the office at 452-2662 or e-mail artifact@olypen.com.

Parenting classes offered

First Step Family Support Center is offering free “Make Parenting a Pleasure” classes. The program series is for parents with children ages birth to 3.

Class attendees are provided with tools to help them be successful and patient parents. On-site child care and transportation are provided.

Classes are from 5:30-7:30 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 6, and run for 12 weeks at the First Step Family Support Center, 323 E. Sixth St., Port Angeles.

For more information, call Lauren at 477-2463 or call Amber, at First Step, at 457-8355.

Garden club to meet

The Sequim Prairie Garden Club meets at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, at the clubhouse in Pioneer Memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St., Sequim.

The meeting begins with “Greenhouse 101,” a presentation by Francoise Pearlman about how to select, organize and use a greenhouse. The public is welcome to attend.

A brown bag lunch follows the presentation, with coffee and desserts provided by hostesses Arlene Sawyer, Ginny Burkhardt, Eleanor Garthwaite and Barbara Fitzgerald, and then a business meeting.

The clubhouse is available for rent. Call 808-3434.

Newcomers talk asteroids

The Newcomers’ Club of the Olympic Peninsula will hold its October luncheon on Oct. 7 at The Cedars at Dungeness Legend Room in Sequim. Socializing begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by a buffet lunch.

Aerospace engineer Duane Jensen will give a presentation about asteroids.

RSVP by noon Oct. 3 to 360-504-2522.

Mushroom meeting on tap

The Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society will hold its October meeting from 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road, Gardiner.

The featured presenter is mushroom photographer Taylor Lockwood. His work from around the world has been featured in National Geographic and many other publications.

Members also will be planning for the Fall Mushroom Show on Oct. 18 at the Elk’s Lodge in Sequim.

See olymushrooms.org.

Senior Nutrition menu set

Sequim Senior Nutrition Site menus are served at 4:30 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 to 683-8491.

Menus are subject to change.

Thursday, Oct. 2: Green salad, liver/onions, whipped potatoes, dill carrots, sherbet

Friday, Oct. 3: Coleslaw, sliced tomatoes, fish/chips, garlic bread, cantaloupe

Monday, Oct. 6: Salad, spaghetti, vegetable, garlic bread, dessert by Sinclair Place

Tuesday, Oct. 7: Sliced tomatoes, cantaloupe, barbecued chicken, potato salad, biscuit, apple crisp

Wednesday, Oct. 8: Beet salad, corned beef sandwich, roasted red potatoes, pears.