BirdFest & Bluegrass, taking place the weekend of October 6-8th, is an annual celebration of the fall migration of the Sandhill Crane. This year’s festival will bring some exciting developments, with new family-friendly events at Overlook Park, expanded hikes and workshops on the Refuge, and a bluegrass picker’s festival throughout town.

Kicking off the weekend on Friday, there will be a screening of ‘Love Thy Nature’ at the Old Liberty Theater. Saturday and Sunday are packed with activities for all ages, all over town, including the always popular Audubon Live Bird Show, raptor displays, craft stations, and more! From bird walks and bird language workshops to sandhill crane tours and a variety of hikes! Kayaking and Big Canoe river trips can be reserved in advance by visiting the website link below. A special offering that makes our BirdFest unique is the sandhill crane tours. Not only do you get to view these unique birds, you get an exclusive opportunity to visit an area of the refuge not usually open to the public. Reservations can be made here. 

The weekend will also include a watercolor workshop, a digital photography workshop, the Birders’ Marketplace, and stick around Sunday for a traditional salmon bake with complimentary samplings. Visitors can also get an early start on holiday shopping.

Lastly, enjoy bluegrass music throughout Ridgefield, with pickers jamming in businesses, venues, and parks around town. Dan Varland, founder/director of Coastal Raptors, professional ornithologist, and amateur entertainer will give a keynote presentation entitled “The Turkey Vulture: Love at Second Sight”, followed by a joint presentation with Tony Starlight, professional entertainer and amateur ornithologist. Dan and Tony will discuss how a tagged turkey vulture brought them together. Their presentation will include some original music, Tony’s discovery of the joys of birding, and some photography and comic commentary on birding.

Purchase your commemorative festival button at the following businesses downtown: Buckets, the Old Liberty Theater, Ridgefield Floral and the Sportsmans. They are $5 each, and may also be purchased at City Hall. This button gets you into several events, and supports the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

For more information and a schedule of events, go here.

Here’s another of the chairs that will be auctioned off at the CHAIR-ity event on Friday, August 11.

This one was painted by Barbara AW Wright.

The menu for the evening is pulled pork with real Hawaiian Seasoning rub; red, white, and blue potato salad with bacon and blue cheese crumbles, honey bourbon RRQ beans, creamy honey and nut coleslaw, Texas homemade BBQ sauce and buns from US bakery. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

There are still a very few spaces left – if you want to be a part of this exciting evening, call me at 360-624-7359 to reserve your space.

My land line has not been connected since the move last Friday, and while I find it very refreshing to be unconnected, I’m starting to feel a little guilty. If you need to reach me in the next few days, please call my cell phone, 360-624-7359.

I have been told that the cell phone does not accept voice mails, so if I don’t answer please send a text.

I’m hoping all systems will be up and running next week.

Did you miss me? I have been gone for almost two weeks: first to a watercolor workshop in Maine, then to Cleveland for a family reunion and my sister’s 80th birthday party.

Don’t believe the things you’ve heard about Cleveland, sometimes called the Mistake on the Lake. We found it to be a jumping place, with gracious yards and substantial buildings. Because they get rain in the summer the gardens flourish and their grass stays green during the summer. In fact there was a gusher while we were there.

As we drove home from the airport I noticed all the weeds along the way, such as the overpass along Pioneer. We could take some lessons from Cleveland!

Now it’s on to my move and getting settled in downtown. My new address is PO Box 381, Ridgefield, WA 98642. Phone numbers stay the same.

Friends of the Library are looking for people to help plan this summer’s big event: The CHAIR-ity dinner and auction on August 12. We need table hosts as well as planners and doers to make this event a success. Ideas are welcome.

Call me at 887-2160 or email kathywinters179@gmail.com if you are interested.

Make a difference in your community – volunteer!

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge will hold its spring celebration with guided walks and other events on Sunday, April 16. The Plankhouse will be open from noon to 4pm. There will be hands-on displays, you can sample stinging nettle tea and enjoy children’s activities throughout the day.

Long time Ridgefield resident Phyllis Michelson died last month, and the celebration of her life service will be this Saturday, 1:00, at the Ridgefield Community United Methodist Church. She was 91 years old. Phyllis was very active in the Ridgefield Garden Club and her church. She was often seen walking downtown using two walking sticks and kept that up well into her 80’s. Phyllis was also one of the faithful waterers of the downtown planters, driving the Garden Club’s tractor. She is survived by her daughter Carey Siegmund, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family suggests memorial donations be made to the church playground fund (1410 South Hillhurst Road) or the Ridgefield library building fund (PO Box 534).

In celebration of Youth Arts Month Teri at Ridgefield Floral & Gifts held a contest for youth to create a “Floral” picture.  There are prizes for different age groups, and the work will be judged next week.

There was a good turnout for this contest, and Teri plans to make this an annual contest to be held during Youth Arts Month. Keep tuned for pictures of the work

Naturally-rich, loamy south Ridgefield soil is where the goodness begins at the Almond’s Produce Farm where all produce is grown naturally. Fresh and robust produce in wide varieties are available from May to October.

This produce farm, owned by Lance & Carolyn Almond, is now offering 10 CSA shares for the 2017 growing season. These weekly baskets of fresh produce are $605 for 1 full share and $325 for a half share for the 20 week season. Tuesday deliveries are available for the Ridgefield and Salmon Creek areas.

The Almond’s onsite farm store will open again Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

Store Hours: Tuesdays and Saturdays 10Aam – 4pm

Location: 16512 NW 61st Ave.,Ridgefield, WA 98642. Phone: (360) 690-5487

You may have noticed the large boulder on the Main Avenue side of Davis Park.

It’s a memorial honoring the members of the Ridgefield Garden Club, past, present and future.

That’s John Maul of Boulder Creek Landscaping and his helper Miller Steinbrenner pouring the concrete to hold the boulder in place.

Eventually there will be a plaque on the face of the stone with the names of the founding members of the Garden Club. The Park was donated to the City by the club after they decided they would not build a club house on the property.

Journey Theater Arts Group presents James and the Giant Peach JR. Based on one of Roald Dahl’s most poignantly quirky stories, James and the Giant Peach JR. is a brand new take on this “masterpeach” of a tale. Featuring a wickedly tuneful score and a witty and charming book, this adventurous musical about courage and self-discovery is destined to be a classic. When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks, and plenty of disagreements along the way.

Performances are through February 26, 2017 at Ridgefield High School, 2630 S Hillhurst, Ridgefield. Tickets are on sale now at journeytheater.org or by calling 360.750.8550. Pre-sale adult tickets are $14. Youth and senior tickets are $10. Groups of 10 or more are $9. There is a “family day” performance on February 18th at 7 p.m. with all tickets $10 in advance. Tickets for all performances will be $4 more at the door.