Cruise-In rolls into Twisp
Cruise-In 2015, hosted by Methow Valley Motorheads, launches tonight (May 20) at Twisp Town Park beginning at 5:30 p.m. The free event features antique and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. For more information, call (509) 341-4255 or (509) 860-1610. Other Cruise-Ins will be held on June 17 at River Bend RV Park near Twisp; July 4 at the Twisp Fourth of July Parade; July 11 at the Twisp Airport Fly-in; July 15 at Mack Lloyd Park in Winthrop; Aug. 19 in Twisp Town Park; Sept. 12 at the Winthrop Vintage Wheels Show; and Sept. 20 in Mack Lloyd Park.
Load up on used books
Book bargains galore will fill the Methow Valley Community Center gym on Saturday (May 23) from 8:30 a.m-12:30 p.m. at a used book sale to benefit the Twisp library. Gently used books may be donated this week in the gym. For more information, call 997-4681.
Community school students’ presentation
Methow Valley Community School in Twisp hosts “Expedition Night,” a student presentation of projects from this school year, on May 27 from 5-7 p.m. The free event is at the school in the Methow Valley Community Center. The theme of the presentation is “Life in a Fire-Dependent Ecology.”
“Every child at our school was affected by last summer’s fires,” said Crystal Bacon, executive director. “Some of them were evacuated for months. Some had nightmares that lasted long after the fires were out, and some refused to drive along routes where remains of the fire were evident.”
The school received a grant from the Methow Valley Fund to support the projects. For more information, call 997-4447.
Flood, fire preparedness
The Okanogan County Department of Emergency Management is holding a public meeting on May 27 about preparedness for the 2015 flood and wildfire season. Topics to be covered include a snowpack update and water predictions and an overview of response capabilities, resources and procedures.
Representatives from Okanogan County Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and the Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand.The meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon in the commissioners’ hearing room in Okanogan.
Learn about ‘Majestic Methow’
The Methow Valley Interpretive Center’s Last Sunday event on May 31 will be a presentation by Natalie Kuehler of the National Forest Foundation, who will talk about “The Majestic Methow: a Treasured Landscape,” a collaboration between the foundation and the U.S. Forest Service to undertake local restoration projects. Kuehler is based at the Forest Service office in Winthrop. The free event begins at 5 p.m. For more information, call 997-4904.
Newhouse staff available
Members of Fourth District Congressman Dan Newhouse’s staff will be available to meet with anyone who needs help with a federal agency or has questions or comments on federal issues during mobile office hours at Omak City Hall, 2 North Ash St., on June 2 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. For more information, call (202) 225-5816.
Diagnostic gardening clinics
Gardening diagnostic clinics are available at the WSU Okanogan County Extension Office, in room 101 of the Okanogan County Courthouse. The clinics are offered for free by the WSU Okanogan County Master Gardener volunteers and will be held every Tuesday through Oct. 9, from 9 a.m.-noon. For more information call (509) 422-7245.
PUD warns of computer scam
The Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) is warning its customers of a computer scam. Some PUD customers have received messages that pop up on their computer, warning them that their browser or PC may have critical security vulnerabilities. The message provides a phone number to call.
This message is not from the PUD, and calling the number will not connect anyone to PUD offices. The PUD would never send an automated pop-up message to customers’ personal computers, officials say.
Anyone receiving this message or other suspicious communications should call the PUD at (509) 422-3310. People can also report suspicious calls or emails to the state Attorney General’s Office at (800) 551-4636 or to the Federal Trade Commission.
American Legion poppy days
The American Legion Auxiliary of Winthrop and Twisp will be distributing handcrafted red poppies on Friday and Saturday (May 22-23) as a tribute to veterans in honor of Memorial Day. Volunteers will be at the Winthrop Evergreen IGA and Hank’s Harvest Foods in Twisp. They will also be available at the Methow Valley Rodeo.
A Memorial Day service will be held at the Sullivan Cemetery in Winthrop at 11 a.m. on Monday (May 25), with coffee and cookies provided by the Sullivan Cemetery Association.
