Grange potluck
The Twisp Valley Grange hosts its monthly “Farmer Community Potlucks for a Purpose” on Wednesday (Sept. 27). The free event starts at 5:30 p.m. The topic is “Winterizing Your Garden.” Okanogan County Master Gardeners will present a research-based panel discussion on how to manage your garden at the end of the season to make it healthier and more productive for the next growing year. Bring food and non-alcoholic drinks to share. Plates and utensils will be provided.
Boy Scout troop forming
Interested in Boy Scouts? Parents are invited to come for an initial organizational meeting for a new, all-boy troop for the Methow Valley on Wednesday (Sept. 27), from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Winthrop library. For information, email ps@polsons.com.
Building Science meets
Methow Valley Building Science hosts Ian Nimmo, a product consultant for the high-performance building supply company 475, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 28), in the Liberty Bell High School library. Nimmo will give a presentation on ways to effectively eliminate closed-cell foam — which has a very large carbon footprint — from construction practices. The group is a discussion forum for builders and architects/designers interested in energy efficiency and sustainability. For information, email margo@pbwarchitects.com.
School Retirees Association
The Okanogan County School Retirees Association will hold a $5 soup-and-sandwich lunch and general meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 29), at Community Presbyterian Church of Omak, 9 Birch St. S., Omak. Carol Payne of Omak will demonstrate an art docent lesson. For information, call (509) 322-5788.
Hydrology of the Methow
The Methow Conservancy’s First Tuesday (Oct. 3) presentation will be “Rural Changes — Hydrology,” with U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Chris Konrad, at the Twisp River Tap House beginning at 7 p.m. An update on the “State of the Methow” by Conservancy Senior Ecologist Julie Grialou will be followed by Konrad’s discussion about how rocks store water and how that water is connected to people and rivers in the Methow Valley. The event is free and open to the public. More information is available at https://methowconservancy.org/news/category/events.
Parenting teens workshop
Room One presents a free workshop on parenting teens on Tuesday, Oct. 3, from 5-6:30 p.m. at the YourSpace building on the TwispWorks campus. The interactive workshop will share interview data from over 50 community members including parents, teens and professionals on the kinds of needs we have and resources we want in our valley. Food and drinks will be provided. Child care and Spanish translation available. To RSVP and for more information, email dea@roomone.org.
Housing Trust update
The Methow Housing Trust will offer an update on its projects, hosted by Methow At Home, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from noon-1 p.m. at the Winthrop library. Register for the free event at methowathome.org.
Homestream celebration
This year’s “Coming Home Celebration” at Homestream Park in Winthrop will be on Sunday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The event, which honors the returning salmon, will include food, music, stories and updates on the park’s future. For information, visit http://homestreampark.com.
According to its website, Homestream Park, which opened in 2019, “is dedicated to the rivers and fish of the Methow Valley, and to the native people, past and present, who have called this place home for thousands of years.” It includes a trail with benches along the river, sculptures by Smoker Marchand, a tipi, and a public gathering area with shelters, picnic tables, interpretive signs, and a kid’s lookout topped with wood carved osprey by Bruce Morrison. The land is being restored to its natural riparian and floodplain condition.
Aging well workshops
Cascadia Music and Methow At Home are offering a community conversation about aging well together, “Grace, Grief and Gratitude,” on Oct. 13-15 at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp. The sessions are facilitated by Marie Eaton and Geof Morgan, writers, musicians and educators from Bellingham. Included are:
• On Friday, Oct. 13, a writing workshop from 1-3 p.m. Cost is $25; student tickets free.
• On Saturday, Oct. 14, a concert from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door; student tickets are free.
• On Sunday, Oct. 15, a free poetry reading from 4-5:30 p.m.
For more information and to register for any or all sessions, visit at methowathome.org.
Classroom in Bloom market
Classroom in Bloom hosts its Student Led Farmers Market and Veggie Sale on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m.-noon, featuring fresh, student grown produce, flowers and seeds. The free event is at the classroom garden on the Methow Valley School District campus. For information, visit www.classroominbloom.org.
Give Methow open houses
Give Methow, the annual fundraiser to support local nonprofits, begins in October, and this year participating organizations are trying something different: a series of “mini-events” to highlight the Funday Monday matching funds days.
On each Monday in October, the Community Foundation of North Central Washington supports Funday Mondays, when all the donor names from that Monday will be put in a hat and the winner will get an extra $1,000 to put toward the Give Methow nonprofit(s) of their choice.
This year, each Monday one Methow Valley nonprofit will host an open house designed to help introduce you to the work of a few of the valley’s organizations. Stop by and ask questions and gather materials about all the good work being done in the Methow. There will be free Blue Star Coffee and baked goods.
The schedule:
• Monday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-noon, at Winthrop library conference room, Friends of the Winthrop Library, Methow Valley Nordic, Home Range Wildlife Research, Winthrop Rink, Methow Recycles, Mazama Community Club, Friends of the Pool.
• Monday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m.-noon, at Methow Valley Interpretive Center, Twisp, Methow Valley Interpretive Center, Methow Watershed Foundation, Methow Beaver Project, Methow Conservancy, Methow Families, Methow Arts, Methow Valley Citizens Council, Classroom in Bloom.
• Monday, Oct. 16, 11 a.m.-noon, at Jamie’s Place, Winthrop, Jamie’s Place, Little Star School, Methow Housing Trust, Northwest Outward Bound School, Methow Valley Riding Unlimited, Methow at Home.
• Monday, Oct. 23, noon-1 p.m., at Twisp Valley Grange, Twisp Valley Grange, The Cove, Cascadia Music, Kiwanis, Blue Sky Minds, Free Masons, Methow Valley Riding Unlimited, Methow Valley Community Center.
• Monday, Oct. 30, 11 a.m.-noon, at Methow Trails, Winthrop, Methow Trails, Methow Valley Trails Collaborative, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Winthrop Rink, Methow Recycles, Methow Valley Nordic, Friends of the Pool, Methow Cycling Team Education Association.
PTA affiliation meeting
After a successful year of volunteering at Methow Valley Elementary School, the new PTA style group, the Family and Teachers Association of the Methow Valley, has voted to become a formal branch of the Washington State PTA. Join representatives from the state PTA in a formal affiliation meeting on Friday, Oct. 6, at 6 pm., at the Winthrop library. All are welcome. Contact information: ftamve@gmail.com
Room One block party
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Room One in Twisp will host a free community block party on Friday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Food from Lal’s Fork, Lonchera Yucatan and treats from Orchard House Donuts and Blue Star Coffee will be available until they run out. Local band Living Room will perform. Little Star School and the Twisp library will be offering activities for kids, and there will be a sneak peek at the new Room One community services building. The Methow Valley Interpretive Center and Twispworks campus will be open. Lincoln Street will be closed to traffic between Fourth and Fifth avenues.
Harvest Fest in Twisp
Methow Recycles and the Twisp Valley Grange will host a Harvest Fest at the grange on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 1-4 p.m.
The fundraising event will include activities and demonstrations on upcycled crafts, Halloween costumes, composting and vermiculture, as well as workshops on beekeeping, poultry processing, food preservation, fermentation, and bread and pie making. The event is free; food will be available for purchase including barbecue and a dessert fundraiser, with proceeds going to the grange. No dogs, please. Visit methowrecycles.org for more information.
Lamprey lore
Methow At Home offers the free presentation, “Pacific Lamprey — Ancient Fish of the Methow,” with a aquatic geologist John Crandall, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 4-5 p.m. at the Winthrop library. Register at methowathome.org.
Astrophotography classes
The Methow Dark Sky Coalition is hosting a series of astrophotography classes that will be taught by valley residents Jack McLeod, a retired science teacher, author and photographer, and Don Rudolph, an amateur astronomer and photographer who uses sophisticated equipment to take pictures of deep space. The classes, at various locations and times, are on Sept. 28, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. For registration information, email info@methowdarksky.org.
Soil, nutrition and sustainable farming
Friends of the Winthrop Library (FOWL) and Bluebird Grain Farms will host a free discussion with “What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health” authors David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle at the library on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 6-8:30 p.m. Dig in for a discussion about the connection between soil, nutrition and sustainable farming. For more information and to register, visit www.winthroplibraryfriends.org/events. A Zoom option will be available. Email FOWL98862@gmail.com with name and number attendees to register for a link for Zoom access.
Help with home sharing
Methow At Home will host a free discussion about overcoming barriers to home sharing, with facilitator Anna Marie Pluhar, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at Twisp Wellspring in the Methow Valley Community Center, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. To register, visits methowathome.org.
Peer support group
Room One in Twisp hosts a drop-in group for people who struggle with substance and alcohol use. The group is for people at any point in their journey with addiction. The drop-in group will meet Mondays at 5:30-7 p.m. Food will be provided and child care can be arranged with notice. RSVP encouraged, call or text the confidential line managed by Room One’s Peer Support Specialists, (509) 978-9337 or email Ronda Smeltzer at ronda@roomone.org.
Soroptimist grants
Applications are now open for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women. Empowerment, education and dreams can all become a reality for women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to continue their education. Soroptimist International of Okanogan Valley will award $1,500 to two women. The top recipient will then advance to other levels of the organization where they may receive up to $16,000 in additional cash grants. Eligibility requirements and applications are available at https://www.soroptimist.org/lyda-apply. The application deadline is Nov. 15.
Recipients, many of whom have faced obstacles such as poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction, may use the Live Your Dream Award to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training, including tuition, books, child care, transportation, or other expenses.
