Port Angeles Washington - The Authentic Northwest.

Come treat yourself & yours to a great big helping of that High-energy toe-tapping, good-for-what-ails-you entertainment for the whole family! SNOWGRASS is a bluegrass gala, mid-winter evening of American string band music to benefit the Port Angeles First Step Family Support Center programs. SNOWGRASS 2011 will be held on Saturday, January 29th, at 6:30pm at the Port Angeles High School Auditorium. Doors open at 5:30pm and the show gets started at 6:30pm. This is the 9th year that Snowgrass has been produced and 2011 looks to be a terrific time for the entire family!

This huge fishing competition is for Winter Blackmouth Chinook salmon, and boasts 500 square miles of water, five weigh stations, and a great prize list – including $10,000 and $5,000 top prizes, plus a $1,000 “mystery fish prize” that any submitted fish can win. Great donations are starting to appear, and organizers expect a final list of 40-50 prizes, many in cash. Tickets are limited, so get yours early! This fishing derby, formerly the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby, is part of the NMTA’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series. It is hosted by the Gardiner Salmon Derby Association, a Washington State Nonprofit Corporation supporting local emergency services and other community needs in the Gardiner and Diamond Point areas. Derby president Dan Tatum is excited: “Early signs look promising, and everybody should have a good chance to land some fish, especially with so many good spots to hit.” Despite its size, Tatum expects a smooth event. “We won’t be cleaning and collecting fish, and with five weigh stations we can handle many boats and lots of salmon.” The event’s five launch ramps are at Freshwater Bay, Port Angeles, Sequim, Gardiner, and Port Townsend, and all have weigh stations. The awards ceremony is at 2:00PM Monday the 21st at the Gardiner Boat Ramp. (Note that for legal reasons, some prizes will be distributed by mail shortly after the derby.) Tickets for the event cost $40 for one day or all three days; tickets went on sale during the first week of January, and can be found at many area merchants (see website for details). Advance tickets are also available on-line at www.SwainsInc.com. Tickets will be available at the five launch ramps but ONLY on Saturday 2/19 and ONLY as long as they last. This event uses selective fishery – clipped-fin hatchery fish only. For more information and event rules, visit www.GardinerSalmonDerby.org. And good luck!

The Olympics Mountains were a hot bed of skiing activity in the earliest years of skiing in North America. Similar to the present day, the impetus for skiing came from local enthusiasts who wanted a place to practice the emerging winter sport. Then as now, looking from the shores of the Strait to the snow capped mountains inspired people to get up to the snow. Come listen to Jacilee Wray, Olympic National Park anthropologist, tell the story of early skiing in the Olympic Mountains with historical pictures and first hand accounts from Park archives. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club is hosting the presentation Saturday, January 15 at BarN9ne 229 West First Street in downtown Port Angeles starting at 7 pm. Admission is $5 at the door. All ages are welcome. Proceeds will benefit the Winter Sports Club.