Join us for all or part of this informal, drop-in, get-together. Any stitchery hobby is welcome: knitting, crochet, spinning, lap quilting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch – even mending.
Join the Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for our Birdfest & Bluegrass 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Cowlitz Ballroom at ilani Casino & Resort, Friday, October 4th, 2019.
A festival that spans downtown Ridgefield and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge with activities on the Lake River, and a trolley to transport you in between.
DOWNTOWN RIDGEFIELD
Bluegrass Picker’s Festival, Bluegrass performances, Birder’s Marketplace, LOTS of family friendly crafts and activities, Audubon live bird shows, vendors, food and MORE!
10-4PM: Birdfest Themed Family Friendly Activities @ Overlook Park Farmer’s Market and Birdfest vendors, scavenger hunt by Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, LOTS of kids crafts, food vendors, bluegrass jamming, and MORE!
10-12PM: Arts & Crafts @ Ridgefield Library
10-5PM: Birder’s Marketplace @ RACC Arts & Crafts galore! Fabulous photographs, garden art, jewelry, wood carving, books, bird supplies, glass, ceramics, and much more. Come learn, explore, and even get a head start on holiday gifts!
10:30-12:30PM: Guided Interpretive Paddle Join experienced Alder Creek Kayak guides and naturalists from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for 2.5 mile paddle on Lake River. Welcome home the fall migration, enjoy music and lunch on the beach! Children free when accompanied by an adult in a double kayak. Click here to register or learn more.
11AM: Wine Garden opens with Windy Hills Winery
12-2PM: Oregon Zoo ZAP @ Overlook Park ZAP Teens will be on hand with some amazing animal skulls and pelts to examine.
12-2PM: Gerardo Calderon, Latin American Musician @ Overlook Park Stage
12PM: Bluegrass Picker’s Festival around town Enjoy bluegrass music with pickers jamming in businesses, outdoor venues, and parks throughout downtown Ridgefield.
Picker Locations:
Outdoor
Overlook Park Davis Park Skate Park On the Trolley Pioneer Street Patio Old Liberty Theater
Indoor
Vinnie’s Pizza RACC The Sportsman’s Hookum Brewery Ridgefield Community Library
12-3:30PM: Bluegrass Performances @ Old Liberty Theater Bands include Sunny South, Whiskey Puppy and Sleepy Eyed Johns. Tickets are $10 and available for pre-sale at Old Liberty Theater/Seasons Coffee. Day-of tickets available at the Old Liberty Theater and the Friends table at Overlook Park. $2 off ticket price if you show your BirdFest & Bluegrass 20th Anniversary button (day-of sales only).
1-2PM: Live Bird Show @ Union Ridge Elementary School Sponsored by Audubon Society of Portland. Meet an owl, a turkey vulture and a raven; learn about their amazing abilities and get close to some of the birds you might see on the Refuge.
1:30-3:30PM: Guided Interpretive Paddle Join experienced Alder Creek Kayak guides and naturalists from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for 2.5 mile paddle on Lake River. Welcome home the fall migration, enjoy music and lunch on the beach! Children free when accompanied by an adult in a double kayak. Click here to register or learn more.
2:15-3:15PM: “Crows: Clever, Curious, and Charismatic” @ Union Ridge Elementary School Loma Pendergraft, a PhD student at University of Washington, will present some fun and interesting facts about crows before discussing some of the research he and his lab have conducted on crow behavior, vocalizations, and capacity to solve novel problems.
2:30-4:30PM: Live Birds on Display @ Davis Park Sponsored by Audubon Society of Portland. Get a close-up look at these magnificent birds of prey and learn about their habitats.
4:30-6:30PM: Big Canoe Paddle on Lake River @ Public Boat Launch Sponsored by Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership Family friendly canoe paddle through the Wildlife Refuge. Participants paddle 14-passenger, 29 foot canoes to experience Lake River from a unique on-water perspective. Click here to register. Registration is required and will open September 14th.
RIDGEFIELD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Visit the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for free during Birdfest. Discover the birds, wildlife, trails and Cathlapotle House; learn about the culture and history of the Ridgefield area; and appreciate the beauty of the natural area just across the river from downtown Ridgefield.
6AM and 5PM: Sandhill Crane Tours @ Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Join expert staff to learn about cranes and wildlife, and to see and hear the magnificent flight of hundreds of sandhill cranes! Meet at the Visitors Contact Station on the River “S” Refuge Unit 15- minutes before the tour time. Pre-registration required at www.ridgefieldfriends.org.
8:30AM: Activities begin @ Carty and River S Units on the Refuge Family friendly birding walk, birding photography, geology walk, Cathlapotle Village Hike, and MORE! For a full schedule and pre-registration see www.ridgefieldfriends.org.
4PM: Chinookan Style Salmon Bake @ Cathlapotle Plankhouse Join the Chinook Indian Nation and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for a blessing of the food, drumming and a taste of the traditionally balked salmon and seafood stew. Spnsored by Columbia Credit Union. While supplies last.
GET YOUR BUTTON ON!
Sport your Birdfest & Bluegrass pride with a unique 20th Anniversary 2019 button – featuring the 2019 bird of the year: the Sandhill Crane. Buttons are available at Ridgefield First Saturday events, participating downtown merchants and during the event.
2019 Bird of the Year: Sandhill Crane
Very tall, long necked and thin legged – from afar they can be mistaken for Great Blue Herons, but upon closer inspection you can quickly notice their light grey coloring, rust colored streaks, and red eye patch. They are also known for their dancing, the elegance of their mating courtship has inspired people in cultures all over the world – including the great scientist, conservationist, and nature writer Aldo Leopold.
The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy –long trachea’s (windpipes) – that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.
Sandhill Cranes do not hunt in open water or hunch their necks the way herons do. They forage for grains and invertebrates in prairies, grasslands and marshes.
Sandhill Cranes form extremely large flocks – into tens of thousands – on their wintering grounds and during migration. They often migrate very high in the sky, which is why we see them less than we see geese or other migrating species.
This is a great space to practice public speaking professionally and personally. Free and open to the public.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.
Join us for all or part of this informal, drop-in, get-together. Any stitchery hobby is welcome: knitting, crochet, spinning, lap quilting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch – even mending.
CHOOSE A SINGLE SIDED OR DOUBLE SIDED SIGN Join us at the beautiful Windy Hills Winery for wine tasting and sign making! These porch signs are a fun and simple way to decorate your porch for fall and winter. We’re offering 6 designs for our 4′ x 11.25″ signs and as seen in the second picture, this adorable scarecrow and who else but…The Grinch, which measures 39″ tall x 11.25″ wide. Who doesn’t love The Grinch? All supplies and hands-on instruction are included in the fee of $49 for single sided signs and $74 for double sided. Please note that the scarecrow/grinch sign cannot be combined with any other design. TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WHEN CHECKING OUT. For those painting double-sided signs, you will have the choice of taking supplies home or joining us again on November 3rd at 1pm to paint with us! We’re looking forward to spending a fun afternoon with you!
This fundraiser allows Citizens for Ridgefield Schools to advocate on behalf of the Ridgefield School District. There will be another bond on the ballot this coming February 2020. An unsuccessful bond will result in the district having to make difficult and drastic decisions to accommodate our kids. Ridgefield School District is expected to grow by 1760 students over the next 5 years. The Ridgefield School District continues to strive to be a premier district, but we need your help to do that.
Please join us on Oct 12th. You can have a fun night out while showing your support for our schools!
Dinner/Auction Fundraiser – “Losing Isn’t An Option” Saturday, October 12 Windy Hills Winery – 1346 S 38th Court $75/person (includes 2 drink tickets) Only 100 seats available / Reserve your seat today
Resilience and Resurgence is the theme for the 2019 Second Sunday Series. As we revitalize the Refuge’s oak woodlands, we turn an eye towards those that have shaped this landscape Since Time Immemorial. As always, our series will highlight issues most closely related to the work we do here at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
May 4-5 – Opening Weekend May 12 – Indigenous Resilience and Resurgence June 9 – Oaksploration July 14 – Tending the Wild with Fire August 11 – Traditional Technologies September 8 – Ancestors and Elders October 12-13 – Closing Weekend
The Plankhouse is also open every Saturday and Sunday May 1st-October 13th, 12 PM-4PM.
This is a great space to practice public speaking professionally and personally. Free and open to the public.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.
Join us for all or part of this informal, drop-in, get-together. Any stitchery hobby is welcome: knitting, crochet, spinning, lap quilting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch – even mending.
Halloween Hall is back! There will be pirates, ghosts, witches, a straw bale maze, Dance Fusion “Thriller” performances plus games and a special contest for those brave enough to enter the Hall.
Halloween Hall is back! There will be pirates, ghosts, witches, a straw bale maze, Dance Fusion “Thriller” performances plus games and a special contest for those brave enough to enter the Hall.
This is a great space to practice public speaking professionally and personally. Free and open to the public.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.
Join us for all or part of this informal, drop-in, get-together. Any stitchery hobby is welcome: knitting, crochet, spinning, lap quilting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch – even mending.
This is a great space to practice public speaking professionally and personally. Free and open to the public.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.
Join us for all or part of this informal, drop-in, get-together. Any stitchery hobby is welcome: knitting, crochet, spinning, lap quilting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch – even mending.
Bands include Sunny South, Whiskey Puppy and Sleepy Eyed Johns. Tickets are $10 and available for pre-sale at Old Liberty Theater/Seasons Coffee. Day-of tickets available at the Old Liberty Theater and the Friends table at Overlook Park. $2 off ticket price if you show your BirdFest & Bluegrass 20th Anniversary button (day-of sales only).
GET YOUR BUTTON ON!
