Susan Matley portrays Sister Catherine in a living history performance Sunday, Sept. 15, at Fort Walla Walla Museum.

Celebrate La Grande with a party Sept. 5

LA GRANDE — On Thursday, Sept. 5, 5-7 p.m., the community has a chance to celebrate the town at the 29th annual Celebrate La Grande event.

Held at Riverside Park, Celebrate La Grande offers free hot dogs, chips, bottled water and ice cream, as well as activities for kids, nonprofit organization display tables, and music by Standard Deviation.

Kinzie Steele plays Wallowa Lake Lodge

JOSEPH — Kinzie Steele, an impressionist instrumental collective led by Seth Kinzie (piano, Joseph) and Andy Steele (drums, Walla Walla) will perform a new series of songs for their upcoming album, titled “Bright Violet,” joined for the first time by a regional string quartet at Wallowa Lake Lodge on Saturday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m.

The concert will feature four pieces written for piano, drums, guitar, two violins, viola and cello. The string quartet features Oregon East Symphony concertmaster Lisa Robertson on viola, Emily Knudsen and Aidan Wheeler on violin, and Greg Schulberg on cello. Andrew Esquibel will also be sitting in on electric guitar, bass and trumpet.

According to a press release, the compositions are rooted in post-jazz, classical, and rock music, and include themes of peace, conflict, and beauty inspired by Kinzie’s recent studies in Uganda, Malawi, and Ethiopia for his post-graduate work in peacebuilding.

Kinzie and Steele have collaborated since 2016, with a motivation to expand the piano genre outside of its traditional classical settings. Their sophomore album, recorded in Astoria, will be released this coming winter.

Sitar player plans event in Baker City

BAKER CITY — World-renowned sitarist Reshma Srivastava will share her music on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m. at The Lilley, 2245 11th St.

The evening features Gandharva Veda music, a tradition “that creates balance in nature, harmony for the individual, and peace in the world,” according to a press release. Srivastava has more than 30 years of professional performance experience in India, Europe and the USA.

Advance tickets are $15 at www.thelilley.com/events or $20 at the door.

Community choir rehearsals start Sept. 9

BAKER CITY — Baker Community Choir’s first practice for Christmas performances will be Monday, Sept. 9, 7-8:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth St.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for music pickup and registration. The registration fee is $15. Practice is scheduled for 7–8:30 p.m. every Monday. Singers who are high school age and older are welcome. No auditions are required. For more information, call La Vonne Yeoumans at 541-523-2347 or 541-403-0237.

Funk duo cranks up at Maxwell Market

HERMISTON — Tiphony Dames and Robin Barrett will perform blues, funk, rock and more during the Maxwell Market on Thursday, Sept. 5, 4-7 p.m. at the Maxwell Siding Event Center & Pavilion, 145 N. First Place.

In addition to locally grown produce, the farmers market features arts and crafts vendors, beer and food.

For more information, search www.facebook.com/theMaxHermiston. For questions, contact 541-561-1047 or maxwelleventcenter@gmail.com.

Hells Canyon Mule Days is Sept. 6-8

ENTERPRISE — This year’s Hells Canyon Mule Days promises attendees three days of activities, including a parade, concert, cowboy poetry, barrel racing and a Dutch oven cookoff.

Gates open for this year’s Mule Days on Friday, Sept. 6 at 8 a.m. Events take place at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds, the outdoor arena, the Quonset building and the 4-H food booth.

Admission for the full three days is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (60-plus), $3 for children (ages 7-12) and children ages 6 and younger get in free when accompanied by an adult.

A button allows participants to come and go during the three days of Mule Days without paying a separate entry each day.

A full schedule of events can be found at hellscanyonmuledays.com. Here are some highlights:

• Friday, Sept. 6: Free mule clinic at 9 a.m.; cowboy poetry gathering at 7 p.m. at the OK Theater with a suggested donation of $10.
• Saturday, Sept. 7: Free mule clinic at 10 a.m.; parade at 11:45 a.m.; pit barbecue dinner at 5 p.m. ($12 in advance or $15 at the gate); concert by Wylie and the Wild West Band at 7 p.m. at the OK Theater ($30 in advance at eventbrite.com or $35 at the door).
• Sunday, Sept. 8: Cowboy church, 7:30 a.m.

Head to Halfway for two days of music

HALFWAY — Pine Fest, the annual two-day music festival in Halfway, will open the gates for its 11th festival Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 7, at the Pine Valley Fairgrounds. The music starts at 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Gates open an hour before the shows start.

This year’s lineup features Portland-based Terry Robb playing a rare electric set backed by area musicians Luke McKern and Mark Emerson, and Jelly Bread, the get-up-and-dance funk/rock/R&B powerhouse from Reno, will return to the festival for the first time in five years.

Kristen Grainger and True North will make their first appearance at Pine Fest, and Bag of Hammers will be back on the big stage to entertain with their renditions of popular tunes from a range of genres.

Between acts on the big stage, local performers will keep the crowd engaged from the smaller, permanent stage on the fairgrounds.

Tickets and camping reservations are available at www.pinefest.org and can also be purchased at the gate. Tickets are $25 for Friday and $30 for Saturday.

Get your (salt) licks in now

BAKER CITY — Whit Deschner’s unique idea of using salt blocks sculpted by cattle and wildlife to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research is going strong thanks to a partnership with the Baker City Lions Club.

The Great Salt Lick art contest and auction is Saturday, Sept. 21 at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Viewing starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the auction at 6:30 p.m.

Since 2007, the auction has raised about $220,000 to benefit Parkinson’s disease research at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

Everyone is encouraged to submit entries before Sept. 15. The rules still apply: all entries must be salt blocks licked by livestock or wildlife. (Deschner warns that blocks licked by humans will not be permitted and “licks may be subject to DNA testing”) and blocks need to be washed off before entry.

Those who would like a replacement block can take an entry to Oregon Trail Livestock Supply in Baker City or Richland Feed-n-Seed. Otherwise, blocks can be submitted at Churchill School.

Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.

Hermiston library programs continue

HERMISTON — Hermiston Public Library programs will be held at city hall, 180 NE Second St., while the library undergoes renovations for the next year. Storytime is offered every Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Bookminders, the library’s book club, meets Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1:30 p.m. at city hall. This club, for ages 18 and older, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. The September selection is “Blank” by Zibby Owens. A limited number of copies are available at the library.

Celebrate music and makers at Quail Fest

BAKER CITY — Quail Fest is all about local music and makers on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2-9 p.m. at Quail Ridge Golf Course, 2801 Indiana Ave.

The day features music by Wise 1 (2 p.m.), Thunder Pumper (3 p.m.), Add Collard (4 p.m.), Elwood (5:30 p.m.) and Mylo Bybee (7:30 p.m.).

Admission to the festival is $20 in advance at quailridgebakercity.com/quailfest or $25 at the gate. Admission is free for ages 12 and younger.

Tickets gain access to the music, and then attendees can browse the vendor tables. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Creston’s at Quail Ridge.

Brewfest returns to Terminal Gravity Sept. 14

ENTERPRISE — Terminal Gravity’s Middle of Nowhere Brewfest is Saturday, Sept. 14, 2-10 p.m. at the pub, 813 SE School St.

Tickets are $29 in advance through Sept. 13, or $35 at the gate. Tickets are $10 for ages 13-20, and free for those 12 and younger. Purchase tickets online at terminalgravitybrewing.com/brewfest.

Tickets include a commemorative tasting glass, four drink tokens and access to brewfest activities. One token is good for a 7-ounce pour, and two drink tokens are good for a 14-ounce drink. Tokens can be used for beer or the housemade non-alcoholic kombucha.

Music features Glitterfox, Napster Disaster, Bart Budwig and his band, Desperate Electric and Claire Webb. Drink options include Terminal Gravity brews, as well as visiting breweries and cideries. Several food vendors will be onsite, as well.

Keg & Kork rolls out new music series

HERMISTON — Jamie Nasario and Luke Basile will help uncork the new First Thursday Music Series in Hermiston.

The event is Thursday, Sept. 5, 5:30 p.m. at Mainstreet Keg & Kork, 395 E. Main St. The Eastern Oregon natives often perform together, blending Nasario’s soulful voice and bluesy repertoire with Basile’s guitar prowess.

For more information, search www.facebook.com/keg.kork. For questions, call 541-303-1034.

Vintage dirt bike show coming to Barley Brown’s

BAKER CITY — Roll your dirt bikes to Main Street on Friday, Sept. 6, for the Metric Moto 2024, a vintage dirt bike show at Barley Brown’s. The show will be between the pub, 2190 Main St., and the taphouse, 2200 Main St. The event starts at 5 p.m. with food and beer. Then, the Mike Mallory Trio will play from 6-9 p.m. in the taproom.

Contra dance set for Sept. 10

WALLA WALLA — Walla Walla Friends of Acoustic Music kick off the fall season with a contra dance on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 7-9 p.m. at Whitman College’s Reid Center ballroom, 280 Boyer Ave. The evening features live music by Big Joe, and dances will be called and taught by Arielle Cooley and others.

This dance is also sponsored by the Whitman College Contra/Folk Dancing Club. Admission is free, and the public is welcome.

History comes alive at Fort Walla Walla Museum

WALLA WALLA — Fort Walla Walla Museum welcomes the Historic Northwest Garrison to the grounds Sept. 13 and Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect a variety of tool demonstrations, including tin smithing, broom making, and an infantry demonstration with a mountain howitzer.

In other museum news, every Sunday features a living history presentation at 2 p.m. Sept. 8 is the story of Lettice Millican Clark Reynolds, pioneer and community leader, portrayed by Pam Meyers. On Sept. 15, Susan Matley will portray Sister Catherine, superior of St. Vincent’s Academy.

The museum, 755 NE Myra Road, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of October. Admission rates can be found at fwwm.org.

Hospice Hustle is Oct. 5 in John Day

JOHN DAY — Blue Mountain Hospice is organizing the Hospice Hustle, a 5K or one-mile run/walk, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 9 a.m. at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day.

Disco attire is optional. Entry is $30 at the hospice office, 422 W. Main St., or online at bluemountainhospice.org.