Spokane calendar

Today

Apple Blossom 2005 Stamp Show – Presented by the Inland Empire Philatelic Society, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive. Call 326-8000 for more information.

Free home improvement workshops – Offered at Home Depot stores. Workshops this month include: “You Can Use a Finish Nailer,” Sundays at 2 p.m.; “You Can Install Laminate Flooring,” Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; “You Can Lay Ceramic Tile,” Thursdays at 7 p.m.; “You Can Have Fun With Color and Faux,” Fridays at 7 p.m.; “You Can Measure and Install Window Treatments,” Saturdays at 10 a.m.; “You Can Prep and Paint the Interior of Your Home Like a Pro,” Saturdays at 2 p.m. Call (800) 430-3376 or visit www.homedepot.com for more information.

Upcoming

Eighth annual Community Congress on Race Relations – Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Lair-Student Center at Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene. Presenters include Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe, diversity consultants, and Jorge Cherbosque, clinical and industrial psychologist. Lectures are free; lunch is available for $5. Call 623-2050 for more information.

“Palestinian-Israeli Conflict After Arafat,” lecture – Thursday, 7:30 p.m. in the William P. Robinson Teaching Theatre, Weyerhauser Hall, Whitworth College, 300 W. Hawthorne. Presented by Raja Tanas, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Whitworth College. Call 777-3270 for more information.

Sons of Norway April Fools Day Dinner Dance – Friday at the Sons of Norway Lodge, 6710 N. Country Homes Blvd. Happy hour begins at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by dancing. Admission is $8.50 per person. Call 326-9211 for reservations.

Humanist Focus Group meeting – Saturday, 8 a.m. at the Old Country Buffet, 5504 N. Division. Program will be presented by Charlie Mason, geologist; breakfast will be available for $7. Call 448-2516 for more information.

Whitworth Hawaiian Club, Na Pu’uwai o Hawai’i (the Heart of Hawai’i) annual Luau – This year’s theme will be “The Polynesian Islands,” and will include Polynesian food and cultural events and information, Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Whitworth Fieldhouse, 300 W. Hawthorne. Tickets are $15/adults, $8/children ages 6-12, and free to children under the age of 5. Call 777-4233 or e-mail na_puuwai@hotmail.com for more information.

Elks Lodge Inaugural Ball – Saturday, 7 p.m. at the lodge, 2605 N. Robie Road, Spokane Valley. Includes prime rib dinner and dancing. Tickets are $15; call 926-2328 for more information.

Sons of Norway Pancake Breakfast – next Sunday and April 17 at the Sons of Norway Lodge, 6710 N. Country Homes Blvd. All the pancakes you can eat with sausage, eggs, juice and coffee. Admission is $4/adults, $2.50/children. Call 326-9211 for more information.

St. John’s Lutheran Church of Sprague, Wash., 20th annual Sausage Feed – next Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Sprague Community Hall. Includes smoked sausage, mashed potatoes, vegetable, sauerkraut, applesauce and dessert. Admission is $8.50/adults, $4/children ages 6-12, and free to children under the age of 5. Call (509) 257-2806 for more information.

Spokane Parks and Recreation Department Sausage Feed Trip – Sprague, Wash., next Sunday. Along the way to the feast, the group will tour rock formations, scablands in Lincoln County as well as small Washington towns. Meet at Pioneer Park at 11 a.m. Cost is $25, includes meal and transportation. Call 625-6200 to register.

Compass Club luncheon and lecture – April 5 at Prospector’s Bar and Grill, 12611 N. Highway 395. Program will be “Lewis and Clark’s Journey,” presented by Ed Lecter. Doors open at 11 a.m.; lunch will be served for $14 at 11:30 a.m. Reservations must be made by contacting Joyce Colclough at 927-4673.

Oceanography lectures – Two lectures April 5 will be given by Deborah Kelley, Ph.D., associate professor of the School of Oceanography and the astrobiology program at the University of Washington: “Life Within the Endeavour System: One of the Most Extreme Environments on Earth,” 1 p.m., in the Eric Johnston Science Center Auditorium, Room 233 at Whitworth College, 300 W. Hawthorne; and “Discovery of the Lost City Hydrothermal Field: Implications for Life in the Oceans of Our Solar System,” 7 p.m., in the Globe Room at Gonzaga University, 502 E. Boone. For more information, call 777-4210 or 777-3265.

“Contemporary Muslim Thinkers and Islam: Exploring New Ways of Engagement with a Religious Tradition,” lecture – Presented by Carool Kersten, educator, researcher and freelance writer, April 7, 7:30 p.m. in the Robinson Teaching Theater in Weyerhaeuser Hall, Whitworth College, 300 W. Hawthorne. Kersten directs a study-abroad program, teaches history and lectures on Islam at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and is a translator with the Dutch District Courts. For more information, call 777-3253.

Elks Lodge Spaghetti Feed – April 8, 5:30 p.m. at the lodge, 2605 N. Robie Road, Spokane Valley. Call 926-2328 for more information.

Railroad history on bikes – Presented by the Friends of Turnbull, April 9, beginning at the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge, Cheney. Charles Mutscher, Ph.D., Eastern Washington train historian, will lead a tour of the former rail line, which is now the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park, and will present a history on trains in Eastern Washington. Over four miles of the trail covers the north end of the refuge. Class size is limited; call 235-6448 to make reservations.

United Nations Association, Spokane Chapter presentation – April 11, 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4340 W. Fort Wright Drive. Topic will be “The World Water Decade 2005-2015: Water for Life,” presented by Rachel Osborn, director of the Columbia Institute for Water Policy and instructor on water/environment at Gonzaga University. Call 624-3608 for more information.

Jane Jefferson Democrats meeting – April 13, 11:30 a.m. at Old Country Buffet, 5504 N. Division. Political issues and information for all voters. For more information, contact Irene at 535-0171.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Native Forest Restoration,” lecture – Presented by Dennis Martinez, Takelma Intertribal Project representative, April 14, 11:30 a.m. in the Lair-Student Center Auditorium, Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene. Call 533-7370 for more information.

Washington State Quilters, Spokane Chapter meeting – April 14, 1 and 7 p.m. in the Common Room at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, 4000 W. Randolph Road. Guest speaker will be Rita Hutchens. Cost: $7. Call 467-6480 or visit www.geocities.com/wsqspokanechapter for more information.

Community Colleges of Spokane Leadership Development Program – April 15, 11:30 a.m. in the Music/Performing Arts Building Auditorium on the Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive. Presented by Tom Jeannot, professor of philosophy at Gonzaga University. For more information, call 533-8196, 533-7015, 433-7137.

Sons of Norway Tax Rags Dinner and Dance – April 15 at the Sons of Norway Lodge, 6710 N. Country Homes Blvd. Happy hour begins at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by dancing. Tickets are $8.50 per person. Reservations required by calling 326-9211.

Shuttlebirds ninth annual Tatting Workshop – April 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene, 15515 E. 20th Ave. Admission is $35 if registered before April 1; $40 at the door. Call 624-7611 or visit www.shuttlebirds.com for more information.

Plant Identification at Turnbull Wildlife Refuge – Learn to identify the various native plants growing on the refuge in Cheney and the surrounding environment. Classroom and field session will be held April 16, and an all day field investigation will take place on May 21. Admission is $10 for one class, and $15 for both. Registration is required by contacting Ken Swedberg at (509) 235-4979.

Neighborhood meetings – Held by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office to discuss neighborhood problems and terrorism. Call 477-3055 for dates, times and location.

Family identification plan – Presented by COPS Northwest, offers IDs for all children and other family members at risk. ID packets are available at COPS Northwest on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will receive a computer disk copy of their photo and a fingerprint card. A $1 donation is requested to cover costs, but no one is turned away. For more information, call or visit COPS Northwest, 2215 W. Wellesley, Suite D, Shadle Park Mall, on weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 625-3336.