‘Holiday Boot Camp’ will help you find cheer
Ten-hut!
Do you want to embarrass yourself this holiday season with dry fruitcake, a crooked tree and off-key caroling?
Sir, no sir!!
Sounds like you need to enlist in “Holiday Boot Camp.”
Therein, the drill sergeants at Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Wash., will transform you into a lean, mean merriment machine with their weekly series of classes “aimed to help novices navigate the challenges of holiday entertaining.”
Do not fail to negotiate Dasher, Dancer, Donder or Blitzen, recruit!
The three complimentary sessions start Dec. 3. Report for duty during the Fireside Cellar’s “Happier Hour,” which – oddly enough – runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Jena Sorbera, the lodge’s pastry chef, will reveal recipes and tips for simple holiday desserts.
Here’s tip of my own: Drizzle chocolate sauce on something, anything. Boom! Delicious.
The following Wednesday, they’ll drill you on not eating dessert first when Executive Chef Bobby Moore whips out his recipes and tips for simple, “yet impressive” holiday meals.
That’s a trick I’d like to see.
On Dec. 17, you’ll be offered “a selection of wines that will ‘wow’ guests without ‘breaking the bank.’ ”
Many guests are also thrilled with the liberal use of quotation marks.
Willows Lodge’s wine director, Jeffrey Dorgan, will fully brief you on pairing wine with traditional holiday meals. According to the information I received, Dorgan has been decorated for his work. Maybe you saw the awards show on TV.
Find more information at www.willowslodge.com or (425) 424-3900.
Making Maryhill
Grab your calendar: Delightfully quirky Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Wash., just released its special exhibitions for 2009.
“Hudson River School Sojourn” gets the ball rolling March 15 to July 8.
Two generations of 18th and early 20th century artists were taken by the wild areas and landscapes in New York’s Hudson River Valley and nearby mountains. Thirty-four of these pastoral paintings will be on display.
Overlapping the Hudson River exhibit, the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational invites regional artists to install their large-scale works on Maryhill’s grounds overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. The invitational runs from May 16 through October 4.
Renowned photographer Ansel Adams steps in from July 18 to Sept. 13.
“Ansel Adams: Masterworks” features 47 photographs from “The Master Set.” Adams himself selected the entire collection, which he considered a concise representation of his life’s work.
Next autumn, “The Good Life: From the Collections of Maryhill Museum of Art” shines the light on 30 paintings, drawings and prints, Sept. 26 to Nov. 13.
There’s more to see, of course, and you’ll find an overview at www.maryhillmuseum.org. Or call (509) 773-3733.
Light brigade
On Nov. 29, the Oregon Zoo’s Zoolights display returns for its 21st year.
More than a million bright bulbs light up the grounds, animal silhouettes and moving light sculptures. You could see a baby elephant, unicorns, dinosaurs, a roaring lion and a bunch more at the Portland attraction.
The festival runs through Dec. 28. See what it looks like at www.oregonzoo.org. You can also call (503) 226-1561 for details.
Regional events
•Flake Festival, Dec. 6, Wenatchee. Stroll through historic downtown, hot chocolate in hand, while residents take a “quirky march through town” up to the official lighting of the Christmas tree. ( www.wenatcheevalley.org/800-572-7753)
•Christmas at the Moss Mansion, through Jan. 4, Billings. Sixteen Christmas trees adorn the 1903 mansion. Vote for your favorite in the “People’s Choice Awards” contest. ( www.visitmt.com/406-256-5100)