Try This: Apples aplenty

You can expect to find a lot more than Fuji and Red Delicious at the seventh-annual Apple Festival. Visitors can sample more than 200 different apple varieties, and speakers will demonstrate methods to grow your own orchard along with ideas for the best apple-preserving practices. There will be cider and apple pie making, and the Home Orchard Society will be identifying apples from home orchards.

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.

Where: Heritage Farm, 1919 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver.

Admission: Free; $5 for apple tasting, free for children.

Web: friendlyhaven.com/applefest

The apple festival is one of many options for getting out and about this weekend.

2. Homestead roots

Homestead Day encourages visitors to pick up a few new skills from the old-school ways. Activities include preserving pickles, raising chickens, creating soap from scratch, spinning wool, and making bread and jam. The event is hosted by the Venersborg Community Club.

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Historic Venersborg Schoolhouse, 24309 N.E. 209th St., Battle Ground.

Admission: Free.

Telephone: 360-666-4829.

Web: venersborg.blogspot.com

3. STEM and sturgeon

The annual Sturgeon Festival will be part of the overarching STEM Fest events. Children can learn about the importance of the Columbia River ecosystem and the sturgeon native to the river through hands-on activities. There will be a live reptile show at 10:30 a.m., a fish dissection at noon and a performance by Eartha the Ecological Clown at 1:30 p.m.When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

Where: Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver.

Admission:Free.

Telephone:360-487-7111.

Web:www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/sturgeon-festival

The STEM Expo features many organizations and businesses showing the power and fun of what science, technology, engineering and math can do in the real world. Visitors are encouraged to try a variety of hands-on activities and demonstrations, and talk with industry experts.

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

Where: Clark College, Gaiser Hall, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.

Admission: Free.

Web: stem-fest.com

4. For garlic and tomato lovers

The Garlic Festival at Northwest Organic Farms will feature 20 varieties of tomatoes and 10 varieties of garlic presented by Washington State University Master Gardeners. Visitors can taste various produce, purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. There will be children’s activities and performances by Another Shade of Bluegrass.

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Where: Northwest Organic Farms, 17713 N.W. 61st Ave., Ridgefield.

Admission: Free.

Telephone: 360-573-4868.

Web: northwestorganicfarms.com

5. ‘Prisoners’ marks beginning of fall movie season

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces his worst nightmare when his young daughter and her friend go missing. With the appearance of a suspicious RV in the neighborhood being the only lead, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads the investigation into Alex Jones (Paul Dano), the RV’s driver, but there is a lack of any hard evidence to the girls’ disappearance. Dover has no choice but to take matters into his own hands as the pressure mounts to find his daughter. Rated R.

Where: Battle Ground Cinema, 1700 S.W. Ninth Ave., Battle Ground; Cinetopia Mill Plain, 11700 S.E. Seventh St.; Cinetopia Vancouver Mall 23, 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive; various Regal Cinema locations.

Cost: Varies by location.

Telephone: Battle Ground Cinema, 360-666-7200;Cinetopia, 360-213-2800; Cinetopia Vancouver Mall 23, 360-448-4100; Regal Cinemas, 800-326-3264.

Web: battlegroundcinema.com, cinetopia.com, regmovies.com