Go: Home & Garden Idea Fair, Spring Paddle Festival, March for Babies

1. Grow some inspiration

The 26th annual Clark Public Utilities Home & Garden Idea Fair provides the opportunity for attendees to discover inspiration for the home, yard and garden from local businesses, services and organizations. Highlights include an indoor landscape showcase by the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals, children’s activities, a large plant sale by the Specialty Nursery Association of Clark County, a new KidZone and a mini farmers market. The show runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 28-29 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30 at Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield. Admission is free, with $6 for parking.

2. Grab a paddle

Alder Creek Kayak’s 25th annual Spring Paddle Festival offers something for beginning boaters to advanced paddlers, all at the Vancouver Lake Regional Park, 6801 N.W. Lower River Road, Vancouver. The event will feature more than 100 kayaks, canoes and paddleboards for visitors to try, along with clinics, demonstrations and lake tours offered throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29 and 30. Attendees can learn about choosing the perfect paddle, safety and rescue techniques, local paddling destinations and stand-up paddling. There will also be a fun race for stand-up paddlers at 2 p.m. April 29. Admission is free, parking is $3 for cars. 503-285-0464 or http://aldercreek.com/spring-paddle-festival

3. Ridgefield funny

Comedians Don Frost and Lonnie Bruhn will present Laughing on Last Saturday, a night of stand-up comedy starting at 7:30 p.m. April 29. This show will feature comedian David Crowe as the headliner. Crowe has won both the Seattle and San Francisco Comedy Competitions, and his stand-up has appeared on Showtime, Comedy Central and at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. Catch the comedy at the Old Liberty Theater, 115 N. Main Ave., Ridgefield. Tickets are $15. 360-887-7260 or www.oldlibertytheater.com

4. Walking for a cause

March for Babies is a fundraising walk for the March of Dimes Foundation which features teams raising money to help local, prematurely born babies. The walk is 3.1 miles long. Registration opens at 8 a.m. for the walk, with a start time at 9 a.m. April 29 from Esther Short Park, West Eighth and Columbia streets, Vancouver. Donations encouraged. 971-270-2895 or www.marchforbabies.org

The Oregon Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts Walk MS Vancouver, a fundraising walk to benefit programs and research for those living with multiple sclerosis. Registration opens at 9 a.m. April 30, with the walk beginning at 10 a.m. in Esther Short Park, West Eighth and Columbia streets, Vancouver. Donations encouraged. 503-445-8361 or www.nationalmssociety.org/Get-Involved

5. Big showcase

Society of Washington Artists will host its annual Spring Show at a new venue this year, showcasing the work of state artists at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver. The juried art show and sale highlights a wide variety of different media and disciplines, from oil paintings to encaustic pieces, 3-dimensional work to mixed media. The art show is open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. April 28-29; noon to 3 p.m. April 30. A reception and awards ceremony will be held 4 to 6:30 p.m. April 29. The show includes cash prizes, a silent auction and a public voting for the “People’s Choice Award.” 360-901-9020 or societyofwashingtonartists.com