Save the Date: Wintry weekend offers chance to plan eventful month

Dream about upcoming events this month and next, as cold weather encases this weekend, prompting cancellations of several previously scheduled outdoors and indoors events in Clark County.

You can even make plans on expanding your library with Bookapalooza, starting on Thursday. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 12 through Jan. 14, dive through thousands of used books to benefit the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation. It all takes place at the FVRL District Headquarters, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver. 360-906-4700 or www.fvrlfoundation.org

Vietnamese Community of Clark County will host its annual Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival, the group’s its biggest cultural event of the year. The festival, also known as Tet, will celebrate the new year of the Rooster with music, performances from local and professional artists, traditional dances, children’s activities, Vietnamese food and more, all open to the public. The festivities begin at 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School, 2921 Falk Road, Vancouver. Admission is free. 360-882-7411 or www.vnccc.org

Union Theatre Players will give the classic tale “The Wizard of Oz” a steampunk twist for its winter production. A girl named Dorothy is transported to the land of Oz. To find her way home, she needs the help of the Wizard of Oz and the support of her new companions, the Tinman, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Jan. 13-14 and 19-21, and 2 p.m. Jan. 14 at Union High School, 6201 N.W. Friberg-Strunk St., Camas. Tickets are $10 and $7 for students and seniors. 360-604-6250 or www.evergreenps.org/High-Schools/Union

Join WSU Vancouver for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, with workshops, kids’ activities and a keynote address by Cameron Whitten, executive director of Know Your City, at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 16. The day’s events will focus on the theme “Organizing for Social Change.” Workshop topics include community organizing, activism on college campuses, the radical act of self-care and how to make change in your school. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Donations of hygiene, nonperishable food items and school supplies are encouraged to benefit to Martha’s Pantry and the YWCA Clark County. The day runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at WSU Vancouver, Firstenburg Student Commons, 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver. Admission is free. 360-546-9182 or https://events.vancouver.wsu.edu/martin-luther-king-jr-day-service

Author Mitchell Jackson of “The Residue Years” will talk about his work for the Columbia Writers Series at 11 a.m. Jan. 17. Winner of the Whiting Award, Jackson is a Portland native. His debut novel follows a black family in Portland, as the mother and son struggle to maintain their relationship in the face of hard realities. The event will be held in the Penguin Union Building, Room 258A-B, Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Admission is free. www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/cws

Plan for a local Valentine’s Day Weekend with the Wine and Chocolate Tour as participating Southwest Washington wineries offer up bites from different chocolatiers with their wines. Hosted by the Southwest Washington Winery Association, visitors 21 and older can sample the emerging wine region, meet the winemakers and more on this self-guided tour. The wineries will be open noon to 6 p.m. Feb. 11 and 12 at various venues. For complete list of participating wineries in Clark County and tasting fees, visit www.swwawine.com

Tickets for the Sweetheart Hanger Dance are now on sale. Friends of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site host the themed dance, reminiscent of USO dances during the 1940s, from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 11 in the historic hanger at Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. Fifth St., Vancouver. There will be live music by the VanPort Jazz Band, light refreshments and a no-host bar. Period dress is encouraged. Tickets are $20 to $25. 360-816-6230 or www.friendsfortvancouver.org