Go: Seed Swap, stage shows, and Race for Warmth

1. Garden starts

Start planning your spring garden and find something new at the Venersborg Schoolhouse Seed Swap and Giveaway. Participants can bring local seeds saved from last year’s harvest to swap and share during this community event from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 29. Discover flowers, vegetables, herbs, bulbs and heirloom seeds, with house plants and other garden plants also welcome. For those with no seeds to share, donations to the North County Food Bank are encouraged, or bring a dish for the informal potluck to share. The historic schoolhouse is at 24309 N.E. 209th St., Battle Ground. 360-904-1669 or www.venersborgschoolhouse.com

2. Laughs and stories

Magenta Theater will offer two stage shows for the price of one, thanks to the previous snowy weather. The combined show will start with the Edge, as storytellers contribute tales for the theme friendship, followed by the Magenta Improv Theater and its impromptu comedy. The show begins at 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Magenta Theater, 1108 Main St., Vancouver. Tickets are $10 to $12. 360-635-4358 or www.magentatheater.com

The comedy continues with the Ridgefield Comedy Showdown featuring touring comedians Don Frost and Lonnie Bruhn for a night of stand-up at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Old Liberty Theater, 115 N. Main Ave., Ridgefield. They will be joined by five other comedians from around the country. Tickets are $10. 360-887-7260 or www.oldlibertytheater.com

3. Run with purpose

Fight the chill and the dreary with the second annual Race for Warmth. Try either the 10K run or the 5K walk/run through downtown Vancouver and along the waterfront, starting and ending from the Clark Public Utilities building,1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. There also will be a free kids race to help kick off the festivities, with everything ending in an after-party celebration. All of the proceeds go to the Operation Warm Heart program, which helps limited income families with their electric bills. Day-of-race registration opens at 7 a.m., with the kids run beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the main race starting at 9 a.m. Jan. 29. Registration is $30 to $40. www.raceforwarmth.com

4. New year

The Lan Su Chinese Garden will celebrate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rooster Jan. 28 through Feb. 6. While displays and decorations will be present throughout the two weeks, bigger activities, decorations, lion dances, performances, crafts and demonstrations will be held each weekend. The garden will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 239 N.W. Everett St., Portland. Admission is $9.50, $8.50 for seniors, $7 for students, $28 for a family pass, and free for children 5 and younger. 503-228-8131 or www.lansugarden.org

5. Cultural celebration

Mochitsuki is an annual celebration of the new year and of Japanese culture. The event revolves around the Japanese tradition of pounding rice into sticky cakes called mochi. There also will be cultural demonstrations, musical performances, martial arts, classical dance and cooking classes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 29. New this year is a kimono dressing area, where families can dress in traditional Japanese attire for photos. It all happens at the Smith Memorial Student Union, Portland State University, 1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland. Tickets are $10 to $12, $7 to $9 for students and seniors, $4 to $5 for ages 4 to 12, and free for ages 3 and younger or 88 and older. http://mochipdx.org