1. Hops of the harvest
It’s the other seasonal drink: fresh hop beer, a brew that incorporates freshly harvested hops within 24 hours of being picked from the fields. And the Vancouver Brewfest — Fresh Hop Edition will spend two days highlighting the offerings. The smaller festival will give attendees the chance to meet local brewers and brewing crews, who will be pouring their creations. In addition to beers from Southwest Washington breweries, there will be five imported beers from Germany. The festival is open 4 to 10 p.m. Oct. 7 and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Vancouver Landing Amphitheater, 100 Columbia St., Vancouver. Tickets are $18 to $31, for those 21 and older. Designated drivers are $8 to $10. vancouverbrewfest.com
2. Seasonal terror
The Clark County Scare Grounds will open four haunted houses this weekend, along with new activities, at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield. Visitors can find terror in the revamped “Return to the Asylum,” the nightmarish “Night Terrors,” the witch-cursed “Lost Colony” or the outer space horror of “Area 51.” There will be a Scream Parlor photo booth, Last Ride coffin ride, vendors and face painting. The Scare Grounds are open through Oct. 31, from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays and Oct. 31, and 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 21-22 and 28-29. Tickets are $20 to $22, $15 to $18 for ages 10 and younger, with all four haunts and parking included. scaregroundspdx.com
3. Them apples
Riverside Christian School will hosts its annual Apple Festival featuring homemade apple pie, dumplings and pastries, along with harvest games, a bounce house, pony rides, an apple sling shot, vendors and apples for sale by the pound. Proceeds will benefit the school. The festival runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9 at the school, 463 N. Shepherd Road, Washougal. Admission is free. 360-835-5600 or www.facebook.com/riverside.applefest
4. A mass for peace
The Oregon Repertory Singers will be joined by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for its season opener. The concert highlight is the Portland premiere of “The Armed Man” by Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins. Subtitled “A Mass for Peace,” Jenkins juxtaposes a well-known Renaissance folk song, “L’homme arme,” or “The Armed Man,” against prayers for peace from around the world: the Islamic call to prayer, excerpts from the Bible and the Mahabharata, and works by Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Hiroshima bombing survivor Sankichi Toge. Performances will be 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 8-9 at First United Methodist Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson St., Portland. Tickets are $20 to $40. 503-230-0652 or www.orsingers.org
