Picking the perfect Halloween costume can come with plenty of pressure.
Imagine how intense it will be selecting the right outfit for your dog. That’s an option — an encouraged option — at the Halloween Happy Hour Fundraiser for DOGPAW, a nonprofit that creates and takes care of off-leash dog parks in Southwest Washington. This canine shindig, which has free admission and is for humans 21 and older, welcomes you to bring your dog, dressed in some sort of costume, to K-9 to Five Doggy Playcare and Spa, 17000 S.E. First St., Vancouver, from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 29. Then, for $10, pose in a picture with the pup, with 50 percent of the proceeds benefiting DOGPAW. Enjoy live music from A Foot Ahead. There will be raffle prizes donated by local sponsors and vendors, and don’t miss the doggy costume contest. One Hope Winery will also be on site with wine tasting and wine sales with 10 percent of those proceeds going to DOGPAW. 888-899-0025 or www.facebook.com/events/142351183050096.
Trick-or-treating is already fun enough, so imagine how much of a blast it would be in the zoo. Search for candy in a scavenger hunt surrounded by exotic animals during Howloween at the Oregon Zoo, 4001 S.W. Canyon Road, Portland. Aimed at kids ages 2 to 12, this gathering combines fun and education. Guides will explain animal habitats and adaptations, while kids collect treats and prizes. Howloween is 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29. The event is free with zoo admission: $9.95; $7.95 for ages 65 and older; and $4.95 for ages 3-11. 503-226-1561 or www.oregonzoo.org/events.
Support local art at Clark County’s Open Studios Fifth Anniversary. Still going strong, this year’s tour features the work of 53 artists from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 11 and 12. In total, 50 studios are participating in the free, self-guided tour. Also, UpFront Band will provide live music, and Trusty Brewery will keep the quaff flowing. Free guidebooks are available before the event at sponsor businesses and at the First Friday preview show, 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 3 at the CAVE, 108 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver. www.ccopenstudios.org.
Portland’s best book-lover festival, Wordstock, returns just in time for the rainy season. Hunker down from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 11 for author interviews, workshops, a book fair, pop-up readings and activities for readers of all ages. Events are at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave., Portland, and venues in and around the South Park Blocks. More than 100 authors will participate, including The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehesi Coates, who won the National Book Award in 2015 and will be discussing his latest book: “We were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy.” Tickets are $15 to $18 and free for ages 17 and younger. https://literary-arts.org/what-we-do/wordstock.
