1. Crab cakes and cabernet
Sample the ocean’s bounty while sipping the expertly fermented fruit of the vine at the Black Pearl on the Columbia’s Seafood and Wine Festival, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 17, 56 S. First St., Washougal. Tickets are $20 per person, and each ticket includes five food tastings. Wine and other alcoholic beverages will be available for sale; proceeds from alcohol sales will benefit Live Love NW, a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing and other services to struggling people. While you’re sipping, sampling and enjoying the spectacular Columbia River view, you can also browse from over 60 vendors and enjoy live music by Jacob Westfall, Rob Rainwater and Amber Sweeney. www.blackpearlonthecolumbia.com
2. Try a little romance
Vintage Books, 6613 E. Mill Plain Blvd., is celebrating Bookstore Romance Day on Aug. 17, with romance novel-inspired activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Share your favorite romantic moments on the in-store Romance Pin-Board, reap the rewards of discounts on selected romance-related items, and enter drawings for romantic gifts. Join the romance book club meeting at 2 p.m. to discuss Annie Darling’s “The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts,” a new romance novel set in a London bookstore. Feeling inspired? Try the “Write a Romance Novel” activity — a group-based novel-writing experience where each writer continues the story anonymously from where the previous contributor ended. 360-694-9519 or www.vintage-books.net
3. Traditions and treasures
A new exhibit featuring the works of Nez Perce artist Kevin Peters will open at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd., at 2 p.m. Aug. 17. “Kevin Peters: Redefining Past and Present,” on display through Feb. 15, showcases Peters’ paintings as well as his handcrafted Nez Perce headdresses, quirts (short whips with braided leather sashes) and other buckskin and rawhide items. The opening reception will include a presentation by the artist as well as the raising of a tipi painted by Peters, in which the public is invited to participate. Visitors will learn about the parts, uses, and historical evolution of the tipi, as well as the indigenous cultures of the Columbia Plateau. go.nps.gov/kevinpeters
4. Beverage bonanza
Thirsty? There’s plenty to drink in downtown Vancouver during the Hough Foundation’s annual Sip & Stroll, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 17, a self-guided sipping and sampling tour of Uptown Village and downtown Vancouver. Parched participants 21 and older can wet their whistles at 33 different locations offering beer, wine, cider, spirits and craft cocktails, as well as enjoy small plates and eats created especially to pair with drinks. Many establishments will also offer live music and sales on bottled beverages to go. Bonus: If you aren’t up to walking the route from end to end, free shuttle service is available all along the Sip & Stroll route. Proceeds from the event benefit the Hough Foundation. www.houghfoundation.org/sip-and-stroll/
