Thursday

Stumptown Art Studio will be decorated in festive Mexican style on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 6-9 p.m. during theWhitefish First Thursday Gallery Nights for an art exhibit that will capture the essence and spirit of Dias de los Muertos. Hand-made tissue paper cut-outs from high school art students from around the Flathead Valley will be strung across the room, along with altars created using collage assemblages. Flathead High School art instructor Susan Guthrie has her students create unusual three-dimensional drawings that are viewed with 3-D glasses.

The Purple Pomegranate will feature work by Kalispell fiber artist Ruth Lane during the month of October. As a self-taught fiber artist, the versatility of fiber allows Lane to “play” with a wide variety of materials, including wool, silk, fabrics, yarns and threads. An opening reception for Lane will take place during Whitefish Gallery Nights, Thursday, Oct. 1, from 6-9 p.m. For more information, visit online at www.purplepomegranate.com.

Whitefish artist Rob Akey will exhibit new and recent works at Stephen Isley Jewelers and Gallery with a reception on Thursday, Oct.1, at 6 p.m. during the Whitefish Gallery Nights. Akey will be showing plein air work from the Mission and Flathead valleys, and previewing work from a new series focusing on Native American subjects. Akey teaches painting at Flathead Valley Community College, was voted the Flathead’s Favorite Artist for 2008 and is a 2009 recipient of the Artist-Wilderness-Connection residency in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. More information is available online at www.robakey.com.

Whitefish BodyTalk Center, 211 Central Avenue, in Whitefish, will present ìReiki shareî on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 5:30-7:30 p.m and a free lecture on "What is Reiki?" on Oct. 8 from 7-9 p.m. For more information, call Jaymie Noble at 871-5645.

Friday

The Whitefish High School Homecoming parade will take place on Friday, Oct. 2, beginning at the high school at 4:30 p.m. For more information about the high school’s homecoming activities, visit online at www.wfps.k12.mt.us/wfhs/default.htm.

The Whitefish School District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting in the District Board Room, in the basement of the Whitefish Middle School, on Friday, Oct. 2, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The board will listen to the high school project manager present a recommendation from the high school facility committee and the superintendent.

Montana Public Radio will present its popular award-winning Public Radio International program “Selected Shorts” at the Whitefish Middle School auditorium on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. with a performance of “Funny Fictions.” Actors will include Christina Pickles, Boyd Gaines and Isaiah Sheffer. Tickets are $25 available online at www.griztix.com or at all Montana Coffee Traders shops in the valley. For more information, call 406-325-1565.

Saturday

The Whitefish Fire Department will hold a Fire Prevention Week open house at the downtown fire hall on Baker Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can meet firefighters and paramedics, look at fire engines, ambulances and equipment, and eat hot dogs. Fire and injury prevention information will be made available, along with free blood pressure screenings.

Los Pinguos, a Buenos Aires, Argentinan, band will bring its mixture of Latin rhythms to the O’Shaughnessy on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. The “folk groove band” performs with Spanish guitars, a Cuban Tres, Peruvian cajon (box drum) and harmoninzing vocals. For more on the band, visit online at www.lospinguos.com. Tickets are $20 and $27, all seats reserved, available at the box office. For more information, call 862-5371 or visit online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org.

Stumptown Art Studio hold its second annual fundraising event, Oktoberfish, on Saturday, Oct. 3. from 6-10 p.m. outdoors on Karrow Avenue in Whitefish. Tamarack Brewing Co., of Lakeside, will provide the Biergarten, and Big Fish Radio will provide the entertainment. Tickets are $50 per person, including a souvenir bierstein or wineglass, complimentary beer and wine tasting, and ìdinner by the biteî provided by area restaurants. There will be wine for sale by the case, raffle prizes and a Silent ART Auction. Tickets may be purchased at Stumptown Art Studio or by calling 862-5929. For more information, visit online at www.stumptownartstudio.org or e-mail: info@stumptownartstudio.org.

The Med Spa at Whitefish Plastic Surgery will hold a Pink Bikini Babes and Beefcakes “car wash for the cure” to raise money for the Save A Sister Foundation on Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 4 p.m. The goal is to raise $50,000. A raffle will also be held. To volunteer or donate, call 862-6808.

Montana Mountain Mushers will hold a dog-mushing clinic on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Seeley Lake Trailhead from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The group plans to discuss dogs, training, equipment, nutrition and venues. There will be lots of hands-on work and time for questions. This clinic is a must for those interested in becoming a recreational musher, skijoring or scootering, or racing. Participants are encouraged to bring their wheeled rigs (four-wheelers, dog scooters, bikes or carts) and dogs to the training. The clubís fall meeting will take place at the Seeley Lake Senior Center on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. Deadline for registration is Sept. 30. For information, call 406-881-2909 or 406-677-3141, visit online at montanamountainmushers.com or e-mail adanac@adanacsleds.com.

Headwaters Montana will host a day-long field course titled “Hunters of the Night Sky” on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Course instructor Brian Baxter has been teaching naturalist field courses for years throughout Montana. Participants will learn about hawks, owls, eagles and falcons in a course that includes a class room session and field trip. Classes will take begin at Willow Glen Montesorri School, in Kalispell. Cost for the event is just $25. Space is limited. For more information, call 862-9623.

All Saints Episcopal Church, 2048 Conn Road, will hold a rummage and bake sale on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds will go towards helping the needy and to assist those in the valley who rely on good quality used goods. Father Bradley Wirth will hold the annual blessing of the animals at 4 p.m., commemorating St. Francis Day, which is Oct. 4.

Sunday

Monday

Violence Free Crisis Line will hold a vigil for Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Gateway West Mall on Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. The vigil will celebrate the survivors of domestic violence and commemorate those who have died. Speakers will share information about domestic violence to increase the community’s awareness about this serious problem.Those attending will have an opportunity to speak during the forum part of the evening.

The Glacier Stamp Club will meet on Monday, Oct. 5, in Kalispell at the Flathead County Library basement meeting room beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by a short business meeting at 7 p.m. Plans for the annual stamp show on Oct. 17 and 18 will be discussed.

The Montana Retired Educators Association will hold their state convention in Kalispell on Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 5-6, with meetings at The Museum At Central School. The theme will be the history of education in Montana. The dinner speaker on Monday, Oct. 5, will be Jerry Murphy, a founder of History Is Posh, who will talk about the Flathead Valley. For more information, call 752-0754.

Tuesday

The Whitefish Lake Institute will hold a community forum on Whitefish Lake at The Lodge At Whitefish Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 7-9 p.m. Speakers will include Mike Koopal, the Institute’s executive director, scientists from the Flathead Lake Biological Station and officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Topics will include ecology, trends, threats and on-going research in Whitefish Lake. Questions will be taken from the public.

The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce will hold a city council candidate forum in the city council chambers on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 6-7:30 p.m. The facilitated forum will begin with a talk by Municipal Court Judge Brad Johnson, who’s running unopposed. The facilitator will ask each council candidate two questions, and then the floor will be open for questions from the public.

Glacier National Park will host the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau program “The Large Unknown Animals” on David Thompson and the fauna of the Continental Divide, 1800-1812, with Jack Nisbet, a teacher, naturalist and award-winning writer. Prior to Lewis and Clark, it was Thompson, a Canadian fur trader and surveyor, who made the first accurate map of Mandan villages in 1798, sent voyageurs across the Rocky Mountains into the upper Columbia River drainage, and established a network of trading posts that included Saleesh House in western Montana. The program, part of the Park’s brown bag lunch series, will take place at the Park Headquarters Community Building on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from noon to 1 p.m.

Wednesday

Renovation of the holiday decorations for the city will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Armory and will continue each Wednesday until the job is done. All are welcome and appreciated. Volunteers are asked to wear work clothes and bring pliers or wire cutters if possible.

The Flathead City-County Health Department will offer two vaccine options at its Seasonal Flu Clinic on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. In addition to the walk-in vaccine service, a drive-up vaccine service will accommodate people with special needs. Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk for getting influenza, the department says. Flu shots cost $25 for adults and $15 for children 6 months to 18 years, or on a sliding scale.