Portland, heaven for beer lovers, will host the 2008 North American Organic Brewers Festival at Overlook Park on June 27 through 29. You'll get more than a chance to sample organic beers the Brewers Festival, you'll also be able to check out sustainability-oriented vendors, live music, and local and organic food. In keeping with the organic nature of the beers it celebrate, the festival will be powered by biodiesel, will compost food waste, and will use biodegradable tasting cups.

American Style magazine recently released the results of their 2008 readers' poll of top arts destinations and several Northwest cities made the list. In the big cities category, Seattle ranked sixth, behind New York, Chicago, DC, San Francisco, and Boston. Portland came in at eleven. Tacoma made the list for mid-sized cities, coming in at number seventeen.

The 2008 Seattle International Film Festival opens May 22 with a showing of "Battle in Seattle" at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. The festival will continue for over 3 weeks, showcasing over 400 films at venues all over this city. Other festival events include competitions and awards, opening and closing night galas, and a range of film forums. Tickets are on sale now and can be obtained at a SIFF box office, by phone, or online.

Bend's Les Schwab Amphitheater is an outdoor riverfront venue in the historic Old Mill District. During the summer, the Amphitheater will host a variety of concerts from popular bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Brooks and Dunn, Modest Mouse, and Beck. You'll also have the opportunity to enjoy free concerts on Sundays, along with your pooch. The 2008 season will kick off with Michael Franti & Spearhead and Built to Spill on May 23. Tickets are on sale now.

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend at The Inn at Port Ludlow, which is located a few miles from the west end of the Hood Canal Bridge. My room was charming, with chairs set in front of a gas fireplace and a small deck overlooking the marina. I enjoyed strolling around the local area, checking out their tiny waterfront park and viewing the boats on the marina. On the drive to The Inn, I spent a lovely couple of hours strolling the shops of downtown Poulsbo. The next day, I visited the shops and galleries of Port Townsend. That evening I had a delicious dinner at The Fireside Restaurant, located right at The Inn at Port Ludlow. It started with one of the freshest, tastiest Ceasar-style salads I've ever been served, followed by grilled pork tenderloin with apple chutney, whipped sweet potatoes, and haricot verts. True to the restaurant's name, I was seated right in front of warming fire. While walking outside one morning, I saw a scene we can all imagine but rarely (if ever!) see in real life - a bald eagle perched atop a totem pole. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a snapshop, but it's a memory I will treasure for a long time.

Why does everyone in the Pacific Northwest get so excited about the annual arrival of Copper River salmon? What exactly is the big deal? This article will help you find out what makes it so rich and tasty. You'll also find a list of recipes and suppliers. Yum.

Northern Idaho's Silver Mountain Resort will open their new Silver Rapids indoor waterpark on May 30, 2008. The new waterpark will offer 42,000 square feet of watery fun, including the Moose Sluice family raft ride, the North Fork Lazy River water trail, and the Cubs Club fun deck for little ones. One of the main attractions at Silver Rapids will be the FlowRider™ Surf Wave, a continuous wave surfing machine that combines the thrills of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding in a safe indoor environment. Silver Mountain guests enjoy year-round recreation, including skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fly-fishing, and a variety of special events and entertainments.

Visitors to Oregon's Sisters region can now take advantage of a new web site promoting the area's travel and recreation opportunities. The Sisters Country web site covers a 20-miles radius around the town of Sisters, including Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch. Not only does the site have information about lodging, events, activities, and dining, it includes information for meeting planners. You'll also find a section devoted to specials and package deals. This web site is produced through a partnership between The Unique Properties and Recreation Group and the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

The McMenamins Hotel Oregon will host the 9th annual UFO Festival on May 16-17, 2008. Fans of UFOs and extraterrestrials will be able to take part in several fun - and funny! - events and also take in some lectures from noted UFO scholars and experts. The fun activites include a UFO costume parade, the alien pet costume contest, and an alien costume ball. A 1-mile fun run, live music, food booths, and a film screening round out the schedule of UFO Festival activities. Sounds like a lot of fun for the whole family.

At Southern Oregon's Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI), you can participate in a wildflower illustration class, bird watching, rafting trips, youth camps, and wildlife and outdoors courses. At SFI, scientists and naturalists share their passion and knowledge with the public through dynamic field courses and other educational programs. The SFI mission is to deepen "people's scientific understanding and intimate connection to the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion by providing educational programs and outdoor experiences to a broad spectrum of the public." Siskiyou Field Institute facilities include the Deer Creek Center at Selma, an 870-acre property that provides convenient access to a variety of flora and fauna, and two salmon-bearing streams, Deer Creek and Squaw Creek.