These are the longest days of the year, and when the weather is stunning, that’s a great thing. Festivals fill the days and nights, along with other family activities and music.
June 7
First Thursdays return to downtown Colfax beginning at 3 p.m. June 7 with live music, vendors and a beer garden.
The Hankers will play beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Spring Street just off Main Street. The band, featuring Keith and Julie Niehenke, plays a variety of country, southern rock and blues.
Vendor sales will begin at 3 p.m., and the beer garden on Spring Street opens at 5 p.m.
June 8
Live music and a variety of microbrews will highlight Red, White & Brewfest from 5 to 9 p.m. June 8 at the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds in Lewiston Orchards.
Wayland and Royal Bliss will play live music through the evening. Attendees will have a chance to sample more than 25 craft beers on tap, as well as hard ciders. Water, soft drinks and food will be available for sale.
The event is for ages 21 and older.
Cost is $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Tickets are available online at www.lewistonbrewfest.com.
The fairgrounds is at 1229 Burrell Ave.
June 8 and 10
Music will accompany the latest show at Washington State University’s planetarium in Pullman June 8 and 10.
“Planets Rock” will begin at 7 p.m. June 8 and 5 p.m. June 10 in the WSU planetarium, Room 231 of Sloan Hall.
The multimedia show will feature flybys of many planets, and the fulldome visual immersion is accompanied by audio immersion, with eclectic music from the ’70s through the 2000s, according to a news release.
Admission is $5 regular price and free for ages 6 and younger. Payment accepted is cash or check only.
June 9
Members of the Genesee Quilt Guild will hold their annual quilt show June 9 at the Genesee Community Center.
A variety of quilts will be on display and tickets may be purchased for a chance to win a quilt in a drawing.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the center, 140 E. Walnut St. Admission is $2.
June 9
The summer’s free Science Saturdays series kicks off with “Seeds, Sticks and Stems” in the University of Idaho Arboretum in Moscow.
The program, which runs from 9:45 to 11 a.m. June 9, will be led by Katie Peterson, of the UI Department of Biological Sciences. She will explain what plants need to grow, and participants will plant seeds to take home and grow.
Attendees will meet at the Red Barn at the south end of the arboretum, and the program is limited to 25 children. Children 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
The arboretum is at 1200 W. Palouse River Drive.
June 9
More than a dozen performers will take the stage June 9 at the Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering at the Lewiston Elks.
Live performances presented by the Columbia Chapter of the International Western Music Association will be from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Dinner will be available for purchase during the break.
Performers will include Lauralee Northcott of Winthrop, Wash.; Lynn Kopelke of Enumclaw, Wash.; Coyote Joe and Little Joe of Milton-Freewater, Ore; Janet Bailey of Talent, Ore; Alan Halvorson of Seattle; Dave McClure of Nespelum, Wash.; Barbara Nelson of Pendleton; A.K. Moss of Canyon City, Ore.; Dave and Jenny Anderson of Utah; Tom Swearingen of Portland; and the Notable Exceptions of Ellensburg.
The admission cost of $10 includes both sessions. The Elks is at 3444 Country Club Drive.
June 10
Pooches can race, compete in agility or just chill in the grass during Paws in the Park, a fundraiser set for 1 to 4 p.m. June 10 in Clarkston. The event, planned for Granite Lake Park, is a fundraiser for the Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter in Lewiston.
Human food and doggie treats will be available for purchase, and dogs of all breeds can compete in races and agility courses.
The park is at 845 Port Way.
June 13
Aerial acts and animals will fill three rings as the Jordan World Circus comes to Whitman County for one show beginning at 5:30 p.m. June 13.
The circus will set up at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds just east of Colfax, along State Route 26.
Cost is $9 to $18, and tickets are available online through eventbrite.com or at the gate.
