Forks Washington on the Olympic Peninsula

May is National Bike Month!  That means it's time to get those bikes out of storage and get out riding.  This year, Bike to Work & School Week is May 17-21, 2010, and Bike to Work & School Day is Friday, May 21, 2010.  Even if you haven't ridden your bike in a while, don't worry--you still have plenty of time to prepare to ride to work or school during May 17-21.  It would be awesome to see some locals--especially some of you Forks students--out there riding in recognition of this event. 

When was your last out-of-car experience?

This year's Washington Coast Cleanup is happening April 17, 2010.  It's a chance to roll up your sleeves and try a type of "beach-combing" that frees our beaches of tons of marine debris.  Take our word for it--you'll never think about those disposable plastic water bottles the same way again after spending some time hauling garbage bags full of 'em off the beach!  Last year, nearly 3000 volunteers removed over 64 tons of debris from the coast during the cleanup.  Please consider participating this year--this is the perfect way to do something good for the environment, while spending the day at the beach.  It's especially rewarding seeing young people volunteering and hearing them asking questions about issues such as why we have, literally, tons of marine debris on our ocean beaches and how that affects marine organisms and wilderness ecosystems.  Somehow environmental issues seem a little more "real" when you're hauling a 5-foot-long chunk of Styrofoam off of a pristine wilderness beach . . . .

If you haven't seen this video yet, you're missing out! It's based on a house remix of South Korean pianist/composer Yiruma's River Flows in You, but what got our attention (of course . . .) is the professionally filmed footage of Forks and the West End. Wow! Director Mark Feuerstake clearly knows how to capture that eery forest feeling. We suspect that he--like most of the German visitors we see here in Forks--knows from personal experience what real forests are like. Nicely done!

Things are really heating up here in Forks with the 2010 Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction starting today and continuing tomorrow.  It's all happening at the Bank of America building in Forks--don't miss the action!

The positive and generous spirit of this event is demonstrated by folks like Lori Norvell-Troutman of Plano, Texas.  Although she has no direct connection to Forks, she's pitching in anyway--donating three valuable autographed baseballs, signed by Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose and Yogi Berra.  Wow! Thanks Lori!!

Check out Paige Dickerson's article in the Peninsula Daily News highlighting this donation and providing further information about the auction.

And if you just can't wait to start finding things to bid on, you should see O.C.C.'s contributions to this year's auction from the craftsmen at their Toy Shop.  Or click here to (hopefully . . .) view auction items online as they come up for bid.

UPDATE: $69,000 RAISED THIS YEAR--THANKS!!

Here’s early notice–Stephenie Meyer Day 2010 is slated for September 11-12, 2010, in Forks, WA!!

While this year’s event is still in the organizational stages, based on the overwhelming response at past events, we want to make sure everyone has ample opportunity to be here on Bella’s Birthday this year to celebrate with us.  Now is the time to make lodging reservations in Forks or LaPush for this weekend–the entire area was booked solid last year.  Many fans arrived before the weekend and/or stayed a day or two afterward, to have more time to fully enjoy everything our area has to offer.  Whether you've been to every single Stephenie Meyer Day so far or just want to check out something new, everyone is welcome and the event is always a blast.  See you there!