Hit the university campuses this week, and put your brain to work learning something about important stuff. And head to the park and watch the pups do goofy stuff for treats and a good cause. We all need a little variety.
Oct. 4
Author Kurt Andersen will give a free lecture about the blurring of reality and fantasy in the United States at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Compton Union Building Junior Ballroom on the Pullman campus of Washington State University.
Andersen wrote the bestselling 2017 book, “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.”
He is the author of numerous books and novels and is a former columnist for the New York Times, the New Yorker and Time magazine. In 1986, he co-founded Spy magazine with E. Graydon Carter, and is host of Studio 360, a cultural magazine show produced by Public Radio International. The show won Peabody Awards for broadcast excellence in 2005 and 2013.
His lecture is sponsored by WSU’s Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service.
Oct. 5
Artist Valeria Yost of Clearwater will be the featured artist this month at Clarkston’s Valley Art Center, and a free reception will be 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at the center. Yost paints in acrylics.
The show continues through Oct. 27 at the gallery, 842 Sixth St. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Oct. 6
The 10th annual Mutt Strutt, a chance for canines to show their stuff, will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in Pullman’s Reaney Park.
Organizers are looking for well-behaved doggos to join in the fun and games at this event with all proceeds going to the Pooch Park and the Whitman County Humane Society, both in Pullman. Cost of entry is $10 per dog which includes vouchers for vendor items and two free game tickets.
In addition to the canine competitions, including the ultimate pet trick contest, the event also will feature vendors and demonstrations.
The park is at 690 Reaney Way.
The contest schedule for pups includes: 1:15 p.m. — musical chairs; 1:30 p.m. — best smile; 1:45 p.m. — doggy bob; 2 p.m. — ultimate pet trick; 2:15 p.m. — peanut butter spoons; 2:30 p.m. — treat balancing contest; 3 p.m. — costume contest.
Oct. 6
Chillier weather brings on the annual Clearwater Chili Feed Oct. 6.
The fundraiser event is from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Clearwater Grange Hall along Sally Ann Road. The menu includes chili, cornbread, dessert and beverages, and cost is by donation. A silent auction also will be held.
All proceeds benefit the historic Grange building.
Oct. 8-10
The 2018 Borah Symposium at the University of Idaho in Moscow is Oct. 8-10, and speakers will address this year’s theme of “Pax Technologica,” or “peace through technology.”
Held every year since 1948, the UI event proffers the new ideas of problem solvers for overcoming the obstacles to world peace.
The schedule includes:
7 p.m. Oct. 8 — “War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age,” keynote address by David E. Sanger, national security correspondent and senior writer for the New York Times, International Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
12:30 p.m. Oct. 9 — “Gaming for Peace,” by John Anderson, associate professor and program head of the UI’s Virtual Technology and Design Program, Vandal Ballroom, Pitman Center
7 p.m. Oct. 10 — “The Role Technology is Playing in the Modern World,” closing keynote address by Jane McGonigal, game designer, inventor of SuperBetter and author of “Reality is Broken,” International Ballroom
The symposium honors the legacy of U.S. Sen William Edgar Borah of Idaho (1864-1940) by considering the causes of war and the conditions necessary for peace in an international context, according to the event’s website. Details may be found at uidaho.edu/borah.
Oct. 9
Carnage the Executioner, a hip-hop artist, producer and beat-boxer based in Minneapolis, brings his show to John’s Alley in Moscow Oct. 9.
The musician (born Terrell Woods) takes the stage at 9:30 p.m. and admission is $5. The Moscow date is near the beginning of his Ravenous tour which continues through Dec. 1.
The venue is at 114 E. Sixth St.
