Blog Posts
- Celebrate History and Architecture with Us April 26, 2024
- April in Albany March 31, 2024
- Spring over to Albany February 28, 2024
- 2024 Photo Contest February 7, 2024
- Love from Albany! January 30, 2024
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Welcome to AVA’s monthly calendar of events. Take a peek and plan your stay-cation or your next visit to our region. The city’s most notable annual events include historic home tours, outdoor summer concerts and movies under the stars, and the Northwest Art and Air Festival.
*Note for event organizers: If you’d like to have your event listed on the AVA calendar, head over to our contact page and submit your event to us.
Sixth Annual Ornament Hunt and Sweepstakes in the Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association announces its annual ornament hunt, encouraging participants to connect with public lands through the spirit of holiday cheer!
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association (WVVA) will launch its sixth annual ornament hunt throughout the region and on non-wilderness trails of the Willamette National Forest and the Umpqua National Forest.
Beginning November 17, 2023, two hundred locally crafted wooden ornaments will be hidden
along non-wilderness trails in the following ranger districts: Detroit, Sweet Home, McKenzie
River and Middle Fork on the Willamette National Forest and Cottage Grove on the Umpqua
National Forest for lucky hikers to find.
This year’s ornaments will feature an agricultural scene that highlights the unique wine-growing
areas or AVAs throughout the Willamette Valley, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the
Willamette Valley AVA designation. Each ornament found includes instructions on how to
register to win the Grand Prize: a two-day getaway to the Willamette Valley.
For the first year ever, WVVA is offering a limited number of additional ornaments that will be
available for purchase at four ranger stations throughout the forest. All proceeds will benefit
Cascade Volunteers — a nonprofit organization that supports trail keepers and trail
maintenance. Learn more at https://cascadevols.org/.
Not only does the Ornament Hunt provide the perfect hiking opportunity, but participants are
also encouraged to go Christmas tree hunting. Be sure to register for a permit before taking
home the perfect tree, straight from the Willamette National Forest. More at
https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/ebd4facc-ec56-11ea-bcba-fa43c1aabce3
Participants venturing into the forest are asked to abide by Take Care Out There and Leave No
Trace Principles. WVVA and the forest service encourage hikers to plan ahead and take a look
at the winter safety tips.
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association website, https://willamettevalley.org/ornament, will
serve as the hub for ornament hunt details and hiking planning tips. It is also where you can
register your ornament to win the grand prize, a weekend getaway to the Willamette Valley. You
can also find trail information and hints throughout December on the following social channels:
@gowillamettevalley and @willametteNF.
WVVA encourages sharing adventures using #FindYourOrnament, #FindYourTrail, #IwonderWV,
#pnwonderland, #willamettenationalforest. The Willamette Valley Visitors Association abides by
Leave No Trace Principles; once the contest closes, all remaining ornaments will be picked up
by U.S. Forest Service professionals.
About Willamette Valley Visitors Association
Willamette Valley Visitors Association (WVVA) is a private, non-profit organization that supports
travel and tourism in the Willamette Valley – Oregon Wine Country.
About the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service is a Federal agency that manages 193 million acres of public lands in
national forests and grasslands.
South Albany Boys Basketball is hosting its annual holiday bazaar in the SAHS Cafeteria, November 25th-26th from 9:00am-4:00pm each day. Come see us and support our 20+ vendors from around the community! We will be having raffle baskets available to be won!
Admission is free, donations are appreciated. Funds go towards RedHawks Boys Basketball.
Join us for the 32nd annual Federweisser German Fall Festival and Barn Dance!
Featuring:
-Federweisser: Cider-like, unfiltered, semi-sweet white-pinot noir.
-Zwiebelkuchen: onion, egg, bacon, swiss cheese, and sour-cream pie.
-Pepper Tree Sausage House on the grill.
-Traditional oompah/ German festival music during the day. (We may change this to modern music by request)
-Live rock and classics Saturday night from local band Shatterproof.
-Showing of the OSU-UofO civil war football match on Friday, with rounds of trivia after the game- winner gets a prize!
-Live Jazz on Sunday by local singer Just Lōnna.
-Roaring fire outside.
-Games available all weekend: board games, card games, strategy, corn-toss and more! (Please bring your games from home as well, hours-long gamers are welcome)
Cover charge is $5 per person, per day, which includes a free tasting for adults 21+. Paid at the door. Anyone wearing lederhosen or dirndl, and kids younger than 15 enter for free!
Come try our delicious cider-like, unfiltered, semi-sweet white-pinot noir Federweisser, alongside the infamous Zwiebelkuchen onion, egg, bacon, swiss cheese and sour-cream pie.
Albany’s own fine meat and sausage producer Pepper Tree Sausage House will be prividing various bavarian style hot dogs and sausages with grilled onions and sourkraut all weekend! Food is CASH-ONLY.
**The Barn Dance is on SATURDAY the 25th, this year.**
The days and hours are:
Friday, Nov. 24th, from Noon-5:00pm (or until the game/trivia ends)
Saturday, Nov. 25th, from noon to 10:00pm. (Or until the band ends)
Sunday Nov. 26th, from noon-6:30pm. Lōnna will be singing from 4:45pm-6:00pm for dinner. (She may sing later for requests/tips)
See you there!
The Annual Festival of Wreaths Auction is a huge fundraiser for the carousel and an event we look forward to all year long!
You’re invited to stay in, curl up with some cocoa – or wine – and do some bidding with the trusted online auction platform, 32 Auctions.
Bidding will begin on November 27th at 9 AM and will close December 3rd at 7 PM.
Items will have pictures and descriptions online for you to browse or you can stop by the carousel Wednesday- Sunday during the auction 11AM – 4PM to view the auction items.
https://www.32auctions.com/FestivalofWreaths2023
Many thanks to this year’s Festival of Wreaths sponsor, Aasum-Dufour Funeral Home. Events like this wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of local businesses and community sponsors.
Hoodoo’s Wintervention is back! Pacific Northwest’s Biggest Snow Series Giveaway presented by Volvo Cars of Bend is coming to a venue near you. Sisters, Redmond, Bend, Eugene, Albany, and now Lebanon get ready!!! Hoodoo’s dumpin’ $100k in prizes this season including lift tickets, gear, skis, boards and more. Play silly games, compete in SnOlympics, take a whack at Winter Trivia and throw down some Snowballers Bingo with us. Help raise scholarship funds for SNOWDAYS! Plus sign up for your chance to win your own pass to the Snowlab where you can design, build and shred your very own skis/board. Cash & prizes & fun for all ages. Hosted by Bi Coastal Albany, Harold the Hodag and his friends Yeti and Sas. It’s free for all ages and a ton of fun for the whole family! Get the deets….go to skihoodoo.com Other event series dates at the same location: 11/28/2023, 1/23/2024
Jackson Street youth services presents live music at Skate Park After Dark with karaoke and youth vigil. The Jackson Street team, youth ambassadors, and staff will be at the skatepark serving up hot food, big smiles, winter resources, and fun activities.
No drugs, no alcohol, no jerks.
Free food, drinks, resources, and clothing for youth.