Go: Ideas for your weekend — Spring Paddle Festival, Country Life Fair

1. Splash, paddle and go

Alder Creek Kayak’s 23rd annual Spring Paddle Festival offers something for beginning boaters and advanced paddlers. The event will feature more than 100 kayaks, canoes and paddle boards for visitors to try, along with clinics, demonstrations and lake tours offered throughout the day. Learn about choosing the perfect paddle, safety and rescue techniques, local paddling destinations and paddle yoga. The free festival runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 25-26 at Vancouver Lake Park, 6801 N.W. Lower River Road, Vancouver. 503-285-0464 or www.aldercreek.com/spring-paddle-festival

2. Sweet music and treats

An evening of music, film, dance and ice cream is aimed at helping to empower youth through the Derek Rieth Foundation. The evening begins at 5 p.m. April 26 with an ice cream social hosted by Ice Cream Renaissance, followed by performances from the Hough Youth Escola de Samba, Project Bossa and Axe Dide Brazilian dance ensemble, then an introduction by Brian Davis of Pink Martini. “Sweet Dreams,” a documentary about Rwanda’s first all-female drumming troupe that opens the country’s first ice cream shop, will be shown at 7 p.m. The event takes place at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver. Tickets are $20. tinyurl.com/mnndbce

3. High school theater

The start of spring theater season begins with two classic productions.

Ridgefield High School Drama Department brings the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof” to the stage. Tevye, the father of five daughters, is trying to maintain his Jewish traditions, even in the face of his strong-willed daughters. The show begins at 7 p.m. April 24-25 and April 30-May 2 at Ridgefield High School, 2630 S. Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield. Tickets are $7, $5 for students. 360-619-1320 or www.ridge.k12.wa.us/rhs

Prairie High School Drama Club takes Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet,” and mixes the traditional story of teenagers from feuding families who fall in love with a nontraditional setting, staging and costumes. Showtime is at 7 p.m. April 24-25 and April 30-May 2 at Prairie High School, 11311 N.E. 119th St., Vancouver. Tickets are $8, $6 for seniors and students. www.seatyourself.biz/prairiehighschool

4. Mint, lavender and thyme

Pomeroy Farm hosts a celebration of rural life with its Country Life Fair. The fair features its annual herb and plant sale, along with local vendors and demonstrations of artisan skills, from blacksmithing to woodworking. For children, there will be hayrides, candle making and farm animals ready for petting. The fair runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 25-26 at the Pomeroy Farm, 20902 N.E. Lucia Falls Road, Yacolt. Admission is free. www.pomeroyfarm.org

5. Glass, metal and fiber

Five Oregon art guilds showcase their best work and artists during the Gathering of the Guilds. Learn about the Oregon Glass Guild, the Creative Metal Arts Guild, The Guild of Oregon Woodworkers, the Portland Bead Society and the Portland Handweavers Guild. There will be daily demonstrations, stations for creating family crafts and live music from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 24; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 25; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26 at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland. Admission is free. www.facebook.com/gatheringoftheguilds