Go, Ideas for your weekend: Books, Blues, Brews and Broncs

1. Bucking bulls, broncs and sheep

Dust off your boots and cowboy hat for the 45th annual Vancouver Rodeo, running July 2-5 at the Clark County Saddle Club, 10505 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver. The rodeo features more than 400 cowboys and cowgirls as they compete in speed and rough stock events, including barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling and saddle bronc riding starting at 7 p.m. July 2-3, and 1 p.m. July 4-5. Plus, the ever-popular mutton bustin’ event features young sheep riders 8 years old and younger. Breakfast is served each morning from 8 to 11 a.m., and dances take place after the rodeo on July 2 and 3. Tickets are $10 to $25; $8 to $23 for seniors, military members and ages 7 to 12; and free for ages 6 and younger. Parking is $5. 360-896-6654 or www.vancouverrodeo.com

2. Big celebrations in town

The town of Yacolt celebrates its rural community and even its more mythical residents during Rendezvous Days from 9 a.m. to dusk Saturday, June 27. Attendees can start the morning with the annual Bigfoot Fun Run, featuring 5K and 10K routes, starting from Town Hall, 202 W. Cushman St., Yacolt. Day-of registration begins at 8 a.m., and the race starts at 9 a.m. Registration fees are $25 to $30. The race will be followed by a community parade at 11:30 a.m., then a new sand-sculpting contest at 1 p.m. There also will be a free kids village and entertainment, and the annual lawn mower races will kick off at 2 p.m., with a $10 fee to race lawn mowers. The day ends with fireworks at dusk. 360-686-3922 or www.townofyacolt.com or sites.google.com/site/bigfootfunrun

3. Summer reading

Bookfest ’15 is an annual used book sale hosted by the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation. It features more than 15,000 titles for sale, priced at 50 cents to $1, with proceeds benefiting the library’s summer reading program. The sale will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District Headquarters, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver. Admission is free. 360-906-4700 or www.fvrlf.org

4. Blues and brews

Head east for the 22nd annual Gorge Blues and Brews Festival. A celebration of local breweries, food and blues musicians is from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 26. The festival expands the following day with 16 craft brewers, six wineries and 10 blues bands, headlined by Patrick Lamb and the Funkified Band, from noon to 10 p.m. at the Skamania County Fairgrounds, 650 S.W. Rock Creek Drive, Stevenson. Admission for those 21 and older is free for June 26, and $20 for June 27. www.gorgebluesandbrews.com

5. Art by the lake or mountain

More than 40 artists and artisans will showcase their crafts during Arts on the Mountain. At six venues along state Highway 504 to the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center, visitors can meet with a group of local artists from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. The stops are the Silver Lake Grange, Mount St. Helens RV Park, Toutle Lake School, Twosome Art Studio, Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center, and the Science & Learning Center at Coldwater. Admission is free. www.facebook.com/artsofthemountain

The 52nd annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts highlights the multitude of mediums created by Pacific Northwest artists. The special exhibit, “On the Fringe,” features innovative fiber artists and their installation pieces, yarn bombings and fabric sculptures. See artists working in the field, an Open Show with more than 1,000 works, live music, demonstrations, children’s crafts and more. The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 28 at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State St., Lake Oswego, Ore. Admission is free, with a $5 suggested donation. www.lakewood-center.org