Try This: Beaver Bash; African Fashion Show PDX; Lilac Days
Beaver fever
Washougal's first Beaver Bash is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Reflection Plaza, 1703 Main St. in downtown Washougal. This is a free community festival to celebrate International Beaver Day through art projects, live music and hands-on activities with beaver experts to broaden attendees' beaver "gnaw-ledge." Visitors will enjoy free merchandise, a raffle and a puppet show. Get temporary tattoos, make a beaver tail and play in a mock stream. After the festival, compete in a beaver trivia contest from 3-5 p.m. at Kascadia Brewing, 3307 Evergreen Way, Suite 301B, Washougal. Learn more about the festival at washougalbeaverbash.my.canva.site.
Pizza, pints and paws
Thirsty Sasquatch, 2110 Main St., Vancouver, will host Pizza and Pups from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, a pet-friendly community event featuring pizza, pints, adoptable dogs from Mutts and Misfits, local pet-focused businesses and prize giveaways. Guests can meet local vendors including Clean Air Lawn Care Vancouver, A Dog's Best Friend, The Civilized Wolf and All Natural Pet Supply while entering raffles for prizes like a year of electric lawn mowing, dog day care, gift cards and pet supplies. RSVP at eventbrite.com.
Cultural celebration
The fifth annual African Fashion Show PDX is 3-7 p.m. Saturday at the Vancouver Innovation Center, 18110 S.E. 34th St. in the Fisher's Landing area of Vancouver. The event is a fundraiser for the Firmina Foundation, raising funds to build schools in Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi, while providing a platform for designers, artists and small businesses. The 2026 showcase features a selection of fashion designers whose work blends traditional African fabrics with modern innovation. The event also features African music, dance, rhythmic storytelling, a vendor marketplace and a light lunch for VIP ticketholders. General admission tickets are $59 and VIP tickets are $99. Get tickets at www.africanfashionshowpdx.com.
Bloomin' beautiful
Lilac Days begin Saturday, when the famous Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Mother's Day at 115 S. Pekin Road, Woodland. Visitors can stroll through the gardens and buy lilacs or other plants, tour Hulda's Farmhouse from 1-4 p.m., see the Barn Museum and buy a souvenir at the Lilac Days Gift Shop. Admission is $10 at the gate. Children 12 years and younger are free with a paying adult. Senior citizen days are April 20, 27 and May 4, when seniors age 62 and above are $5. April 29 is Military Day, offering free admission for military personnel with ID. Only ADA-certified service dogs are allowed in the gardens. Learn more at lilacgardens.com/info/lilac-days/.
Tax trouble
Love Street Playhouse presents the tax-dodging comedy, "Love, Sex and the IRS," playing from Friday to May 10 at 126 Loves Ave., Woodland. The play follows a pair of bumbling bachelors, Jon and Leslie, who try to save money by filing their taxes as husband and wife, but the IRS sends an agent to investigate. Leslie pretends to be Jon's wife, but the plan unravels as Jon's mother comes to meet her son's fiancée. Tickets are $26 at www.lovestreetplayhouse.com or by calling 800-966-8865. Performance dates are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday as well as April 24, 25, 30, May 1, 7, 8 and 9. Matinee showings are Sunday as well as April 26, May 2, 3 and 10.
... And more
For more details about these and other events - like Game Day at the historic Covington House, the Low Waste Chef Workshop and Columbia Play Project's Pancake Play Day - see events.columbian.com.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:19 AM.