WEDNESDAY AFTER SCHOOL SWIM• Port Townsend students swim at Mountain View Pool on early release Wednesdays. $50/mo., $25 if enrolled in childcare. Financial assistance available. (360) 385-5811.

YMCA: Adults

AQUATIC WELLNESS CLASSES • Classes to suit any level of fitness at Mountain View Pool, $6 per drop-in; $102 for 20-class punchcard ($5.10 for each class). DEEP WATER AEROBICS, 7-8 a.m. Mon-Fri. BAM! BALANCE & MOVEMENT THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE, 9-10 a.m., T/Th. (360) 385-5811.

EXERCISE AND THRIVE• This 12-week program, designed by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, focuses on the health needs of cancer survivors, including exercise, nutrition and cancer support group. Attendees must be 21-plus years old and 90-plus days out of treatment with doctor approval. New class starting February at Jefferson Healthcare. Instructors: Barbara Vane and Erica Dirksen. Cost: $150, financial assistance available. (360) 385-5811.

PRE/POSTNATAL EXERCISE• Learn safe exercises from strength training to stretching. "Healthy for 2" that will help new and expecting mothers stay healthy through exercise and free cooking and nutrition classes. 12-week session beginning January. Call (360) 385-5811 to get on the list.

SECOND SUNDAY SWIM• Monthly free family swim at Mountain View Pool, sponsored each month by a generous local benefactor. Adult swim 1-2 p.m.; Family swim, 2:15-5 p.m.

YOGA• All ages. Join Terry Wagner, M. Ed, Registered Yoga Teacher 9:30-11 a.m. Tues & Thurs at Mountain View gym for an all skill level sclass. Cost: Sliding scale $5-10. (360) 385-5811.

Port Townsend Library

A CAROLING WE WILL GO• All ages. December 19, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Meet at the library at 5:30 for an evening of caroling through Uptown! Dress warmly and bring a flashlight to walk through town with library staff singing holiday favorites. Afterward, meet back at the library for a special winter story by guest storyteller Aimee Ringle. Free. To sign up, call the library at (360) 385-3181 or go online to the library calendar, at www.ptpubliclibrary.org

COMPUTER CODING WITH SCRATCH• For Teens, ages 12-17. February, call the library for info. Scratch is a computer programming language created by MIT. It's simple to use, but it's also sophisticated and capable of creating robust games, animations, and more. In this class you'll create a Scratch account and learn how to use basic programming concepts like loops, variables, conditional statements, and event handling. This will help you with any other computer language you learn! Class is free, but space is limited. Call the library to sign up, (360) 385-3181.

FAMILY GAME DAY• February 7, 2-4 p.m. Does the phrase "board games" make you think of Monopoly? Well, a lot has changed since you rolled dice and moved a shoe around a board! Join Sara from Completely Puzzled and play fast-paced, challenging, fun board and card games for all ages!

GAMESTAR MECHANIC VIDEO GAME DESIGN• January, for Teens ages 12-17. This class in video game design comes with a year-long subscription to Gamestar Mechanic, a web-based game design environment created by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Learn the principles of designing good games, practice by playing games, and then create your own games in the workshop. Class is free, but space is limited. Call the library to sign up, (360) 385-3181.

JR. FIRST LEGO LEAGUE• Information session on December 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Jr. FLL is part of FIRST Robotics, a worldwide family of robotics engineering competitions for kids of all ages. In Jr. FLL, kids ages 6-9 spend 8 weeks building and programming a motorized LEGO model and creating a "Show-Me" poster to explain their work. They present their project to judges at a fun, high-energy tournament. If this sounds like something your child would enjoy, come to this info session to learn more about the library's Jr. FLL teams and how to get involved! (Team meetings will take place once a week after school. The Western Washington FIRST tournament will be in March. There is no cost to families, but there is a time/transportation commitment.) To sign up for the information session, call the library (360) 385-3181 or go online to calendar, www.ptpubliclibrary.org

SAVE THE DATE! FAMILY READ KICKOFF• February 21, 2-4 p.m. The Community Read this year will be a Family Read, an out-of-this-world experience that will blow readers of all ages away! (Q: Are those hints? A: Maybe.) Mark your calendars and plan to join us for fun hands-on activities to get you in the spirit of our Community Read.

STUFFED ANIMAL SLEEPOVER • December 5, 4 p.m. Bring your bravest stuffed animal friend (the one who won't mind spending the night without you!) to a sleepover at the library! Come in your pjs if you like. We'll read bedtime stories to your stuffed animals, make a craft, and tuck them in. You'll go home while your friends have a sleepover in the library! What goes on in the library after everyone has gone home? Find out the next day when you come to pick your friends up! Free. To sign up, call the library (360) 385-3181 or go online to calendar, www.ptpubli-clibrary.org

Jefferson Co. Library

BOFFER CLUB• Ages 6-18. Fridays, from 2:45-4:30 p.m., November 21, December 19, January 16 & February 20. An after-school activity, Boffer sword play is a physical sport with light contact, similar in intensity to soccer and a pillow fight combined. Boffers, constructed of foam-wrapped PVC pipe, duct tape and some imagination, are used in live-action role-playing games and mock combat. Chaz Hillyard will coach participants.

FAMILY ART 1: THE ART OF GIVING

• All ages. Saturday, December 6, from 2-4 p.m. Learn the Art of Explosion Boxes, not Exploding Boxes. A wonderful gift to give, they look complicated but are easy to learn and can be filled with firecracker writing and dynamite artwork. Caution, they are addictive. All are welcome to this free workshop. Materials provided. Taught by Sidonie Wilson, Family Art is designed for adults and children to create and explore a variety of art mediums together. It starts with a demonstration and art conversation followed by creative work time. Space is limited. Sign up at the library or call (360) 385-6544 to register.

FAMILY ART 2: MARC CHAGALL & RUSSIAN FAIRYTALE ART• All ages. Saturday, January 3, from 2-4 p.m. Marc Chagall, widely regarded as one of the most successful artists of the 20th century, expressed his inner emotions through painting in a fairytale-like way. One painting in particular, "I and the Village" (1911), is a supreme example of this style. Inspired by Marc Chagall's "I and the Village" and modern Russian Fairytale artists we will paint from our own inner stories and visions. All ages welcome for this free workshop. Materials provided. Taught by Sidonie Wilson, Family Art is designed for adults and children to create and explore a variety of art media together. It starts with a demonstration and art conversation followed by creative work time. Space is limited. Sign up at the library or call (360) 385-6544 to register.

FAMILY ART 3: HeARTS• All ages. Saturday, February 7, from 2-4 p.m. Victorian puzzle purses, code writing, paper stitching and secret love messages. Victorians were masters of mystery and loved to complicate valentines with stylish intrigue. Learn to make ultimate valentines that incorporate these fabulous fascinations. Taught by Sidonie Wilson, Family Art is designed for adults and children to create and explore a variety of art mediums together. It starts with a demonstration and art conversation followed by creative work time. Space is limited. Sign up at the library or call (360) 385-6544 to register.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE• Thursday, December 11, from 3-6 p.m. All are invited to join the Staff and Board of Trustees of the Jefferson County Library for the Library's annual Holiday Open House. Decorate votives, create monster bookmarks, and enjoy other seasonal craft projects. All materials provided. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Jefferson County Library.

INQUIRING MIND LECTURE: ADVENTURES IN ENTOMOPHAGY - WAITER, THERE'S NO FLY IN MY SOUP• Wednesday, February 18, 6:30 p.m. Join David George Gordon, author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook, for an adventure in entomophagy [eating bugs], and prepare yourself for the next big revolution in food production — using crickets, mealworms, and other eco-friendly alternatives to meat. Gordon, sometimes referred to as the 'Godfather of Insect Cuisine' is a recognized national entomophagy expert with 17 years' experience as The Bug Chef.

INQUIRING MIND LECTURE: PRIVACY & PERSONALITY IN THE DIGITAL AGE• with Alex Alben. Wednesday, January 21, 6:30 p.m. Is privacy dead? What are our privacy rights? Is it possible to protect our online personas? In this highly interactive presentation, Alben addresses concepts of personal privacy, digital tracking, the concept of 'celebrity' and what we are each willing to give up to preserve privacy in the online environment. Alben helped launch ESPN, com and ABCNews.com, and served for six years in senior management at RealNetworks. He also worked for Mike Wallace at CBS Reports and writes for the Seattle Times.

KIDS & TEEN THURDAYS: MEET THE AUTHOR• Ages 6-18. November 20, 3:30 p.m. Kids & Teens are invited to meet with Erica Bauermeister, author of Let's Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14, as she presents a series of books with strong, brilliant, and occasionally outrageous female characters.

KIDS & TEEN THURSDAYS: GAME TIME• Teens (ages 11-18) are invited to play card games, board games and group games starting at 2:45 p.m. Kids (ages 6-10) join in the fun from 3:30-4:45 p.m. Snacks provided by the Friends of the Jefferson County Library. Game Time will take place on the first Thursday of the month (12/4, 1/8, 2/5) at the times listed above.

KIDS THURDAYS: ART EXPLORATION• Ages 6-11. Thursdays, from 3:45-4:45 p.m., December 18, January 22 & February 19. Paper arts and book talk! Kids are invited to join library staff for an hour of art and conversation. Create an origami star book from materials provided. They're fun to make, and a great gift idea!

KIDS' LEADERSHIP GROUP• Fourth and fifth graders who want to gain leadership skills and do projects that support the county library are encouraged to join. Please contact Martha Ashenfelter, Youth Services Librarian at Jefferson County Library, at (360) 385-6544 for dates and times. Snacks provided by the Friends of the Jefferson County Library.

STORYTIME: BABYTIME• Ages birth-12 months. Every Tuesday in November, December (no class 12/29), January and February, at 10:30 a.m. This 20-minute lap sit program features action rhymes, baby sign language, songs and movement designed to stimulate brain development as well as the enjoyment of music, language and books.

STORYTIME: FOR TODDLERS • Ages 12-30 months. Every Monday in November, December, January and February (no class 2/16) at 10:15 a.m. Toddler Storytime features movement, music, puppets and fingerplays as well as flannel stories and the reading of short books written with toddlers in mind.

STORYTIME: PRESCHOOLER • Ages 3-5 years. Every Wednesday in November, December (no class 12/24), January and February at 10:30 a.m. Please join us for stories, songs, finger-plays and more, designed to promote early learning. Preschool Storytime is followed by a craft or activity that encourages networking and enriches literacy.

TECH TUESDAY CLASS• "i Devices 101." November 25, 3-4 p.m. Join library staff for a discussion of iDevice basics. We'll cover common features of this Apple technology, settings, and information about the apps available on your iDevice; including: iPad, iPod, iPhone, iCIoud. The class will be followed by a drop-in technology help session from 4-6 p.m. where you can ask any technology question and we'll try to find the answer if we don't already have it! Bring your devices or use our loaner laptops.

TECH TUESDAYS: DROP IN TECH ASSISTANCE• Tuesdays (November 25, December 2, 9 & 16, January 20 & 27, February 3, 10, 17 & 24) from 4-6 p.m. Drop-in tech assistance is offered weekly on any technology topic with which you may require assistance. Bring your device or use laptops provided by the library.

TEEN LEADERSHIP GROUP• Ages 11 and older are invited to join. Call Library for dates and times. Projects will include helping with displays, being involved in selecting teen programming, helping design the Teen Summer Reading Program, creating bibliographies to promote library materials, supporting the Friends of the Jefferson County Library, and more. Please contact Sylvia Piatt, Teen Services Coordinator at Jefferson County Library, at (360) 385-6544 for dates and times. Snacks provided by the Friends of the Jefferson County Library.

TEEN WRITERS' CLUB• Ages 11-18. Thursdays, December 18, January 22 & February 19 from 3:15-4:15 p.m. Teens are invited to take part in the Jefferson County Library's Teen Writers' Club, providing an opportunity for young writers to join together to share, support, and grow as writers. Jolie Stekly, author and teacher, leads the group, providing writing exercises as well as moderating critique and discussion.

General Activities

CELEBRATE THE WINTER WITH A SIP OF CIDER• Finnriver is open daily from 12-5. Weekends in December, we're serving hot ginger toddies. Special holiday discounts and gift cards available. Located in Chimacum off Center Road. For more info visit www.finnriver.com

YOLKA, LANGUAGE OF FOOD: RUSSIA• Two programs, December 6, celebrating Russian culture at the Northwest Language & Cultural Center in Langley. "Secrets of Russian Cooking," 2-5 p.m., $35. And "Traditional Russian Holiday Festival," 5:30-9 p.m., includes dinner & entertainment, $65. Overnight lodging available. nwlanguageacademy.com