Thursday

Taste Of Whitefish will take place Sept. 10. Billed as the "most anticipated event of the year," the best chefs in town will assemble on Central Avenue in front of the O'Shaughnessy, with fine wines and a beer tasting offered by Great Northern Brewing Co. Music will be provided by Sound Sound. Tickets cost $35 for chamber members and $40 for non-members. For more information, visit the chamber office at 520 East Second Street or call 862-3501.

The local Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) Community Group will begin its monthly fall meeting and program series on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Bohemian Grange, directly west of Montana Coffee Traders on U.S. 93, beginning at 7 p.m. Lee Anne Byrne will speak on “Mindfulness in Motion” and discuss how to actually apply mindfulness skills to everyday living in order to support emotional resiliancy, enjoy life more and live more serenely. She is a psychotherapist in private practice in Whitefish. For more information, call 862-9591 or 862-7711.

Whitefish BodyTalk Center, 211 Central Avenue, in Whitefish, will present “Reiki share” on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 5:30-7:30 p.m and a free lecture on “What is Reiki?” on Oct. 8 from 7-9 p.m. For more information, call Jaymie Noble at 871-5645.

Friday

The Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry will hold its fifth annual Shopko parking lot sale on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with antiques, collectibles, glass wear, books, videos, craft items, artwork, building items and more. Proceeds will support local veterans and their families. The group also needs donations of canned food, coffee, sugar and basic staples to fill their pantry shelves at 1527 Highway 35 East, in Kalispell. For more information, call 756-7304 or visit online at www.veteransfoodpantry.org.

A free introductory talk on the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique will be offered on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at Rocks and Things, 404 First Stret, Suite A, in downtown Whitefish. Learn how a few minutes of daily practice can bring a wide range of benefits, including deep rest, reduced anxiety and enhanced creativity. For more information, call Paula at 406-207-7496.

Saturday

The annual Whitefish Soccer Tournament kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Grouse Mountain fields and Smith Sports Complex at 9 a.m. This year’s tourney — in its 29th year — will bring in teams from across the region, including Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Montana, Idaho and Washington. The event was originally a part of the Whitefish Summer Games. There will be 12 women teams, 12 open mens teams and six teams from the 40-and-over mens division. The winner takes home a traveling trophy.

“Out of Darkness,” a walk to prevent suicide, will take place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Depot Park in Kalispell. Registration will take place from 10:30 to 11 a.m. followed by a presentation. The walk will begin at 11:30 p.m. Music will be provided by Fresh, Inc. from noon to 2 p.m., and a ceremony of remembrance will take place at 12:30 p.m. Sponsored by Flathead Suicide Prevention Coalition, there will be lunch, family activities and resources. For more information, contact Joan at 871-1008 or Betsy at 261-6235.

The third annual Raptor Day in memory of conservation educator Rod Ash will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell. Raptor Day will begin with a bird walk at 8 a.m., a family bird walk and nature scavenger hunt at 10 a.m., and educational booths with children’s activities at 11 a.m. Booths will be sponsored by Flathead Audubon, Flathead Conservation District, Flathead National Forest, Lone Pine State Park and Wildlife Return. Lynn Vaught of Wildlife Return will have live birds on-site. Afternoon workshops will include bird banding by Matt Seidensticker at noon, and raptor identification and migration by Dan Casey at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, e-mail naz@centurytel.net or call 755-2706.

Sunday

The annual Two Bear Marathon will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13, starting at Skyles Lake and finishing at The Wave. The full marathon starts at 7:30 a.m., and the half marathon starts at 9 a.m. on Upper Whitefish Road. Race organizer Jeff Cowie says the event should be near capacity with almost 300 runners participating. The point-to-point marathon course takes runners around Whitefish Lake. Half the race is on dirt trails and gravel roads in the Stillwater State Forest, with the second half following East Lakeshore Drive back to town. Total elevation gain on the marathon route is more than 4,500 feet.

A free symposium called “Awakening The Dream, Changing The Dream” will be presented by Susan and Dennis Breed, of Whitefish, at the O’Shaughnessy on Sept. 13 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Information from the Pachamama Alliance will be presented about exploring a new global vision of environmental sustainability, social fulfillment and social justice. For more information, call the Breeds at 816-863-8488 or visit online at www.AwakeningTheDream.org.

Monday

Nature photographer Chris Peterson will present a program on “Wildfire, Birds and Glacier National Park” at the Flathead Audubon meeting in the Community Room of The Summit, in Kalispell, on Monday, Sept. 14, beginning at 7 p.m. Peterson is the editor and photographer of “Glacier Park Magazine” as well as the photographer for the Hungry Horse News. In addition, his work has appeared nationwide commercially and in National Geographic publications. He recently completed a project to commemorate Glacier Park’s Centennial in 2010. He photographed the Park’s flora and fauna for 100 straight days.

The Valley Voices Community Choir will begin its fall semester on Monday, Sept. 14, with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Flathead High School choir room. Now in its ninth year, the choir includes more than 65 men and women from teenagers to seniors. No auditions are necessary, and all skill levels are welcome. Practices will take place on Mondays from 6-8 p.m. for the Christmas concert. For more information, call 752-3160 or 765-8208.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer a hunter education course at Flathead High School on Sept. 14, 15, 16, and 17 from 6-9 p.m. The field course is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, and the test night is Monday, Sept. 21. An adult course will follow the same schedule. All hunter education classes are free of charge and open to hunters and non-hunters alike. By state law, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must have completed the Hunter Education Course to buy a hunting license in Montana. The minimum age for hunting in Montana is 12. Registration will take place at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks headquarters, on North Meridian Road in Kalispell, on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 752-5501.

Tuesday

Whitefish Shines, which erects the city’s downtown Christmas decorations each year, will have an organizational meeting at Mountain West Bank on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at noon. Call 862-4888 for more information.

The Whitefish Downtown Farmers Market will feature Brad Lee on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The Emmy-nominated singer and finger-style guitarist returns with his trademark custom opposing double-necked guitar. He is sponsored by Nelson’s Ace Hardware. The market takes plce at Depot Park and the north end of Central Avenue from 5-7:30 p.m. every Tuesday evening until the end of September. For more information, call 862-2043.

Wednesday

The Haskill Basin Watershed Council will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Whitefish Public Library community room.

North Valley Toastmasters will hold their 10th anniversary party at the Glacier Bank Meeting Room on Wednesday, Sept. 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. RSVP if possible by calling 752-5360 or e-mailing lilliann@centurytel.net.