By Les Tanner

Want to announce your event in IDAHO magazine? There is no cost or obligation – but the event must be family-oriented and “family-affordable.” All events get a line (date, event, location).

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: The first of the month two months prior to the month of the event. Example: deadline for a March event would be January 1. Send details to: [email protected]m.

1 New Year’s Day

1 Polar Bear Plunge Cd’A–Reason for Freezen: Come join the good people of Coeur d’ Alene to do the Polar Bear Plunge on Sanders Beach. This year let’s Freeze for a Reason! Please bring donations that “A Reason for Freezen” will collect and donate on your behalf to St. Vincent dePaul of North Idaho! Coeur d’Alene

1 Poky Polar Plunge: Meet at the beach area at the Wellness Complex in Pocatello at 12pm. Warm up activities at 12:30pm. Plunge at 1pm. Music by DJ Gonzo. FREE to plunge. Monetary donations accepted, proceeds to benefit a local charity. Portneuf Wellness Complex, Pocatello

2 Kilroy Coffee Klatch: 10:00-12:00 at Nampa’s Warhawk Air Museum; FREE for ALL veterans and ALL veterans are welcome; Coffee and breakfast treats are served at no charge.; No RSVP required – just show up; Nampa

2 Project Linus: We are a local group that makes blankets and quilts for children in crisis in the Pocatello area.  1:00-4:00PM, First Presbyterian Church, Pocatello

2 Senior Day: Free admission for seniors (65+) to the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls

2-5 Winter Break Drop In: Come out to the BoiseWaterShed from 10:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m. during Winter Break to enjoy fun activities and crafts. In addition to the hands-on fun of the exhibit hall, special winter and snow-themed activities and crafts will take place.  Free. No registration is required.  BoiseWaterShed Environmental Education Center, Boise Water Renewal Facility, 11818 W. Joplin Road, Boise

2-14 “Bison”: Exhibit, Idaho Museum of Natural History, Pocatello

3 Toddler Wednesday: Come make art together!  Children ages 2-3 with an adult are invited to explore art media related to Boise Art Museum’s exhibitions. Dress for mess! Bring a container if you would like something in which to carry home your artwork. Free with the price of admission. BAM Members FREE; Boise

3 Idaho Job & Career Fair: Check out the jobs at the FREE Idaho Job & Career Fair, 9am-4pm at the Riverside Hotel, Boise

3 Boise Birding Series: “Who’s Here Now?” In addition to the birds on our feeders, what other birds are wintering in Idaho and where can you see them? 9:00-10:00 AM, Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Rd, Boise

3-31 Happier Hour Story Time: WEDNESDAYS; 4:00-5:00PM, Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene

3-31 Parent Play Date: WEDNESDAYS; Special art classes for parents to do with their 4- or 5-year-old children; 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ARTitorium, Idaho Falls

3-31 After School Fun: WEDNESDAYS; For ages 6-11; Crafts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), building with LEGOs and other creative projects.  Free.  4:30 PM, Public Library, Caldwell

3,5,10 Story Hours: Books and crafts designated for children ages of 2- 4 will be available during story time. All ages are welcome. 10:30AM-12:30PM, Hailey

4 Four County Art Guild; 12:00-1:00 PM, Public Library, Weiser

4 Well-Read Evening Book Club, 6:00-7:30PM at the Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene

4 First Thursday at the Boise Art Museum:  BAM offers extended hours (10:00AM-8:00PM), with special programs including Ask a Docent at Noon and 2 p.m. and Studio Art Exploration and Art Answers from 4 – 7 p.m. Admission by donation; Boise

4-25 TNT for Teens: THURSDAYS; Here kids 10 and up meet to play video games. 4-5 PM.  Public Library, Hailey

5-28 Game Zone: FRIDAYS; The Moscow Public Library presents Game Zone from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  For kids ages 8-17, Moscow

6 Ski For Free Day: Season kick-off event at the East Fork Mink Creek Nordic Center! Use our rental equipment at no charge or bring your own to avoid delays. Trail passes are free for the day and volunteer instructors give free mini lessons. We can equip about 80 people at a time, but we have run low on popular sizes in the past. Snowshoes are also available. Pocatello

6 Museum Work Day: Volunteers welcome; 8:00AM; Lunchtime Seminar (bring your own lunch): Dr. Paul Castrovillo, “My Life among the Ice Crawlers” (What’s an Ice Crawler?  Come to the workday and find out!) ; The O.J.Smith Museum of Natural History, Boone Hall, The College of Idaho, Caldwell

6 Swing Junction’s Big Band Dance: This is a community dance held the first Saturday of every month. The 16-piece big band, The Jazz House Big Band, is our house band. We offer an introductory lesson before the dance, no partner is required and beginners are welcome. 8:00 – 11:00 PM, Veteran’s Memorial Building, Idaho Falls

6 Free Idaho Park ‘n’ Ski Day, Indian Creek State Park, Priest Lake

6 Learn to Ski and Snowboard: Free; Pomerelle Ski Area, Albion

6 Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast: 8:00-10:30 AM, Senior Center, Weiser

6 Weaving Guild Meeting: 11:30 AM, First Congregational Church, Boise

6 Eagle Rock Outlaws Fast-Draw Competition: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM at the Cowboy Fast Draw Club located at 10648 N. 25th E. in Idaho Falls. We teach gun safety while giving men, women, boys & girls ages 8 and up the chance to find out just how fast they would have been in a gunfight in the late 1800’s! The competition is fun and exciting, and free to spectators; Idaho Falls

6-27 Teton Valley Winter Farmers Market: SATURDAYS; There will be growers, producers, artisans, and small business owners selling their goods directly to the consumer. 10:00-3:00, Driggs

6-27 Community Bingo: SATURDAYS; Ages 18+; Help us fund our nutrition program for seniors confined to their homes; 6:00-8:00 PM, Senior Citizen’s Center, Idaho Falls

8 Souper Supper: Free meal; 5:30PM, St. Charles Catholic Church, Hailey

8-29 Gaming Mondays: MONDAYS, 4:30 PM, Public Library, Caldwell

9 Story Trail Adventure: “Owl Moon”. We invite you and your preschooler to join us. We will walk the quarter mile trail and read the story pages posted on our platforms together. Afterwards each child can get creative with our story-related craft!  Children should dress for the weather and be accompanied by an adult.  For registration, please visit: http://parks.cityofboise.org/ or call (208)608.7680; 10:00-11:00 AM, Foothills Learning Center, Boise

10 Well-Read Morning Book Club, 10:00-11:30AM at the Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene

10 Gem State High School Honor Band: Outstanding area high school students in the Gem State District (large high schools) will combine their best students for an extraordinary concert of instrumental music. 7:00-8:30 PM, Idaho Falls

11-25 Teen Thursdays: THURSDAYS; For grades 6 through 12; Focuses on electronics, technology, some crafts, and a monthly Teen Science Café; Free. 4:00 PM, Public Library, Caldwell

12 Faculty Recital: Carol Padgham Albrecht, oboe, and Catherine Anderson, piano. 7:30 – 9pm, Haddock Performance Hall – Lionel Hampton School of Music – University of Idaho, Moscow

12-13 Boise Flea Market: You never know what you’re going to find at the flea market, but one thing’s for certain, something will find you. Bring home a new, old thing to love. Hours: Sat 9am-5pm. Sun 10am-4pm: Admission:$2, seniors $1, children 12 and under are free; South Building, Expo Idaho, Garden City

12-13 Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo, Expo Idaho, Garden City

13 Boise Contra Dance: 7:00-10:30, Boise

13 Community Dance: 6:00-9:00 PM;  $5 per person, finger-food potluck; Music by Just for Kicks; Senior and Community Center, Weiser

13 Foothills Family Day: “Over and Under the Snow”–Learn about animals that survive Idaho’s winters both above and below the snow;10:00 AM-1:00 PM, Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Rd, Boise

13-14 48th Snowshoe Softball Tournament, Priest Lake

15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

16.17,18 Idaho Bach Festival Concerts: 7:30 PM, Haddock Performance Hall – Lionel Hampton School of Music – University of Idaho, Moscow

16-18 Eastern Idaho Agricultural Show: The expo features latest in farm equipment, products and services, demonstrations, exhibits and Ag technologies. Hours: Tue-Wed 9am-5pm, Thu 9am-1pm.  Holt Arena, ISU Campus, Pocatello

17 Painting and Pizza, a Mother/Daughter night: Hands to Art, Coeur d’Alene

18 Little Learners: Learn about a different topic each month through fun crafts, games, songs, and snacks in this class for parents and toddlers (ages 2-4). 1:00-11:00 AM, Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls

18 Home School Day: For children in grades Pre-K to 6 th grade. We make science come alive and connect your students to the natural world! Three sessions, all at the same hour ( (10:00 -11:30 AM).  $3 per child for any one session.  Pre-K- K Story Trail: “Owl Moon”; 1st – 3rd: “Winter Animal Tracking”; 4th and up: “Winter Migrations”.  Foothills Learning Center, Boise

18 Creative Writing for Teens: For youth in grades 7-12; We write short stories, poetry, mysteries, and more. Your imagination is the limit. 7:00-8:30 PM, Public Library, Idaho Falls

18 Tour of Hulls Gulch Ravine: The Foothills Learning Center and Idaho Conservation League team up to offer this short hike, one of eleven hiking “tours” of city-owned foothills reserves. Come hike with us and learn about these treasures! 5:30 – 6:30 PM.  All hikes are no more than 3 miles, free, and family friendly.  Pre-registration required! Please call Lana Weber at (208)345.6933, X16.

18-20 Banff Mountain Film Festival, Sandpoint

18-20 “The Diary of Anne Frank”: Tickets: $10; 7:30 p.m. at the CSI Fine Arts Theater, College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls

18-21 Idaho Laugh Festival 2018, Boise

18-21 36th Annual RV Super Show: Expo Idaho, Garden City

19 “Art of Building a Community”: Designed for artisans to display and sell their pieces in a climate controlled environment — 72 degrees and sunny every day without wind!  It is FREE to set up a 10×10 booth. Art! Food! Fun for Everyone! 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Karcher Mall, Nampa

19-20 Wiseguys Comedy Headliners: 7:30 PM, Historic Wilson Theatre, Rupert

20 WISCL Chess Tournament, Lowell Scott Middle School, Meridian

20 Pancake Breakfast: 8:30-10:00 AM; $6.00; Gem State will be playing; Senior Center, Weiser

20 Meet a Scientist/Discovery Day: 1:00–Learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) topics from scientists working in our own community; 2:00–Kids ages 6-12, stick around and enjoy even more fun activities on the same topic. Pre-registration required. The Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls

23-24 Western Idaho Ag Expo: The expo features latest in farm equipment, products and services, demonstrations, exhibits and Ag technologies. Hours: Tues 9am-6pm; Wed 9am-4pm, Events Center, Caldwell

23-26 Safety Fest of the Great Northwest, Boise

24 IFPL Book Club: The book club is open to the public and meets at 7:00pm on the top floor of the Public Library, Idaho Falls

25 Auditorium Chamber Music Series: Ying String Quartet. 7:30 – 9:30pm, Auditorium – Administration Building, University of Idaho, Moscow

25 Teen Science Café–“Quantum Cats”: For grades 6 through 12.  Free.  Quantum physics is the study of sub-atomic particles and how they behave. Sound small? You bet it is! Boise State University professor, Dr. Paul Simmonds, will help us understand this tiny but extremely important key to the workings of the universe. We’ll play a video game, “Quantum Cats,” to learn more about how strange, charm, and quark operate. And there’s free pizza. 4:00-5:30 PM, Public Library, Caldwell

26 Baked Potato Bar Fundraiser: The works! Cheese Sauce, Bacon, Broccoli, Sauteed mushrooms, chives & more -The only bar in town that comes with a side salad & dessert! Bring your friends and family. The potato bar opens at 5:00pm. We call table numbers to go first for some fun! Lake City Center, Coeur d’Alene

26-27 Missoula Children’s Theatre “Beauty Lou and the Country Beast”: Jewett Auditorium, The College of Idaho Campus, Caldwell

26-28 Banff Mountain Film Festival, Coeur d’Alene

26-31 Winter Carnival, McCall

27-28 Idaho Modeling and Design Show, Boise

29-31 Banff Mountain Film Festival, Boise

30 Wylie and the Wild West: Blackfoot Performing Arts Center, Blackfoot