In celebration of sustainable living, come one, come all to the Lopez Community Center for an Inter-Island Sustainable Living Weekend.

There will be high-spirited contra dancing, a community breakfast, and a winter gardening forum on Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.

The Contra Dance Hoedown will be on Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. Enjoy high-spirited partner dancing. Families and all ages are welcome; there will be instructions. $10 single, $15 family, $5 individual student. Easily and quickly learned by young and old alike, contra dancing is good for the heart, mind, body, and soul, and for sharing together the joy of simply being alive.

For examples of contra dancing, see the movies “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.”

A Sustainable Living Thanksgiving Community Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30, 8-10 a.m. It will feature Donna’s famous wood oven-fired breakfast pizza. Adults $10, children (ages 5-12) $5. Please RSVP by Nov. 25.

The Sustainable Living Winter Gardening Forum will follow the breakfast from 10-12 a.m. There is no charge; donations accepted. Eliot Coleman will present a live, big screen telecast of his success stories from his winter gardening home in Maine. Coleman is the author of “Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Garden All Year Long.” To help Coleman bring it a bit closer to home, Katie Penche of Seattle Tilth and Engela Wanerstrand of Sustainable Ballard will – live and in person – share their Northwest Maritime winter gardening adventures and experiences.

The weekend is facilitated by the Partnership With Earth Foundation, whose hope is that neighbors from near and far will join them for a weekend of nature-inspired, sustainable living adventure.

The Sustainable Living Weekend is co-sponsored by San Juan Islands Sustainable Living Community Foundation, Lopez Community Center, Lopez Island Library, Lopez Chamber of Commerce, Lopez Community Land Trust, Awakening Mind Cafe, and the Partnership With Earth Foundation.

For seniors ages 60 and over, there are free rides to the event. To schedule a ride and for information about car pooling, ferry schedules, breakfast reservations, free indoor/outdoor camping reservations, and complementary houseguest lodging reservations (both hosts and guests), visit www.slgrassroots.org.

Look for Sustainable Living Weekends monthly rotating between the islands!

– Lance DuRand