16 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Welcome to Stout Month at Fort George ASTORIA — Every year, for one dark day, stout lovers converge on Fort George to enjoy craftspeople, roaming entertainers, art and specta- cle, surrounded by more than 60 rare stouts on tap during the Festival of Dark Arts. If you were lucky enough to get tickets, check festi- valofdarkarts.com for lineups and stout lists. If you missed out on tickets this year, get ready for The Aftermath. On Sunday, Feb. 18, the day after Festival of Dark Arts, the Fort George campus will reopen to the public at noon. There will be new stout releases in the pub and pizzeria, and the tap trailer will be filling growlers from the remaining Festival of Dark Arts kegs. But barrel fans will be in the Lovell Brewery for the release of four new ery. Get this evolutionary IPA on tap or in four-pack cans to go. No tickets, no reserva- tions required. Top your night with a live perfor- mance by The Builders and the Butchers at 8 p.m. There is never a cover. Stout Month PHOTOS COURTESY FORT GEORGE BREWERY A Festival of Dark Arts glass variations in this year’s Matryoshka series. Joined by Bourbon Barrel Matry- oshka (2018) and cellared versions of the Matryoshka AN ACOUSTIC CELEBRATION OF MUSIC NEHALEM | FEB 2-4, 2018 WINTERFEST ALL AGES EVENT KEVIN BURKE FEB 2 | 7:30 PM CASTLETOWN FEB 2 | 7:30 PM QUARTERFLASH FEB 3 | 7:30 PM TERRY ROBB FEB 3 | 1:30 PM ADVANCE & RESERVED SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE AT TICKETTOMATO.COM MEL BROWN FEB 4 | 2:00 PM NORTH COUNTY RECREATIONAL DISTRICT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 36155 9TH ST., NEHALEM FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.NCRD.ORG beers from 2017, the Lovell Taproom will pour all eight of these barrel-aged stouts. Wax-dipped bottles of the five 2018 Matryoshkas along with limited cellared bottles from 2017 will be on sale. To add a little light to the dark, a fresh Fields of Green will be released at the brew- To some people, the second month of the year is simply February, the shortest and, at times, dreariest month along the Oregon Coast. But at Fort George, February is 28 days of dark, delicious ales, more commonly known as Stout Month. Created more than 20 years ago by Fort George co-owner Jack Harris, Stout Month has taken on a life of its own in Astoria. Brewer creativity with the style expands every year, as do those stout tap lists (24 unique stouts this Febru- ary!). As you arrive at Fort George public house, or pizzeria, or Lovell Taproom during February, you’ll be welcomed with an over- flowing tap list of dark and deliciousness. Stout staff is here to help you with your selection, or you may order up blind stout taster trays. At least eight stouts will be on tap in each location, with a new stout released every few days. Bring your loved ones, beloved growlers and love of the dark. Fort George promises you won’t go away light-handed. For more information about Fort George Brewery and Stout Month events, go to fortgeorgebrewery.com. Songs, strings, recycled art on stage ASTORIA — At the Liberty Theatre 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, Soprano Laura Wayte performs with Portland composer Nicole Portley, Eugene artist Helen Liu and the excellent string trio of Della Davies, Annissa Olsen and Kathryn Brunhaver. They will also perform the compelling poetry of Denise Levertov, presented along with an art installation by Liu on the Liberty stage. Wayte, of Eugene, recent- ly premiered the title role in a new opera, “The Woman of Salt,” and completed the inaugural year of a new art song concert series in Eu- gene, Songs@Tsunami. For 20 years, Wayte has been performing traditional and contemporary opera, orchestral pieces, choral and chamber music. She particularly enjoys perform- ing contemporary classical JON C. MEYERS PHOTO Laura Wayte, far right, and the string trio music from across cultures: American, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Danish and Norwegian. In all these languages and cultures, Wayte searches for music that moves her, and she offers a program to make the audience feel as if they are embarking on a journey. Portley creates vocal music that employs expres- sive and authentic texts, with modern yet accessible musical styles. The frugal and pragmatic nature of Liu’s Taiwan- ese upbringing combined with recycling and reusing practices learned here in Oregon, allow Liu to see the non-biodegradable, almost indestructible plas- tics going into the landfill as opportunity rather than waste.