The Treasure Valley’s serving up lots of free or almost-free choices with festivals, BSU State Men’s Tennis matches, community lunches, historic sports displays, cutting horse shows, mad science, and a Zoo full of kids, animals, eggs and the Easter Bunny. Where will you and the friends and fam go this week?

Boise State Men’s Tennis
Fri., April 11, 1 p.m., doubles game at 6 p.m.
Appleton Tennis Center Boise State campus, Boise
Do you love watching tennis? It’s great neck and eye exercise for spectators, and high drama, too. Be there when BSU takes on U.C. Irvine.
For more info, check out broncosports.com
Vs. U.C. Irvine; vs. Idaho at 6 p.m. Visit broncosports.com for more info. FREE

Idaho Mennonite World Relief Festival
Fri., April 11, 5 p.m. and Sat., April 12, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
College Church of the Nazarene 504 E. Dewey Ave., Nampa
“Love to a child is spelled T I M E”, “Make enemies into friends”, and “Life is too short to miss today” are just a few of the many wise Mennonite sayings. You might hear or see more when you view the Mennonite items like their world-famous quilts at the Festival’s country store/ silent auction. Good food, gorgeous handiwork, and family fun. FREE.
idahomrs.org
208-466-8421

St. Michael's Cathedral Lenten Lunches
Fridays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Continues through April 11
St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral 518 N. Eighth St., Boise
Lenten lunches rock. The people are friendly, you get a real sense of community, the food’s pretty darn good (because the church ladies/gents often have mad kitchen skills).
Veggie soup or clam chowder, a nice coleslaw or green salad, cheesy bread and a beverage. Oh, and save room for homemade PIE. $2.50-$6.50
208-342-5601

Hometown Teams
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesdays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through April 11th.
Idaho State Historical Museum 610 N. Julia Davis Drive, Boise
Fan memorabilia, historic equipment, and the story of how sports have influenced the American way of life. FREE-$5
208-334-2120

Cutting Horse Spring Show
Sat., April 12, 8 a.m. and Sun., April 13, 8 a.m.
Heritage Equine Park 111 22nd Ave. Canyon County Fairgrounds, Caldwell
The National Cutting Horse Association’s Spring Weekend Show, hosted by the Boise Valley Cutting Horse Association. Cutting is an event where horses and their riders separate an animal away from its herd, keeping it away for a length of time for points, and that takes no small amount of skill.
Concessions available. FREE admission.
208-861-9512

Stand Up Idaho Run/Walk Event
Sat., April 12, 9 a.m. -2 p.m.
Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park 1900 N. Records Ave.
Stand Up America is a national non profit organization with the goal to empower individuals to have courage to stand up against social ills such as bullying, drug and alcohol use, distracted driving and discrimination. Cheer on those willing to run in the name of love for the USA, and also take in some family fun, good food, and live entertainment at one of Idaho’s favorite parks. Some of the vendors include Buckle up for Bobby, MADC, Rehab Authority, Cap Ed, Thrivent Financial, Action Garage Doors and the Blue and Orange store. We are raising funds to support our standup youth ambassador program. Registration for the race is $5-$20, but attendance is FREE.
standupamerica.us

Valley Bike Swap
Sat., April 12, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lloyd Square Intersection of 14th and Front streets., Nampa
Just the thing for our cycling crazy Valley! Join with other cyclist to view bicycle rarities and bargains while you’re listening to live music and eating some darn fine food truck food. We have Rolling H Cycles to thank for this one. FREE.
valleybikeswap.com or facebook.com/valleybikeswap

Boise State Men’s Tennis
Sat., April 12, 9:30 a.m. and another match at 5:30 p.m.
Appleton Tennis Center Boise State campus, Boise
vs. Idaho (9:30 a.m. match); and vs. San Diego State at 5:30 p.m. FREE
broncosports.com

Owls Around the Gulch
Sat., April 12, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center 3188 Sunset Peak Road, Boise
Everything you wanted to know about the wild Great Horned Owl (and owlets!) with their yellow eyes, bright white throat patches, and ear tufts… and more. Who knows, you might even see an owl or two, highly likely up in that neck of the woods. Drop ins welcome, no registration required. FREE
208-514-3755

Shred Day
Sat., April 12, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Garden City Library 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City
Nothing quells a bad mood like a good shredding. Use this as a type of therapy, or simply to get rid of unwanted, sensitive information. Either way, it’s Shred Day.
Limit of five boxes or bags. FREE
208-472-2941

Zoo Boise Easter EGGstravaganza
Sat., April 12, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Zoo Boise 355 Julia Davis Drive, Boise
This annual springtime event has egg-stra fun in store for the kiddos, because they not only get to do some cool Easter stuff, but also get to visit their furry friends, as well as a certain oversized holiday bunny. (Everyone’s got their favorite animals. Mine have always been those crazy performing monkeys.) There will be face painting, Egg Scrambles, an Easter egg toss, animal-themed activities, and, of course, plenty of cute photo opps. Admission is going to be $5-$7, and well worth it.
208-608-7760

Celebrate Spring with Zing
Sat., April 12, 11 a.m.
Madeline George Garden Design Nursery 10550 W. Hill Road, Boise
Have you ever tried to put together what you thought was going to be a drop dead gorgeous spring flower/plant container and just sort of missed the boat? I have. Thank goodness for Madeline George’s Nursery. They’ll show us how to do it up right.
You can register by phone or email at info@madelinegeorge.com. FREE
208-995-2815

Humor and Authenticity in Memoir With Amanda Turner
Sat., April 12, 2 p.m.
Meridian Public Library 1326 W. Cherry Lane, Meridian
This one might be more on the adult side, since local author AK (Amanda) Turner is known for a bit of booze-centered humor. She, however, is terrifically funny.
Learn why humor packs a punch in an otherwise ordinary memoir, and about how the genuine and entertaining play together. The workshop’s interactive style, brought to you by the author of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store, Mommy Had a Little Flask, and Hair of the Corn Dog will be a bonus to any current or aspiring memoirist.
No registration required. Totally FREE.
208-888-4451

Snake River Rugby Playoffs
Sat., April 12, 12-4 p.m.
Willow Lane Sports Complex 4623 W. Willow Lane, Boise
Rugby, anyone? The Snake River Rugby Club goes jersey-to-jersey during the playoffs while defending their Pacific Northwest championship. FREE

Trebelle Piano Trio
Sat., April 12, 2 p.m.
St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral 518 N. Eighth St., Boise
And now, for a little culture as Robyn Wells, pianist, Heidi Nagel, cellist, and Jennifer Dunn, violinist, give us a performance of Suite in A by American composer Horatio Parker, and Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor by Felix Mendelssohn.
By donation.
208-342-5601

Mad Science
Mon., April 14, 4:30 p.m.
208-297-6700
Ada Community Library, Lake Hazel Branch 10489 Lake Hazel Road, Boise
My teenager niece, Arynne to her five-year-old brother, Ky: “Hi, Ky, what are you doing?”
Ky: “Mixing water and milk together. It’s good.”
Arynne: “Ky, why are you doing that?!?”
Ky: “Arynne. It’s for SCIENCE.”

In the name of science, you can visit the Lake Hazel Branch to discover all sorts of scientific facts and take part in exciting experiments. And, whenever you do anything out of the ordinary, you can say, “It’s for science.” Ky would be proud.
Ages 6-12. FREE

School Break Program
Wed., April 16, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Boise WaterShed 11818 W. Joplin Road, Boise
Hurray for Earth Day! We’re celebrating 6 days early with earth-approved arts and crafts, SCIENCE activities (see above item), and a tour of the wastewater plant. FREE, FREE, FREE.
208-489-1284

Tree Circus
Thu., April 17, 6 p.m.
Boise Public Library 715 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise
Are you a Johnny Appleseed fan? See Tim Womick’s interpretation of Johnny Appleseed during an edutaining, family-friendly presentation.
treefamily.org/see.html. FREE
208-384-4076

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