Billy Bob Thornton is just the tip of the iceberg this week in local entertainment. TD kicks of its First Friday tonight at 5 p.m. with more than 20 businesses participating and music events abound in the Gorge. Read about all your choices here as well as upcoming shows. They include Bingen Theatre, Discovery Center, Bargeway Pub, Maupin Daze, Zim’s, The Pines, Red Carpet, River City Saloon, Ruins, Everybody’s Brewing, Double Mountain, TD Civic, Working Hands Beer, White Salmon Library, Goldendale.

TDHS grad Emily Peterson, Class of 2017, is off and hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. The 23-year-old went alone but has already fallen in with a fast group of friends and encountered trail angels with spaghetti and Gatorade at the end of a hot 10-mile day that turned her water the temperature of hot tea.

Music and entertainment are on tap for this weekend with a plethora of events and music. Start your Friday with a free concert at The Dalles Art Center as Jenny Don’t and the Spurs will be rockin’ a block party complete with food and drinks. Streets are always open, but drinks and food start at 4:30 p.m. Music at starts at 5:15 p.m.

It’s beautiful and sad and fun and amazing to behold up on the big screen. What else can you ask for from a movie? This is the superhero movie I have been waiting for—but it’s also not just a superhero movie. Daniels (director duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Schienert) have truly created a marvel, but thankfully not for Marvel. The action in Everything Everywhere All at Once was some of the best I’ve seen in years.

Locals sound off about how they hug the Earth this week. A lot of folks really dug into this topic and brought up a lot of dirt we did not know about, and, sometimes, we really got into the weeds.

In less than an hour a class of rank Harp beginners were cranking out tunes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” a free-form piece called “Medevil Drone,” “Greensleeves,” and more. The class was full - with every age group represented.

This weekend and upcoming weeks are loaded with entertainment at River City Saloon, The Dalles Eagles, TD Library, Bingen Theater, Granada, Bargeway Pub, Working Hands Beer, Everybody’s Brewing, Grateful Vineyard, Double Mountain, Zim’s, The Ruins, The Pines, 64 Taphouse, HR Elks.

Sarah Cook reveals the simple steps to printmaking after a crash course with Maggie Middleton, Apprentice Printer at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts in Pendleton, who gave the demonstration at The Dalles Art Center. Check it out. Maybe it’s time for you to gouge away.

Locals spill on how they get their tunes, and, better yet, they give us a little insight on what music they like. Come, let’s embark upon a little musical adventure.

Entertainment abounds this month with shows on tap at Working Hands Beer, Zim’s, Bargeway, Ruins, TD Civic, Grateful Vineyard, Everybody’s Brewing, Easter Bunny, Mid-Columbia Car Club Cruise-in, Double Mountain, River City Saloon, Cider Fest, Paint Night, Rockford Grange Hall, Granada, TD Library.

Columnist Jim Drake takes you through music, culture and entertainment options at Zims, Route 30, The Pines, TD Civic, 64 Taphouse, Granada, HR Library, Bargeway Pub, Thunder Island, Everybody’s Brewing, MoCo, Double Mountain, Grateful Vineyard, Easter Bunny, River City Saloon, Wine Tasting, TD Eagles, Cider Fest.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is as emotionally captivating as it is breathtaking to behold. The singing, dancing, acting, and direction all come together in a nearly perfect union to bring an old story into the present.

Things are popping this weekend as live music and First Friday events in both The Dalles and Hood River offer up some fun entertainment and dance opportunities. So, no singing the blues; put on your dancing shoes.

Whether you are new to the Columbia River Gorge, or have been here for a long while, you have probably heard about the Columbia River Gorge Commission and wondered who they are. This is the first of a series of columns to bring you up to speed and keep you connected with the Gorge Commission’s plans and actions and how they affect communities and lands within the National Scenic Area (NSA).

Varsity baseball plays host to Forest Grove Tuesday, March 29, at Bob Williams Field at the Q, first pitch is slated for 5 p.m. We’d also like to welcome our new volunteers to the Riverhawks’ baseball family, as Ray Bustos is serving as our PA announcer, and TDHS Ski Coach Dane Klindt will be running scoreboard.

Coming shows and events at The Ruins, Granada, Last Stop Saloon, Zim’s, Route 30, TD Civic Auditorium, Riverside Community Church, Mosier Company, Working Hands Beer, Everybody’s Brewing, Grateful Vineyard, TD Wasco County Library, TD Eagles, The Pines, TD First Friday.

Coming shows and events at The Ruins, Everybody’s Brewing, Grateful Vineyard, Bargeway Pub, Granada, River City Saloon, Zim’s, Columbia Center for the Arts, Mid-Columbia Community Concert Association, The Dalles Wasco County Library, The Dalles Eagles, Working Hands, The Pines, Downtown The Dalles, Bingen Theatre, Gorge Blues and Brews, Route 30, Cider Fest, Stone Hedge Gardens.

I heard that Hot Point is a favorite Chinese restaurant in The Dalles for many and that their portions are generous. So, I could not help myself from getting to the bottom of this mystery and investigating what made Hot Point so good. Consider me a food detective. The Nancy Drew of Egg foo.

The Batman brings us back to Gotham—albeit a more squalid, rainy and corrupt version—where Batman (Robert Pattinson) is only in his second year as the caped crusader and finds himself squaring off against The Riddler (Paul Dano), The Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).

When it comes to live music, Jim Drake can get you plugged in. Our local columnist for entertainment Gorge-wide has a good sampling of coming shows and events, including Al Hare, Gary Pryor, St. Patrick’s Celebration, Tim Mayer CD, Rich Wilkins, Jazz series, Zumba for Y.E.S. House, NW Cherry Festival, Marty Stuart, Modern English, Billy Bob Thornton, Got Your Six, Wayo Hogan, Cici Artemisia, The Riff Ratts, Garrett Brenan, jamgrass, Matt Coughlin and Jugtime Ragband.