Welcome to our new sponsor, the Creative Age Festival of Edmonds, with registration now open for activities and classes happening in Edmonds April 15-16.

Brand new to the Pacific Northwest, the Creative Age Festival of Edmonds, or CAFE, kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, April 15 at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Keynote speaker is Dr. Pepper Schwartz, a well-known University of Washington sociologist, sexologist, author and TV personality. Following a VIP reception for sponsors, the renowned Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with Bill Holman will perform in concert on the ECA stage.

CAFE continues all day Saturday, April 16, at the Frances Anderson Center and the Edmonds Library, where 30 workshops will engage participants in many elements offering a vibrant lifestyle for seniors. Topics include health and exercise, the performing and visual arts, literary arts, technology, travel, volunteerism, and continuing education.

Included are sessions with Gloria Burgess, President of Jazz, Inc.; Dr. Jean Hernandez, President of Edmonds Community College; Mayor Dave Earling, City of Edmonds; Rebecca Crichton, Northwest Center for Creative Aging; Holly Hughes, poet and author, plus introductory fitness classes taught by Harbor Square Athletic Club instructors.

For the first 75 registrants who sign up for the entire festival, a complimentary wine and cheese reception will be held following the workshops at 5:30 p.m. at the beautiful new Cascadia Art Museum on the Edmonds waterfront. The reception will feature a performance by an ensemble of the Cascade Symphony and a talk by the museum curator David Martin on the new History of Cornish College of the Arts exposition.

Ticket information and online registration for classes can be found at www.creativeagefestival.org