Lucy Kleiner

Happy Thanksgiving.

Fall is thick in the air. Nearly every morning, frost coats the blades of grass and crusts over my windshield. Fog blankets the river throughout the days and more autumn leaves are on the ground than clinging to the trees, leaving a muddy residue on our shoes and a view of barren branches above.

But while the chilly weather and short days may give the illusion it is time for us to go into hibernation, local community groups, small businesses, nonprofits and others are encouraging the opposite.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a busy weekend here along our coast.

Today, community fun-runs are happening in Astoria and Seaside, allowing families to exercise and cheer each other on before the big turkey dinner. The Neptune Theatre in Long Beach is opening up its doors for a number of free holiday movie screenings throughout the weekend, with the first one happening today at 11 a.m. Riverfolk and the Astoria Armory will host an annual Thanksgiving feast for community members and is accepting food donations coordinated through its website, astoriaarmory.com.

After the holiday, local businesses up and down the coast from Astoria to Manzanita are participating in the “Plaid Friday” event, which encourages Black Friday shoppers to head to smaller, local businesses and support their neighbors while checking off their holiday shopping list.

If you prefer to avoid the downtown areas during Friday, state parks in both Washington and Oregon will waive their day-use fees for the day as a way to encourage community members to get outside. For more information, check out our feature story, “Green Friday,” on pages 18 and 19.

The season is in full-swing, and I’m thankful to be part of such a lively community this time of year.

For a more comprehensive list of happenings throughout the area, check out our See+Do calendar on pages 12 and 13.