Local punk-rock band Speedqueen Underground will be playing an acoustic show at the Trillium Cafe on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. Be sure to bring your dancin’ shoes to groove to your favorite originals and classic covers. Admission is free. Trillium Cafe, 207 Oak St., Hood River, 386-1996.

Author Gina Ochsner will appear at Viento restaurant on Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Bingen, Wash., for the conclusion of the Salon Series. Ochsner’s second book of short stories, “People I Wanted to Be,” is the winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the Oregon Book Award for Short Fiction, and the PNBA Book Award. The evening includes a three-course dinner starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35. Books and tickets are available at Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River or by calling Viento at (509) 493-0049.

Full Sail’s new winter Brewmaster Dinner menu will be available every Thursday beginning Jan. 10, from 4-8 p.m., at Full Sail’s Tasting Room and Pub. The four-course menu features savory and sweet seasonal fare paired with four of the brewery's award-winning brews. The cost of the dinner including beer is $25 per person. No reservations are needed. Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub, 506 Columbia St., Hood River, 386-2247.

Do your New Year’s resolutions include getting more exercise, getting out more, meeting new people or just having more fun? If so, the Cherry Park Grange is the place to be. Line dance classes taught by Steve Hudson will start on Friday, Jan. 4, starting at 7 p.m. Open to singles and couples of all ages. Cost is $3 per person, $5 per couple or $6 for the whole family. No experience necessary. Call 993-3540 for more information. Cherry Park Grange, Lambert and Old Dufur Road, The Dalles.

On Jan. 19-20, national entertainer Kurt Sutton will perform an “Evening with Mark Twain” at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. This presentation launches the first collaboration between the Columbia Center for the Arts and Skamania Performing Arts Foundation. Sutton's performance of "An Evening with Mark Twain" is based on years of research and development. Sutton is unusual in his approach to depicting Twain's wit and wisdom through humorous stories. He includes in the program several of the sing-along songs Twain led for his friends and family in his home almost every night. Show times are Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 for seniors and students and are available at the Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River.

On Friday, Jan. 4, “On the One” from San Diego makes their first appearance at the River City Saloon. On the One features John Staton (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) and Jesse Malloy (Giant People). On Saturday Jan. 5, The Outriders from Portland will take the stage. “An offshoot of the band Ashbury Park, the Outriders have an awesome repertoire of tunes.”

On Friday, Jan. 11, Five Strings Short returns with their bluegrass show. On Saturday, Jan. 12, the Mother Hips return for their semi-annual pilgrimage back to River City. Find out more about this band at www.motherhips.com. River City Saloon is at 205 Cascade Ave., in Hood River. Call 387-BLUES for more information.