New conductor
Ryan Dakota Farris has been named the new music director and conductor for the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra.
Farris is assistant conductor of Lake Union Civic Orchestra and is pursuing his doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington where he conducts the Campus Philharmonia and assists with the UW Symphony. His musical education was enriched under the guidance of the late maestro Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival, alongside studies with notable conductors such as Ludovic Morlot and David Alexander Rahbee.
His experience includes recent guest conducting appearances with the Bainbridge Symphony, Octava Chamber Orchestra, and Seattle Festival Orchestra.
“The warmth, generosity, and dedication of these musicians is infectious and I can’t wait to see what we are capable of achieving together in the coming years. Getting the chance to direct and program for my own orchestra is truly a dream come true,” he said.
305 work
New lights, signs and pavement markings were scheduled to be installed June 11 on Highway 305 approaching the Winslow ferry.
A lane is being dedicated to ferry traffic. Designed to improve traffic flow, it will mean motorists can no longer make a right turn from Winslow Way into the ferry waiting line.
Pints for parks
A fundraiser for the National Park Fund will take place at Sisters Cider House on Bainbridge Island June 27.
Sisters, 921 Hildebrand Lane NE, will donate $1 for every glass of cider sold to the cause. There will be games, a raffle and Taste da Boot food truck with Cajun food for sale.
Last year, Washington National Park Fund provided $1.5 million for projects at Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades parks that fees and Congress didn’t fund.
Soccer fest
The Good Play America Soccer Fest will take place on the new turf soccer field at Woodward Middle School on Bainbridge Island June 22 from 2-6 p.m.
The event is for soccer players ages 8-15. Organizers will be collecting soccer cleats and balls to donate to kids in Colombia.
The event includes a mini-soccer tourney, Fun Zones that include an inflatable soccer field, shoot-on-target cleats and kick the ball on the corn goal. Each player gets a t-shirt and bracelet. You have a chance to win prizes.
Food support
Helpline House and Bainbridge Island Rotary are offering Pantry Bags from June 21 to Sept. 6.
The bags are for youth up to 18 in need of food during summer break. Bags include food for one youth for one week. They can be picked up at Helpline House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Reptile visit
The Island School on Bainbridge recently hosted a team from the Amphibian & Reptile Conservancy.
Students got to hold and observe over 10 snake species brought by Linnea Stavney, greenhouse manager from Central Washington University,
The ARC team led a hands-on activity where students designed and built a model wildlife crossing for salamanders to move between their forest and pond habitats.
To close out the visit, wildlife science author Chris Cousins read Nuestra Casa, “a bilingual (English and Spanish) children’s book with amphibian narrators, working to foster a sense of stewardship and belonging in readers.”
The visit from the collective of wildlife experts came ahead of a Bioblitz event inspired by the life of Island School alum Graham who died in 2022.
Weed Warriors
A Weed Warriors Work Party will take place from 1-3 p.m. June 22 at Strawberry Plant Park, 240 Weaver Road NW.
The trail was recently renamed in honor of Charles Schmid, founder of the Waterfront Trail.
Bring gloves, pruners, and a shovel if you have them, but extras are available. RSVP by text to 2067668461.
Fatal crash
A single-vehicle accident in South Kitsap June 7 has left one person dead and another hospitalized after law enforcement said the driver allegedly operated while intoxicated.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred just before 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of East Collins Road and Woods Road East in unincorporated Port Orchard.
Officials say the vehicle was driven into a tree, and a passenger died at the scene. The suspected driver has not yet been booked and is receiving medical treatment in Tacoma, public information officer Kevin McCarty said.
The case is being treated as a vehicular homicide, the second such case to originate from the Port Orchard area in the past three months. Two died in a high-speed collision March 5, and the driver in that incident is also suspected of having driven under the influence.
