To the editor:

The Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival, Music Community Resources and BLCKSWNevents would like to send out a huge thank-you and give a high five to everyone that helped make the annual Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival the most successful in its six-year history. We succeeded in tripling the overall daily combined sales of any previous Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival, and our attendance was more than 2,000 people.

Not only did we raise funds for our chosen charities — West Sound Wildlife Shelter and Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation — we also had a great time doing it and made some new friends along the way. From the children cartwheeling across the grass to the adults hula hooping and dancing together, the sun was shining on our perfect day. Thank you to the community for coming out and supporting the event!

Many people and organizations played an important part of this year’s success. I would like to thank Bremerton Bottling Company, Suquamish Tribe, 91.3 KBCS, Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District, Inside Bainbridge, Town & Country, Safeway, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Bainbridge Island Little League, The Island School, Artsy Geek, Wintergrass, Congregation Kol Shalom, Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanity Council, BI Zero Waste, ProBuild, KiDiMu, Teatro Zinzanni, Island HoopFit, Island Vintners, Eagle Harbor Books, Comedy Underground, Great Wolf Lodge, Argosy Cruises, Bon Bon Candies, Bill Speidel’s Underground Tours, Seattle Art Museum, Hales Ales, Bainbridge Brewing, Silver City Brewery, Fletcher Bay Wine, Bainbridge Boxing Club, Bainbridge Family Martial Arts, Heel Klickin’ Cloggers, JustKare Reptiles, West Sound Wildlife Shelter, Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation, Norm Johnson, John Baker, Kol Medina, Jason Pope, Lindsay Gatz, Auntmama, Carole Alexander, Rick Peterson, Alex Sanso, Merritt Bettineski, Jim and Sharon Wilford, Elsa Watson, Christine Lind, Rick DeMile, Jean Black, Patrick W halen, Russell Everett, Bill Preib, Julie Hall, Sarah Lane, Travis Foreman, Carole Dawson, Patrick Whalen, Porter Betteneski, Lindsay Masters, Dominique Cantwell, Dani Hemmat, Ann Warman, Diane Landry, Ben Little, Amber Buck, Kegan Buck, LuAnna Cather, Matthew Dillon, Liz McKinney, Bill Good, Azia Wisdom, Les Heinrich, Jeanna Strout, Candee Cole, Jennie Petrie, Mike Robbins, Ahmis Loving, Sondra Kay, Vince DeSantis, Callie Schmidt, Tara Ramsey, Fabiana Dodson, Brad Dodson, Samantha Herndon, Cecilia Garza, Laurel Powell, Blake Powell, Skip Malette, Stephanie Peck, Kim Hendrickson, Dierdre Hadlock, Geoff Vigneron, Jessie Dameron, Mike Mejia, Roger Belieu, Al Whitworth, John DeMeyer, Terry Lande, Roberto Gurza, Tony Gaspich, Blake Owens, Brown Paper Tickets, Mike Derzon, Jeff Millican, Susan Lloyd, Natassja Haught, Lynn Keating Smith, Darren Smith, Austin Smith, Megan Smith, and Jackson and Lola Hemmat.

Again, thank you for your support and help in bringing the Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival back to the island! We’ll see you next year!

JEFF HEMMAT

BLCKSWNevents

Coordinator – Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival