Fort Ward event
Celebrate Fort Ward Community Hall at a dedication and open house from 10 a.m. to noon June 17.
The event will include a commemorative USPS stamp cancellation, with a design by Bainbridge Island artist Marc Anderson. Free postcards will be available to be stamped.
Please RSVP at www.fortwardhall.info
There is no parking at the event site or on surrounding streets. Park at upper Fort Ward Park and walk to the event. A shuttle will run from that parking lot during event hours.
Built in 1910, the historic Fort Ward bakery building served the US Army Coast Artillery Corps garrison at Fort Ward. During World War II, it was repurposed as a power station to support the radio intercept activities at top secret Station S.
The building was restored for community use through a partnership of BI Metro Parks and Recreation, Kitsap County Sewer District 7 and the Friends of Fort Ward neighborhood group.
For details, email fortwardhall@gmail.com
LGBTQIA+ rights
A Teach Truth and Defend LGBTQIA+ event to stand up for student rights will take place on Bainbridge Island from 10 a.m. to noon June 10.
Our Freedom to Learn will begin at 10 a.m. at the BI Historical Musem. Attendees will hear from local leaders and make signs. At 10:30 a.m., participants will march from the museum to the library. At 11 a.m., attendees will find out What’s at Stake? at the library.
A news release from the group says some states have passed laws restricting teachers from discussing topics such as racism, white supremacy and gay/lesbian/trans topics. They are also banning gender-affirming care for trans youth. School boards also are banning books on the topics.
It is being put on by the Bainbridge Multicultural Advisory Committee, HEAL Together and Zinn Education Project.
Baccalaureate set
The 2023 Bainbridge High School Senior Baccalaureate Ceremony is set for June 11 at 4 p.m. at Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, 105 Winslow Way W.
A long-time BHS tradition, the non-denominational ceremony will include student musical performances, reflections on their high school years and beyond, prayers, singing and a surprise ending.
Along with graduating seniors, family members and the community are invited to show their support.
The service is put on by the Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap Interfaith Council.
Climber dies
A 41-year-old Bremerton man died May 31 while climbing Mount Rainier.
At 7:30 a.m. Brian Harper collapsed near the summit on a guided climb. He was participating in an expedition led by Alpine Ascents International, one of the licensed guide services on the mountain. No breathing or pulse could be found, and CPR was unsuccessful.
Over the next day, climbing guides worked with National Park Service climbing and aviation rangers to bring the body down the mountain. Weather conditions were finally favorable for the park’s A-STAR helicopter to complete the mission at 10:30 a.m. June 1.
The Pierce County medical examiner will determine cause of death.
Boaters Fair
A free Boaters Fair will take place on Bainbridge Island from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 10 at Eagle Harbor Waterfront Park and Dock.
Participants can learn about safe boating; learn to sail, paddle and row; watch a US Coast Guard helicopter rescue; and eat hot dogs.
On hand will be members of the BI Police Department, BI Metro Parks & Recreation Department; Coast Guard auxiliary; Bainbridge Prepares; and more.
Student services
Maria Kuffel and Annalisa Sanchez have been hired to be Student Services directors for the Bainbridge Island School District.
Kuffel has worked in the district since 2008, first as a psychologist, then as preschool coordinator and then as Special Services coordinator at the district office in 2021.
Sanchez joined BISD in 2019 and has been an Integrated Learning teacher, associated principal and social-emotional learning coordinator.
They will start in their new roles July 1.
EV launch
The launch of the new Electric Vehicle Car Share and Charging Stations at City Hall will take place at 4:30 p.m. June 13.
The event will include a ribbon cutting and remarks from city and ZEV co-op officials.
Ferry closure
Customer surveys are due by 5 p.m. June 16 about the closure of drive-on traffic on the Washington State Ferries Bainbridge Island-Seatte route set for Sept. 7-13.
WSF will use the surveys to plan service options during that time.
WSF will give a presentation to the BI City Council at its June 13 meeting at City Hall and on Zoom.
The closure is due to the overhead loading walkway project. Four bridge spans will arrive by barge, be rolled into the vehicle holding and exit lanes, then lifted into place by cranes.
The closure extends to vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and electric scooters.
Bank scholarships
Four local students have won Kitsap Bank scholarships.
They are: Stephanie Hart of Bainbridge, Eiley Robertson and Sarah Cates of North Kitsap, and Mya Torrez-Hernandez of Olympic high schools. Torrez-Hernandez plans to go to the University of Washington or Western Washington University to study business or architecture; Hart plans to go into cosmetology; Robertson will study English or journalism at the UW; and Cates plans to attend UW-Tacoma for history or English.
Textile artists
Thirty-four textile art pieces by 21 Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo and other Peninsula artists are on display weekend afternoons through Aug. 27 at the Mead Werks tasting room at Wilderbee Farm, 223 Cook Ave. Ext., Port Townsend.
“Farm & Garden, Sea & Shore” includes art quilts, jewelry, felted pieces, garlands, embellished digital prints of photographs, table linens, a shawl and collages.
Dale Walker and Donna Lee Dowdney of Bainbridge and Poulsbo’s Daera Leslie Dobbs are among the participating artists.
The exhibit is open each Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. By mid-summer, the exhibit will also open on Friday afternoons. Admission is complimentary. Most pieces are available for purchase directly from the artists.
Correction
Ed Moydell is leaving Bloedel Reserve. His name in last week’s briefs was incorrect.
