Peninsular Thinking

We (and by “we” I mean reporter Ed Friedrich, but he handed this assignment off to me) recently received a copy of “Port Orchard” a pictorial history of the town by the same name, by the Claudia Hunt and George Willock of the Kitsap County Historical Society.

The book is part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. According to a press release from the company, based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, “Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.”

Willock and Hunt, both history buffs, have deep roots in Kitsap County. Hunt’s family came to Bremerton in 1918. She serves on the historical society’s board of trustees and historical sites committee. Hunt, retired from the shipyard, recently designed the Old Town Silverdale Historic Sites Tour to benefit the Clear Creek Trail.

Willock is a fourth generation Kitsap County resident and retired state employee with a background in business writing. He serves on the board and volunteers for many museum projects.

The book features historical society photos starting with 1988, two years after the town of Sidney (now Port Orchard), was founded. In its early days, the town had a pottery works, shingle mill and saw mill, as well as a wharf for “Mosquito Fleet” boats that were the primary means of transportation.

Fast forward to the 1940s, and this picture, showing local youth diving like lemmings into the 50-degree waters of Sinclair Inlet … just ’cause. Kids still do this (so do adults during the Olalla Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day … just ’cause).

Before Fathoms O’ Fun, the town celebrated with something calls “Days of 49,” popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. Townsfolk dressed up in wild west garb and got pretty wild and crazy from what I’ve heard. “The name actually had no connection with Port Orchard. Celebration founders chose it simply because no other town had claimed it,” the book states. … Kind of like a domain name.

My thoughts: Port Orchard, where we celebrate by default. Because “Days of 47″ was taken …  Makes “Fathoms O’ Fun” sound positively brilliant.

Here’s a picture of a parade float from 1950. The antique fire truck was purported by participants to be the first fire engine in Port Orchard not powered by horses.

My thoughts: Looks like it could use a horse or two or three. And a suggested caption: Now you see why we need that fire levy!

Here’s my favorite, a picture of donkey basketball at the old high school.

The sport was popular with everyone but the janitors. It spawned a special line of horseshoes, Air Wilburs. Also this explain why they needed a new high school.

Go ahead Bremerton, laugh. Just wait until Arcadia Publishing and the Kitsap County Historical Society get ahold of you.

“Port Orchard” is available for $21.99 at local retailers, online bookstores and through Arcadia Publishing, www.arcadiapublishing.com; (888) 313-2665.

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Members of the Cedar Cove Association were deflated by news that a pilot of the Hallmark Channel’s Cedar Cove series won’t be shot in Port Orchard, the town that inspired bestselling author and long-time Port Orchard resident Debbie Macomber.

It wasn’t for lack of trying. Macomber joined association members and city officials in late 2010 to try and woo producers with a tour of the town. Unfortunately for PO, Canada offers generous tax breaks for film production that the Hallmark Channel just couldn’t pass up. The film will be shot in Victoria, B.C.

“It was a disappointment that the series is not being filmed here in Port Orchard,” said Cindy Lucarelli, CCA executive director and a city councilwoman. “CCA did work with Debbie and the producers to try to make that a reality, but financially it did not turn out to be a viable option. On the other hand, we are grateful that the plan for the series is now very nearly a reality!”

Take comfort, Port Orchard. The Hallmark Channel thinks you look like Victoria. … I wonder where they’d film a movie about Bremerton.

The association is trying to figure out how to capitalize on the buzz around the pilot, due out in late 2012. Lucarelli says it’s likely that the movie would premier at the Dragonfly Cinema in downtown PO, since three other made-for-TV movies based on Macomber’s books premiered here in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. The premier would likely be part of on the city’s Festival of Chimes & Lights, which has grown to be a huge event.

Lucarelli said the association also is looking at a 2013 summer event, similar to but shorter than the 2009 Cedar Cove Days, when the town got into character as itself. The association is looking for a major sponsor. Unlike the earlier five-day event, Cedar Cove Days II, probably would be held over a long weekend.

If you are a fan of the Cedar Cove books, which character do you relate to the most? Which character would you like to play if a Cedar Cove Days happens again? Who do you think would be a good fit for other characters?

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There was a time when I was one to follow trends. I had my suburban mullet and acid-washed jeans like the rest of them. I wore the white, laceless Vans and the OP shorts and shirts. I drove a bug. I even like Styx once upon a time. I did all those things when they were cool and discarded them on time to not be tragically behind the times stylistically. Actually, I should have never ditched the bug, but I’m sure I would have killed it by now anyway.

About the time of the mullet frozen yogurt was available more predictably than Starbucks and I was one of its fans. I wouldn’t say I was among the biggest fans, but I was a regular. I once traveled to Little Rock in the 1990s, where for the entire decade the tallest building in the state was the 40-story TCBY Tower. (It’s now named after something else. Whatever that is isn’t important in any context I can think of.)

Coincidentally the end of the last millennium also brought to a seeming end the popularity of frozen yogurt. I barely noticed. I moved to Washington where I never found a fro-yo shop and never really looked.

To my delight, however, at a time when I am measuring how much I dump into me (I’ve lost 22 pounds over the past few months.) I have appreciated being able to stop by Costco and get a twist or a very berry. Now I learn frozen yogurt is making a comeback. Silverdale, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island all have stores dedicated to fine art of frozen-yogurtery.

It’s time someone made the stuff available in Bremerton. When I used the Google Places app on my iPhone it tells me I can get it at Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen, but I want a place dedicated specifically to fro-yo.

The trend in those stands has changed, too, I’ve learned. Now you go in to many of them, grab a cup, fill it with yogurt and stuff and then weigh it, paying 41-cents (your mileage may vary) and ounce for whatever you pile into your bowl before you pile it into your mouth.

People in Port Orchard may also be clamoring for fro-yo, but it’s well established here that I don’t care about Port Orchard. Actually, I would like that, too, because I cover stuff in Port Orchard. I would totally go, especially if someone in Bremerton doesn’t answer my call. I might take Port Orchard off notice for that.

While we’re at it, you should watch this homemade commercial. It was the winner of a contest.

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Earlier this month, I was driving by Morningside Bread Co. and thought, “Oh, no, not another business closing on Bay Street.”

It’s not closing. In fact the popular bakery will now be open 7 days a week.

But how was I to know? The store was dark and there was some equipment out on the sidewalk.

I screeched to a halt (not literally Chief Townsend) and walked over to the store to ask owners Brad and Amanda Rudd what was going on.

Turns out they were just doing a major cleaning, with a few significant upgrades. Morningside, which will be open eight years in April, gets a thorough scrub down every year in January, which is their slowest time.

This year, the Rudds added a bigger espresso machine. They’re going to start offering soups and sandwiches, and they’re adding a line of bread made with organic flour.

Morningside also is going to a 7-day-a-week schedule.

“We already bake six days a week,” said Amanda. “So we thought, throw in an extra day.”

” … try and bring some life downtown,” Brad said.

Look for the bakery to reopen on Tuesday.

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Wednesday night, rock celebrities the Foo Fighters played Port Orchard. That’s right. Port Orchard.

As part of a promotional tour for their new album Wasting Light, they’ve been playing in fans’ garages, one of whom apparently lives in Port Orchard. The show got an immediate post-show mention by radio station 107.7 The End and shortly after, a video posted by one of the lucky 50 who got in to see the show:

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A photo in Chris Henry’s piece about homes getting knocked down in Port Orchard revealed something worth noting here.

From the photo caption:

“Port Orchard contracted with Bremerton to demolish the building, because Bremerton has had more experience with tearing down old structures, said Port Orchard Public Works Director Mark Dorsey.”

It should be obvious by now. When Port Orchard needs knocking down, Bremerton has plenty of experience.

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Those who don’t live in or around Port Orchard may wonder what’s all the hoofla with the city’s proposed waterfront pedestrian-bike pathway.

The city of Port Orchard and the Port of Bremerton have been negotiating on where and if the proposed path will cut through a waterfront park owned by the port. A compromise suggested by City Councilman Jerry Childs and Port Commissioner Roger Zabinsky appears to be a workable compromise on what has been a prickly issue. Port commissioners and city council members will walk the route at 5 p.m. Feb. 15.

Another issue between the city and the port is downtown parking. An earlier impasse appears to be breached with a proposal now on the table to have the city relinquish 32 spaces it controls near the Port Orchard Marina to the port. In exchange, the port would give up control of 31 spaces next to the park the city wants for paid parking. About 10 spaces along the water next to the park would be city controlled for park users. The time limit there would be two hours.

The discussion of the pathway and parking is part of a larger, comprehensive plan for the waterfront area that the port and the city are working on.

To fully appreciate the history of mild to moderate contention between the city and the port on these and other erstwhile points of contention, one needs to look at a map of the waterfront showing each entity’s interest in the various properties. In short, it’s complicated.

The map, below, was created by the port and shows the patchwork of ownership and interests that forms the basis of the relationship between the city and the port.

As you’ll see, the port owns or leases most of the properties. The city and port recently reached an agreement to have the port lease the Water Street dock — another bone of contention, now calmed.

Kitsap Transit is a third entity that owns and leases properties near the foot ferry dock, and just to further complicate matters, Kitsap Regional Library’s Port Orchard operations are housed in a city-owned building, also near the foot ferry.

Here’s the map:
map.po.waterfront

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We’ve heard the Historic Orchard Theatre is closing. Tonight is its last night. Reporter Ed Friedrich is working on a story.

In an earlier post, Southworth resident James Kelsey indicated that the theater, with other arts venues, was struggling for lack of support. The building has been the site of a number of movie theater businesses that have come and gone. I’d welcome your thoughts on the end of this run.

Did you patronize the Orchard? Why do you think it was unable to survive? What do you think will (or should) go in its place?

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Bear with me while I ramble a bit here.

First things first. It’s Friday. Run, don’t walk, to this week’s featured event, which is under way as we speak. It’s a wine and hors d’oeuvres affair at the Amy Burnette Gallery on 4th Street in Bremerton to celebrate the grand opening of the “Crazy Lady on 4th Street Gallery,” with featured art by Shelly Wilkerson … “think Norman Rockwell meets Mad Magazine,” says the item on the Kitsap Sun’s calendar. You have until 8:30 p.m. Wilkerson’s Gallery is at 296 Fourth St.

Now, there’s considerable irony in the fact that the reception is in Bremerton, according to South Kitsap artist James Kelsey of Southworth. Wilkerson is from South Kitsap, said Kelsey, but alas if it has anything to do with art, it’s probably happening in Bremerton.

Kelsey, a former dyed-in-the-wool optimist, sounded positively cynical and downright despondent when I called him today to ask if he met his goal of fund-raising for a piece of public art in Port Orchard. He hadn’t even hit the halfway mark.

Last month on this blog, I wrote about Kelsey’s efforts to raise $15,000 through an online private fund-raising campaign for a sculpture he proposed to install in a public place in Port Orchard. The money would have covered his materials, including a large stainless steel sphere that cost $6,000 to manufacture. Kelsey, willing to take a gamble on PO’s heart for art, paid for the sphere on his credit card. His plan was to get the statue installed, then mount a campaign to cover his time and other costs.

At the time he launched the fund-raising drive, Bremerton had just approved another statue (that makes about 300 quadrillion so far) paid for with the city’s 1 percent for the arts program.

Port Orchard has no arts funding program, but Kelsey believed private citizens would step up to beautify their fair city. By the deadline of the campaign, he had raised only $4,000. The giant sphere sits in storage. Perhaps he will use it in another piece.

Kelsey is a successful artist with works on Kitsap County properties and in Bremerton (did we need to ask?), as well as in other states and British Columbia. His art fetches a fair price, but producing is is a lengthy and often speculative process. With the recession, Kelsey struggled. In March he lost his home. Some friends bought it and are allowing him to rent until he can buy it back. But in truth, Kelsey is starting to lose spring in his step.

Asked if he’s given up on Port Orchard, Kelsey said. “They’ve given up on me. I keep forgetting I live here because it’s a good place to live, not because it’s an arts community. This is a blue collar, NASCAR town, not an art-centric community.”

Bremerton, in comparison, is bustling with activity, largely as a result of its arts scene, Kelsey said. “You look at Bremerton’s parks, and the art and the fountains they have. It’s becoming a destination, and a lot of that has to do with the arts.”

Ironically, Kelsey said, there are numerous artists living in South Kitsap, but most of their work is displayed and sold elsewhere. In his opinion, support for the arts, including the Historic Orchard Theatre and Western Washington Center for the Performing Arts, comes from a small core group of people, and it’s not enough to support a thriving arts community.

Kelsey, citing a 2009 study on Arts and Economy by the National Governors Association, said Bremerton and Port Orchard respectively will reap what they sow in the realm of investment in the arts.

Since this is a single source blog post, I’d like to open this forum up to comments from those of you who agree or disagree with Kelsey.

What say you, is Port Orchard culturally challenged (take the poll on this blog’s hoome page)? Why do you think efforts to privately fund a public sculpture have failed?

Is Bremerton’s investment in the arts paying off?

I was going to poke fun at Bremerton for poking fun at Port Orchard about our new 7Eleven, but we’re in the middle of a serious discussion here. Guess I’ll just have to save if for a future post.

Reach Kelsey at james@jameskelseystudios.com.

Chris Henry, South Kitsap reporter

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It became clear to me that I haven’t had fun at Port Orchard’s expense lately. Being the designated defender of Bremerton I am contractually obliged to throw sticks and stones across the inlet.

After the county commissioners meeting Monday night I stopped by the new 7-Eleven on Bay Street to pick up something I would regret later, an apt description of all my visits to Port Orchard.

Don’t take offense. Take revenge. Lob your own volleys at Bremerton, as you did last time I did this, back when there was a Bremerton Beat.

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