Category Archives: Bremertonians

STORY WALK: A campus at a crossroads in East Bremerton

12005910_744911522321717_1594221856_o — Photo provided by Mark Morton.

What on Earth are we going to do with the former East High School campus?

Efforts to revive the school district property, which was also home to Bremerton Junior High School, have failed to this point.

Photos: A peek inside the squalor of the Old East High School

But this place has a proud history. There is also another bright side: the Bremerton Teen Center and a low-cost dental clinic are now located at the campus. There’s still talk of demolishing the 125,000 square feet of mostly rotting classrooms. Plus, in a surprising move, the State Legislature this year kicked in $1 million in improvements for the school’s revered gym.

On Tuesday at 6 p.m., we will meet inside that gym (3102 Wheaton Way) to discuss the campus’ past, present and future and we’ll tour the area. Special guests for our latest Kitsap Sun Story Walk include:

Rick Walker, East High School class of 1974 graduate and one of the greatest basketball players to come out of Bremerton.
Aaron Leavell, teacher who started in Bremerton in 1997 and rose through the ranks to become the school’s superintendent.
Patricia Hennessy, who ran for a time the now-defunct Youth Wellness Campus, an attempt to revitalize the property with a focus on arts and athletic education.
Chuck Stark, former Kitsap Sun sports editor, who sees potential in the campus’ athletic future and wonders if city and school officials could do more to make that idea a reality.

To conclude the story walk, staff from both the Bremerton Boys & Girls Club and the Lindquist Dental Clinic will be on hand to give tours of both facilities.

Hope you can join us! You may RSVP here if you like. In the meantime, I ask: what would you like to see happen at the campus?

12022969_744911705655032_693994802_n — All photos of East High School provided by Mark Morton.

Links to previous Kitsap Sun Story Walks:

Is the Cove turning a corner?

Storywalking history, the Roxy, and all things hoppy

Walking the new Westpark

The new Lower Wheaton Way

Washington Avenue, past and present

The meandering Madrona Forest

Redwood Rendezvous in West Bremerton

Fourth Street’s Economic Divide

Tweet This Post

QUIZ: Think you know Bremerton’s monuments?

josh farley

Tweet This Post

Another arcade is coming to downtown Bremerton

josh farley

Developments in Bremerton seem to come in twos these days. Both Ace and Henery Hardware opened on opposite sides of town within a month of each other in 2014; two fledgling breweries — Wobbly Hops and LoveCraft — both decided to wade into the downtown market at nearly the same time. And, where there was one arcade that opened downtown in the spring, there will now be two.

Another Castle Arcade Edition is coming to 305 Pacific Avenue, former home of Alchemy Tattoo & Gallery.

The Edmonds-based adult “barcade,” which started as a video store in 2006, expanded to serve drinks to its gaming customers. They’ll soon open similar barcades in Bellingham and Bremerton, according to Jason Alloway Greye, the company’s district manager. The expansion speaks to the state of the industry, he said.

“Demand is growing exponentially,” he said.

Greye, who happens to be from Bremerton, pitched the idea to the company to give downtown Bremerton a try. He sees a city that needs more for younger people — those over 21 — to do. Plus, he figured there’s plenty of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers nearby that would want to give the place a try as well.

Like Quarters Arcade around the corner, there will be a mix of old and new games. You’ll be able to play about a dozen pinball machines and around 30 arcade games.

“We focus on classic and retro but not exclusively,” Greye said.

Bremerton’s will be the only location with a full bar, he added.

They plan to open in November.

Tweet This Post

3 inspirational summer stories in Bremerton

josh farley

You can feel fall coming. The weather’s cooling, the colors are starting to change and summer will soon end. But before it does, I wanted to reflect on three stories that just flat made me feel good this summer in Bremerton. They’re the kinds of stories that give you hope for humanity.

They found Tiffany

I remember physically cringing when I saw the sight of the crumpled Motel 6 in West Bremerton, the victim of a massive gas explosion. We braced for the news of loss of life. But somehow, in what can only be described as a miracle, there was not. Larry Jennings, the Cascade Natural Gas technician who was closest to the explosion, continues to recover at Harborview Medical Center.

In the days after, the lone casualty appeared to be Tiffany, a black lab and chow mix that could be seen in surveillance video running from the Motel 6 as it exploded. But Tiffany’s owners, who’d recently moved here, never gave up hope. Dozens of people took on the task of posting flyers around town, creating a Facebook page, and combing the area looking for her. Nine days after the explosion, she was found drinking from the Port Washington Narrows.

What touched me the most about this story was after the fact, when complete strangers came together on a Sunday at Lions Park. Everyone got a chance to meet Tiffany (pictured). It was a wonderful story of community coming together, and then celebrating that cohesion.

The mailman of Manette

I’d heard a lot about Norm the mailman before Monday, when I got to tag along with him as he delivered on his 11-mile route. But I was awestruck by just how beloved he is in the community he serves.

On each block, a few homes, if not more, were in on “Norm Day,” an impromptu celebration of his close to 30 years delivering mail in Manette. From simple cards to bottles of wine, he was showered in praise throughout the day. It was fascinating to watch a neighborhood band together for someone like that.

Only here’s the thing: after walking with him much of the way, I can say with confidence he completely deserved it. Norm is more than a mailman. He helps people on his route each and every day, as I wrote about him in Tuesday’s paper.

Putting joy in Turner Joy

Photo by Mike Stitt. — Photos by Mike Stitt.

Since becoming the executive director of the USS Turner Joy Museum last year, Jack James has been a man on a mission. The retired Navy Seal, who’s led tasks like removing explosives from beaches in Iraq, is known for thinking outside the box.

Earlier in the year, he came up with a crazy idea to swim from the Turner Joy to the Boat Shed, crossing the Port Washington Narrows — one of the swiftest currents in Puget Sound. It sounded just crazy enough that I thought I’d like to join him. When else do you get a chance to swim from west to East Bremerton?

We all know Jack’s a hard worker. But what was so inspirational to me was his determination. Right before plunging into the water Sept. 12, I complained about the currents and the possibility of getting stung by a jelly fish.

“Look,” he told me. “All that other stuff, it’s just noise. See the Boat Shed over there? That’s the goal — do not think about anything else.

“Focus on the mission.”

And I did.

I’m excited for Bremerton to see what James comes up with next.

Tweet This Post

VIDEO: Opening night footage from The Roxy Theater

josh farley

“Certainly marvelous,” “very fine,” and “awful nice,” are how some of the first moviegoers at Bremerton’s Roxy Theater described it to a film crew on opening night. Some of you may recall this five minute video (above) from my July tour of the Roxy. Now, at long last, it’s available for posterity on YouTube.

It was a precarious journey. At some point, the original film — whose creators are unknown — was transferred to VHS and then to DVD. A huge thanks is due to the Kitsap County Historical Society and Museum, who kept it for many years. Crystal Yingling, who is spearheading an effort to save the Roxy and restore it to its former glory, got a copy. And at last, we’re able to present it to you now.

BLOGGER’S UPDATE, 5.19.16: The Roxy was purchased by Sound West Group in late 2015 and they have begun a full restoration.

The Roxy’s future is still far from certain but I do have a few developments to tell you. First, Yingling is teaming up with the nonprofit Downtown Bremerton Association in an effort to proceed with further fundraising. The 660-seat theater is owned by an Oregon investment firm.

It will likely take north of $1 million to fully restore the theater, which has been on sale for $399,000.

There’s also some ideas floating around about that particular tree-lined stretch of Fourth Street. Rice Fergus Miller Architects have been hosted a design charrette this week aimed at redeveloping the street into a retail-residential corridor, with as many as 70 residences atop businesses.

In the meantime, please enjoy the film, from the May 31, 1941 opening of the theater. Playing first was “The Devil and Miss Jones,” featuring Jean Arthur. And, as you may have already seen, you can wax nostalgic right next door to the shuttered Fourth Street Theater at the new Wobbly Hops Brewery, which opened earlier this month.

If you have any idea who might have produced this video, we’d like to give them credit. Please drop me a line at jfarley@kitsapsun.com.

Roxy today, Roxy yesterday. Photo by Meegan M. Reid.

Tweet This Post

Recreational marijuana comes to the east side

josh farley

The selection of bongs and pipes at the newest pot store in Bremerton.

For most people, smoking pot would not qualify as a homework assignment. But for staff at Destination Highway 420, Bremerton’s newest recreational marijuana shop, it’s a possible part of a burgeoning quality control program that calls for rating and reviewing different weed strands and types.

“We want to make sure we have the best quality product around,” said Michelle Beardsley, the store’s operations director and a welder at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Bremerton’s newest marijuana store, the first on the city’s east side, just got up and running this week — pot in all forms is coming in from growers all over the state — and has a grand opening slated for Saturday. It has been opened by two of the four people who started the county’s first pot store outside South Kitsap, Highway 420, on Charleston Beach Road. In fact, Beardsley and co-owner Brian Rose call it a “sister store.”

But both say it will be different. Located on Hollis Street, across from the Cloverleaf Sports Bar & Grill, the 4,000 square-foot space was once a warehouse. It was last a thrift store before Beardsley and Rose bought the property.

“It had a lot of junk in it, but the building’s in great shape,” Beardsley said.

They painted it the building, rebuilt the inside to give it an “industrial” look, stained the floors, and more. And while the Bremerton area is now home to three recreational pot stores, Rose is confident they’ve found a niche on the East side.

“We’re the closest store in the county until you get to Bainbridge Island,” said Rose, who worked for the school district and various jobs before landing what he called his dream. “We’re really excited to be able to service the north end.”

Their plans do not end at a pot shop, however. By the holidays, they plan to open an “annex” on the site that will sell store merchandise. And come springtime, they hope to open a glass blowing studio that will attract not just those looking to make their own pipes and bongs, but any kind of glassware.

The store is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Tweet This Post

Grocery gourmet: freezer section secrets at CJ’s

josh farley

Richard Kost and Cynthia Jeffries in the freezer section.

You hear a lot these days about the desire to have a grocery store in downtown Bremerton. Whenever that should occur, the new proprietors will be hard pressed to compete with the freezer section of CJ’s Evergreen General Store on Park Avenue.

Prime rib. Chicken Piccata. Corned beef and cabbage. All there, all freshly made and most with local ingredients. And just about everything costs around $10.

Last time I was in there, I picked up a cup of chili. Might have been some of the best I’ve ever had. But don’t take my word for it — the chili was among the best at this year’s Empty Bowl fundraiser for Bremerton Foodline.

“You might not expect that at the corner grocery store,” said Cynthia Jeffries, owner of the store since it opened in 2007.

Jeffries expanded the general store in 2009 to include a catering business. She brought on the talents of Richard Kost, a chef with more than two decades’ experience who has headed the kitchens of numerous Seattle restaurants.

With catering, the duo was able to diversify the business but also experiment with some other ideas, including the gourmet freezer section. They’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well it has done, helping to even build a personal chef service.

“For me, it’s a chance to do some higher end foods, right here, with locally sourced products,” Kost said.

Jeffries said a side benefit has been seeing customers of all different income levels come to enjoy the section. For families, it can even compete with fast food in terms of value, but the quality of ingredients is much better. Pints of soup are $5 and other items can even be purchased for less.

“You can’t buy a happy meal for $4,” she points out.

CJ’s is located at 1417 Park Avenue.

Tweet This Post

Are you up for a walk through the cove?

josh farley

The new park in Anderson Cove is almost done.

Good things are happening in Anderson Cove. A new park on the waterfront is slated to open in about a month. Plus, a few new businesses, including an Irish pub and a brewery, have come to 15th Street.

Who wants to go check it out?

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, I will lead my latest Story Walk through the cove, starting at Hi-Lo Cafe at 15th Street and Wycoff Avenue. We’ll hear from the owners about how they’ve created one of the best breakfast and lunch spots in all of Kitsap County.

Then, we’ll set off for an approximately 1/2 mile walk to Bremerton’s newest park, named for Bremerton civil rights pioneers James and Lillian Walker. The park, with an ampitheater-like setting overlooking the Port Washington Narrows, will likely open in September. We’ll get a sneak peak with help from Bremerton Parks Preservation and Development Manager Colette Berna. The architect of many of Bremerton’s redeveloped parks will take us through how the less than 1-acre parcel came together, and how it demonstrates the state’s newest methods to keep stormwater out of Puget Sound.

We’ll return to 15th and Wycoff to conclude the walk (you can also take a bus back for $2) and a stop at Bremerton’s newest restaurant, Bualadh Bos, for some food and good company. I am also hopeful we can speak with the proprietors of soon-to-be opened Hale’s Ales brewery and taproom, on the corner of 15th and Wycoff as well.

I hope you’ll join us for a walk through this changing Bremerton neighborhood Saturday! Please RSVP here, and here’s links to our previous walks.

Storywalking history, the Roxy, and all things hoppy

Walking the new Westpark

The new Lower Wheaton Way

Washington Avenue, past and present

The meandering Madrona Forest

Redwood Rendezvous in West Bremerton

Fourth Street’s Economic Divide

Tweet This Post

Where’d the Parche’s stripes go?

josh farley

FullSizeRender[1] — Where’d the Parche’s awards go?

The USS Parche isn’t going dark again — not for long, anyway.

The sail of the most decorated vessel in U.S. Navy history, which sits in front of Puget Sound Navy Museum, lost its stripes recently. All of its awards were stripped off during its annual painting last week, by volunteers from Submarine Development Squadron 5. That’s the outfit for fast attack submarines Seawolf, Connecticut and Jimmy Carter.

The colorful citations represent nine Presidential Unit Citations, 10 Navy Unit Commendations, 13 Navy Expeditionary Medals and 15 Battle Efficiency Awards.

“The vinyl wasn’t in the greatest shape, so they were actually removed and we’re going to reapply them,” said Danelle Feddes, deputy director and senior curator at the museum. The shipyard’s sign shop is doing that work.

The sail is owned by the city, but the museum helps to maintain it.

Parche moved to Naval Submarine Base Bangor in 1994 and operated its final years out of Hood Canal. A decommissioning ceremony was held Oct. 19, 2004, at the shipyard, not far from where the sail now rests. Most of the sub’s missions were secret and remain classified.

This guest post was written by Ed Friedrich. Ed was my guest star on this exciting video seen below.

Tweet This Post

New posters up at the downtown cinemas

josh farley

Gretchen Ritter-Lopatowski has seen her share of movies recently at Bremerton’s SEEFilm Cinemas. Like, 20 to 25 of them.

When you design the winning entry for a new poster on the cinemas’ exterior, you get to go for free for a year. And bring a friend. And have credit at the snack bar to go with.

“We have been fully taking advantage of it,” she said.

The graphic designer, who moved here little more than two years ago, was enticed last fall to try her hand at winning the competition. The result (see above) is a lovely collage of Bremerton and theater iconography.

“I was going for something visually appealing, to catch their attention and keep them there,” she said. “Everyone says when they look at it they always find something new.”

Ritter-Lopatowski lives here with her husband Jason, who works at Rice Fergus Miller architects downtown.

Another poster also went up on the theater, welcoming drivers through Bremerton’s ferry tunnel (also below). It’s the work of Mike Stitt, who with his wife Julie manage the theater.

The theater, which opened in June 2012, has continued to grow attendance since it opened. Attendance its first year reached 172,000; now in its third year, it’s likely to eclipse 200,000, according to statistics kept by the City of Bremerton.

Tweet This Post