SITTING OUTSIDE THE SHELTON GYMNASIUM last Thursday afternoon are Sheena Johnson, right, and Dinah Pitman. Five days later the Shelton School Board discussed the gym in a closed-door session before voting to close it to all activities because of safety concerns.

LYNDA RING-ERICKSON has announced that she's running as a Democrat for a seat on the Mason County Commission currently held by Herb Baze.

Singing is their thing

Belting out a country gospel tune called, "You're the Best Thing," is Kelsey Hamilton with the help of Tyler Blanton on the guitar. These fifth-graders at Mason County Christian School were among the performers who took the stage last Friday night at the First Baptist Church of Shelton. Proceeds from the event will help pay for a trip to Washington, D.C., by seventh- and eighth-graders.

GENE STROZYK receives a Service Above Self Award during last week's luncheon meeting of the Shelton Rotary Club.

Beautification fund drive

Carolyn Olsen, left, and Kathy Burbidge go over strategy for visiting businesses in the Shelton area today to raise $15,000 for the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce's annual beautification project. The project includes the hanging flower baskets and banners put up each spring.

Jack's recipe for negotiating doglegs

Jack Stark, co-chair of the Mason General Hospital Foundation's 10th annual Quality Care Open Golf Tournament, explains to MGH Chef John Cruse how he'll get around Alderbrook's tough doglegs during the competition Friday, June 25. The tourney always fills up, sometimes two months in advance, but some of the 144 slots are still open. The four-person scramble will have a shotgun start at 11 a.m., and Cruse will be fixing Thai barbecued salmon and baron of beef with all the trimmings for the 4:30 dinner that follows. The fun also includes dinner music and raffles. Stark and co-chair Bill Schultz said the tourney offers more than $5,000 in prizes, including rewards for placing in either handicap or nonhandicap divisions, long drives and closest to the pin. In addition, a monster prize awaits anyone who makes a hole-in-one. (In the past, cars and cash have been offered for aces.) Golfers can sign up with a foursome or be placed with a group. Cost is $110. Those who don't want to play but would like dinner may pay $20. Call the foundation at 427-3622 to reserve a place in the tourney or at the dinner table. The event, which raises about $20,000, helps pay for hospital equipment. This year it will raise funds for equipment in MGH's cardiac wing.

WIND HAVING DISPERSED the clouds unseasonably yet again, smiles prevail during Climber fastpitch softball turnout Friday at MCRA. That's veteran senior Kacy Crump exuding characteristically, top right. Windblown as coach Val Ogg holds forth, near, are (from right) Juliet Dickson, Alysia Kirpes, Jessica Huber, Muriel Miller, Juli Bolender, Shannon Cooney, Ashley Cabe, Amanda Twiddy, Arisa Pearson, Caty Phipps and Ashley Carr. In the insets, from the top, are Sara Dahl (left) and Ms. Phipps aglow in the infield awaiting their turns at a hitting station, pitcher Juli Bolender uncorking one to the tune of a 62-mile-per-hour scorcher on Coach Ogg's timing gun (she's up fully seven mph compared to last year, says the sophomore veteran) and Stephanie Robinson lining one back up the middle in the girls' first scrimmage.

TOM PETERSON of the Washington State Department of Transportation displays an emergency locator transmitter. A device like this one is believed to have been installed on a plane that went missing with a pilot and a passenger during a flight from Sequim to Auburn on Sunday, February 29. Searchers began looking for the plane last Friday in Grapeview after radar information and an eyewitness report led investigators to begin looking on the ground in a nine-square-mile area south of Grapeview Loop Road and east of teh Fire District 3 Fire Hall.