OPENING DAY'S SUNSHINE decidedly behind her, a resourceful young OysterFester makes the most of Day Two's intermittent rain.

Fire truck is down on its luck

A Mason County Fire District 5 truck lies totaled after the 22-year-old driver hit the brakes on wet pavement last Thursday afternoon and went off Pickering Road into a ditch, according to the Washington State Patrol. Jennifer C. Hellenthal, a firefighter and dispatcher, was traveling west on Pickering Road near the intersection with Probert Road when a cement truck pulled out in front of the fire truck, Trooper Richard Pigmon reported. She hit the brakes causing the fire truck to go sideways into a ditch and roll onto its side. Hellenthal was not injured in the crash reported at 4:31 p.m. September 29. The tender truck carrying water was totaled, Pigmon reported. Fire District 5 has other tender trucks available and service is not affected, according to Assistant Chief Tim McKern. Photo courtesy of Graydon Holden, who saw the scene as he was driving down the road.

Squeeze play in October

A girl prepares to bite into an apple while a man in front of her works on pressing cider at a recent apple squeeze. The annual Harstine Island Apple Squeeze and Fall Festival starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 8, at the Harstine Island Community Hall. Signs will be posted on island roads indicating how to find the hall. Cider sales and coinciding Saturday market business will also start at 10 a.m. Traditional needle-arts displays will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities end when organizers run out of apples.

Check this out: Vehicle hits library

No injuries were reported Wednesday morning after a 1983 Chevy S-10 Blazer smashed into a book drop box, then struck the front of the William G. Reed Library in Shelton. Damage to the building appeared minor. Librarian Tim Mallory said the driver told him a cast on her foot got stuck on a pedal and she wasn't able to stop. In the photo above, Anthony Perez of Jim's Towing checks with a Shelton police officer prior to removing the vehicle.

WITH FINISHED PLATTER in hand following Sunday's coronation is new West Coast Oyster Shucking Champion Miriel Silva.

WITH SAINT EDWARD'S Catholic Church behind him, Father Ron Belisle talks about working to plan a new church building, while serving the congregation. He took over as the new Catholic priest in Shelton this summer.

New reserves join Shelton Police Department

Four new reserve police officers from the Reserve Police Academy were commissioned to serve the City of Shelton at Monday night's city commission meeting. Shown above from left are Julia Smetzler, Shelton Police Chief Terry Davenport, Matthew Dickinson, Calvin Moran and Ken Driver.

HOLDING UP HER new baby name book, Shelton's Marty Wilson describes the years she spent on the concept.

Plant project grows at school

Mountain View Elementary School teachers Allison Nelson, on left, and Jeri DeMiero were part of a group of volunteers who planted trees and shrubs around the front of the school. When they were done, some 250 plants had been planted. The Mountain View Parent, Teacher, Student Organization paid close to $5,000 for the plants and beauty bark. Volunteers from Wormer Trucking and Pacific Management and Consulting tore out the old landscaping over the summer.

WELL, THEIR GUESTS might not have shared in it to any meaningful extent, to be sure, but the giddiness was indeed pretty hard to miss on the Climbers' side of the field Friday night as the defending league champs ran over visiting Bremerton 54-6. Sideline celebrating in the topmost shot are seniors Luis Alejandre (86) and Kenny Schmidt (41), and doing the Dew in the postgame frenzy, near, are face-painted fans Ari Sanchez-Thomas (left) and Mackenzie Schmidt. In the inset, meanwhile, Climber Kyle Burbridge blocks the visitors' first punt to set up the second of four Climber touchdowns in the opening 12 minutes. Coming up on sophomore Kyle's shoulder is senior teammate Sean Carnahan, and behind him are Alejandre and Gabe Shoemaker (40).

CLIMBER SOCCER'S INTRODUCTORY rite of pregame passage finds Kylie MacCracken (5) getting her proper sendoff the other night from teammates (from left) Alexandra Ehrich, Rachel Fennel, Erin Ranney, Kassi Profitt, Jessica Jacoby and Sam Louderback.

HELEN HUSON OLSEN, who is a third generation Tahuya resident, has released a third book about the little town at the Great Bend of Hood Canal.