Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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A city beautification project that began before the pandemic is picking up its pace this year as several local artists and art groups contribute submissions and finances to the cause. The City of Shelton began decorating power boxes in town in 2019 with artwork chosen by the Shelton Arts Commission, out of a selection of submissions solicited from Mason County artists. Jordanne Krumpols, Parks and Recreation supervisor for Shelton, reported that six power boxes have been adorned, while another...
Shelton's free-admission "Movies in the Park" are heading into back-to-back sports films, with 1992's "The Mighty Ducks" on Friday, and 1996's "Space Jam" on Aug. 11, both of which start between 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. in Kneeland Park. It seems every generation needs its own "Bad News Bears," and for a lot of 1990s kids, Disney's pee-wee hockey-playing Ducks were that hard-luck team of underdog misfits, coached by an obligatory disillusioned adult authority figure who didn't want to be there. If you'...
The Port of Grapeview reviewed updates for the port’s maintenance plan and comprehensive scheme of harbor improvement at its July 18 meeting. Port Commissioner Art Whitson said he contacted the maintenance department at Mason County Public Works for catch-basin maintenance in June, but hadn’t heard back on when they’d be able to do it. He said he’d follow up. Whitson said he needs to develop a tailored maintenance plan for each item of equipment or infrastructure under the port’s purview,...
Hoodsport Port commissioners Cody Morris and Terry Brazil approved an agreement July 19 with Integrated NW Construction to satisfy the conditions for renewing the lease on the port’s dock. During the commissioners’ most recent meeting, Port Executive Director Kathleen Wyatt said the port has $3,500 available for a professional services agreement, which she said is the first step required for any progress in inspecting and renovating the docks. Wyatt said the next steps would be a “desktop revie...
I devoted the latter half of last Friday to what has been christened the "Barbenheimer" double-feature, screening Christopher Nolan's three-hour "Oppenheimer" that afternoon, before going to dinner for an hour, then taking in Greta Gerwig's two-hour "Barbie" that evening. Nolan and several "Oppenheimer" actors have praised "Barbenheimer" in the press, touting it as proof of a healthy cinematic marketplace, and indeed, watching those two films back-to-back made me feel like I'd gazed into the...
Superintendent Dana Rosenbach talked about North Mason’s summer school program, the upcoming renaming ceremony for the east addition of the community gym, and the wrap-up of the Theler property transition, at the school board’s most recent meeting. “We’re very excited for the students who are registered,” Rosenbach said of the summer school at the July 20 meeting. “Our rising fourth-through-seventh-graders will be engaging in their developing video work. On the last day, we’ll get to see what t...
As of Wednesday, the Port of Dewatto has not filled the vacancy on its three-member board of commissioners, left open by the April 8 death of Ray Mow. The port is still running ads in the Shelton-Mason County Journal to solicit applicants for the port’s District 2 Commissioner position. Acting Port Commission Chair Dave Haugen has asked Kris Tompkins, the port’s volunteer who lives in the Haven Lake area, to provide any updates she on anyone who might be interested in filling the position. Tom...
When Tim Weber arrived in Shelton in 1977, he recalls that a small group of amateur or "ham" radio hobbyists gathered monthly in the upper room of Blondie's (then Timbers) restaurant. "It was informal then, and the main interests included DXing, 2-meters and computer use in packet radio," said Weber, who is Mason County Amateur Radio Club vice president. "I can't recall when the club became more formal, with bylaws and officers, but I know it held field days in the 1980s. I participated in just...
For this week’s “In the Dark” column, I’m reviewing two weeks of the Shelton’s free-admission movies in the city’s Movies in the Park series — for July 21, “Holes” from 2003, and for July 28, “Shrek” from 2001. Both start around 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. on Fridays in Kneeland Park. For next week’s column, I’ll be doing a double-decker review of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” both of which are scheduled to premiere that same weekend. Since Michael Bay’s first “Transforme...
Port of Allyn officials have reached a consensus on dealing with sea lions. During a special meeting of the port commissioners July 10, Port Executive Director Lary Coppola reviewed how the port had been invaded by sea lions on its dock. Coppola met with representatives from port insurer Enduris, which sent a team out to inspect the damage. "We are getting bids on the repair work now, and hopefully work will get underway shortly," Coppola said July 10. "We've been told there may be a supply...
Shelton is running its Movies in the Park series this summer, showing free-admission films every Friday from July 14 through Aug. 18 in Kneeland Park, so I'm running six weeks of reviews of each week's featured films, starting with the 1995 safari fantasy "Jumanji," starring Robin Williams. "Jumanji" kicks off the city's movie series this Friday. Among my fellow film nerds, director Joe Johnston gets a bad rap for being a solid yet unambitious meat-and-potatoes filmmaker, who's responsible for...
Fans of music, fine dining and supporting early childhood education can partake of all three at 6:30 p.m. on July 22, at the Union City Marina when the Pearl Django ensemble demonstrates its three decades of hot club jazz artistry to help generate support for the Great Bend Center for Music's collaboration with Sound Scholars. Great Bend General Director Matthew Melendez noted that this year marks Pearl Django's third year of performing at the Hood Canal to help raise money for his music...
After some of the dire (albeit nonspoilery) reviews I'd read going into "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," I was expecting a much worse movie than James Mangold - the first non-Steven Spielberg director of this film franchise -delivered. As it stands, "The Dial of Destiny" is a solidly OK entry in the series, certainly much better than 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," that nonetheless suffers for failing to measure up to the first three installments. "The Dial...
When the Allyn Community Association was started in 1986, it was inaugurated with the first Allyn Days celebration, which grew to include the Salmon Bake and Geoduck Festival as it evolved into a summer tradition. “It was a community party, and the salmon was grilled over alderwood, then smoked and served,” said current community member Jason Ilarraza. “From there, it evolved into all of this.” When Ilarraza became involved with Allyn Days, he was a vendor coordinator for the event, before...
After a planning workshop and a regular meeting, Port of Grapeview commissioners want to ensure they get their update of the port’s comprehensive scheme of harbor improvements correct. The planning workshop was June 13, and while no final decisions were made, several changes, updates and amendments were proposed to the draft version of the comp plans. The commissioners’ regular meeting June 20 saw Commissioner Mike Blaisdell open the review of the previous week’s planning workshop by noting Comm...
The art wall exhibition space at Belfair Self-Storage has everything it needs to provide broader exposure to the work of local artists — except for the artists. Over the past couple of years, Belfair Self-Storage manager Barbara Treick has recruited area artists into a stable of sorts for the art wall, which she founded and continues to maintain. Between stretches of new or returning artists being showcased each month, Treick has occasionally displayed her own art. With no artists scheduled f...
When the Hardware Distillery and Hood Canal Events teamed up to stage the fifth annual Fjordin Crossin festival on June 17 at the Port of Hoodsport dock and marina, the community responded. Co-founder Jan Morris, who's also the co-founder of the Hardware Distillery with her husband, Chuck, said the festival drew 300 attendees, and more than 70 kayakers, paddleboarders and canoeists for the Paddle the Canal challenge, organized by Kerry Myers of Hood Canal Events. "It was our biggest turnout...
“Secret Invasion” began its six-episode run June 21 on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays. Welcome back, Nick Fury. The Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t the same without you. While Samuel L. Jackson still brings the same fire to the role, he’s visibly a different Fury. He walks with a limp. His beard has gone gray. And he no longer bothers to wear an eyepatch to cover his scarred face and cloudy eye. These changes are verbally reinforced by the former spymaster being told he’s lo...
North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach summed up the 2022-23 school year by declaring the district had ended the year "strategically, financially and systemically sound," while "keeping true to our mission, to educate, empower, inspire and prepare all our students to graduate, confident in their abilities to meet life's challenges and opportunities." Rosenbach deemed it "a tremendous year of growth" for North Mason, with high enrollment, which appears on track to continue, as...
The Port of Hoodsport Commission took a moment at its June 7 meeting to review the May 27 grand reopening for the Hoodsport Community Trail Park and the accompanying disc golf course. Port of Hoodsport Executive Director Kathleen Wyatt noted that tables had been stocked with discs and packages of pine tree seeds, stamped with the Port of Hoodsport logo, which were given to the public, along with an assortment of drinks and snacks Port Commissioner Terry Brazil had prepared near the entrance of...
Last week in streaming, the 21st century's best "Star Trek" series returned for a second season on Paramount+, and the honorary godfather of superhero comics was treated to a highly sympathetic documentary on Disney+. In some corners of the internet, I saw the second-season premiere of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" described as "underwhelming," and I can only wonder what alternate timeline version of this show those people were watching. Just as its first season did, the return of "Strange...
Many amateur — or “ham” — radio hobbyists develop their skills to provide lines of communication when other avenues of communication have failed, and they need to practice to keep those skills current. During the weekend of June 24-25, hams across the country will set up operations to make as many contacts as possible within 24 hours for this year’s American Radio Relay League Field Day. The Mason County Amateur Radio Club, which operates under the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, will join...
Seeing the Michael J. Fox biopic "Still" on Apple TV+ last month stuck with me, so I skipped the latest "Transformers" film to raid Fox's catalog for a couple of his lesser-loved films to see how they hold up in retrospect. Writer-director Paul Schrader's "Light of Day" cast Fox alongside rock 'n' roll musician Joan Jett in 1987, while Jay McInerney wrote the screenplay for the 1988 movie adaptation of his own novel, "Bright Lights, Big City," which starred Fox in 1988. Both films were released...
Cody Morris, head brewer and founder of Potlatch Brewing Co. in Hoodsport, credited Kelli Kohout, co-founder of the Hoodstock Music and Arts Festival on the Hood Canal, with inspiring him to brew custom ales for community events. It started with a recipe for last year's Hoodstock, and expanded for this year's Hoodstock and Fjordin Crossin events. Morris debuted his farmhouse ale, which employs a largely traditional Scandinavian recipe and kviek yeast, May 19 at Potlatch Brewing to lead into the...
When the Class of 2023 graduated from North Mason High School on June 9, its numbers included 32 multilingual-learner students, so this year’s graduation ceremony included a new accommodation for MLL students’ families. Amanda Marley-Clarke, communications specialist for North Mason School District, explained how this year’s high school graduation made the first use of district interpreters to provide simultaneous translation services, through 35 headsets, directly to the multilingual families i...
