Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of May 3-5, 2013:
1. Composting When:Friday 1-2 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library Garden Why: This quick workshop will teach you how to avoid throwing away table scraps and old heads of lettuce. Master Composter John Barutt will get his hands dirty.
2. Ordway Carnival When:Friday, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Where:Ordway Why:How fun—a fall carnival on a warm sunny day in spring. All the expected carnival stuff: games, dolphin slide, bouncy house, face painting, popcorn, cotton candy, and BI BBQ
Wrist band (unlimited access to games) $25 at the door. Game tickets: 10 tix for $10, single tickets $1 each.
3. Bill Hemp Exhibit When: Friday, 5-7 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library Why: Bill Hemp does Bainbridge with pen and ink.
Put Out to Pasture by Bill Hemp
A Midsummer Day’s Dream by Michael Pontieri
4.A Picture Show: Art by Michael Pontieri When:Friday, 6 p.m. Where: Winslow Art Center, 278 Winslow Way E, Suite 205. Why:One of the Island’s most interesting painters, portraitist Pontieri introduces his latest work. There will a band and snacks too.
5. First Friday at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts When:Friday, 6-8 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Arts & Crafts 151 Winslow Way E. Why:Come to the opening reception for exhibits by Wes McClain, Kristin Tollefson, and BAC School students. It’s free.
Nothing’s Changed by Wes McClain
6. First Fridays Art Walk When: Friday, 6-8 p.m. Where: Downtown Winslow Why:You know the drill. Show up and meander and eat and drink. Sun included.
7. Electronics Recycling Fundraiser When: Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Where: First Baptist Church (Highway 305 and Madison Avenue) Why:First we did styrofoam. Then we tackled shredded paper. This weekend, it’s the old tape deck and that thing that plugs into the side of your computer and connects to the phone jack, and you’re not sure what it’s for, and in any case you don’t appear to need it. (Then we move on to old instruments. See #8 below.) Boy Scout Troop 1496 is accepting everything from PCs and cell phones to small appliances.
Most fees are in the $1-$10 range. Funds raised used to defray cost of service projects around the island and wilderness experiences for troop members. For an advance pickup option, contact ecycle@bitroop1496.org.
8. Musical Donations for Rummage Sale When:Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Where: Island Music Guild, 10598 NE Valley Rd. Why:When you’re done with the electronics (see #8), call your friends and move out the old tuba from Aunt Madge. The Guild is accepting all instruments except pianos and organs (rats!) plus cases, amplifiers, microphones, music stands, sheet music, song books, vinyl record albums, turntables, speakers, CDs, recording equipment, music memorabilia, photos, and posters.
Donations are tax deductible. All proceeds go to benefit the IMG.
9. Seconds Sale at Mesolini Glass & Raquel’s Mosaics When: Saturday, 9:30-2 p.m. Where: 13291 Madison Ave North Why:What’s better than art by Raquel Stanek and Mesolini Glass? Slightly damaged art by those artists at reduced prices! Gather up your 2013 gifts. At noon, attend a fused glass workshop for all ages and watch a mosaic demo.
10. Dan Hinkley Show and Tell of 30 Rare, Unusual, or Indispensable Plants When: Saturday, 11-12 p.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Rd. Why: Hinkley is the Heronswood Nursery founder and the guy who collects, propagates, and names all kinds of plants. Post-workshop you can buy some of the plants from his collection. Read more here.
The $8 fee goes to the Wildlife Shelter.
Leaf Curler by Kristin Tollefson
11. Artist Demo: Kristin Tollefson When: Saturday, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Arts & Crafts, 151 Winslow Way E. Why: Tollefson weaves wire, metal, and other found and other possibly Tetanus-causing items into 3-D objects.
12. First Sundays Concertwith Young Professional Singers When: Sunday, 4-6 p.m. Where: Waterfront Park Community Center, 402 Brien Drive Why: Poulenc, Fauré, Rorem, Schubert, Hall and Hoiby sung by young opera, concert, and recital performers.
$20 for adults, $15 seniors, $10 youth.
13. Cinco de Mayo with Alma Villegas & Azúcar at Treehouse When: Sunday, 4 p.m. Where:Treehouse, 4569 Lynwood Center Rd. Why: Porque hay que celebrar el Cinco de Mayo, también conocido como El Día de la Batalla de Puebla, cuando el ejército Mexicano derrotó a los Franceses. Y aparece que la manera más recomendada para conmemorar la día tiene que ver con la ingestión de una cantidad de Margaritas.
[Adapted and updated from the archives; originally published in different form March 27, 2012]
Can’t afford Hawaii for spring break? Neither can I. It may be a bit muddy, but Bainbridge Island has a lot to offer, so go ahead and embrace the spring staycation. Here are some ideas for local fun to help jumpstart your week.
1. Go swimming. No, not in the Sound, unless you’ve got a really thick wet suit. The Bainbridge Island Aquatics Center is a fun place for family swim time. There’s a wild-ride slide, tot frog fountain, lazy river, and lots more to do. Their Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday March 30 from 1-2 p.m. ($5.50), with open swim following immediately from 2-4 p.m.
BI Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
2. Visit the Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial. If you haven’t gone yet, this national monument on Bainbridge Island is a beautiful and fascinating place to visit for an hour or so of history. The Memorial commemorates the 71st anniversary of the exclusion this Saturday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk around pretty Pritchard Park while you’re there. Learn more.
3. Visit Lytle Beach. Still hankering for a sandy beach? Head over to Lytle Beach off of Pleasant Beach Drive just south of Lynwood Center and you’ll find your sandy utopia right here. Stop at one of the Lynwood restaurants for some good grub or the Historic Lynwood Theatre for an art flick, and your day will be complete.
4. Go to Bloedel. Again, world-class garden right here on the Rock. Go see what’s blooming. Their 2013 Rare Plant Sale is April 6 & 7 and free to the public.
Grand Forest trail
5. Explore a new park/trail. Sure, it’s muddy, but you live in the Northwest, so you don’t care. Here is our Bainbridge Island Parks and Trails List. I bet you haven’t visited all of them yet.
6. Go bowling. If you like drinking beer and eating pizza while listening to oldies this is right up your alley. Oh, yeah, and you get to roll a heavy ball into pins. Okay, it’s in Silverdale, but that’s close enough: All Star Lanes in Silverdale at 10710 Silverdale Way NW.
7. Visit the Bay Hay chicks. No, not the staff, but the newly hatched downy youngsters. Newbies arrive every week. Take the kids to the chick hut out back to watch them peep and hop. Learn more.
8. Play. Huh? There are endless ways to do it, but here are a few suggestions: make cookies (see The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe), plant flowers, play a game, toss around a ball, throw a boomerang, go for a bike ride, take your dog to the beach, draw, do a puzzle, take some great photos and send them to Inside Bainbridge for our Photo of the Week feature. Get creative! Here are some game ideas (available at Calico Cat): Beyond Bored Games: Unbeatable Game Gift Ideas.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of February 22-24, 2013:
1. Teen Mystery Night When: Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Avenue N. Why:Teens get to eat pizza and solve a murder mystery. Nice, wholesome fun that keeps them off the streets.
2. All About Vegetable Gardens When: Saturday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Rd. Why: Confused about which plants to grow and how to arrange them in your garden? This class teaches everything from how to start a vegetable garden to how to maintain a healthy organic one. Taught by Mary Camp.
Cost is $8. Proceeds go to Helpline. Please call 842-2813 to reserve your spot in class or come in to Bay Hay and Feed.
3. Great Decisions at the Library: Nuclear Middle East When:Saturday, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Avenue N. Why: Sounds like another one of those not-too-important topics. Drink some coffee, watch a film, and swiftly solve the world’s problems. The moderator is Kelly Erickson, Visiting Assistant Professor in Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound.
4. Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra presents “The Grand and The Pastoral” When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 3:00 p.m. Where: BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North Why: This second concert in the BSO’s 40th Anniversary Season features works by Smetana (who?), Respighi (no idea), Tchaikovsky (now I’m on track), and Beethoven (of course). Celebrated cellist Elizabeth Lee joins the orchestra. A pre-concert chat precedes the performance on Sunday at 2:15 p.m.
Tickets are $19 for adults and $16 for seniors, students, military, and teachers; each youth receives free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206.842.8569, or in person at BPA.
5. Let’s Go Outside! Joe Reilly Concert at IslandWood When: Sunday, 2-3 p.m. Where:IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Avenue Why: Reilly sings eco-friendly music (no additives, no carbon emissions). Plus you get to walk the grounds and trails at IslandWood. Kids can play with balls and hula hoops in the soaking wet meadows post concert.
$5/person. Babies in laps are free.
6. Tom Kelly Book Signing at Eagle Harbor Books When:Sunday, 3-4 p.m. Where: Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way East Why: Bainbridge Island author and talk-show host Tom Kelly will sign copies of his novel Cold Crossover at Eagle Harbor Books. Basketball + intrigue: like trying to get the Sonics back to Seattle. Read more here.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of February 15-17, 2013:
1. Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday, 2 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, 100 Ravine Lane Why:Orson Welles comes back to life (in a nonscary way) with Erik Van Beuzekom in a 90-minute one-man show. Hard to believe you could squeeze that man’s life into 90 minutes. Each performance is followed by a Q & A session with Van Beuzekom and Director Pattie Miles Van Beuzekom. At the February 17 matinee performance, Film Critic Robert Horton will facilitate the Q & A.
Tickets are $20 each. Advance Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/317505. Seating is limited. Advance tickets are recommended; however, tickets will also be sold at the door.
2. Honey Bees Introduction When: Saturday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Rd. Why: It’s almost bee time. Come to this brief intro. class on mason bees, bumblebees, hornets, and the history of beekeeping in America. Charles Schafer, the Bee Guy, is the teacher.
The cost is $8 and proceeds will go to Helpline. Please call 206-842-2813 to reserve your spot in class or come in to Bay Hay and Feed.
3. Wine and Chocolate Tour When: Friday and Saturday,12-5 p.m. Where: All 7 Wineries Why: The only thing better than chocolate or wine is chocolate and wine, preferably shaken, not stirred.
4. Great Decisions at the Library – China in Africa When:Saturday, 9:30 Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N. Why: It’s not like China matters at all to U.S. foreign policy. Oh wait—I was thinking of Liechstenstein. So you should come and find out all about China’s presence in Africa. You get coffee, a film, and a lively discussion. Dr. Dongsheng Zang, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Chinese Legal Studies at the University of Washington School of Law, moderates.
Info & background readings are available at www.krlgd.wordpress.com.
5. Gardening with Ferns, a Five-Part Series When: Saturday, 10 a.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N. Why:Ferns matter so much they need a five-part series! John van den Meerendonk, designer of the library’s Northwest Fern Garden, talks about botany, identification, gardening, and landscaping of ferns.
To register, please sign up at the information desk or call the library at 206-842-4162. Class size is limited.
6. Gourmet Chocolate Tasting When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library 1270 Madison Ave. N. Why:Don’t smear chocolate on the books. But come to the library to try out ChocMo Chocolate Bistro samples. Plus, learn about the production and history from ChocMo founder Peter Crabtree.
7. Bainbridge Island Healing Democracy Action Circle When: Sunday, 3-5 p.m. When: Vineyard Lane Community, Room 978, Vineyard Lane Why: Let’s get this thing started and fix some problems. This is one of a series of six circles sponsored by Frog Rock Forum, Sustainable Bainbridge, and Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church.
There is a one-time fee of $10 for the series. For details and ticket information, go to www.SustainableBainbridge.org or phone 206-842-4439.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of February 8-10, 2013:
1. Bella Signature Design Presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee When: Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m. Where: BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North. Why: Spelling Bees are like the new Sasuke Show, with high stakes, amazing feats, heart-breaking defeats, and just enough backstory to make us care. This one is a musical to boot. Friday night is opening night, with a reception at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets, $27 for adults, $22 for seniors, and $19 for students, youth, military, and teachers. Purchase online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569, or in person at BPA.
2. Just Know Coalition’s Tools for Resilience When: Saturday, 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Where: Woodward Middle School Why: What do they mean by resilience? The ability to “self-correct and thrive in the face of challenges.” Parents and guardians, teens 13-18, teachers, and professionals are invited to this mini-conference. At 12:30 Elizabeth Turner, MSW, LICSW, delivers the keynote on Understanding the Teenage Brain. Other presenters include Jen Breen (Parenting Mindfully), Marcia Christen (Compassionate Communication), Lailey Jenkins (Cultivating Resilience), Kathie McCarthy (Managing Passion), Katie Zonoff (Yoga), and Sue Steindorf (Finding Calm). Bring a lunch or purchase food on site before the keynote.
See the full schedule and register at more info. Advanced registration is not required but appreciated. Adults: $20 suggested donation. Teens: Free.
3. How to Get Your Garden Ready for Spring When: Saturday 9:30-10:30 a.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed Why: Short of having someone else get your garden ready for spring, this has got to be the way to go: someone else figuring it out and telling you what to do.
Fee: $8. Proceeds go to Helpline House. Please call 206-842-2813 to reserve your spot in class or come in to Bay Hay and Feed.
4. First Sundays Concert When: Sunday, 4-6 p.m. Where: Waterfront Park Community Center, 402 Brien Drive. Why: Greta Matassa jazzily sings with Darin Clendenin on piano and Clipper Anderson on bass. Matassa was voted best jazz vocalist four times by readers of Seattle jazz magazine Earshot. And what’s just as cool is that Matassa grew up on Bainbridge. Of course.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of January 11-13, 2013:
1. Anzanga: African Marimba Ensemble When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Avenue North Why: In honor of MLK’s birthday, Anzanga is coming to the rock. This Bumbershoot mainstay plays music from Zimbabwe with influences from Mozambique, South Africa, and Gambia.
Tickets are $12/$8. Call 842-8569.
2. Grow, an Intergenerational Living Workshop When: Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: Fireside Room 710, Vineyard Lane (John Nelson Lane NE) Why: The Grow Community creators are hosting this workshop to generate conversation about what it means to be an intergenerational community and to spark brainstorming about how people want to live. RSVP here.
3. Styrofoam Collection When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Rd. Why: What do you do with that Styrofoam that’s been mouldering in your shed or garage for a year or maybe just since you got the new BlueRay over the holidays? Recycle it. This is one of Bay Hay and Feed’s twice annual clean out your styrofoam events. Only white, clean, and dry Styrofoam is accepted and, I’m sorry to say, no peanuts are allowed.
4. Great Decisions at the Library When: Saturday 12:30-2 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Public Library Why: Instead of yelling at your radio, come to the library for a lively discussion of foreign affairs, preceded by coffee and a short film.
Info. & background readings are available through 842-7901 or www.artshum.org.
6. San Carlos and the Seahawks When: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Where: San Carlos Restaurant, 279 Madison Avenue N. Why: Don’t watch the game all alone. Go to San Carlos, which is serving drink specials and food options starting at 9:30 a.m. and showing the game on two high-definition TVs. Then call a cab for your ride home.
7. Wild Winter Storytime When: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. Where: IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave. NE. Why: If you’re between the ages of 3 and 8, first of all thank you for reading Inside Bainbridge. Second, head on over to IslandWood (get your parents to drive you—you can promise to clean your room or something like that) for this cold weekend to sit by a fire, listen to wintry tales, learn about hibernation, and do creative movement and art activities.
Ages 4 and up are $5, ages 3 and under are free.
8. Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday with Rep. Drew Hansen at Bethany Lutheran When: Sunday, 8:30 and 10 a.m. services Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 7968 Finch Road NE Why: Bet you didn’t know that Hansen, our state representative from the 23rd District and a member of Bethany, studied theology at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and is a highly regarded author and speaker on King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Well, now you do. Hansen will be speaking at each of Bethany Lutheran’s Sunday morning services. Get a preview here.
For more information contact 206.842.4241 or visit www.bethanyofbainbridge.org.
9. BPA Chamber Music: Inspired by Folk Songs and Stories When:Sunday, 3 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Avenue North Why: You get a smorgasbord of tunes and tales from a smorgasbord of composers in a, yes, smorgasbord of genres.
by Allison Krug, science/medical writer and BI chicken farmer, November 25, 2012, 11:55 a.m.
Introducing Coop Scoop, a new feature on Inside Bainbridge about chicken farming. Look for practical, scientific, and just plain fun information and anecdotes on raising healthy, happy hens and the occasional rooster! Thank you to Bay Hay & Feed for sponsoring this feature.
With the shorter days and colder weather, you may wonder if your chickens are comfortable. Should you be supplementing the light in their coop to keep them laying through the winter? Do they need extra light for warmth? Should you buy a warmer for their water? What do chickens (and their keepers) in Pennsylvania or Minnesota do?
Gardeners here know that much of this state is temperate, and Bainbridge Island is actually in USDA hardiness zone 7b (as is a strip of the southeast from Texas to North Carolina). Our temperatures rarely dip below freezing, so compared to chickens living farther north in zones 3 and 4, ours are considerably more comfortable. And they’ve been preparing for winter.
By now they’ve gone through their molt and should have a nice cape of glossy feathers. During the molt, their laying slows, if not stops, a sign of the protein competition between egg production and feather production. If you avoid supplementing daylight with a low-voltage light source, you’ll ensure their protein supply goes to feathers for warmth. Yes, you’ll see a decline in egg production, but with younger birds (in their first year of laying) the decline will not be as noticeable. Last year we saw an approximate 30% decline. Instead of 18 eggs a week, we were getting about a dozen. Our younger hens kept laying while the older hens took a couple of extra days to lay another egg. The entire molt process can take a month or more depending on the hen and her nutritional status.
Home to Roost, Bainbridge Island.
In addition to age, breed of chicken can make a difference in terms of hardiness. We found that our large Jersey giant continued laying and weathered the winter very well. The Rhode Island Reds, which are good meat birds as well as solid layers, also fared very well. Minnesotans and Alaskans posting to a chicken forum say that Buff Orpingtons, Plymouth (or “Barred”) Rocks, and Red Stars and Black Stars (hybrid breeds) do well in cold weather.
Breeds with larger combs and wattles will tend to get frostbite, but you can help prevent that with a coating of Vaseline. Although these tough northern birds sometimes live in a three-sided shelter in the middle of a snowy field, you might want to be sure your coop isn’t too drafty but does have proper ventilation. Use gaps no bigger than half an inch, though, or you’ll find more than fresh air getting into your coop!
Ladies of Wisteria Place, Bainbridge Island.
In a temperate climate like ours, winterizing is pretty easy. For example, Rolling Bay Farm’s Adrienne Wolfe uses a “deep litter system.” She keeps about six dozen laying hens to supply her farm stand with fresh eggs. “I just keep adding bedding material—straw mixed with about 20% pine shavings—to the floor of the hen house,” she explained. “The chickens mix the materials together to create compost, which heats the coop as the manure decomposes.” Adding fresh bedding keeps the methane levels down so the chickens don’t get sick. The manure will dry and turn into a fine dust at the bottom of the coop. In the spring you can shovel out the bedding and add it to your compost pile. I appreciate the sheet-metal floor in my coop because it makes cleaning with a hose quite easy!
One of my favorite chicken husbandry books is Choosing and Keeping Chickens by Chris Graham. Bay Hay & Feed carries an excellent selection of books on chicken breeds, and there are plenty of good web resources, such as Henderson’s Handy-Dandy Chicken Chart.
I’m still digesting Thanksgiving leftovers, and I have to think about Christmas trees, you say? Well, no, but if you’re an early bird and want first dibs on the shapeliest firs, Island tree vendors are ready for you now, rain, shine, wind, or—snow?
Formerly last-minute tree grabbers, now my family likes to make the most of our fragrant, sparkly tree-time, so we head out right after Thanksgiving, before the biggest rush weekends in early to mid December. And to support our own community tree businesses, who have some of the precious remaining undeveloped land on the Island, we stay local, as in on Bainbridge Island. Although Christmas tree farming has dwindled here a bit in recent decades, there are still great options, well worth supporting.
This bucolic 18-acre farm tucked in on Manzanita Road has been owned and managed by Karen Selvar for the last 21 years, with help from partner Diane Wierzbicki. Wierzbicki explained that they sell fresh U-cut and ready-cut trees from their land, but because they can only produce so many trees each season they supplement their offerings with fresh noble firs they hand-select from Chehalis each year and have delivered, this season on December 3. The farm also sells wreaths.
Step into their cozy barn store for baked goods, hot cocoa, and hot cider pressed from their own apples. Say hi to free-roving farm dogs Lucy and Ricky. In addition to producing Christmas trees, this year-round farm sells asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, pumpkins, and squash.
Owned by Tom Coutlas and his wife Diane, Grandma’s Tree Farm sells U-cut and a few ready-cut noble, grand, and Douglas firs, all grown on the property. Tom told me he manages his trees carefully, allowing only so many to be taken each season and closing fields before too many trees have been harvested.
Tom grew up on the property, living there since 1950. He began planting trees in 1981 and sold his first Christmas U-cut trees four years later. You should come prepared to manage largely on their own. Diane explained that some people drop by without saws and tag their trees, coming back later to cut and carry them home. About his trees, Tom said, “Nobles are most the popular, the slowest growers, and the most expensive, so I have to be careful with that field.”
Friends of the Farms | 11/24-12/23 | Weekends 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Lovgreen at Hwy 305
Morales Farm/Friends of the Farms trees
Friends of the Farms is selling trees again this year at the Morales Farm on the northeast corner of Highway 305 and Lovgreen Road. Harvesting trees from the nearby City of Bainbridge land that was formerly M & E Tree Farm, Friends of the Farms is selling a variety of fresh-cut trees at $5 a foot. Enjoy hot cider and a cozy fire in the fire pit. All proceeds support Friends of the Farms’ work to preserve and enhance local farming.
Other Christmas Tree Vendors on Bainbridge
Bay Hay & Feedhas nobles and grand firs for sale that are Washington-grown and ready-cut. They also are selling locally made garlands that customers can have cut to size, as well as four sizes of wreaths and hand-made bows: 206-842-2813.
Handsaws at Bainbridge Island Farms
The Boy Scouts Troop 1565 are selling a variety of ready-cut trees again on High School Road across from Ace Hardware. Sales are through December 9, Monday through Friday 3:30-6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Boy Scouts: 206-842-2441.
Town & Country Market currently is selling ready-cut trees in its parking lot: 206-842-3848.
Tree Recycling
Boy Scout Troop 1564 will offer tree pickup and recycling January 5. You can register to have your tree recycled at their website www.treerecycle.net. Donations are requested.
Featured photo of trees at Bainbridge Island Farms. Photos by Julie Hall.
Note: This post is updated from last year with current information for the 2012 Christmas season.
This year’s Bainbridge Island Rotary Auction’s gross earnings came to $385,856, or about $30,000 more than last year. Much of that money will support our community, and some will support our Rotary’s international endeavors.
It wasn’t just the earnings that increased over last year. The Rotary Auction committee set a high standard this year for decreasing the amount of post-Rotary waste, and that included increasing the amount of recycling to 16.80 tons of materials, an increase over last year of 4.37 tons. Perhaps more important was the Rotary’s stepped-up efforts to repurpose leftover goods, implementing a replicable, community-based organizational model for how to meet business and nonprofit needs for goods by redirecting the flow of unwanted materials.
The result was that less was thrown away—specifically 1.29 tons less, for a total of 50.68 tons of trash. With the increase in recycling amounts being greater than the decrease in trash, the Rotary will still have to foot a hefty disposal bill but the fees charged at dropoff and the disposal donations received at this year’s auction should help to offset that.
Recycling
The totals recycled included 7.27 tons of scrap metal, 3.11 tons of cardboard, 4.32 tons of comingled recyclable materials, and 2.10 tons of food waste.
The Recycling Team collected
three 20-yard bins of electronics, small appliances, TVs, metal, and refrigerators, which cost $400 to recycle;
60 pounds of batteries, which were taken to the Vincent Road facility for recycling;
4.5 pickup loads of plastic bags, which were delivered to T & C Market for free recycling;
one small box of CFL bulbs delivered to the Poulsbo recycling center; and
Styrofoam, which was delivered to Bay Hay and Feed for recycling.
Reuse
The Auction also donated many items that department managers found unsuitable for sale:
280 commercial flower vases donated to two local florists;
four boxes of commercial flower vases given to Rebecca at Persephone Farms;
running shoes to be recycled by GreenSneakers project;
outdated first aid supplies and medical equipment given to the Bainbridge Emergency Shelter at Island Church;
partially used art supplies and beads given to the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation Department;
one truckload of torn and soiled towels and pet supplies given to West Sound Wildlife Shelter;
used and broken candles given to the United Church of Christ, Suquamish;
50 uncertified children’s car seats donated to the YMCA;
two boxes of printer cartridges from broken printers submitted for rebate;
three boxes of cell phones submitted for rebate;
42 Christmas tree stands donated to local tree farms;
10-15 sharps donated to Salish Sea Expeditions;
10 boxes of personal care products donated to a local Bremerton women’s shelter;
three-quarters of a truckload of packing peanuts delivered to the UPS store for reuse;
25 mugs and 60 plastic plates given to Winslow Co-Housing;
50 mugs and plastic cups given to the Bainbridge Teen Center;
four boxes untreated wood for kindling;
200 skis rescued from the landfill bin donated to the Northwest College of Art Olympic College; and
two boxes of eyeglasses delivered to Island Family Eyecare for their Africa donation program.
Approximately 40 charitable organizations arrived after the sale to harvest unsold items. They were registered and organized by the Recycling Team. They included the following:
Goodwill took 5.5 trailers from the site. They took clothing, appliances, children’s, lamps, sporting goods, kitchenware, luggage, books, art, and household goods.
ARC took two trucks of clothing and bedding.
Abraham’s House took one trailer of clothing and furniture.
Four different organizations took all the unsold books.
Children’s Hospital Guild of Bainbridge Island took 15 garbage bags of women’s clothing.
The Senior Center Shop took all unsold collectables.
The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project took all unsold jewelry, watches, and beads.
4-H Clubs took fabric, yarn, and sewing supplies.
The YWCA filled two cars with small appliances, framed artwork, dishes, and lamps.
The featured image shows Rotary Auction Chair Mike Killian announcing the total for the 2012 Auction at the annual Volunteer Picnic. Other photos by Maya Edwards.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of July 20-22, 2012:
1. Eat Your Backyard Week: Pickling
When: Friday, 1-2:30 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N
Why:
As part of the library’s Eat Your Backyard Week, you can learn how to extend the life of your cucumbers, green beans, radishes, and other pickleable items.
You get recipes and your own jar of quick pickles.
It’s free!
2. Eat Your Backyard Week: Raising Chickens
When: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N
Why:
Free!
The perfect complement to Tour de Coop. Find out how to be on next year’s tour and then tour the coops on this year’s tour for ideas.
Diane Fish from the WSU Extension Small Farms Team will discuss how to raise chickens in your backyard.
3. Tour de Coop
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m
Where: At various locations.
Why:
There’s a good chance it won’t be raining. Get outside while the getting’s good and admire the coopage.
Your ticket fee benefits Helpline House.
Your ticket entitles you to join in the fun at the post-coop celebration at Bay Hay, including drinks and egg-cellent egg-inspired appetizers.
Tickets are on sale at Bay Hay and Feed, Classic Cycle, and Dana’s Showhouse, with cash or checks accepted. Purchased tickets include a map and directions to the chicken coops. Ticket prices: individual by bicycle $8; individual by car $10; four people by carpool $30.
4. Free Summer Wine Tasting Event
When: Saturday, 12-4 p.m.
Where: Safeway, 253 High School Road
Why:
Again, with the free.
Waterbrook is the winery of the day. Try Waterbrook Melange Noir, Waterbrook Sauvignon Blanc, and Waterbrook Chardonnay.
Wine department Steward Anne Marie Albertsen can offer advice on how to compliment your next summer picnic outing or dinner menus.
When I was three, my mother took my sister and me to South Africa to visit her ailing mother for a month. Up to that point, my mother had always taken the lead on any gardening that took place in our household. But, left to his own devices, my father took it upon himself to plant a few annuals in the containers on the front porch, and from that point forward, my dad and I became partners in crime every May, filling whiskey barrels with cacophonous combinations of color just in time for mother’s day.
For the kids and dads out there, even beginner gardeners, you can’t go wrong with a living bouquet for mom on mother’s day. Because of how rewarding, easy to plant, and inexpensive they are, annuals often serve as a gateway into gardening, and they are a gift for mom that will keep on giving.
For an annual planter recipe that is guaranteed success, consider this combination created by Shelly Schaefbauer, a 20-year veteran at Bainbridge Island’s Bay Hay and Feed Nursery. I took this photo last year in September because the combinations Shelly created caught my eye. Instead of looking tired by the end of the summer, this spring planting was still healthy, thriving, and gorgeous. What’s more, when I asked Shelly about her goals when she selected the plants, her answer made the grouping all the more appealing. “I wanted something that needed little grooming and was drought-tolerant,” she said. Since the most common mistake people make with annuals is exposing them to improper light conditions, frying the delicate shade plants and starving the sun lovers of heat, this is a winning combination for a lasting annual display. And they’re all available for purchase at Bay Hay.
May’s rain and warming temperatures create the perfect storm for weeds. But if you need a break from staying ahead of the invaders, here are a few enjoyable alternatives that will make you feel more like a gardener than a weed whacker.
Sow Veggies
During the first half of the month, sow cauliflower, cabbage, chard, carrots, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, winter leeks, and potatoes. In the second half of the month, put in your tomato transplants and sow your snap beans, squash, basil, dill, and corn. I love the seeds offered by Territorial Seed Company because they offer so many vegetables that do well in our maritime climate. Both Bay Hay and Feed and Bainbridge Gardens carry a large selection of Territorials offerings. In addition, I highly recommend Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, by Steve Solomon, if you are looking for a book that educates you on how to grow vegetables in our area.
Fertilize Rhododendrons
Blooming takes a lot out of a rhodie, and when it’s finished it needs fertilizer. Look for an organic blend that is specifically labeled for rhodies, azaleas, and camellias so they get the right nitrogen balance. Be sure to put the fertilizer out around the drip line rather than tightly around the stem. Dead head if you are the deadheading sort, but don’t if you have other things to do (I do), remembering that rhodies in nature bloom just fine without deadheading intervention.
Plant Dahlia Bulbs
The ideal soil temperature for planting dahlia tubers is 60 degrees F. In our maritime northwest climate, that means the last half of May. The sunnier the location of your tubers, the better your dahlias will perform. Amend the planting bed with bone meal, and then lay the dahlia tubers horizontally, 4-6 inches deep. Resist the temptation to water them in, but instead wait to water until after the first sprouts have poked through the soil. If you have deer to factor into the mix, rejoice! Dahlias are not on the deer menu.
For more information about Carina Langstraat’s landscape design firm, Langstraat-Wood Inc., visit www.langstraatwood.com.
It’s that time again: The first batch of spring chickens is in the Chick Shed at Bay Hay and Feed. Judging by what I saw last summer on the 2011 Tour De Coop, chicken farming is alive and well on Bainbridge Island, and these fluffy new hatchlings are likely to find homes fast.
Bay Hay seems to think so too, as they plan to receive regular batches of 75 chicks each week from now until June. Heather at Bay Hay explained to me that they arrive by overnight mail(!) from New Mexico a day after hatching in carefully packed and vented chick boxes.
New chicks at Bay Hay.
She told me this first batch contained Americanas, Black Australorps, and French Marans. Other types will be available throughout the spring as well.
The 2012 Bainbridge Island Tour de Coop is scheduled for July 21.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, Tuesday, February 14, so now’s the time to make a plan to romance your sweetheart. When it comes to Valentine’s Day, you can’t go wrong with the classics: flowers, chocolate, a card with a personal message, a fine meal, some good wine. Here are some hot spots on Bainbridge Island to help enhance your romance.
Flowers Changing Seasons Island Florist. This friendly flower shop is offering Valentine’s bouquets and specials. 321 High School Road NE 206-842-1141, 800-433-1141, http://www.bainbridgeflowershop.com/.
Flowering Around. This flower shop and cafe is a Bainbridge mainstay with Valentine’s bouquets. 200 Winslow Way West, 206-842-0620, 800-724-0016, info@floweringaround.com.
Bon Bon fudge.
Chocolate Bon Bon. For V-day, check out Bon Bon’s fabulous fudge in 17 (last we counted) flavors. 123 Bjune Drive #103, 206-780-0199, bonboncandies.com.
Wine Tasting Wine & Chocolate Weekend, February 11 and 12. The Winery Alliance of Bainbridge Island is offering Wine and Chocolate tasting events for Valentine’s in their four wine-tasting rooms in downtown Winslow, a short walk from the ferry. Visit their website for more info.: http://www.bainbridgewineries.com/contact-us/.
Romantic Dining Doc’s Marina Grill. Doc’s is feeling the romance for Valentine’s Day. They’re transforming their dining room into a “romantic waterfront oasis,” with candlelit tables and a special menu featuring lobster, Kumomoto oysters, and champagne. Advance reservations are recommended. 403 Madison Avenue South, 206-842-8339, docsgrill.com.
Hitchcock Valentine's Day Menu.
Hitchcock Restaurant and Deli. Hitchcock is offering a Valentine’s Day $65 pre-fixe menu (supplements available) “of all the sexy food you can imagine: oysters on the half, foie, truffles, meat served on the bone, chocolate, spices, and citrus.” Chef Brendan McGill says there also will be “a fine selection of bubbles and digestifs to bookend a romantic evening.” View the menu on their website under the Menu tab at http://hitchcockrestaurant.com/. 133 Winslow Way East, 206-201-3789.
Changing Seasons Valentine's tulips.
Cards
You can get cards just about anywhere it seems, but here are three places on Bainbridge with especially excellent card collections, many by local/regional artists:
Eagle Harbor Book Company. 157 Winslow Way East, 206-842-5332, eagleharborbooks.com.
Bay Hay and Feed (upstairs in the gift room). 10355 NE Valley Road, 206-842-2813, bayhayandfeed.com.
Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. 151 Winslow Way East, 206-842-3132, bacart.org.
Images courtesy of Hitchcock Restaurant and Deli, Bon Bon, The Winery Alliance of Bainbridge Island, and Changing Seasons Island Florist.
When she was eight years old, Teri Cole came upon a black lab in trouble. The homeless dog had eight puppies. Cole carefully brought each one and the mother home with her to care for them. That was her introduction to the world of animal rescue. Today, decades later, she runs Teri’s Dogs, a dog rescue operation on Bainbridge Island.
I say operation, but what I mean is Cole. Although she also runs a landscape business, Teri Cole Gardens, she does most of the caretaking of the animals herself. She explained that it takes many hours to train a volunteer, and then most of them flake off after one or two days of work.
Cole owns the small farm across the street from Bay Hay and Feed. She takes in stray dogs, sheep, goats, geese, and chickens. She once found a home for 33 geese. Cole said she has sheep that “are old enough to vote twice.” The dog shelters she has on the farm are “big enough for ten people to have a cocktail party.” Although the farm is set up for her rescue needs, she has put it up for sale. She’s hoping to find some land in a less-c0ongested area where the dogs “will bother people less.”
Some of the dogs she takes in are mysteriously dropped off in the middle of the night and appear tied up to the gate of the farm. The police will often bring her stray dogs they find during patrols. Cole reunites them with their people. Some dogs are what she calls “foreclosure divorce dogs.”
One of the many dogs Cole has helped over the years is Angel. Angel is an albino mix of breeds. She was found in an animal rescue operation in an orchard in eastern Washington. Many of the animals found that day were frozen to death in the snow where they had been chained. When rescuers approached what they thought was yet another dead dog, Angel’s tail started to wag. She was bone thin and covered in bite marks, so she was likely a bait dog used in dog fighting operations.
Angel was taken to the Moses Lake Shelter. That’s where they realized that she was deaf, not uncommon for an albino dog. Cole saw Angel over the animal rescue network, and she brought her home to her own shelter. Cole takes her shelter dogs home with her at night, and when she took Angel into her house, she realized that the dog had never been indoors before when Angel freaked out and started leaping from countertop to tabletop.
So Cole started working with her outside. She says that the neighbors fell in love with her. One local couple sponsored Angel and began walking her regularly. After a year and a half of constant work, Angel was ready to be put up for adoption.
A couple of gay men from Seattle saw Angel online and showed up at Cole’s farm in their convertible. Angel, who was not a fan of enclosed spaces, jumped right in to their open car and gave Cole a look that, she said, was the equivalent of, “I found my forever home.” When she told this story, she teared up. Cole has remained in touch with the couple who have since taught Angel sign language. They worked with her for two and a half years before she was completely settled down.
Cole admitted to what those in the business call “compassion fatigue.” She said she would lie down in front of a train for a dog, but that there are days when she wants to run away and get all the sad stories out of her head and not have to think about what people do to animals. But then in the next breath she said, “I love being in dog rescue.”
Her home is not what I expected. For one thing, it’s clean and organized and full of lovely, breakable objects. She has covered her furniture in quilts she gets from the Salvation Army for $10. The effect is that of a charming, cozy bed and breakfast—for dogs. And the dogs, like most guests at a bed and breakfast, are calm and well behaved. They get along, and each claims a special place for napping.
She told me another animal rescue story. Norton was a huge, emaciated dog that the owner said was part wolf. Norton had been living in a condo and his person couldn’t manage him any more, so Cole took him in along with nine pages of care instructions about his special diet for dogs with digestive troubles. He was so thin, she said, that he had to be carried in on a blanket. Cole threw the instructions and his special diet food away. She picked up the phone and called a couple of Suquamish elders and asked them how to care for a wolf.
Cole began feeding Norton several pounds of raw meat a day. He started to perk up. Over a year, he became strong and healthy. He also became very protective of Cole. She started to worry about Norton and her ability to care for him. That’s when she called the Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks. The tag line of the Sanctuary is “We save dogs you’d rather see dead.”
Steve Markwell, who runs the sanctuary, showed up in his pickup. The bed of the truck was covered in hay and there was a hunk of raw meat in the hay, ready for transporting Norton to Forks. He took one look at Norton and said, “That’s not a dog. That’s a timberwolf.” Markwell took Norton to his sanctuary, where he can roam free during the day within the large fenced property and hunt salmon. He has paired up with a white wolf.
Although Cole does so much of the caretaking herself, she was quick to express her gratitude toward Paws and Fins, Winslow Animal Clinic, Kitsap Humane Society, and Bay Hay and Feed, all of which have helped her out over the years, squeezing her in for emergency appointments, providing her with supplies at cost, and working with her to find homes for animals. She said that a rescue dog will cost anywhere between $5 and $1500 in initial vet visits. Food is another money drain: Norton’s raw meat diet alone cost $50 per day. She always needs bedding, toys, and treats as well. So Cole is always looking for help.
She talked about how the difficult economic times have hit the Island hard. She frequently gets calls from people who can barely speak because they are trying not to cry, asking her to take their beloved dog or cat because they can no longer afford to. One woman was living in her car with her three dogs so she would not have to give them up. Cole helped connect the woman with the woman’s aunt, with whom she and her dogs are now living.
The hard times have hit Cole and her business as well, although she has no intention of stopping her dog rescue. If you want to help, she asked that you make donations directly to her accounts (Teri’s Dogs) at Winslow Animal Clinic and Paws and Fins.
Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of December 2-4, 2011:
1. Christmas in the Country
When: Friday and Saturday, December 2-3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, December 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: At nine locations around the Island Why:
You know it’s going to smell like mulled cider.
Santa, pony rides, food, and music.
Get your info. at http://www.christmasinthecountry.info/home.html.
2. Bainbridge Island Winter Studio Tour
When: Friday-Sunday, December 2-4, 1-9 p.m. Where: Ten artists’ studios and community halls on the Island Why: This is one of the big shopping hooplas of the year.
Visit www.bistudiotour.com or call Tour Manager Dinah Satterwhite at 842-0504.
3. Weed Warriors at Hilltop
When: Friday, December 2, 1:00 p.m. Where: Hilltop, end of Mandus Olson Why:
It’s pretty but it’s deadly.
Even though you’ll be removing this invasive species, you’ll also be bundling it nicely for the December 3 Winter Market.
You can get a tour of Hilltop after.
Contact Jonnie at BILT, jonnie@bi-landtrust.org, 842-1216, or Jeannette Franks, jfranks1@comcast.net, 855-0911.
4. Photography by Antonia Stoyanovich
When: Friday, December 2, 5-7 p.m. Where: BPA Gallery, 200 Madison Avenue N. Why: She’s young but already has a mature eye. Check out her photo of seagulls and its layers and textures.
5. Islanders for Cooperative Policing Panelist and Public Forum
When: Friday, December 2, 6- 7:30 p.m. Where: Flowering Around, 200 Winslow Way W. Why:
Well, let’s say you don’t want to listen to carolers or tour the art studios or watch a holiday show.
Policing + Flowers. Peace.
6. Bethlehem Experience
When: Friday and Saturday, December 2-3, 6-9 p.m. Where: The Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church Parking Lot, 11042 Sunrise Why: Look past the painted lines on the asphalt and you’ll think you’re in Bethlehem.
When: Friday and Saturday, December 2-3, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 4, 3:00 p.m. Where: BHS Theatre, 9330 NE High School Road. Why: Two weary hunters, bonnie Jean, and heather on the hill.
8. BPA Theatre School Carolers
When: Friday, December 2 Where: Along Winslow Way Why: This will help you embrace winter: carolers from the BPA Theatre School singing holiday favorites along Winslow Way.
9. The Holiday Show
When: Friday, December 2, 8:00 p.m. Where: BPA, 200 Madison Ave. Why: Think of Naughty and Nice. The show is for 21 and older only.
10. Holly Volunteers at Farmers’ Market
When: Saturday, December 3, 9-3 p.m. Where: The Winter Market Why:
Holly is BAD! And it’s pretty!
Shifts are only two hours. And, if you wear gloves, you won’t get bloody.
Call Jeannette Franks, jfranks1@comcast.net 855-0911 if you want to volunteer.
11. Holiday Benefit Sale
When: Sunday, December 4, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Where: 4422 New Sweden Road Why: Alternative gifts and art and crafts from Island nonprofits including Clear Path International, Bainbridge Youth Services, Friends of the Farm, Keep Gazzam Wild, and West Sound Wildlife Shelter.
For more information contact info@cpi.org.
12. Posing Pets with Santa
When: Saturday, December, 1-5 p.m. Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Road Why:
There is A LOT going on. The holiday hum has begun! Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of November 24-27:
1. Turkey Trot
When: Thursday, November 24, 8-10 a.m. Where: Battle Point Park, 11299 Arrow Point Drive Why:
People show up by the hundreds, rain, shine, sleet, ice, or snow, and trot around the park, all in a fervent desire to shed the pounds before consuming the gravy.
All ages are invited.
It benefits Helpline House, which is looking at a whole lot more customers this year.
If you dress in costume (i.e., gravy boat), you get a prize.
Register now at www.bainbridgeturkeytrot.org.
2. Guided Walk on Hilltop
When: Friday, November 25, 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Where: Hilltop, Mandus Olson Road, at the bend, just north of New Brooklyn. Why:
1-2 hour casual, guided walk through the Hilltop property.
Dogs on leash and people of all ages (not on leash) invited.
It’s free.
3. Give Local, Shop Local at Bay Hay
When: Friday and Saturday, November 25-26, all day Where: Bay Hay and Feed, 10355 NE Valley Road Why:
Holiday shopping: Bay Hay T-shirts, the rubber boots, the miniature cow figures, scented candles, purple gardening gloves, stocking stuffer seed packets, model horses, Carhart jackets, place settings plus napkin rings, Columbia fleece, the littlest fuzziest baby socks you’ve ever seen—you know, all that great stuff.
Keep it local, especially on Small Business Saturday.
15% of sales go to One Call for All, and you get to pick which nonprofit you want the percentage of your sale to support.
For more info go to www.onecallforall.org.
4. Messy Friday
When: Friday, November 25, 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Where: KiDiMu, 301 Ravine Lane NE Why: Good sensory stim for the kids (especially beneficial after Turkey-induced lethargy the day before)
5. Beach Naturalist Walk
When: Friday, November 25, 9 p.m. Where: Point White Pier Beach Why:
Nighttime walks are cool!
You can learn more about beach and shore life.
Families are welcome.
Info: call 842-5133 or email bainbridgebeach@gmail.com. Bring a flashlight, wear rubber boots.
6. Downtown Celebration
When: Saturday, November 26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Where: Winslow Why: Get all holiday-y with the tree lighting, cider and cookies, and Santa, who is undaunted by the global economic crisis. The whole tree and Santa things starts at 5:30.
More info. at www.bainbridgedowntown.org.
7. KiDiMu’s Giving Tree for Helpline House
When: Saturday, November 26, through December 10, during operating hours Where: KiDiMu, 301 Ravine Lane NE Why:
Give your family the opportunity to feel the good feelings. Help a local family in need.
It’s pretty good to give as well as receive. Pick up a gift tag, drop off an unwrapped gift, and get a free family pass to the museum.
For info. call 206.855.4650 or visit www.kidimu.org.
Art by Kay Hanson
8. Exhibit of Plein Air Paintings of Bloedel Reserve
When: Saturday and Sunday, November 26-27, 10 a.m.-4pm Where: Bloedel Reserve, 7571 NE Dolphin Drive Why:
You can see the beautiful plein air art without having to be outside in the plein air on a day that may involve some sort of precipitation.
This is your last opportunity to catch this exhibit, which closes this week.
Children 12 and under free, as usual.
9. Ethical Fashion Clothing & Jewelry Trunk Sale
When: Saturday, November 26, 11-4 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Commons, Senior Community Center Why:
Feel extra good about your holiday shopping when you choose ethically made, fair trade clothing and gifts.
It’s sponsored by Scarlet Road, a local org. dedicated to rubbing out sexual exploitation.
10. Trail Walk: Keep Gazzam Wild
When: Saturday, November 25, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Where: Gazzam Lake Preserve, Marshall Road entrance. Why: Last chance to get the guided tour of the area Keep Gazzam Wild is working to purchase.
Contact Karen Molinari at molinari.karen@comcast.net.
11. Jazzy Holiday Concert
When: Saturday, November 26, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Where: Bloedel Reserve Why:
Don’t you feel kind of jazzy anyway? Come on, get gussied up and go groove to some “Santa Baby.”
Seattle fave Greta Matassa (with Darin Clendenin and Clipper Anderson) does her thing.
Call 842-7631 or visit www.bloedelreserve.org.
12. Home for the Holidays Concert
When: Saturday, November 26, 7:30 p.m. Where: Island Music Center Why:
Grammy winners Tingstad & Rumbel.
Classic, favorite Christmas tunes.
Call 780-6911 or email info@islandmusic.org.
13. Indie Banditas Traveling Bazaar
When: Sunday, November 27, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Where: Bainbridge Island Commons, 370 Brien Drive Why:
More shopping! This time peruse the handmade, unique stuff made by local artists.
Live music, and food: J’aime Les Crepes!
Photo of Hilltop by Thomas Fenwick. Photo of Point White by Leigh Calvez. Other photos courtesy of One Call for All, Kay Hanson, Greta Matassa, Tingstad and Rumbel, and Indie Banditas.
For the second year in a row, the U.S. Small Business Administration is encouraging Americans to support small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which falls on November 26 this year. The SBA offers this day as an antidote to the day before, known as Black Friday, on which many big box stores encourage Americans to begin and do as much of their holiday shopping with them as possible by offering shoppers special incentives.
The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce is promoting the event through its website and newsletter. And many local businesses have signed up their businesses on the SBA Small Business Saturday Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday). Shoppers can enter their zip code on a form on the Facebook page and find a list of participating local businesses. The Facebook page also offers visitors a way to “pledge to shop small” and then share it on their own pages. And American Express is offering a one-time $25 statement credit when a shopper registers his or her American Express Card and uses it for a purchase of $25 or more at a small business on November 26th.
But whether or not they sign up on the SBA Facebook page, every local retailer is a de facto participant, either conducting business as usual or offering special incentives. One local retailer that is offering a special incentive is Bay Hay and Feed; the store is giving 15 percent of sales on Friday and Saturday to One Call for All, the umbrella organization that generates an annual fundraising campaign for more than 85 local nonprofits.
SBA Administrator Karen Mills says, “Small businesses are the foundation of our economy—half of America’s workers either own or work for a small business.” She adds that “Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to show our support for our friends and neighbors who throughout the year are growing our local economy, as well as supporting many local initiative and organizations.” The SBA claims that small businesses have generated two out of every three net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ over half of all private sector employees.
If you choose to shop locally on Saturday, you won’t be alone. The SBA 2011 Consumer Spend Survey reports that 89 million people plan to shop at small businesses on the 26th.
Featured image courtesy of SBA. Photos by Julie Hall.
Chinook Book Seattle & Puget Sound has always nodded to Islanders, but this year they’ve gotten serious about Bainbridge business. For those of you new to the Chinook Book, it calls itself “that gatherer of deals from all that’s wonderful and wacky and sustainable in Seattle.” It truly does offer excellent deals, from entertainment passes to discounts at area businesses to 2-for-1 savings and countless other bargains.
If you weren’t sure if buying one was worth it before, this year they’re driving a hard bargain not to buy in. Now Chinook Book will get you a bunch of Bainbridge bargains, including four 2-for-1 walk-on tickets for the Washington State Ferries, within certain limits. If you use those four passes alone, you’ll save $30, which more than pays for the $20 price of the book.
But that ain’t all. In addition to offering savings at Seattle favorites like the zoo, aquarium, and lots of great restaurants, this year’s Chinook Book offers deals at the following Island hot spots:
Town & Country
Blackbird Bakery
Hitchcock
Fork & Spoon
Mora Ice Cream
Bay Hay & Feed
Bainbridge Ace Hardware
KidiMu
Bainbridge Performing Arts
Exotic Aquatics (Kayak and Scuba coupons)
Wildernest
And if you prefer to travel light with your Chinook Book, they offer a mobile app with all the coupons, except the ferry tickets.
You can buy the 2012 Seattle Chinook Book, which is good now until October 30, 2012, in print and mobile versions at the following Bainbridge Island retailers: Town & Country Market, Blackbird Bakery, Bay Hay & Feed, and Bainbridge Island Ace.
While you were filling the bird feeder, planting your winter garden, or overseeding your lawn, Bainbridge Island’s very own Bay Hay and Feed was quietly contributing to our community, preserving Island history, and working to save the planet. It’s all in a day’s work for owners Howard Block and Ce-Ann Parker (2008 Bainbridge Island Business Couple of the Year) and their dedicated staff.
And now they’ve got a new award, a new building in process, and a Thanksgiving weekend event to support Island nonprofits.
Award
Last month, Bay Hay was recognized by Seattle Business magazine as one of the top 50 sustainable businesses in the state, along with Alaska Airlines and Starbucks (and Bainbridge’s IslandWood and Poulsbo’s Watson Furniture), by awarding the business the 2011 Green Washington Award. The award is given to the 50 companies best “demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to making their businesses sustainable.”
Bay Hay, which has earned 5-star certification through the EnviroStars program, lives sustainably every day:
They provide their employees a living wage and health benefits.
They host styrofoam recycling collections twice a year.
They have installed solar panels on the roof (on sunny days their panels feed energy back into the grid).
Bay Hay locally produced food center
They have been recycling cardboard for 25 years, and they recycle everything including plastic.
They try to purchase products that are packaged in environmentally sustainable ways and let manufacturers know if they won’t buy a product because of its packaging.
They compost whatever they can, including coffee.
Last year they hired a sustainability director, Els Heyne.
They purchase 100% green energy.
They collect water in rain barrels to water the nursery.
They provide free CFL recycling to the community.
They collect wood scraps from local builders and packaging to offer free to local chicken coop builders.
They recycle all the waste paper for the next door Post Office.
They partnered with Sound Food to offer locally grown food for sale daily. They started in April. They offer eggs, meat, produce, Pan d’Amore bread, and cheese from Port Madison.
They helped sponsor the purchase of recycling and waste containers for Winslow Way.
They started a permaculture garden on their property.
They financially supported their coffee shop’s purchase of compostable cups.
They are upgrading their heating system to improve its efficiency.
Building
The building that houses Bay Hay is 99 years old, and Howard Block likes it that way. He told me how much he enjoys the “look” of Rolling Bay, with its early twentieth-century buildings and style. Back in 1999, he approached the City with the idea of building an additional structure for the business in the style of the original. But he received no support for the idea, so he let it drop.
That is, until last year when, inspired by the success of the Lynwood Center remodel, he approached the City again. Architect Devin Johnson made a presentation to the City at Block’s request. This time, according to Block, they said, “Wow! That’s great,” and he has found them to be fully supportive of the project, telling him that they are eager for the several small business communities on the Island—Fletcher Bay, Lynnwood, and Rolling Bay—to develop and thrive. In fact, the City approved the project so quickly, that Block wasn’t even completely ready to begin, but he threw himself into the project to prepare.
Block assembled a team of local suppliers and contractors. As an example of the team’s commitment to making the project as local as possible, Block told me that Bainbridge’s Coyote Farms milled wood cut from a tree that fell in Heyne’s Rolling Bay yard to make one wall of the new building.
Artist's rendering of new building
The plan is to move the nursery portion of the business into the ground floor of the new building. The move will enable Bay Hay to meet customer demands for new products including more agricultural products and more everyday clothing. And Heyne explained, the new space will enable them to display many of the items they currently stock only in the barns. The upstairs will house office space and a meeting room.
The project is expected to be completed by February. In keeping with the historical nature of the other building, Block has been pushing contractors to keep the trimmings downscale, simple, and a la 1912. But true to the business’s green ethic, the new building was wired for phantom power switches so that, at the end of the day, employees can, with the flick of a switch, turn off all non-essential equipment.
Thanksgiving Weekend Fundraiser
You know the little red envelopes that appear in your mail box? The ones designed to facilitate end-of-the-year charitable giving? The staff at Bay Hay want you to know what those envelopes are for. So they have partnered with the organization behind the envelopes, One Call for All, to draw attention to them and to raise money for local nonprofits.
For the second year in a row, Bay Hay and Feed will be donating 15 percent of sales on Thanksgiving weekend’s Friday and Saturday to One Call for All. At checkout, shoppers select the local nonprofit to which they want Bay Hay to donate profits. A One Call for All representative will be on hand both days to answer questions.
Block told me that he likes the idea of keeping shoppers on Island during this important holiday shopping weekend, and he figures that the added incentive of seeing some of their shopping dollars go to local organizations might help.
Other Cool Things
Central Store
They’re green, they care about Island character, they work to help the community. They sell those awesome Bay Hay shirts with rows of little tractors, pigs, bunnies, or horses. In the spring they have baby chicks. It’s where you get your rain boots. And there’s more:
Block and his son dug out the crawlspace under the original 1912 building, which was only 6 inches, using two buckets, shovels, and a wheelbarrow. They increased the crawlspace to 30 inches.
Hoadley House, another building on the Bay Hay property, was moved there and salvaged when the original owners were going to tear it down. Bay Hay uses it as its classroom for its many educational offerings. Bay Hay donates proceeds from the classes to local organizations, such as Sound Food and Friends of the Farms. In January, you can take a class on caring for fruit trees.
Luca Rodal built the Bay Hay and Feed building in 1912. Back then it was the Central Store Building, and it sold feed, livestock, gardening supplies, fencing, and farmwear. Sound familiar?
Photos courtesy of Bay Hay and Feed. Photo of Bay Hay and Feed by Julie Hall.
2. Ordway Carnival 
