Candles of Care service set for Nov. 7
Cascades of Bremerton senior living and memory care community will take part in the National Commemorative Candle Lighting sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 at The Cottage, 3210 Rickey Road NE in Bremerton.
Held each November in recognition of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, the Candles of Care event honors and remembers Americans who have been or will be affected by the disease or related illnesses.
The public is invited to participate in this inspirational candle lighting ceremony. Hot cocoa, coffee, hot spiced cider and homemade breads and cookies will be served.
Reservations are requested. To RSVP call 360-373-0553 or visit www.cascadeliving.com.
Cascades of Bremerton also will host family brunch every second and fourth Sunday of the month with seating at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for seniors and their families. A delicious buffet of brunch favorites will be served at The Willows for $10.
RSVP is required by the second Friday prior to brunch by calling 360-479-8522.
Kitsap celebrates Washington’s 125th year
“Kitsap Stories from 1889,” an exhibit celebrating Washington’s quasquicentennial or 125th year of statehood, will be on display at the Kitsap Historical Museum Friday, Nov. 7 through mid-January. An open house takes place during Bremerton’s First Friday Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. with a special reception at 6 p.m.
The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, sponsors of the event, and Kitsap County Auditor Walt Washington will be on hand to open the exhibit. The public is invited to share in the rich stories and artifacts of Kitsap County’s people and places in 1889 during the period when Washington was establishing itself as the 42nd state. The museum is located at 280 Fourth St. in downtown Bremerton. There is no cost to attend. For more information, call 360-479-6226 or go to www.kitsaphistory.org.
Phantom Force collecting for Toys For Tots
Phantom Force, a local Airsoft team, will perform an exhibition game beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at Master Blasters, 107 Murray Road in Belfair. The sport, similar to paintball, is played by adults and team members are from the Bremerton area. Adults are invited to play. Bring a toy for the Toys For Tots drive, or drop toys off at Kitsap Sports, 622 N. Callow Ave.
Brown Bear honors veterans with free car washes
As a way of saying “thank you” to our military, Brown Bear offers free “Bear Essentials” car washes to all current or former members of the military on Veterans Day Nov. 11.
The offer will operate on an honor system and no verification or documentation is required. Drivers should identify themselves as a current or former member of the military to the wash attendant.
“The event is our way of demonstrating appreciation for those who currently serve our country and have made sacrifices on behalf of all of us,” said Brown Bear Car Wash President Vic Odermat, who is a proud U.S. Marine veteran. “It reflects our bond to the communities we serve, including a large armed services presence here.”
Brown Bear in Bremerton is located at 1500 N.E. Fairgrounds Road.
Soap for Hope drive begins in Kitsap County
It’s more than just a bar of soap. It’s about providing an opportunity for those in need to have a fresh start to their day and maybe even a personal boost to their self image this holiday season.
AAA Washington kicks off its seventh annual Soap for Hope donation drive to collect toiletry items for local shelters, food banks and other charitable organizations across Washington and northern Idaho, which will run through Dec. 31.
As a result of the generosity of local businesses, community partners and members, AAA Washington has collected nearly 500,000 toiletry items for local charities the past six years, and distributed more than 8,700 pounds of donations last year alone.
“The program has really taken flight the last several years, allowing us to really make a difference for those in need in our local communities,” said Victoria Ramirez, Bremerton AAA store manager. “With the holiday travel season right around the corner, it’s a great opportunity for travelers to bring back a few items to donate.”
So, want to be a part of something big? Scan your cabinets and gather items from your last trip, including unused and unopened hotel shampoos and soaps. Donations of new, full- and sample-size toiletry items such as conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes are accepted at all AAA office locations in Washington.
“There are people and families in our community that directly benefit from the generosity of others that donate,” said Ramirez. “It’s really the small luxuries that make a big difference around the holiday season.”
Donations may be dropped off at the Bremerton AAA store located at 5700 Kitsap Way. Donations made at the Bremerton store will benefit the YMCA Alive Shelter.
KRL wants public’s help on Silverdale Library design
Kitsap Regional Library will conduct a public discussion about the design concept for the new Silverdale Library during a meeting beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12. The meeting will be in the Harbor Room of the Silverdale Beach Hotel.
The meeting will begin with a brief presentation by Rice Fergus Miller Architects that will focus on the larger goals for the library project and explain in general terms what KRL will be planning to provide in the new library. Most of the meeting, however, will be set aside to allow the public to talk about what patrons would like to see included in the planning for the library.
In addition to the Nov. 12 meeting, KRL will post a display about the development of a design concept for the new library in the existing Silverdale Library at 3450 N.W. Carlton St. in Old Town Silverdale. Included with that display will be comment sheets that library visitors can use to submit their comments about the design concept.
KRL has contracted with Rice Fergus Miller to conduct preliminary design work for the new library.
A rendering of a design concept will be created by the end of the year so the KRL Foundation can begin a fundraising campaign to pay for the new building. Early estimates are that it will take a total of about $7 million to buy the land and build and furnish the new library. KRL intends to pay for the library through private donations and grant funding.
Kitsap Regional Library is negotiating a formal purchase agreement for the library site. The KRL Board of Trustees is expected to approve the final agreement at their meeting on Nov. 25.
Clinic to host anniversary open house
The Kitsap Clinic of Natural Medicine will celebrate its 10th anniversary and the grand opening of its supplement and botanical shop from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 at 1007 Scott Ave., Suite D, in Manette.
There will be live music, tea sampling and appetizers. Meet the clinic’s doctors and learn about the naturopathic health.
Bring a non-perishable donation for the Bremerton Foodline.
For more, call 360-373-0565, or email supshop@kitsapnaturalmedicine.com
Kitsap Bank scholarship awarded
Tina Marie Ricketts is the recipient of a $1,500 scholarship from Kitsap Bank awarded through the Olympic College Foundation.
Ricketts, a Dean’s List student maintaining a 3.57 GPA, is currently pursuing a degree in business management. She gives back to her community by volunteering with her church and is involved with the Kitsap County Historical Society.
“Giving back to the community has long been a tradition of Kitsap Bank and the Langer Family,” comments Helen Langer Smith, Kitsap Bank’s vice-chairwoman of the board. “We are pleased to recognize Tina for her academic achievement and tremendous commitment to furthering her education.”
Established August 8, 1908, Kitsap Bank is headquartered in Port Orchard, operating 20 locations throughout Western Washington.
Program to focus on housing and poverty in Kitsap County
The League of Women Voters of Kitsap will present a community education program on Housing and Poverty Issues in Kitsap County on Nov. 19 at the Eagle’s Nest, 1195 N.W. Fairgrounds Road, Bremerton.
The event will begin with coffee at 9:30 a.m. followed by the program from 10 a.m. to noon.
The program will focus on elements of Kitsap’s social safety network. Speakers are Kurt Weist, executive director of the Bremerton Housing Authority, and Monica Bernhard from Kitsap Community Resources. Bernhard is manager of the Housing Solution Center and interim director of KCR’s Housing and Community Services division. The discussion will include the causes of poverty and measures the community can take to create opportunities for individuals and families to achieve good health, economic stability and social well-being.
The program is free and open to the public. For information call Sharon Shrader at 360-373-9608.
Rotary makes donation to Kitsap Community Resources
The Bremerton Rotary Foundation has donated $30,000 to Kitsap Community Resources toward its effort to build a new Early Learning Center at West Hills Elementary STEM Academy, part of the Bremerton School District.
The school is organized around STEM, which stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.” According to Larry Eyer, executive director of Kitsap Community Resources, “the early learning classes will be used primarily for Head Start and ECEAP pre-school for children from low-income families. The longtime portable classroom at the school previously used for this purpose has necessarily had to be torn down. KCR coordinates the pre-school curriculum and transition to kindergarten with Bremerton Schools.”
Bremerton Rotary Club raises money for community service from various fund raising events, and from its Blackberry Festival held on the Bremerton waterfront each Labor Day weekend.
“We are very happy that the success of the Blackberry Festival has enabled us to contribute these funds to the Early Learning Center and to our many other Bremerton projects, including scholarship and mentoring support for Bremerton High School students,” said Chris Henrickson, club president.
Bremerton Rotary Club meets at noon every Monday at the Kitsap Conference Center.
Kitsap Community Food Co-op adds to its board
Kitsap Community Food Co-op has added five new board members. This influx of new leadership will help set the stage for the co-op to execute some big changes in 2015, such as picking a store location and opening the doors to Bremerton’s first community food co-op.
They are Carey Bozeman, a former mayor of both Bellevue and Bremerton and current chair of the development committee of the Kitsap Humane Society; Marcus Collier, a former grocery store owner and entrepreneur; Kristina Kruzan, a doula and one of the founding board members of the food co-op; Ian Logan, a former chair of the Washington/British Columbia Junior Classical League and the 17th member-owner to sign up with the co-op; and Tiffany Royal, a former volunteer with both the Bremerton Urban Garden Society and the Bremerton Farmers Market and current grant writer/rescuer with Olympic Mountain Rescue.
For more information, contact Jess Sappington or visit www.kitsapfood.coop.
Holiday gift fair set for Nov. 21-23
Start your holiday shopping early at the Olympic Peninsula’s 27th Annual Holiday Gift and Food Fair, Nov. 21 to 23, at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds in Bremerton.
The show is the largest handcrafted and fine arts fair on the Olympic Peninsula “all under one roof.” It features handcrafted products by professional artists with more than 175 booths for holiday shopping.
Show hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is ample free parking available for all customers. Some of the products being sold are woodworking, paintings, photographs, decorative Christmas items, pottery, handmade jewelry, clothing, birdhouses, handbags, food items, metal works, candies, smoked salmon, fused glass, and much more.
Food items are available for lunch, snacks, and dinner including pulled pork, Thai food, Mexican food, kettle corn, fudge, Bavarian brats, Espresso, and more.
General admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, ages 62 or older, $4 for teens and children younger than 12 are free.
Bring a new toy for Toys for Tots and get in free. Bring a can of food for $1 off admission.
Each year customers donate approximately two pick-up trucks full of food and two truckloads of toys for the local community. Receive a discount coupon at www.holidaygiftfair.com.
