‘Nutcracker’ set for Nov. 28-29

BREMERTON – The Nutcracker will be 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28 and 2 p.m on Sunday Nov. 29 at the Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10-$20 and are available at BrownPaperTickets.com, CJ’s Evergreen General Store, the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce, at Irene’s School of Dance in Silverdale and will also be available at the door.

The ballet is based on the children’s story of “Nutcracker and the King of Mice” written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman.  The “Nutcracker” music is by Peter Tchaikovsky.  Choreography is after Marius Petipa & restaged by Irene Miller.

Dancers in the company range in age from 10-25 years old. Approximately 120 dancers and extras are in the production. Guest dancers from Ballet San Jose are Karen Gabay as Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy, and Ryan DeAlexandro as Snow King and Cavalier.

For information and tickets call 360-692-4395.

Skating Through Time Ice Show

BREMERTON – Bremerton Figure Skating Club will present a winter wonderland Dec. 19 as they perform a figure skating ice show featuring local skaters from the community. This magical journey of beauty on ice will feature music from different eras. Many skaters of all ages and abilities as well as competitive figure skaters will share their talents. The first show starts at 2:30 p.m. and the second show is 7-9 p.m. The event will be at the Bremerton Ice Center, 1950 Homer Jones Drive, in Bremerton. Admission is $10. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Doors open 30 minutes before each show time. Children under 5 are free. Be sure to dress warmly. Hot chocolate, hot beverages and snacks will be available at the concession stand. For more information visit www.bremertonfsc.org, email cschmitt@wavecable.com or call 360 981-6362.

Local Program Delivers Holiday Spirit to Area Seniors

BREMERTON – Everyone deserves to enjoy the warmth of the holiday season, and this year, area seniors who are alone or impoverished will be able to do just that through the Be a Santa to a Senior program. Sponsored by the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Gig Harbor and Kitsap County, the program provides companionship and gifts to approximately 175 lonely and isolated seniors across the county. To participate, call 360-782-4663 and ask to sponsor a senior. Program coordinator Barbara Seiber will share the name of a senior and their gift request. Then drop the wrapped gifts to the local office at 840 Callahan Dr., Suite C in Bremerton. Alternately, monetary donations to the office are accepted. Gifts should be returned by Monday, Dec. 7. Program volunteers will then distribute the gifts from Dec. 15-24 and provide a bit of holiday cheer. For more information about the program or to sponsor an area senior, please call 360-782-4663.

Demolition operations on NBK-Bangor Nov. 24

BANGOR — Naval Base Kitsap will hold demolition operations that may involve noises and/or activity visible to the public Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Demolition operations are scheduled to take place at the NBK-Bangor Demolitions Range from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Navy routinely conducts training exercises to ensure readiness.

Kids theatre to perform ‘Stinky Cheese Man’

CHICO – The Performance Company at Crosspoint Academy presents an Evening of Children’s Theatre. The plays “The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales” and “The Short Tree and the Bird that could not Sing” will be performed, with a brief intermission between. The theatre space opens 45 minutes prior to the curtain call. Will call and remaining tickets will be available inside the theatre when the doors open. Anyone arriving after the performance begins will be seated at intermission. Performances are held at Crosspoint Academy, Gwen Mansfield Theatre Space, 4012 Chico Way NW in Bremerton. Performances are Nov. 20-22. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets $5-$9. Info: Meg Dixon at 360-377-7700 or meg.dixon@gate waychristianschools.org.

Pearl Harbor Day ceremony Dec. 7

KEYPORT – Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, will have its 22nd annual Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance ceremony 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 7. The event is at the museum’s Jack Murdock Auditorium, 1 Garnett Way, Keyport. Master of ceremonies is Capt. Francis E. Spencer III, commanding officer. The event is free and open to the public. Base access is not required.

Tracyton’s Bazaar By the Bay Nov. 21

TRACYTON – Find an extra special Christmas gift during the Tracyton Bazaar By the Bay Nov. 21. The event will feature handmade arts and crafts, a bake sale, a white elephant sale, hot soup and sandwiches. It will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tracyton United Methodist Church, 5153 Naomi Ave. Vendor tables are still available.

For more information call 360-373-6425 or email Tracyton_umc@yahoo.com.

Bonsai club Nov. 20

BREMERTON – Evergreen Bonsai Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.  Michael Hagedorn, a Japanese trained professional bonsai artist, will be the speaker, giving advice and direction on taking bonsai to the next level.

The free meeting will be held at Crossroads Neighborhood Church, 7555 Old Military Road NE, in Bremerton. Visitors welcome. Info: Ruth Anderson, 360-626-1264 or rutha33@msn.com.

Volunteer aboard tall ship Fiddlers Dream

BROWNSVILLE – Kitsap Maritime is looking for fun people who are interested in learning and working on Kitsap’s tall ship, Schooner Fiddlers Dream. Volunteer orientation is at the Kitsap Maritime office near the Brownsville Marina. Learn more at www.kitsapmaritime.org or call 360-633-7421.

Kitsap Mall’s holiday festivities

SILVERDALE – Whether you’re reveling in holiday traditions or creating new ones, Kitsap Mall celebrates the season with you and yours.

• Take photos with Santa Nov. 14 through Dec. 24. Schedule a reservation at www.mysantaex perience.com.

• Donate a new, unwrapped gift for those less fortunate at the Giving Tree located in the JC Penney Court. Nov. 14 – Dec. 20.

• Jingle All the Way, Nov. 21-Dec. 20. Carols, hymns and traditional holiday music are performed by locals and school districts including Central Kitsap and North Kitsap elementary and middle schools, Northwinds, Hula and Tuba Christmas. Performances will be held at the North Court. Visit www.shopkitsapmall.com for a schedule.

• Thanksgiving and Black Friday, 6 p.m.-midnight, Nov. 26, and 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 27.

• Holiday Wrap Up community gift-wrapping tables. Free wrapping, but donations appreciated. Nov. 27 – Dec. 24.

Nordic ski program for youngsters

SEATTLE – Entering its second winter season, regional non-profit Nordic ski program Momentum Northwest is breathing new life into the sport’s local community. Momentum Northwest utilizes a group of experienced volunteer coaches led by Program Director and Head Coach Sam Naney, to foster ethics of individual accountability, goal-setting, and stewardship in young athletes 6-18 years old.

The program’s goal is to instill in skiers not only a sense of competition with their racing efforts, but also a recognition of the value in taking care of our local outdoor venues. Skiers in the program regularly combine long trail runs at regional locations such as Tiger Mountain with trash pick-ups, and several times each year they conduct multi-hour trail work sessions alongside groups such as the Washington Trails Association.

Momentum also offers their “Mavericks” program for 6–11-year-olds during an eight-week period in the winter. Mavericks focuses on fun from beginning to end and includes games, climbing hills to build jumps, and joining in relay races and obstacle courses all on skis to get really young kids comfortable on snow and with the sport. All of the program’s winter sessions take place at the Cabin Creek Sno-Park trails at exit 63 off I-90, home of the historic Kongsbergers Ski Club. For more information visit www.momentumnorthwest.org.

Take a tour of the Falklands

POULSBO – Kitsap Audubon program for Thursday, December 10: Wildlife photographer Rebecca Houseman will take us on a tour of the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic, and talk about the status of this fragile environment and what is being done to protect it. Houseman is a Group Health internal medicine physician and avid wildlife photographer. Kitsap Audubon meets the second Thursday of each month, September through May, from 7-9 p.m., in the Poulsbo Library Community Room, 700 NE Lincoln Rd., Poulsbo. For information, contact genebullock@comcast.net or 360-394-5635.

Kitsap Jayhawkers will meet Dec. 5

BREMERTON – Kitsap Jayhawkers meet Saturday, Dec. 5, at The Airport Diner, at  11:30 a.m. Any warm, memorable Holiday experiences? Come and enjoy sharing your Christmas memories while living in The Sunflower State! Also, members may bring canned goods and/or non-perishables such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, Kleenex, et cetera, for the Food Bank. New members are always welcome. Call Doris Rice at 360-792-9151 for more information.

Bremerton pedestrian plaza meeting Nov. 30

BREMERTON – City Council President Greg Wheeler invites the public to attend a City of Bremerton community meeting Monday, Nov. 30 Beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Chal Martin, public works and utilities director and Jeff Coombe, Project Coordinator representing Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church have been invited to provide an update and answer questions about the proposed Veneta Street Closure between 5th and 6th streets to be replaced with a pedestrian plaza. The meeting will be held in the gym of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School located at 1516 5th Street (corner of 5th & Veneta). For more information, call 360-473-5280.

Be careful when picking wild mushrooms

KITSAP – The fall mushroom season has begun in the Pacific Northwest Region, and as a result, in the last two months, the Washington Poison Center has handled 10 mushroom exposure cases. With this uptick in calls, the WAPC has posted a seasonal health alert discouraging anyone from ingesting foraged mushrooms unless 100 percent certain of their identity. Please follow the link to the WAPC website to see the whole seasonal health alert.

“Even though the majority of Washington’s wild mushrooms are not toxic, there are several poisonous species that can cause serious health effects if ingested,” said Dr. Matthew Valento, interim medical director at the Washington Poison Center. “Most commonly these toxic species irritate the digestive system, leading to nausea or vomiting and even kidney and liver damage. The onset of these symptoms can take hours to days.”

The WAPC works throughout the year with the Seattle-based Puget Sound Mycological Society to identify the species involved in potential exposures and promote mushroom foraging safety. Weekly Hildegard Hendrickson ID Clinics are currently being held for the fall mushroom season on Mondays from 4-7 p.m. Visit www.psms.org for more information.