CONTENTS spring issue 2023

Departments

Editor’s Letter 4

Contributors 5

Epilogue 9

Calendar 62 secrets

Having a Ball 11

BIMA celebrates 10 years with art scavenger hunts.

Abandon Ship 12

The spunky Elwha awaits her final destination at the Bainbridge ferry dock.

sHORTS

Raising the Curtain 16 inD gives audiences a fresh perspective on theater.

Mulch Ado 18

TILZ builds a family legacy brand.

Hitting a High Note 20

St. Barnabas’ pipe organ commands center stage.

Licorice Pizza 22

Backstreet Beat honors vintage vinyl and books.

Glass Wench 24

Julie Hews-Everett wears the title proudly.

Hope Springs Eternal 26

Bulbs, shoots and spikes declare warmth is on the way.

Of Sound Mind 28

Eddie Williams keeps the Rock rockin’.

And Another Thing

Now & Then 14

A century of island hoops

Magic Moments 54

Ferry wine is over the top.

Kvetch Me if You Can 56

Dan Rosenberg pleads with pedestrians to mindfully share the road.

Sisters’ Cider House

JJ Johnson

YoYo Poke

About The Cover

Islander Kevin Knight, who snapped this serene shot, reflected, “Our lack of sand beaches and abundance of smooth, Puget Sound-tumbled, glacial-era rocks make cairns the Bainbridge equivalent of sand castles. When I’m climbing mountains, I’m always comforted seeing them to mark the way, a reassuring reminder of a safe route ahead.”

Traditionally, an epilogue is reserved for followup to a story or as a space to issue a correction or sometimes (thankfully rarely) to make a groveling apology. Basically, it’s looking backwards. But today, I’m commandeering it to do the opposite—to happily look to the future and anticipate all the blessings still in store.

So, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Stephanie Reese, PNW Bainbridge magazine’s new director of sales and community outreach.

I first met Stephanie years ago, long before she came to work with the magazine, when she came to our house with her then boyfriend (now husband) for dinner. Picture this: She’s tiny and stunningly beautiful. She’s wearing a very fuzzy ice pink sweater and patent leather platform boots. Her waist-length jet black hair cascades around her shoulders in loose curls. Eyelashes for days. Our daughter, Elle, is instantly spellbound and charmed, stunned that she has unfettered access to her own Disney Princess for an entire evening. Within half an hour, Elle is sitting on Stephanie’s lap, singing with her and getting as close to her as possible. It’s a night we’ll always remember.

We’ve gotten to know her lots better since then. But the most important things we’ve come to know are not that she is a world-class singer and actress, who has toured the globe performing leading roles in “Miss Saigon,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “The King and I” in London as well as solo concerts in Asia, Europe and America, including Carnegie Hall. Nor is it most notable that this year she will once again be touring her autobiographical one-woman show “The Journey” or that she just launched her incredible podcast “Citizen Sister.” It’s not even that she regularly uses her talents to help raise money for UNICEF, Red Cross, Feed2Succeed and Make a Wish Foundation.

Though all those things are true, and remarkable, it is her servant’s heart, her incredible intellect and generosity, her insane sense of humor, her integrity and her unwavering friendship that have cemented her as a sister. I am certain she will be a cornerstone of this magazine and will continue to support and enrich our community too. We’re lucky indeed. I can’t wait for you to meet her.

Connie Bye

Contributing editor Connie Bye has been a professional writer and editor for more than three decades, including at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Kansas City Star and The St. Louis Business Journal. She has written about topics ranging from the environment to schools and government, but she most enjoys doing stories about people and community life. Since moving to Bainbridge nearly 11 years ago, she and her husband, Dale, have performed in numerous Ovation musicals and sing with the group Crescendo. They live near Winslow with their little dog, Molly, and enjoy spending time with their children and five grandchildren.

Tanner Thomas Reightley

Tanner Thomas Reightley is a 2021 BHS graduate and is pursuing a business degree at Olympic College. He got his first camera at 8-years-old. Reightley is a passionate photographer who loves to tell stories through his images. His goal is to travel the world and document its beauty with his photography—both professionally and personally. He’s excited about taking on new challenges to continue his travels and present his work to others. His other interests include music, skateboarding, and dirt biking. See the beautiful photos he shot for this issue’s short on soundman Eddie Williams on page 28.

George Soltes

Contributing editor George Soltes is an interventional radiologist at the University of Washington, where he performs a variety of minimally invasive procedures. Before getting sidetracked into medicine, he earned an English degree and has been fascinated by words ever since. George lives on Bainbridge Island with his wife and three children, plus a variety of animals. He enjoys running, writing, exploring the outdoors and listening to music that he thinks is amazing, but which those around him, for the most part, do not.

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