THE STUFF OF AN AUCTION Island artists offer up some of their best for the VAA. Page 10
OFF TO A GOOD START Girls soccer beats rivals, wins first two games. Page 16
ROAD WORRIES Islanders express concern over county’s road plan. Page 4
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 Vol. 55, No. 35
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Home brewer is ready to serve Vashon A hobby becomes Vashon’s first commercial brewery By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
When Cliff Goodman donated a case of his home-brewed beer to Vashon Community Care’s Labor of Love auction last year, he felt he was simply doing a good deed for the care center, where his wife Cara Aguilera works. However, when his various homemade ales — which had always been popular with his friends — quickly garnered top bids, Goodman began to think. “It turned out to be really popular,” he said, some surprise still in his voice. Now, with a new commercial brewing setup at his home on Quartermaster Drive, Goodman is preparing to sell his beer on Vashon. The one-man Vashon Brewing Company — the first brewery on Vashon — will offer selections at The Hardware Store Restaurant by the end of the year and join local producers and wineries at the Farmers Market next year. “We have a lot of wineries,” said Hardware Store manager Alex Van Amburg. “It’s about time we had a brewery on the Island.” Van Amburg said he has sampled several of Goodman’s brews and was impressed. “They were all at least comparable, if not better, than the beer we already carry,” he said. Goodman, finance director for the Seattle Men’s Chorus, has always loved both beer and cooking. He began brewing in his garage about 20 years ago, just before moving to Vashon. Since then, he says, he has abandoned recipes and simply brews what he loves, using Washington-grown ingredients. “To me there’s something magical about brewing beer,” he said, standing outside his home last week, popping a bud-like hop
By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Islanders in need of a meal will soon be able to receive one every day of the week — a significant increase from the two to four weekly meals that volunteers and agencies have offered on Vashon for several years. The Vashon Social Services Network (VSSN),
Ballet program founders in the wake of a tough dispute By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
of the network. In 2009 and 2010, the members of the network assessed where gaps in Island services were, he noted, and the scarcity of free meals on the Island was an issue that rose to the top. Members then set a goal for themselves: to serve two hot meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Maaz said. This new undertaking is a step toward fulfilling that goal. Currently, 12 to 18 people attend the free Monday night dinners in the Village
For the first time in more than a decade, Vashon Junior Civic Ballet won’t be producing “The Nutcracker” this winter due to a painful dispute that has riven the company and put a temporary halt to the Island’s only free ballet program. The Vashon Park District, concerned about the dispute and frustrated by the amount of staff time spent trying to help the parties resolve their differences, cancelled its contract with Vashon Island Community Ballet — a reconstituted version of the program — two weeks ago. The move means the park district will no longer sponsor the free program and that dancers will no longer have a place to rehearse in the months leading up to its annual winter production. The park district’s contract with the company ends Sept. 29. “The internal conflicts of the community of ballet parents have become so protracted that the cost to the district in management time cannot be justified,” Wendy Braicks, the park district’s executive director, wrote in a Sept. 8 letter to the rival parties. “We strongly encourage you to resolve your conflicts internally and consider reorganizing in such a way that your governance structure more fully represents the broader community which you serve.” The dispute is hard on many of the dancers, some of whom have grown up in the small company. Juliana Goth, 16, was eagerly anticipating her 10th performance of “The Nutcracker” this winter, when she would be cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy. “It makes me so sad,” she said. “I was really looking forward to it.” “It’s been a great support system for me,” she added. “It’s been a
SEE MEALS, 19
SEE BALLET, 20
Natalie Johnson/Staff Photo
Above, Cliff Goodman stands in his newly built brew shed, where he will brew up to four batches a week. Below, Goodman holds a hop cone he picked from hop plants growing at his home. cone off a vine that stretched 15 feet in the air. “To me, it’s amazing to take hops and malted barley water and yeast and make it into something different.” Though Goodman likely won’t use the hop plants that grow on his front porch for brewing — he purchases pelletized hops from Eastern Washington— he likes having the plant around. Breaking open the hop cone, he revealed the yellow, pollen-like powder inside. SEE BREWERY, 12
Organizations plan to offer free meals seven days a week Service groups respond to Vashon’s growing need
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a group of leaders from six of Vashon’s social service agencies with some ad hoc members, is spearheading the effort, with help from Island churches, clubs and other volunteers. With the exception of Mondays, when dinner will be offered in the Village Green, all meals will be served at Island churches in the downtown area and free to anyone who needs a meal for the food itself or the companionship of gathering with others. “We want to feed the body and the soul,” said Ken Maaz, the executive director of Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) and the chair