TIMELESS MELODIES Sondheim revue is a benefit for Drama Dock. Page 11
CRIME | Cross stolen in Catholic church burglary. Page 3 EDUCATION| Schools foundation is halfway to goal. Page 4 COMMENTARY | Immigrant injustice touches home. Page 6
PIRATES ON A ROLL Soccer team wins four games in a row. Page 16
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012
Vol. 57, No. 17
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
A mystery at Portage
What’s happened to the famed exercise bikes? Islanders want to know By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
For years, drivers on Dockton Road, beachgoers at Tramp Harbor and visitors to the Island have been delighted, or at least bemused, by a row of old exercise bikes that were left at Portage. Across the street from the now-vacant Portage Store, the bikes curiously faced Tramp Harbor, as if beckoning someone to hop on and take a spin. The so-called Portage Bikes joined the ranks of Vashon’s quirky spots, along with the John Deere Pond, the Jesus Barn and the bike in the tree, and have been immortalized in vacation photos, Vashonthemed greeting cards and even in county Councilmember Joe McDermott’s Facebook cover photo. But for the first time in recent memory, Portage has been empty of exercise equipment for about a month. And the circumstances surrounding the bikes’ disappearance — be it upset neighbors, a landowner tired of the clutter or scrap metal collectors looking for a few extra bucks — seem to be a mystery. “I’m very sad,” said Kate Hunter, who has lived near Portage with her husband for more than 20 years. “I think it was the sweetest thing.” Hunter said she made the Portage Bikes a regular stop whenever friends visited the Island. “We called it the Tramp Harbor Athletic Club,” she said with a laugh. Bruce Haulman, a Vashon historian and retired college professor who lives near Ellisport, said he too misses the bikes, which overlooked what he calls Pedal Beach. “It’s part of the quirkiness of Vashon. I’m sad to see it disappear,” he said. The eclectic mix of exercise equipment has morphed over the years. Some bicycles came and went, and every now and SEE EXERCISE BIKES, PAGE 19
Leslie Brown/Staff Photo
Cyclists, from left, Rusty Knowler, Charles Backus and Steve Abel, listen as Sheriff’s Dep. D.R. Shaw advises them not block the county’s project. In the background is Robert Henry, a foreman for the private contractor on the project.
County suspends rumble strip project Cyclists say grooves will make cycling more dangerous By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
King County abruptly halted a $75,000 project to install rumble strips along Vashon Highway last week after a group of cyclists — concerned the grooves and ridges will make bikeriding more hazardous — organized a
hasty but spirited protest. County officials said the statefunded project, which began last week and is about half-way complete, will not resume until they’ve had time to talk to Vashon cyclists and address their concerns. They hope to hold an open house on Vashon in mid-May. “We want to make sure the community knows what the project entails, why we’re doing it and hear from them,” said Rochelle Ogershok, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Transportation. “We’re
making plans to have a conversation with folks.” Cyclists quickly rallied last week as news of the highway project — the installation of rumble strips down the center of Vashon Highway and along most of its shoulders — spread through their large but loose-knit community. Emails flew. Several called top-ranking county officials. And by Friday morning, a handful of cyclists stood on the corner of Vashon SEE PROJECT, PAGE 12
Lessons from an opera: When singing in Russian, advice from a coach can help By GENE CARLSON For The Beachcomber
Rick Wallace Photo
Maria Marcy works with Anne Terry and Conni Clark during a rehearsal.
Maria Marcy carefully balances a brimming cup of chai on a tipsy round table at Minglement. “Did you know chai in Russian means ‘black tea’?” she says. No, I did not. To be honest, I know next to nothing about the Russian language. Which could be a major problem since I’ve signed up to sing in the chorus of Vashon Opera’s mid-May production of one of Russia’s best-known operas, Tchaikovsky’s
“Eugene Onegin.” To sing, that is, in Russian. It seems like a daunting task for a non-Slavophile. Fortunately, the enthusiastic and endlessly patient Maria Marcy, is on call. A native Russian speaker and Vashon resident for the past 15 years, Maria has, in addition to singing in the 21-member chorus, agreed to act as Russian tutor for the entire opera cast. The need for a language coach is obvious from the first choral rehearsal. For starters, the words in Tchaikovsky’s score are written in Cyrillic, the SEE OPERA, 21