Patriot Bremerton
FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012 | Vol. 14, No. 15 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Kitsap County’s thriving beer scene
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BRAS FOR A CAUSE MAY 12 What better supports women than bras? The Soroptimist of Greater North Kitsap is hosting their annual fundraiser for various organizations aimed at helping women and children in the area, by auctioning off very unique hosiery.
Each year, artists and businesses put their creativity to work and decorate “bras,” which are auctioned to the highest bidder on May 12. Some of the unique entries this year include a copper floral bra by Poulsbo artist Catherine Foster, and a bra made of recycled metal parts (think of a frying pan). The silent and live auction will also feature dinner and a no-host bar, at the Silverdale Beach Hotel, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Road, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50, and the organizers’ goal is to raise $45,000 this year. Last year, Bras for a Cause helped Soroptimists donate to: Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build project, Hospice of Greater North Kitsap, the Kathleen Sutton Foundation, Martha & Mary’s Children’s Services, and Fishline, ShareNet and Central Kitsap food banks, among many others, The NK Soroptimist membership meets the first and third Wednesday every month at 11:30 a.m. at Stella’s Restaurant in Poulsbo. More information can be found at www.signk.org.
Northwest Freedom Riders benefit hospice care as thanks
Johnny Walker / Kitsap Week
BY JOHNNY WALKER Kitsap Week
M
otorcycles cruising through North Kitsap and East Jefferson this weekend are doing more than joyriding. These motorcycle enthusiasts will be participating in the eighth Ride for Fallen Riders. The ride benefits Hos-
pice of Kitsap County. It’s a tradition of remembrance, fellowship and giving riders hold close to their hearts. “Hospice is still a very personal cause for our club,” said Rod Toepler, president of the Northwest Freedom Riders. “We lost three of our motorcycle family in just a year and a half, and as a family ori-
ented club we realized the hard way there was a need. “Continuing to support the Hospice of Kitsap County gives us a chance to help fill that need for the future and give back to our community at the same time.” The club was motivated to start the benefit after the loss of three club members. Associate member Charles
“Chuck” Virdell died in a motorcycle accident near the Hood Canal bridge April 6, 2004. Herb “El Presidente” Otis died of cancer May 25, 2005. Four months later, associate member Penny Lawson also succumbed to cancer Sept. 20. The losses were devastating. Rain or shine, the riders will start at Legend Harley
Davidson in Silverdale May 12 at 10 a.m. with a $25 registration fee. It ends with music and socializing at Rich’s Custom Seats & Upholstery in Kingston. The estimated 100 mile route will tour west through Quilcene and Chimacum, returning eastward through Poulsbo, See HOSPICE RIDE, Page 2
Kitsap Week Freedom Riders ride for the fallen and Bras for a Cause Inside
A section of the Bainbridge Island Review | Bremerton Patriot | Central Kitsap Reporter | North Kitsap Herald | Port Orchard Independent
Bremerton high school anticipating good graduation rates by KATE WHITTLE
kwhittle@bremertonpatriot.com
Greg Skinner/staff photo
A server at the Silver City Brewery moves fast, in the background, to get beers to waiting customers Tuesday evening in Silverdale. In the foreground a Woopass Double IPA awaits its drinker atop the bar. by KATE WHITTLE kwhittle@centralkitsapreporter.com
The bartender pours off two pints and sets them on the expansive bar at Silver City Brewery in Silverdale before Chuck Whitacre and Jim Snodgrass. “Craft beers are like the new coffee, it’s everywhere in Washington,” Whitacre said. The two, both chefs at the Boat House Restaurant who have shaved heads, hunch over the bar. Whitacre in an Alaskan Brewing logo and Snodgrass in a Boat House hoodie. Whitacre’s choice is the Ziggy Zoggy summer lager, a canary-yellow, crisp, slightly hoppy brew.
“Ziggy zoggy, ziggy zoggy, oi oi oi!” the two chant, and drink. Snodgrass opts for the Whoopass India Pale Ale, an amber-colored ale with sharp, bitter hops and floral aroma. Snodgrass remembers Silver City being one the first couple craft breweries he ever learned about in the late 1990s. Now he’s a hop-loving home brewer. “Hey, I have those hops I need something to do with,” Snodgrass said. “I have a smoker and those apple chips, let’s smoke them,” said Whitacre. Inspired, they pay their check and leave, negotiating over who will bring the yeast and the malt.
The Pacific Northwest’s reputation for thriving craft breweries is only growing, and Kitsap County right along with it. It’s easy to belly up to a bar and meet beer aficionados and home brewers. For many home brewers, Bill Sproules, owner of Olympic Brewing Supply in Bremerton, is one of Bremerton’s preeminent beer connoisseurs. Sproules, a compact man with white hair, broken veins in his cheeks and blue eyes, decided to make the brew supply store his full-time job in 1994. “Silver City’s Fat Scotch ale -- if there’s a signature Kitsap County Beer, See BEER, A10
Bremerton High School senior Felice Zeitler will be the first in her family to go to college. Zeitler gets extra coaching because she’s also dyslexic, and had to meet with counselors and persuaded the school to allow her into Advanced Placement classes. After graduation, she wants to get a doctorate in physical therapy at Eastern Washington University. “My dad is more like a cheerleader, when it comes to figuring out stuff the teachers are really helpful,” Zeitler said. Like Zeitler, Vanessa Ingram will be the first in her family to go to college. Ingram plans on majoring in journalism at Gonzaga University in Spokane in the fall on financial aid and scholarships. “I’m the first of four kids, I feel responsible to be an example for them,” Ingram said. Not graduating high school was not an option for her. “I’ve been taking AP all four years,” she said. “How could you not graduate if you’re taking those advanced classes?” Between 50 and 60 percent of Bremerton seniors graduated on time between 2004 and 2008, according to the Washington State Office of Public Instruction statistics. In 2010, ontime graduation rates jumped to more than 80 percent, depending on who’s numbers you look at. The graduation rate extends to 97 percent when fifth-year seniors are included, according to OSPI. Bremerton High School Principal John Polm said the decrease in drop-outs is because the school started “safety-net” intervention programs designed to find struggling students and help them finish their credits on time. Polm said a student missing credits can now take online classes to make them up or create an individual learning plan through the Drawbridge program. “That wasn’t in place back when rates were low,” Polm said. Ingram recently gave her senior presentation, which is more like a job interview where students explain what skills they’ve learned in high school. She found the interview skills handy See GRADUATION, A10