DISH IT UP Ice cream shop serves cool flavors for a third year. Page 4
Inside this issue!
BEACHCOMBER A di d directory i t off summer ffun & island preschools.
VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013
Vol. 58, No. 15
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Metro shortfall puts island buses at risk County scenario shows one route cancelled, another route reduced
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An artful life
Vashon native finds purpose in sharing music By ELIZABETH SHEPHERD
By NATALIE JOHNSON
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Cuts to the county’s bus system, should it fail to secure new funding by next year, could hit Vashon hard, according to a scenario released by the county last week. An illustration showing which bus routes could be affected should King County Metro cut 17 percent of its service next year has both of Vashon’s bus routes on the chopping block. Route 119, which runs between the north end ferry terminal and Dockton, is at risk of being completely eliminated, and 118, which runs between the north end and Tahlequah, could see reductions. The scenario, which Metro forwarded to the Metropolitan King County Council on April 1 as part of its annual report, showed that the entire county could see significant cuts inservice due to falling tax revenue and the expiration of a tempo-
Natalie Johnson/Staff Photo
Islanders get on a bus in Vashon town early Tuesday morning. The county may make reductions to Vashon’s bus service as early as this fall. rary car-tab fee. Metro estimates that seven in 10 riders could be affected by the cuts, with 30 percent of Metro’s bus routes identified for possible elimination next fall, and another
FARMERS MARKET SPRINGS TO LIFE Despite drizzly weather, the Village Green was full of energy on Saturday as crowds of islanders showed for the opening day of the Farmers Market. Shoppers enjoyed early-spring produce such as radishes, kale and rhubarb, fresh fish and beef, locally made crafts and, of course, brightly colored spring bouquets. Pictured at right, Beth White and Rebecca Whittman enjoy the market behind a row of red flowering currant. See more photos from the opening day Farmers Market, pages 12 and 13. Robert Teagardin photo
40 percent of routes selected have some trips cancelled. The county would evaluate routes more closely and reach out to riders before any actual cuts are made.
“The risk is real,” said Victor Obeso, Metro’s manager of service development. “It’s not a proposal in that we are still SEE METRO, 17
Jacob Bain remembers the nights when he had to stand outside in the cold between sets because he was 17 — too young to be admitted to the bars where his band got its first gigs. As a member of Trolls Cottage, Bain came of age on Vashon, spending endless hours of practice with the band in a secret spot in the woods that was actually called Trolls Cottage. The music was fun and danceable, and Bain — a gifted guitarist, singer and songwriter — stood center stage when the band performed, wowing countless islanders who not only loved Trolls Cottage but who also literally watched this young man grow up. Now 32, Bain still plays with Trolls Cottage as well as another band, Publish the Quest. He still stands center stage, playing a rhythmic acoustic guitar before throngs of swaying fans. But he’s grown a lot since those early days; the music he now plays with Publish the Quest is more fully instrumented and textured, complex and innovative. Indeed, it seems, he’s pushed the boundaries of his music, both figuratively and geographically, traveling with Publish the Quest to countries in Europe and Africa and finding in his musical journey a remarkable sense of purpose. Bain sat down at the Red Bicycle Bistro last week, on a rain-soaked April afternoon, to talk about the twists and turns of his musical career and the meaning he’s found with Publish the Quest, which will perform at the Red Bike Saturday night. “I always knew that I was super passionate about songwriting and telling stories,” he said. “But it wasn’t until I started Publish the Quest that I made a conscious decision that I’d try to make a career of it.” Bain has a gentle and yet charismatic presence, complete with a piercing gaze and a flashing smile that makes a companion feel nicely rewarded for asking a good question. He’s also handsome, in the scruffy way that guys in bands are sometimes handsome, with hair of indeterminate SEE MUSICIAN, 19