Patriot Bremerton
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 | Vol. 16, No. 36 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Keep it classy Expanded classifieds inside Kitsap Week
Candidate forum draws big crowd By Seraine Page
spage@soundpublishing.com
Seraine Page /Staff photo
Visitors to the Pheasant Fields Farm search for the perfect pumpkin as an employee moves pumpkins with a front loader.
Pickin’ the perfect pumpkin By Seraine Page spage@soundpublishing.com
The crunching leaves, hot cocoa and cool, crisp air are all signatures that a blissful time of year has arrived. But the fall season isn’t complete without a trip to the local pumpkin patch. Since opening her gates on Oct. 1, Pheasant Fields Farm owner Nikki Johanson has seen hundreds of visitors flock to her pumpkin patch. Her favorite part of owning a u-pick farm is watching the children come in to go through the corn maze and pick out their very own pumpkin. “They have a good time. It’s fun,” she said, smiling as she looked around the families milling about on a recent sunny day.
The farm has been around for more than 120 years, and it was opened to the public for picking in 1999. Her pumpkins go for 40 cents a pound, something she prides herself on when she knows she is competing with big-time supermarkets in the pumpkin sales department. “I think our prices are good,” she said, placing a pumpkin on a scale. Johanson credits the recent sunny weather for an uptick in visitors. And, despite the drought her farm and others in the area suffered through over the summer, she’s happy with her turnout of produce and pumpkins this year. Surrounded by falling autumn leaves and a variety of produce in the farm’s store, it is easy to fall into the mood of
Where to pick
Check out our local listings to choose the perfect patch for the whole family to enjoy: • Minder Farm Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch: Pick your own pumpkin in this U-Pick patch. Kettle corn, apples and other snacks available. Military discount for those with a valid ID. Sunday: noon to 6 p.m., Wed.Thursday: 4 p.m.-7 p.m., Friday: 4
Halloween and fall festivities, like the selling of locally-produced jam and the corn maze refined just for kiddos. The Danskin family found that three times is a charm when it came to hunting down the perfect pumpkin patch. Pheasant Fields Farm was their third stop of the day, and the group was relieved to see the patch was open. They visited the farm the previous year, but this was the first year that 8-month-old Jaiden had the opportunity to visit her first patch. Her family picked up four pumpkins in a wheelbarrow and took time to introduce Jaiden to the pumpkins. “She’s all kinds of smile until you put a pumpkin in her face,” said Brian Danskin. Danskin said that for him to pick a pumpkin, there are
p.m.- 8p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Located at 1000 Gluds Pond St. NE, Bremerton. Call 360-620-3707 or visit http://www.mazeplay.com. • Santos Family U-Pick Farm: Check out this family farm that uses organic practices for cultivating its pumpkins. Thurs.-Saturday: noon until dusk. Located at 9573 West Belfair Valley Road in Bremerton. • Creek House Farm This farm has an organic picka-pumpkin patch, a variety of farm animals and autumn crafts. There’s also a “Patch the Pumpkin Forest
certain traits the round, orange fruit must possess. “They gotta have a good handle,” he said. As for what he and his family will carve into their pumpkins, he was unsure even as he picked his perfect pumpkin. “It doesn’t usually hit me until we start carving,” he said. While carving is always an option, there are other ways to get creative with the favored fall centerpiece. Painting and using a variety of pumpkins to make a bigger creation are always options as well, Johanson points out. “Some people are really creative,” said Johanson. One of her favorite ways to decorate the pumpkin is not to carve, but to paint the outside. A variSee Pumpkins, A13
Adventure” and pumpkin games. Friday: noon to 6 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday: noon to 6 p.m. Located at 6060 East Collins Road in Port Orchard. Call 360-871-7267 or visit www.creekhousefarm.com. • Pheasant Fields Farm: This farm offers a pumpkin patch, corn maze and haunted woods tour. Located at 13274 Clear Creek Road NW in Silverdale. Open Mon.Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Call 360-6976224 or visit www.pheasantfields. com.
The League of Women Voters of Kitsap County held a forum last week for the 26th Legislative District state Senate debate and conversations with Bremerton School board candidates. Audience members were handed index cards to write questions down for the candidates. Ann Smith, President of the League of Women Voters of Kitsap County, acted as the moderator for the evening, reading off questions to the participating parties. Each candidate had two minutes for opening and closing remarks, and one-and-a-half minutes to respond to the questions. Prior to wrapping up with closing statements, the candidates also had an opportunity to respond to their opponents statements or to further comment on an
issue they felt needed more explanation. The event, held in the city council chambers at the Norm Dicks Government Center, filled quickly for the first event, the 26th Legislative District state Senate debate. For the second half of the forum — the Bremerton School board candidates — most of the audience cleared out, leaving a handful of people in the room. Jan Angel and Dr. Nathan Schlicher took to the microphones first, starting off with opening statements. Schlicher went first, describing his progress as freshman senator and his desire to get back to the Capitol for more. “I believe firmly that we need at least one doctor in Olympia,” the Bremerton native said. “I’ve since come to believe that it’s probably a psychiatrist that we See forum, A13
Council to weigh in on conference center By KEVAN MOORE
kmoore@soundpublishing.com
The Bremerton City Council was set to make several critical decisions this week regarding the expansion of the Kitsap Conference Center. During the council’s business meeting Wednesday, the board was set to vote on an inter-local agreement with the Kitsap Public Facilities District for funding and a lease agreement with Kitsap Transit. The council was also set to weigh in on contracts with Jones & Roberts, Inc. for construction, a contract with ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas for elevator improvements and a professional services agreement with Rice Fergus Miller for construction administration of the conference center. The city is looking to expand its 10,000-square-foot conference center to the third floor of the Harborside Building owned by Kitsap Transit. The
third floor space, which has sat empty since 2004, would allow for 6,750 more square feet of space for conference activities and visitors. A lease agreement between the city and Kitsap Transit calls for a lease rate of $15 per square foot. That lease, though, has given at least one member of the city council, Eric Younger, pause. “I’m not against it … All I’m saying is you’re asking us to approve a 20 year, at least a 10 year agreement, and I need to know this is fair market value and I haven’t seen any evidence of that,” Younger said during a study session last week. Under the terms of the deal, Kitsap Transit will forgive the first four years of rent and lease payments of $8,500 per month will begin in the fifth year. The ten-year lease has two five-year options. The city was awarded $400,000 from the Kitsap Public Facilities District for See conference, A13