Examiner The Whidbey
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Fire volunteer retires after 27 years Page 3
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Thursday, June 18, 2015
VOL. 20, NO. 45
Port, WSU talk farm possibilities By Megan Hansen Co-Editor
Rumors about a future partnership between the Port of Coupeville and Washington State University may turn out to be true. After being directly questioned by a member of the public, port Commissioner Marshall Bronson confirmed at a meeting last week that he’s been having ongoing conversations about the possibility of WSU coming to the port-owned Greenbank Farm. He also said WSU would like to hold a public meeting about the idea. Currently, the Greenbank Farm Management Group holds leases at the farm, but a new contract is being reviewed by attorneys and should be approved next month. Under the new contract, the port will take over leases at the start of the new year. The management group will still
See, LEASES, page 10
Port project prompts levy discussion By Megan Hansen Co-Editor
News of another big-ticket project coming down the pike for the money-strapped Port of Coupeville prompted brief discussion last week of running a levy lift in the near future. No details have been ironed out, but the commissioners will likely continue talking about the issue in months to come. Executive Director David Day told commissioners the wharf’s fire suppression system is starting to show signs of aging with leaks and corrosion. The estimated cost for replacing the system is upwards of $150,000. “Without a fire suppression system, nothing happens out there — no tenants, no fuel — people might be able to walk out there,” Day said. “There are no ways of getting around that. We’re going to have to address this if the community wants that building.”
See, PORT, page 16
Janis Reid photo
Coupeville resident Madelyn van der Hoogt demonstrates weaving techniques on a loom to Diana McKinney of Bellingham, one of 14 students from around the country who attended a week-long class at her in-home studio.
weaving years of experience By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
Thirty is an important number for Madeline van der Hoogt these days. She has more than 30 looms in her home used for a weaving school she has run for 30 years — a career she hopes to continue for 30 more. “I think it’s challenging but also rewarding,” van der Hoogt said of her career in weaving. “It’s intellectually challenging in so many ways.” The weaving expert had more than a dozen students hailing from all over the country in her home studio last week, learning the artistry and technicalities of weaving on a loom. Chris Covey, from Bothel, came to weaving school because she purchased a loom from a friend who had been sitting in her living room unused. The five-day course has allowed her “good concentration time” to really absorb the workings of a loom. “My son bought me a ‘how to weave’ book,” Covey said. “It was like reading a foreign language.” Van der Hoogt teaches up to 14 people in eight week-long courses per year, four beginner courses and four intermediate courses. There is always a waiting list, van der
Hoogt said. “I keep growing,” van der Hoogt said. “I kept buying more looms and needed to have an excuse for it.” In between courses, van der Hoogt works as the editor-in-chief of Handwoven magazine, which publishes every two months. Describing herself as a “back-to-the-land farmer-hippie” in the 1970s, van der Hoogt learned how to weave in Guatamala on a back strap loom, with which a weaver leans back and uses his or her body weight to create tension on the loom. She started weaving in 1981 and by 1984 she was teaching. Originally from Missouri, van der Hoogt moved her weaving school to Coupeville because of the now-defunct Fiber Forum held at Fort Casey, a large event at which she taught until it ended its run in the 1990s. The fabrics and textiles that emerge from
the looms are largely experimental and educational, but once trained, her students can make anything from clothing to kitchen towels to decorative wall coverings. “There are a variety of things,” van der Hoogt said. In her courses, van der Hoogt focuses on weaving basics and getting people comfortable with using all the working parts of the loom. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the vertical threads under tension to facilitate the function is basically the same. Last week, van der Hoogt told a group of students that because the loom can engage the entire body “there’s a mind-body thing that happens” that can be very relaxing and rewarding. Visit www.weaversschool.com for more information.