On a sunny day, the walk leading to Harmony Hill Retreat Center’s Great Hall offers an expansive view of Hood Canal, framed by the Olympic Mountain range. Standing before that vista, it’s easy to fill one’s twin cups of humility and inspiration while at the retreat center. Yet, Elaine Baker arrived at Harmony Hill, located […]
People & Places
West Sound has an incredible number of talented artists, interesting people, fascinating places and popular destinations. We love to share their stories with our readers. These articles are only a sample of what we have in West Sound Magazine each issue — subscribe to the print version to see all of what we have to offer!
Posted inPeople & Places
Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival — Growing into a Regional Destination
The strains of music waft on the gentle breeze in mid-July as thousands of visitors stroll down Judson Street in Gig Harbor to peruse the high-quality offerings of professional artists and artisans who participate in the Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival. Now in its 32nd year, the festival has become one of the largest and […]
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Grass-Roots Community Efforts Make Sure No Child Goes Hungry
Every week during the school year, dozens of volunteers are working in small teams to sort, pack and make food deliveries throughout West Sound. They do it on different days and as part of different organizations, but these small volunteer armies have one goal: to make sure that kids from Gig Harbor to Belfair to […]
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The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
Located on Bainbridge Island, not far from Winslow Way downtown, is a memorial site that reminds us of a dark day in American history and also honors those who endured years of suffering. The site is called the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. On March 30, 1942, 227 Japanese Americans who were residents of […]
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Kountry Korners Krazy Kreatures
You can’t get to Kingston without passing the trolls! Folks from around the area aren’t certain about the history, but it is believed Mickey Whitbeck, who once owned the Kountry Korners store, recruited a carver from Forks. Whitbeck set him up next to the store with a stand to make chainsaw art for tourists. It […]
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Unsung Hero — David Shurick
David Shurick, a Poulsbo Police Department officer for 15 years, is credited with the launch of Kitsap County’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). The team, which today has 33 crisis intervention officers, receives special training to help minimize the use of force in crisis situations, with the goal of reducing incarceration and stigmatization of people with […]
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Herron Hill Dairy — Goats, Cheese and Family Fun
The wooden sign on the side of Herron Hill Road — “Chevre” — points toward a meandering drive that disappears over the top of a low hill. Horses graze placidly in a pasture on one side of the drive, paying no mind to the intruder unfastening the latch on the gate and motoring up the […]
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Art with a Spirit
The first thing that jumps at you when you see Susie “Sooz” Mansueto’s tiny wood dwellings is the whimsy — bright, lovely designs that instantly put a smile on your face. But pause to study them, and you realize there’s something much deeper going on — poignant even, as you start reading a phrase painted […]
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Living and Loving Art Fully
Entering the home of Darrol and Judy Gover, one is struck immediately with the sense that this is where creativity lives, energy thrives, and not a moment of time is to be lost. Darrol, at 82, has a dozen projects going at once. And when he isn’t working in his garden, carving and painting a […]