Issaquah Winter Living 2011 by The Issaquah Press

Living Issaquah

Winter 2011

Celebrating

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher

C ov e r d e s i g n

Debbie Berto

Dona Mokin

Adver tising manager

Pa g e d e s i g n

Jill Green

Adver tising staff Vickie Singsaas Felecia Tomlinson Neil Buchsbaum Suzanne Haynes Michelle Comeau

Pa g e 5 p h o t o Whitney Smith, Sammamish

Managing editor Kathleen R. Merrill

Production Breann Getty Dona Mokin

David Hayes

C ov e r p h o t o Logan Stromberg, Issaquah

Writers Warren Kagarise Tim Pfarr Laura Geggel Christopher Huber Caleb Heeringa

P h o t o g r a p hy Greg Farrar Christopher Huber

Printing Rotary Offset Press

DIVERSIONS

HERITAGE

NEIGHBORS

Planetarium — Rocket to the cosmos from the comfort of a planetarium seat inside the Willard Geer Planetarium at Bellevue College. Page 6

Issaquah’s dark history — The tree-lined suburb of the 21st century evolved from a frontier town of sinister secrets. Page 14

Faith — Step inside local places of worship and discover Issaquah as a melting pot of major religions from across the globe. Page 40

Mountaineering — Mountaineers of all skill levels set out to conquer Mount Rainier and other Evergreen State peaks. Page 10

Chefchaouen — The sister-city bond between Issaquah and Chefchaouen, Morocco, fosters cross-cultural understanding in both cities. Page 22

Firefighters — From adrenalinecharged emergencies to routine calls, firefighters share gritty details about life inside the fire station. Page 48

Village Theatre — Musicals nurtured at the downtown Issaquah playhouse charm audiences and rack up awards in the Big Apple. Page 30

Issaquah Creek — Meander along Issaquah Creek from the seldom-seen headwaters and on through the city. Page 28

Clubs — Share interests and meet other aficionados at civic organizations and community clubs. Page 52

Soups — Dish up hearty soups from Issaquah home cooks to chase off the chill on cold days. Page 46

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✰ DIVERSIONS

BLAST OFF INTO OUTER SPACE — WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE EASTSIDE By Greg Farrar

A viewing audience reclines in theater seats to view the Milky Way galaxy projected on the Willard Geer Planetarium dome at Bellevue College. By Laura Geggel

Bellevue College offers excursions into the cosmos from the comfort of a planetarium seat There are a thousand ways Armageddon could destroy life on earth, and all without the help of aliens. During its 220-million-year rotation around the Milky Way, our sun could pass through a giant dust cloud, blocking the sun’s rays to earth and triggering an ice age that could last thousands of years. Or, a nearby star could die in a supernova explosion. Its energy could burn a hole in the ozone layer, exposing us to the sun’s radiation — rays that would fry everything in their path. Both of these and more are covered in “Violent Universe, Catastrophes of the Cosmo,” narrated by Patrick Stewart — a movie that literally surrounds the viewer at Bellevue College’s Willard Geer Planetarium. The college has much to brag about when it comes to its planetarium. Former physics instructor Willard

Geer, who helped invent the color TV, provided the impetus for starting the planetarium during his years at the school, from 1968-75. “He was the college’s first physics instructor, and as he was reaching retirement time he thought it would be a great thing for the college and the community,” Astronomy Director Art Goss said. The Willard Geer Planetarium is the only planetarium on the Eastside, and instructors invite students and the public to visit the 30-foot dome that seats 60 people. The planetarium plunges students into 3-D trips through the universe, taking them on roller coaster rides through a black hole, or into the frozen rings of Saturn. Those prone to motion sickness can simply close their eyes, though most of their neighbors will

Our sun could pass through a giant dust cloud, blocking the sun’s rays to earth and triggering an ice age that could last thousands of years. Or, a nearby star could die in a supernova explosion.

7 likely have their eyes wide open, craning their necks toward the curved ceiling as they pass by gleaning stars and giant gas planets. The planetarium turns astronomy into something tangible, at least during its shows. “I remember back in the day when I was in school, we didn’t have anything this exciting,” College President Jean Floten said. “I experienced the world of stars through a textbook and it wasn’t half as exciting as getting my Girl Scout badge in constellations, when I went outside and actually looked at the stars.” Kelsey Andrews, a 21-year-old student from Issaquah, took Astronomy 101 to fulfill her science credit, something she had to go out of her way to earn alongside her major in her interior design. “I’ve always been interested in stars and understanding the way they work, which I never had until now,” she said. Andrews initially planned to take astronomy through an online course, but changed her mind when she learned the college had a planetarium because “I’m very visual,” she said. The planetarium has helped her understand how Earth rotates around the sun and how its wobbly tilt gives the planet its seasons. Using the planetarium’s dome, Goss showed his students how high By Greg Farrar the sun travels into the sky during summer and how low it moves in winter. Interstellar clouds of hydrogen gas are stellar nurseries as a planetarium movie imagines how Textbooks aren’t able to describe it as well the process develops over eons of time. as seeing does, Andrews said. 3, 2, 1, blast off Issaquah Running Start student Tyler When the planetarium was dedicated Heathman, 17, said the planetarium’s Bellevue College in 1976, it had the most basic of projectors show helped him grasp the concept of will air ‘Violent Universe, — a large, hollow ball with thousands of solar flares — hiccups from the sun Catastrophes of the Cosmo,’ narratholes in it marking the stars and planets. that can disrupt radio communicaed by Patrick Stewart, of ‘Star Trek,’ in six Instructors would shine a light into tions. free, 45-minute shows at its planetarium. See the ball and — presto — students So many students take astronthe shows at 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. March 4. would see the universe shining on omy classes at the college that it Download the limited tickets at www.brownpathe planetarium’s ceiling. has two full-time instructors pertickets.com, and search for ‘Violent Universe.’ “We could tilt it, but other than and two course levels: introCall 564-3055 for more information. Schedule a field that it couldn’t do much,” Goss ductory and advanced astrontrip or private show. Invite 60 of your closest friends to said. omy. Elementary through high a private showing at the Bellevue College’s Willard In 2005, the college upgraded to school students visit the planeGeer Planetarium. Call 564-5282 at least three a digital projector and in 2009 tarium for field trips and Boy weeks in advance to schedule a show. School received $200,000 in private donaand Girl Scouts can earn a groups can see solar system presentations tions to upgrade to Digistar 3 softbadge if they see a show. from 10:30-11:15 a.m. Monday-Friday for ware and hardware, made by Evan & The college also has an obser$150. The general public can rent Sutherland. vatory, but it is not open to the pubthe planetarium in the Now, the system can show color, zoom lic. Given Seattle’s cloudy weather and evening for $250. people millions of years into the future — light pollution, even students don’t get to when the Big Dipper no longer looks like a use it that much. “The observatory is real great here, but I can’t brag on it too much because the CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 weather is so undependable,” Goss said.

8 FROM PAGE 7 dipper — and thousands of years into the past, giving onlookers a glimpse of the sky when the Egyptians built their great pyramids. Instructors can broadcast 3-D images from NASA. They can show two galaxies colliding in a few seconds — though in reality it takes millions of years. The Digistar 3 software can show any location within 900 light-years of the sun. “If I have ever gone in my life from a planetarium to a regular room, it would be torture,” Goss said. “It’s hard to get the concepts across and see how it all works. It’s huge as a teaching tool.” In planetarium presentations, students can learn the difference between a comet — a giant, dirty snowball hurtling through space that forms a tail as it melts near the sun — and asteroids — pieces of rock and metal speeding through space. They can also learn about elements like iron, a major component of both stars and people. “When they say we are all made from stars, we are,” planetarium volunteer presenter Lisa Hill said, as she showed Orion

By Greg Farrar

One planetarium show traces constellations such as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (Big Bear and Little Bear), within which are the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, and the north star Polaris.

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The public can see everything — the violent universe show, the zodiac and the meteors — at the college. and his two dogs, Sirius and Canis Minor. After the show, visitors can participate in a show-and-tell of space rocks. The college has a black, iron meteor — surprisingly heavier than it looks — from Arizona. There is also a small, reddish meteor from outer space that survived impact on Earth, and an iron meteor sliced and etched with acid to show its crystals — a specimen worthy of any Andrew Carnegie museum. The public can see everything — the violent universe show, the zodiac and the meteors — at the college. Hill is leading several free, public shows at the planetarium these next few weeks. “If they leave excited about it, then that’s the absolute best result,” Goss said. “I can’t think of anything more cool and exciting than trying to understand how the universe works overall.”

By Greg Farrar

Artists’ animation based on Hubble Telescope observations puts the Bellevue College planetarium audience in the middle of a supernova explosion.

❅ DIVERSIONS

or skiing, go to Colorado. For surfing, grab a ticket to Hawaii. For mountaineering? You don’t have to go anywhere; you’re in Washington state — a veritable Mecca of peaks that many consider one of the best climbing locales in the country. “You could spend the rest of your life in the Olympics and Cascades and not have climbed every peak,” said 60-year-old Joe Horiskey, a longtime climbing guide with RMI Expeditions. “There are so many rarely climbed peaks out there. I’ve been climbing for decades and haven’t even scratched the North Cascades personally.” But just because you can do Tiger Mountain or Mount Si in your sleep doesn’t mean you’re ready for the big boys. And however tempting it might be to charge up Mount Baker in hiking boots and a fleece, there’s a certain amount of training necessary to make sure you get to the summit and then home safely to brag about your adventure to friends and family.

Contributed

John Junke, a supervisor at the Issaquah REI, poses at the summit of Mount Rainier.

UP, UP and AWAY Mount Rainier and other Evergreen State peaks challenge climbers of all skill levels By Caleb Heeringa

“There are definitely some people who go to climb Mount Rainier because they thought it might be a good idea at a cocktail party in January. But when they get to 13,000 feet they might be tempted to turn around.” Joe Horiskey RMI EXPEDITIONS CLIMBING GUIDE Contributed

A group of climbers descend the slopes of Mount Rainier. That training is a small investment in exchange for the experience of being on top of the world, said John Junke, a climber and supervisor at the Issaquah REI. Junke vividly recalls the site of the sun cresting over the horizon early in the morning on his first Mount Rainier climb. “Anyone who is into the outdoors that looks at a mountain like Rainier – there’s a certain part of you that wants to be there,” Junke said. “Once you’re sitting on the summit of a mountain and you can’t go any higher and you’ve just spent hours listening to nothing but yourself breathing heavy … there’s no feeling of satisfaction like it.”

Learn how to conquer Cascade peaks at beginner mountaineering classes. The Mountaineers Cost: $500, plus $108 in joining fees for an individual Timeline: October through June www.mountaineers.org BoeAlps: Cost: $350 Timeline: February through June www.boealps.org

Weekend adventure? A handful of guide companies specialize in getting interested people to the top of the larger peaks in the state, including Mount

Baker (10,781 feet), Mount Adams (12,276 feet) and Mount Rainier (14,410 feet). For a price, anyone can climb any of these mountains with a free long weekend,

provided he or she has the mental, physical and cardiovascular stamina necessary. Horiskey, who has led hundreds of trips up Rainier and Alaska’s Mount McKinley (the highest peak in North America at 20,335 feet), said that for every nine people that head up Rainier with RMI, an average of 7.5 make it to the summit. “There are definitely some people who go to climb Mount Rainier because they thought it might be a good idea at a cocktail party in January,” Horiskey said. “But when they get to 13,000 feet they might be tempted to turn around.” Summiting Rainier with RMI is a fourday ordeal. The first two are spent equipping people with the tools they’ll need — climbing helmets, an ice axe, crampons to provide traction on glaciers and ropes to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Contributed

John Junke, a supervisor at the Issaquah REI, ascends Mount Rainier.

FROM PAGE 11 tie them to other climbers — and training them how to use them in the event of an emergency, like a snow bridge over a crevasse collapsing under a climber’s feet. Such tragedies are a real threat on Mount Rainer, where nearly 100 climbers have perished since the National Park was established in 1899. The third day consists of climbing from idyllic Paradise, the end of the paved road on the south flank of the mountain at 5,400 feet, to Camp Muir at 10,060 feet. Bed time is at 6 or 7 p.m. before an early morning (like midnight early) wake-up call to begin the treacherous route to the summit. Hopefully, dawn of the fourth day begins with you watching the sun rise over the entire state of Washington. Horiskey said most reasonably fit people who’ve done some training in the months leading up to the climb are able to make it to the summit. He recommends many of the more popular hikes around Issaquah, North Bend and the Interstate 90 corridor as good training for a large climb – Tiger Mountain, Mount Si, Granite Mountain and, if you’re feeling masochistic, Mailbox Peak, which slogs 4,100 feet in about three miles. “You can’t say enough about the impor-

tance of physical conditioning,” Horiskey said. “Most people will do well as long as they’re physically prepared … and have the self-motivation to keep going.” A basic Rainier summit package with RMI costs $951, with guides, food, shelter and most necessary equipment included.

Or lifelong hobby? If you think your climbing career might last longer than a weekend, the money you spend on a guided summit tour might be better spent on a mountaineering class. Several Seattle-based organizations, including the Mountaineers and the BoeAlps, offer entry-level climbing classes that will teach you the nuts and bolts of ascending local peaks and leave you qualified enough to do most of the peaks in the state. Eric Linxweiler, interim executive director at the Mountaineers, said the class teaches you the skills you need to be safe in a high alpine setting — including belaying and rappelling down rock faces, glacier travel, snow camping, emergency survival skills and avalanche assessment. “Our mission is to give people the skills they need to go outdoors safely and then get themselves home,” Linxweiler said. The classes do require a significant

time commitment – 10 to 12 all-day or overnight weekend outings, as well as additional classes. But the outings also bring you to some of the best outdoor locales in the state – from Mount Rainier to Leavenworth to Mount Erie, a popular rock-climbing site near Anacortes. The classes also require a substantial investment in gear, including climbing boots (different than your average hiking boots), noncotton clothing, an ice axe and a climbing harness. Some of the necessary gear can be borrowed, but plan on spending hundreds for entry-level gear and thousands for all the bells and whistles. Both the Mountaineers and BoeAlps have deals with outdoor gear producers that will save you some money if you’re enrolled in their classes. Upon graduation, the classes also provide you with a network of friends who will always be down for journeys into the rarely visited corners of the Washington state wilderness – wilderness that is known worldwide for its splendor. “People see these great pictures of incredible jagged peaks for miles and think they’re taken somewhere out in the world somewhere,” Linxweiler said of North Cascades National Park. “But they’re right here in our back yard – there’s a reason people call them the American Alps.”

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HERITAGE

The

dark side of

Issaquah

The tree-lined suburb of today evolved from a frontier town of sinister secrets By Tim Pfarr

Welcome to Issaquah! On your left, you’ll see the Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-In! On your right, you’ll find the Village Theatre! Oh look, over there is the beloved Issaquah Salmon Hatchery! A typical tour of town might go something like that, detailing the proud past of a historic city. What about the strange, seedy and sinister history of this former frontier town? What about the ominous undertones? Not many tours take you down the alleys of the city or expose what had been its underbelly. But this one does, and it will tell you about some of the most notable incidents that occurred here in the decades after white settlers arrived in the 1850s. Murders. Bombings. Fires. Explosions. Abductions. Plus, plenty of other mayhem. Get in your DeLorean and prepare to tickle your morbid curiosity, because we’re headed straight to the past and into the dark side of Issaquah.

Lethal harvest at Wold farm Event: Townsfolk attack Chinese workers The first stop on our tour takes us to 1885, prior to Issaquah’s incorporation. Local brothers Ingebright and Lars Wold operated a hops farm in the area at the time, employing American Indians as their workers until finding out Chinese men would do the job for less.

Unfortunately, the brothers would soon find out that cutting corners wouldn’t pay off. On Sept. 5, 37 Chinese workers arrived in town to start work on the Wold farm, and they traveled straight to the farm, pitching their tents in the orchard. This upset several white and American Indian men, and they gathered their weapons and paid a visit to the farm that night, seeking

The case was appealed to the Territorial Supreme Court, and the fines were ultimately thrown out because the convicting jury included women, who were not allowed to vote.

15 to drive the new workers out of town. White workers at the farm persuaded the crowd to take up the matter with the Wold brothers, who were able to turn the crowd away for the evening. However, the crowd said it would be back to drive the Chinese out if they did not leave. Two days later, 30 more Chinese workers arrived in the Squak Valley en route to the Wold farm, but locals met the group at George W. Tibbetts’ store and intimidated them to the point of leaving the area. Tibbetts was a Civil War veteran and prominent merchant, as well as the justice of the peace in the area. That night, a group of white locals and several American Indians — who may have been intimidated into joining the group — gathered at Tibbetts’ store, armed with Winchester rifles and Colt

Une xp e c t e d l a ndin g S q u a k Mo Mo unt unt a in was was t h e sit sit e o f a pl pl a n e cras cras h Ja Ja n. 15, 1953. Ther Theree had had b e en st st r o n g w ind ind a n d he he a v y rain rain t h at e v ening ening , b low low ing ing a fo fo ur-en ur-enggine ine D C-4 e a s t t o war war d Is Is s aqu aqu a h. The The pl pl a n e was was en ro ld f r o m ro u t e to to B o eing eing Fie Field B urb a n k, C a lif. lif. I n t h e b ad we we at h er, er, t h e pl pl a n e c lip lip p e d t r e es ne ne a r t h e S q u a k Mo unt t, bur unt a in summi summit, bursst int int o f l a m es an an d bl bl aze d dow dow n to to war war d a far far m. The The pl pl a n e st st r uck uck t h e g r o und und w i t h suc h fo such fo r ce t h at it it cre cre at e d a 138-fo 138-fo o t t r enc enc h an an d bur bur ie d t h e w r e c kag kag e — an an d t h e pl pl a n e’s six p a s s eng eng ers ers an an d cre cre w m emb emb ers ers — 15 fe fe et under underggr o und und . The The imp imp ac t a l s o l aunc unc h e d t h e pr pr o p e l lers lers dozen dozenss of of yar yar d s an an d cre cre at e d a ma n t h at ma s siv siv e explosio explosion r os e hun dreed s of hundr of fe fe et int int o t h e a ir. ir. It t o o k n e a r l y a w e e k f o r t h e smo smo lder ing ing w r e c kag kag e to to co o l to to t h e p o int int t h at t h e b o dies of of t h e p a s s en g er s a n d cr e w m em b er s — ran ran g ing ing in ag ag e f r o m 3 to to 49 — cou ove d. cou ld b e rem remo

revolvers, determined to drive the Chinese workers out of town. One member of the group later testified that Tibbetts had supplied the group with ammunition. However, members of the group said they did not intend to hurt the Chinese if they didn’t need to, and they had armed themselves if they needed to defend themselves against armed white workers guarding the camp, according to the governor of the territory’s 1886 report to the federal secretary of the interior. The group — which may have consisted of as few as seven or as many as 20 people — arrived just before 10 p.m. at the camp, where all of the Chinese workers, except for a lookout, were asleep. The group of locals said a shot had been fired at them, so they opened fire, spraying 20 to 30 bullets at the sleeping Chinese men, instantly waking them and causing them to flee in terror. Six workers were shot in the attack, three of them fatally. Two of the fatally wounded died within 20 minutes, and the third died the next morning. Was the group fired upon? No one knows. This much is known: Two of the fatally wounded workers were shot while lying in their tents, each struck by at least two bullets from above at short range, according to the governor’s report. The third man killed was shot while running away. One tent had also caught fire, which may have been the result of the group pulling a tent down while a candle burned inside it. Seven men stood trial for murder, but were acquitted based on an alleged selfdefense. After being acquitted, they stood trial for rioting, and each was found guilty and fined $500. The case was appealed to the Territorial Supreme Court, and the fines were ultimately thrown out because the convicting jury included women, who were not allowed to vote.

Mob leaves man out to dry Event: Squabble leads to downtown lynching The second stop on our tour takes us near the Julius Boehm Pool on Clark Street. Long before the site played host to swim meets and pool parties, it hosted a large maple tree and the city’s only

K a b o o m! A side f r o m cr uel uel int int ent ent ion ion s, Is s aqu aqu a h ha ha s a l s o had had its its fair fair s h a r e of of accident accident a l dest dest r uc t ion. ion. One h e v ent One suc such ent go go es b ack ack to to lo c a l co a lmines lmines in 1902. At ab ab o u t 2:15 p.m. p.m. Ap Ap r i l 26, 50 p o und und s of of dy dy n a mit mit e explo explo d e d f r o m w i t hin a mine mine , k i l ling ling miner minerss Wi Wi l l Pr Pr ice an an d B er n a r d S u t t en. S u t t en was was “ b low low n to to at at o m s,” s,” a n d a l l t h at rem remaaine ine d of of him w ere ere “s “s hre hre d s of of f lesh lesh an an d clo clotth ing ing .” Pr Pr ice sur sur v i v e d t h e bl bl a s t, b u t die d sh sh o r t l y af af t er f r o m his his inj inj ur ies, accor accor ding ding to to a rep rep o r t in t h e S e at t le Pos t-In nt e l ligen cer Post-I ligencer t h e fo fo l low low ing ing d a y. W h at pr pr o m p t e d t h e explo explo-sion? sion? The The det a i l s ar ar e st st i l l un k n o w n, bu bu t t h e miner minerss had had j u s t o p en e d t h e 50-p o un d c a s e o f explosi explosivves. Th e d y n a mi t e m a y h a v e b e en f r o zen, pr pr o mp t ing ing t h e miner minerss to to exp e dit dit e t h e t h a w ing ing pr pr o cess cess by by h o ldin g t h eir h e ad l a mps n e a r t h e dy dy n a mit mit e .

recorded hanging, done by a mob of angry citizens in 1889. There are several different accounts of the execution, each with slight variations, but both tell the story of a feud that led a man to blow up a local building with the hopes of killing his adversary inside. The man who triggered the explosion was arrested, but later, while the sheriff was away, an angry mob seized him and hanged him from the tree.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

After the man was dead, the lynch mob did not return the clothesline to its rightful owner, forcing those at the boarding house to find a new way to dry their clothes.

16 FROM PAGE 15 One newspaper account of the hanging tells the story of a feud that originated in Chicago between two men: Albert Schaeffer and George Bodala. Bodala fled to Chicago and then moved to the Issaquah area to avoid Schaeffer’s harassment, but Schaeffer followed Bodala and blew up his Issaquah house, killing the entire Bodala family. The next day, an agitated mob took Schaeffer while the sheriff was at lunch, and demanded

Oh, by the way, there was a 40-foot tall and 27-foot wide “fiery” electric cross looming over the rally, and a $1,000 fireworks show that capped off the night.

Schaeffer confess to the killings. Schaeffer refused, and the mob strung him from the tree for 30 seconds. Again, the angry people demanded a confession, and again he refused, and they responded by stringing him up for 45 seconds. They demanded a confession one last time, but when Schaeffer again refused, they hanged him until he died. The other account, from a local man, tells the story of an unnamed man using dynamite to blow up a boarding house — on the site of modern-day Issaquah Middle School — in an attempt to kill his former girlfriend and her new lover inside. The blast destroyed the building and killed a miner, but not the man’s girlfriend or her lover. The man stood trial for the crime, but while the sheriff was away having dinner the night of the trial, the mob took the man, stole a clothesline from the boarding house where the sheriff was dining, and used the clothesline to hang the man from the tree. After the man was dead, the lynch mob did not return the clothesline to its rightful owner, forcing those at the boarding house to find a new way to dry their clothes.

Prohibition spawns hooch and hoods Event: Ku Klux Klan rallies in Issaquah Next, we fast forward to 1924 and the age of Prohibition. While Issaquah played host to a fair number of bootleggers, it also hosted Washington’s largest-ever Ku Klux Klan rally at the site of the current Issaquah Transit Center, at the corner of modernday Newport Way and state Route 900. On July 26, the KKK took the site by storm and created a massive spectacle, treating 13,000 attendees to “stirring, patriotic music” from a 32-piece band, a play by schoolchildren and speeches about “Americanism,” so citizens could form firsthand opinions of the kind and tolerant organization, according to contemporary accounts. Oh, by the way, there was a 40-foot tall and 27-foot wide “fiery” electric cross looming over the rally, and a $1,000 fireworks show that capped off the night. The enormous event was nonetheless peaceful. The secret society initiated 250 new Klansmen, and sheriff’s deputies maintained order over the masses. Later, hooded Klansmen directed traffic and managed the

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17 two-hour traffic jam that followed. The KKK first organized in Issaquah in April 1924 on the top floor of the stillstanding Mercantile Building on Front Street along Front Street North, and among those subject to harassment were local Catholics. Klansmen were known to pay midnight visits to Catholics’ homes. By the 1930s, the Klan had died out in the region.

Mysterious plunge into the abyss Event: D.B. Cooper airliner hijacking We now ascend into the murky skies of November 1971. On a Boeing 727 flight from Portland, Ore., to Seattle on Nov. 24 — the day before Thanksgiving — a well-dressed man going by the name D.B. Cooper handed a note to a flight attendant.

For parachutes, the FBI turned to the Issaquah Skyport — an airport that offered skydiving, gliding and hot air ballooning — where Costco now stands. “I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked,” the note read. Cooper demanded $200,000 in $20 bills and four civilian parachutes when the flight landed. For parachutes, the FBI turned to the Issaquah Skyport — an airport that offered skydiving, gliding and hot air ballooning — where Costco now stands. (On a related note, the Skyport also led to deadly plane accidents and skydiving misfortunes. On one occasion, former Issaquah Police investigator Ed Mott said

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Northwest Orient Flight 305 sits on the tarmac during the D.B. Cooper hijacking saga in 1971.

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18 FROM PAGE 17 a plane carrying seven or eight skydivers crashed during takeoff, killing everybody aboard.) Mott and a Washington State trooper delivered the parachutes. They made the usual 30-minute commute from Issaquah to the airport in less than 15 minutes. The trip fried the police car’s engine, Mott recalled. Cooper collected the money and the parachutes and, with a small flight crew, he directed the plane back in the air, heading south. He then parachuted from the plane about 10,000 feet over southwest Washington. The jump occurred at night and in a rainstorm. Cooper was never seen again; whether he survived the jump is still a mystery.

Abductions cast shadow on sunny day Event: Notorious serial killer claims Issaquah victims The next stop on our tour takes us to the shores of Lake Sammamish in the hot summer sunshine of 1974. The day was Sunday, July 14, and 40,000 people flocked to the park to bask in the sun, cool off in the water and quench their thirsts with cold beer at Rainier Brewery’s annual Beer Bust. Among the crowd was a 5-foot-10inch, 160-pound man with light brown hair and his arm in a sling. He approached at least five women at the park, asking for help putting a sailboat atop his car. Just before noon, one agreed to help the seemingly

The hunter found bones from what he believed to be two people north of Interstate 90, just northeast of a former railroad trestle, now the Sunset Way Interchange.

File

Issaquah resident Janice Ott was abducted from Lake Sammamish State Park. injured man do so, but when they arrived at his brown Volkswagen Beetle in a lot adjacent to the beach, there was no boat. He apologized to the woman for misleading her and said the boat was still at his parents’ house “up the hill.” The woman backed out, and the man returned to the beach. At about 12:30 p.m., he approached Janice Ott, a blond, 23-year-old King County youth services probation caseworker. Ott looked younger than her age and was at the park alone. Her husband was working in California, so she had ridden her yellow 10-speed bike to the park from her Front Street home just two doors south of The Issaquah Press building. When the man approached Ott and asked for help with his boat, she agreed, and they walked to his car. After that, she vanished. The man returned to the beach later that afternoon and asked the same favor of 18-year-old Denise Naslund, who was studying to be a computer programmer and was working as an office helper to pay her way through night school. Naslund, who had long black hair, was with her boyfriend and another couple. The man in the sling stopped her at about 4:30 p.m. as she walked back to her

friends from the restroom, and she agreed to help. Like Ott, Naslund vanished. Police and volunteers quickly launched a search for the missing girls, scouring the park, and, thanks to witnesses, police soon had a sketch of the suspect. They also had his first name: Ted. It was not until later that the man’s full name emerged: Ted Bundy. Nearly two months later, on Sept. 7, 1974, a grouse hunter discovered what had happened to Ott and Naslund. “I think I found two shallow graves,” the hunter told police. “And there’s one with long, black hair.” The hunter found bones from what he believed to be two people north of Interstate 90, just northeast of a former railroad trestle, now the Sunset Way Interchange. They also found teeth, and, tellingly, black hair, which Mott said looked like a wig left on the ground. While most of the remains were those of Ott and Naslund, one of the leg bones had been from a victim not abducted in Issaquah. They were the first remains to be found from a Bundy murder. The notorious seri-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Contributed

Ted Bundy after his first arrest near Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1975.

20 FROM PAGE 18 al killer went on to kill more than 30 women. Authorities were eventually able to use credit card receipts to place Bundy in Issaquah when Ott and Naslund were abducted. He filled up his Beetle at a gas station at the northwest corner of the intersection of Front Street and Sunset Way, where the Issaquah Library now stands. Bundy may have also stopped at The Issaquah Press. After his mug shot was released, The Press’ then-bookkeeper insisted he had been there and she had sold him a copy of the newspaper. Remains of

File

The owner said no, and the building mysteriously exploded at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 28.

Investigators pick through the wreckage after the Waterhole Tavern mysteriously blew to bits. other Bundy victims were found at Taylor Mountain, southeast of Tiger Mountain. The state of Florida executed Bundy by electric chair in January 1989.

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21 ahead to 1980. The destination is set back from the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Northwest Gilman Boulevard, where the Waterhole Tavern stood. The joint was a dive, and a frequent site of drunken brawls. When fights erupted, police waited until the fighting subsided before entering, arresting those still standing and hospitalizing those who weren’t. The tavern shut down in June 1980. Owner Dave Brumpton planned to reopen the bar that September as a topless club, even though city code outlawed such an establishment. But Brumpton charged ahead, figuring the city didn’t have enough money to sue him and shut down the club. Suspected Seattle mobster and strip club granddaddy Frank Colacurcio Sr. also allegedly had a problem with Brumpton planning to open a club in Issaquah. Colacurcio demanded Brumpton hire his women, install his soda and cigarette machines, and give him a cut of the profit. Brumpton said no, and the building mysteriously exploded at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The blast sent a massive fireball hundreds of feet in the air and brought 70 firefighters to the scene.

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Contributed

The dominant color in Chefchaouen, Morocco — Issaquah’s sister city since April 2007 — is a dreamy shade of blue.

Issaquah sister-city bond fosters cross-cultural understanding in Morocco — and at home By Warren Kagarise The grand and imposing door, set amid brick buildings and evergreens in downtown Issaquah, offers clues from a far-off place. The door is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar and built to endure for ages. The place is ancient. The door is painted in the same soothing blue as a summer sky over the Mediterranean. The place is exotic. The door is a gateway. The place is Chefchaouen, Morocco.

All in the family

Contributed

Chefchaouen sits in the foothills of the Rif Mountains about 100 miles from Tangier.

Contributed

Colorful pottery is among the many offerings for sale in the souk, or market, in Chefchaouen’s old city, or medina. The door on the Issaquah City Hall grounds is a gift from Chefchaouen, a sister city almost 6,000 miles from the Cascade foothills. The relationship is a study in contrasts. Suburban Issaquah is perched on the outer rim of Greater Seattle. Chefchaouen is isolated in mountainous terrain, 100 miles from the nearest major city, Tangier. Chefchaouen is in Muslim-majority Morocco. Issaquah is in the secular United States. Issaquah and Chefchaouen inked a sister-city agreement in 2007. In the years since, a steady stream of dignitaries, students and tourists has traveled from one city to the other. The effort has caused bridges to be built across the immense cultural and geographic gulfs separating the cities. “It opens our minds and hearts to other cultures,” Mohamed Belali said. “Otherwise, it would be a missed opportunity on both sides.” Issaquah and Chefchaouen possess special significance for the Moroccan immigrant. Belali spent summers in

The relationship is a study in contrasts. Suburban Issaquah is perched on the outer rim of Greater Seattle. Chefchaouen is isolated in mountainous terrain, 100 miles from the nearest major city, Tangier. Chefchaouen is in Muslim-majority Morocco. Issaquah is in the secular United States. Chefchaouen as a child and later settled in Issaquah. Now, he serves on the Sister Cities Commission, the municipal board responsible for tending to the international bond. Daughter Iman Belali formed the American Moroccan International Exchange in 2004. The then-12-year-old middle schooler set out to encourage personto-person diplomacy in order to counteract unflattering stereotypes perpetuated in both nations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “The way I see, there are good and bad people everywhere, no matter where you go,” she said. “Where you come from really doesn’t determine that.”

The search for common ground

French for “friend” — exchanges included girls from Morocco and the United States. Soon, the adolescent ambassadors discovered common ground. “Morocco is a Muslim country, but when the girls got here, we learned a lot of us were into the same music, the same American artists,” Iman Belali recalled. “We all liked the same clothes. We all liked to do the same things for fun.” The early successes prompted Iman Belali to approach city leaders in Issaquah to suggest a sister-city relationship. The nascent effort to join Issaquah and Chefchaouen as sister cities received a cool reception. Issaquah attempted a similar relationship more than a decade earlier, but the ties to sister city Sunndal,

The initial AMIE — the acronym is

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

24 FROM PAGE 23 Norway, loosened as interest faded in both places. “My belief is, sister-city relationships are not something that local governments can take on,” Mohamed Belali said. “No commission can make a relationship. It’s really the people. If you have people that care, they will make that connection.” Citizens in both cities, a globe apart, nurtured the connection. Then, in April 2007, Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger and a delegation journeyed to Chefchaouen to sign the sister-cities agreement. “People get to know one another as individuals, and it is difficult to see peoples and cultures as monolithic when you’ve sat at a table with people, and shared stories and eaten a meal,” she said. The delegation encountered the same fact from proud Moroccans recounted at almost every stop: In 1777, Morocco, before any other nation, recognized the United States as a sovereign nation after the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain.

Travelers receive royal treatment The mayor and other Issaquah leaders describe the trek in details fit for a travel magazine: postcard-perfect landscapes, kindhearted hosts, sumptuous feasts. The delegation learned to count the number of tablecloths to estimate planned courses in a meal. The dignitaries sampled couscous and tagines, a traditional stew named for the conical pots used to cook the meal, plus the Moroccan national dish, bisteeya, a layered meat pie. The red-carpet-and-fine-china treatment led to some comic

File

Chefchaouen city leaders donated the Blue Door to Issaquah City Hall as a symbol of friendship.

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25 moments for the Issaquah delegation. Frisinger recalled the bisteeya at a banquet for the delegation and other dignitaries. The server offered a colossal slice to the Issaquah mayor. The diplomatic — and hungry — Frisinger ate the entire piece. The server noticed the empty plate and, unprompted, cut another chunk for the stuffed guest.

Morocco, ancient and up-to-date The teeming souk is the hub in Chefchaouen — a labyrinth of shops and stalls, pile after pile of jewel-toned fruits and vegetables, and carpets by the mile. Chaouen, as Moroccans call the city, is nestled in the Rif Mountain foothills. The city, like Issaquah, is a popular starting point for backpackers and hikers. Inside the medina, or old city, ancient customs and modern amenities coexist. Craftsmen adhere to centuries-old techniques as donkeys haul big-screen TVs along alleyways as cramped as a college dorm room. Issaquah Sister Cities Commission member Jennifer Jedda last stopped in Chefchaouen in October, during a trek across Africa and Europe. “Morocco to me — I have friends there,” she said. “It’s not foreign to me anymore. It’s actually a place that I knew I would be taken care of.” Travelers described some people dressed in Western jeans and T-shirts, and others clad in traditional garb on the cobblestone streets. The dress code is often separated on generational lines.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

File

Rafika Pahud, an Eastside resident, sits on the step in front of the Sister City Blue Door.

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The other side of the family Issaquah seeks to defrost a dormant sister-city relationship in Norway The shared enthusiasm for outdoor recreation and cultural significance attached to salmon — not to mention similar mountainous terrain — seemed like a smart match for cities separated by 4,300 miles and a polar ice cap. So, Issaquah and Sunndal, Norway, leaders used the common ground to establish a sister-city in relationship in 1991. The international bond sputtered after some early jaunts from officials and residents in Norway and the United States. The relationship more resembled long-lost kin than a sister-city bond in less than a decade. Issaquah and Chefchaouen, Morocco, fostered a close bond in 2007 and maintained a connection in the years since leaders endorsed the sistercity relationship. Chefchaouen leaders sent the landmark Blue Door for display on Issaquah City Hall grounds in early 2008. For Issaquah and Sunndal, on the other hand, no monuments at Issaquah City Hall or frequent student exchanges celebrate the bond. Though the relationship faded in recent years, unofficial exchanges continue to occur. The effort to defrost the relationship started in November 2009, after Issaquah Sister Cities Commission member Joan Probala detoured to Sunndal on a trip to visit family in Norway. Former Issaquah Mayor Rowan Hinds hosted travelers from Sunndal last summer. The group met city leaders to discuss the sister-city relationship.

FROM PAGE 25 “It almost felt like you were stepping back in time, if you could ignore the automobiles,” Issaquah Sister Cities Commission member and AMIE representative Mike Pautz said. Chefchaouen has a Spanish accent and a sapphire tinge. The medina is toothpastecommercial white and gossamer blue. Spain and France tussled to control Morocco from the late 19th century to

Probala, perhaps the only Issaquah resident to call on both Chefchaouen and Sunndal, said Sunndal leaders seem eager to resume the relationship. The side trip rekindled the enthusiasm for the relationship in Issaquah and Sunndal. The longtime Issaquah resident received a cheerful reception in the city not far from the Arctic Circle. Sunndal is more than 200 miles from Oslo, the capital and largest city in Norway. Probala and other Sister Cities Commission members drafted a document last year to establish a formal agreement between Issaquah and Sunndal. That relationship had not been established under the Sister Cities International umbrella. (The organization tracks and manages the relationships across the globe.) The commission then sent the draft proposal to a Sunndal sister cities board for discussion. Leaders in both cities hope to reignite the relationship in the months ahead. Issaquah residents also expressed interest in traveling to Sunndal as part of a future official delegation. The delegation could encounter some familiar features in Norway. The meandering River Driva runs through the city to empty into a nearby fjord. The river and rugged terrain surrounding the city make Sunndal, like Issaquah, a popular spot for recreational fishermen and hikers. The streetscapes resemble Pacific Northwest neighborhoods at a quick glance. The city includes a major aluminum plant and, also like Issaquah, a fish hatchery.

the mid-20th century. The result is a civilization as rich and seasoned as the trademark tagines. Issaquah explorers described using a patois of languages to communicate: Arabic, French and Spanish. English is not a common tongue in Chefchaouen. “Both the students and the residents find that while there may be some language barriers initially, the goodwill and good intent between everyone overcomes those and we’re able to communicate,” Pautz said.

Photos contributed

Sunndal, Norway — Issaquah’s other sister city — sits on a fjord amid rocky terrain (top). Longtime Issaquah resident Joan Probala (second from top) addresses city leaders in Sunndal about the relationship between the city and Issaquah. The streetscape in Sunndal (bottom photos) offers glimpses of the surrounding mountains.

27 The exotic — and the familiar Issaquah travelers to Chefchaouen recall a history as colorful as the landscape and a hospitable people eager to share their rich culture. “Even amongst all the differences — whether it be skin color or religion or location — we’re more similar than we are different,” Pautz said. “I know that’s a cliché, but it rang true for me.” Mere minutes from the city, Barbary macaques, small primates, inhabit the cedars and cypress at Talassemtane National Park — a place Frisinger said “looks like a cross between Yellowstone and Yosemite” in the United States. Sister Cities Commission member Joan Probala imagined Chefchaouen as something lifted from the “Arabian Nights” tales. Instead, modern Morocco offered a contrast in the ancient and the up-todate. “There are modern cities and people walk around with cell phones,” Probala said. “Even in the market areas, you see donkeys go through with big-screen televisions. They’re connected to the world and they want to be.” The connection to the United States is linked to the iconic Salmon Days Festival, too. Chefchaouen artisans demonstrate metalwork and other traditional techniques for Salmon Days crowds. The city also dispatches dignitaries to ride in the festival parade. “I never expected the compassion and the friendship that they showed — and the eagerness to be part of our community,” Probala said. Chefchaouen city fathers offered a gift to further solidify the sister-city relationship in April 2008: a 300-pound door set into a plaster, steel and wood frame. The dedication plaque offers tidings from Morocco. The grand and imposing door set amid brick buildings and evergreens in downtown Issaquah offers clues from a far-off place. The door is a symbol for friendship — and a call to celebrate common ground. The place is hospitable. The door is a landmark for people in cities almost 6,000 miles apart, separated by continents and oceans. The place is familiar. The door is a gateway. The place is Chefchaouen, Morocco.

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U HERITAGE

ALONG ISSAQUAH CREEK The scenic creek meanders through farms, forests and neighborhoods Photos by Greg Farrar

Above: Bonomi Farm and the southern slope of Tiger Mountain are visible across a pasture while standing on the bank of Holder Creek. Above right: Carey Creek starts out as a brook among the alder trees and blackberry brambles near 276th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 197th Street in Hobart.

Left: Fifteenmile Creek drops down a face of solid rock on Tiger Mountain State Forest land northeast of the Mirrormont neighborhood. Above left: Fifteenmile Creek begins its descent from Tiger Mountain, to meet Issaquah Creek at Southeast May Valley Road and IssaquahHobart Road. Above right: Carey Creek (left) and Holder Creek (right) flow together on the Bonomi Farm property, to become Issaquah Creek, in a view looking north toward Issaquah.

Left: Tiny ferns grow on a tree trunk overhanging Carey Creek, which is about a foot deep as it rushes over rocks near Bonomi Farm, by state Highway 18 and Issaquah-Hobart Road. Above: Holder Creek gets its start as a trickle over rocks deep in the forest at Southeast West Tiger Forest Road, a state forest service road, on the southeast slope of Tiger Mountain.

DIVERSIONS

Village Theatre cultivated ‘Next to Normal’ and the jukebox musical ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ from unpolished ideas to splashy Broadway musicals in recent years. By Joan Marcus

Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley (center, seated) leads the ‘Next to Normal’ cast in a performance at the Arena Stage, the musical’s last stop before debuting on Broadway.

BROADWAY BECKONS Musicals nurtured at Issaquah’s Village Theatre charm audiences and rack up awards in the Big Apple By Warren Kagarise The brick-and-glass theater along a fashionable street in Oslo, Norway, seems like a strange place to re-create Yankee suburbia.

Onstage, “Next to Normal” — a rock musical fostered in Issaquah — is about to be performed. The story about a suburban — and quite American — family

straining against mental illness has been translated into Norwegian for the international premiere. The debut last September marked a

TIMELINE Village Theatre has evolved from a small-town playhouse in 1979 to a nursery for Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals in 2011. 1979 Village Theatre opens and debuts ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ at First Stage Theatre. Founding Artistic Director Carl Darchuk is at the helm.

1980 The theater debuts the original musical ‘Beanstalk’ — a milestone for the fledgling playhouse.

1985 Carl Darchuk departs for a film career. Robb Hunt is a named executive producer, a position he has held since.

1987 Village Theatre commissions and produces a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt. ‘Eleanor’ is a success in Issaquah, Seattle and, later, Washington, D.C.

By Joan Marcus

Above. Tony Award-winning actor Levi Kreis (left) and other ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ cast members perform in the Broadway production. Below, ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ cast members re-create a famous jam session during a performance at the 2006 Festival of New Musicals. milestone for the musical. “Next to Normal” had already stormed Broadway — earning Tony Awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama in the process. Before the accolades and Oslo, “Next to Normal” emerged in a Village Theatre program designed to foster original musicals. The long-running program has cemented the reputation of the downtown Issaquah playhouse as a cradle for Broadway. Village Theatre cultivated “Next to Normal” and the jukebox musical “Million Dollar Quartet” from unpolished ideas to splashy Broadway musicals in recent years. “The success of ‘Next to Normal’ validates what we’ve been trying to do for the last 20 years,” long-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 1989 Village Theatre joins the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, a group set up to nurture original musicals.

1993 Steve Tomkins is named artistic director after choreographing and directing shows in earlier seasons.

1994 The modern Francis J. Gaudette Theatre — called the Mainstage — opens in downtown Issaquah.

1996 ‘City Kid’ is the inaugural show from the Village Theatre original musical series to debut on the Mainstage.

32 most of the agents in New York now and they will talk to us about their writers. Whereas in the early days it was, ‘Hell no. Issa-who?’ We’ve come a long way.”

By Dan Achatz

Amy Spanger (left) and Jason Collins perform in the ‘Next to Normal’ precursor ‘Feeling Electric’ at a 2005 Village Theatre workshop.

FROM PAGE 31 time Artistic Director Steve Tomkins said. “Followed immediately by ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ — oh my God, things are happening and we’re doing things right.” Theater insiders attribute the success to a steadfast commitment to original musicals from the creative team and donors, a talent pool deep enough to sustain multiple theaters in Greater Seattle and a savvy audience eager to participate in the arduous process.

The journey from Front Street to Broadway starts on the kind of mild night known as summer in the Pacific Northwest. Theatergoers descend on downtown Issaquah and, rather than linger at a sidewalk café for another glass of pinot grigio, pack inside a dark room to take in a barebones reading. The opener for the 2010 festival is “It

1998 Village Theatre establishes a beachhead in Snohomish County at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Shoulda Been You” — a romantic comedy about a race to the altar — and the audience has settled in for a couple of hours to see a show stripped down to the lines and music inside plastic binders in the actors’ hands — no costumes, no choreography and no sets. The house lights dim and performers, dressed in street clothes and with binders in hand, assemble at music stands onstage. “It Shoulda Been You” is the initial offering in the half-dozen original pieces in the lineup for the weekend. The sundry schedule includes tuners about a youthful Abe Lincoln, airline stewardesses, online deception, a shooting at a high school — and maybe, just maybe, something catchy enough for a stint on the Village Theatre Mainstage and beyond. “Being seen as a place to develop a show, a place that understands that process and can really help a show mature — that’s our reputation and we’re happy to have it,” Executive Producer Robb Hunt said. “We’re very happy that we can call

2002 Village Theatre hosts a reading for the ‘Next to Normal’ precursor ‘Feeling Electric.’

2003 ‘The Ark’ — a onetime Mainstage production — is the first Village Theatre show to premiere Off Broadway.

“The Full Monty” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” — familiar titles both — bookend the ongoing Village Theatre season. In the middle is something rare: a pair of original musicals, “Anne of Green Gables” — adapted from the classic novel — and “Iron Curtain” — a comic riff on Cold War communist propaganda. Only a handful of regional playhouses offer original musicals in the course of a season. Some roll out a single original musical per year. Village Theatre might be the only regional theater in the nation to offer more than one. “I’ve been going at this for quite some time as a composer. Over time, you get to know all of the theaters out there,” said “Iron Curtain” composer Stephen Weiner. “Here’s the reality: A lot of theaters say that they support new musicals, and then you’ve got to put your money where your mouth is. That’s what Village Theatre does.” The downtown Issaquah theater and similar playhouses arranged across the United States form a pipeline from small towns to the grand theaters in Midtown Manhattan. Playbill magazine editor Blake Ross said Broadway relies on the system for fresh ideas and talent. (Playbill is the yellow-bordered magazine distributed at most Broadway and Off Broadway shows.) “Regional theaters are vital to Broadway. In many cases, these theaters serve as launching grounds for Broadway shows — a place where the show can be worked and reworked without the harsh media glare of debuting on a Broadway stage,” she said. “Regional theaters are also doing a tremendous job nurturing new talent, especially new playwrights.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

2005 Brian Yorkey and ‘Feeling Electric’ return to the First Stage Theatre for a workshop.

34 FROM PAGE 32 Before “Next to Normal” and “Million Dollar Quartet” upended perceptions about Village Theatre, the playhouse received a fleeting taste of notoriety in the late 1980s, after Hunt imported a team from New York to create a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt. The successful show completed a run in Issaquah and then, the following year, opened at a Seattle Center theater for another stint. Other regional stages snapped up some of the embryonic productions formed at Village Theatre. Slowly, under Hunt and Tomkins, the playhouse started to earn a reputation as a place for playwrights to pitch untested shows. 2006 The jukebox musical ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ receives a slot at the Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals..

“It was the only place around that would take this new work that either somebody had written or he’d heard about, and put it on,” Tomkins recalled. “Oh my God! We didn’t know what we were doing at the time. We have since refined and developed our way of approaching the works, but it was so gutsy and it felt so right. Nothing is more exciting.” “Next to Normal” author-lyricist — and Issaquah native — Brian Yorkey returned to Village Theatre a decade ago as Tomkins’ lieutenant. The playhouse boasted a long commitment to original musicals, but so far, none had reached the Great White Way. Yorkey, a Columbia University alumnus and Issaquah High School grad, set out to attract the national spotlight to quaint Village Theatre. “I said, ‘There are lots of different things we can do to increase the national

2007 ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ debuts on the Mainstage and shatters the Village Theatre sales record for original musicals.

profile. The thing that’s going to make the big change is when Village gets a show to Broadway,’” he recalled. “I always said that’s going to be the big breakthrough.”

The future breakthrough could be found in the building blocks for “Next to Normal” — a dysfunctional-family drama about mental illness set to a surging rock score. The precursor — then titled “Feeling Electric” — germinated in 1998 as a 10minute musical at the influential BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a New York City program for up-and-coming artists. Yorkey and composer Tom Kitt, another Columbia alumnus, outlined a bold idea for a musical: a bipolar disorder-addled housewife undergoing elec-

2009 ‘‘Next to Normal’ opens on Broadway at the Booth Theatre and earns three Tony Awards, including Best Score.

2010 ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ opens on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre and earns a Tony for actor Levi Kreis.

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35 troshock therapy, and the impact the mental illness has on a suburban family. Yorkey chanced upon the idea after catching a TV newsmagazine segment about the therapy as a treatment for bipolar disorder. The initial sketch ballooned as Yorkey and Kitt added irony-rich lyrics needling the medical establishment and a showstopper set inside a Costco. The proto “Next to Normal” required some feedback — and not just from the authors’ friends and family members. “At that time, and still it’s really true, the path for a new musical was not an easy one and there weren’t a lot of opportunities for writers of new musicals to put their work in front of an audience,” Yorkey said. “It’s sort of a truism, but it really is kind of the essential fact of creating musicals is that you don’t know what 2010 ‘Next to Normal’ receives the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. No musical had earned the honor since ‘Rent’ in 1996.

you have until you’re able to put it in front of an audience.” Enter Village Theatre. “Feeling Electric” received a reading at the old First Stage Theatre in 2002 and then shuttled back to Manhattan for more tune-ups. The long gestation continued in June 2005, as the piece returned to Village Theatre for a workshop.

Then, the dark comedy received a reading in September 2005 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, a showcase for emergent shows. The festival reading earned attention from “Wicked” producer David Stone and “Rent” director Michael Greif. The team urged Yorkey and Kitt to pare the hourslong musical for a debut Off Broadway.

2010 The frontier-era First Stage Theatre is razed and construction starts on a near-identical playhouse on the site.

The title “Feeling Electric” and other prized pieces did not survive the surgery. “We miss them and yet we don’t want them back,” Yorkey said. “It was sort of a growing-up process and a letting-go process that, although we had to sacrifice things we loved, we certainly understood why and are very pleased with where it ended up.” The retitled “Next to Normal” opened in early 2008. Critics pounced on the Off Broadway staging. The camp and comedy clashed against the exposed emotions. “Next to Normal” appeared to be dead on arrival. The team decamped to the Arena Stage just outside Washington, D.C., to resuscitate the musical. Only, instead of a scalpel, Yorkey and Kitt used a jackhammer. The title song — the ostentatious rock

2011 ‘Next to Normal’ closes on Broadway after 21 previews and 733 performances. The national tour starts in Los Angeles.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 2011 ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ is readied for a London opening. The national ‘Next to Normal’ tour reaches Seattle.

36 FROM PAGE 35 anthem “Feeling Electric” — and the Costco number did not survive the overhaul. “It’s important to try to be as free of ego in the process as you can be. Of course, that’s impossible,” Yorkey said. “Creators of musical theater tend to have very huge and also very delicate egos. The most successful cases of rewriting that I’ve been involved with usually involve people being able, to some degree, to set aside their ego and do what’s best for the piece.”

Elizabeth Wollman, the author of “The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, From Hair to Hedwig” and a Baruch College assistant professor of music, credited the creative team for tackling the piece again and again. “‘Next to Normal’ has been reworked 80 million times,” she said. “It’s been workshopped. It’s been fixed. It ran and it was criticized and they fixed it, and it was criticized again and they fixed it again.” Bolstered by the enthusiastic response the updated musical had received at the Arena Stage, the team set out for

Broadway. “Next to Normal” opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on a mild night in April 2009 — a year after the earlier version received a cool reception. Ben Brantley, the feared theater critic for The New York Times, hailed the rock musical as “brave” and “breathtaking.” Big Apple audiences responded to the serious subject matter and the searing performance from the lead actress, Alice Ripley. “The de-stigmatization of mental disorders in this country has thankfully progressed, and more and more people know someone who suffers from a mental disorder or they suffer themselves,” Playbill editor Ross said. “This show provides an outlet for people. Bottom line is, it’s a beautiful musical with catchy tunes — whether or not you are personally affected by its subject matter or not, it’s hard not to tap into the emotions being portrayed on the stage.” The creative team credited stops at Village Theatre for helping to fortify “Next to Normal” for difficult-to-impress New York City audiences. “You couldn’t take a chance on ‘Next to Normal’ in New York, because if some-

body didn’t like it off the bat, it’s dead,” Tomkins said.

“Next to Normal” stood out on Broadway, like a man in a hospital gown at a cocktail party, in the season of the uplifting “Billy Elliot” and other screento-stage romps. Yet the warts-and-all look at bipolar disorder, marital strife and teen angst enraptured audiences. “When you get past some of the gobbledygook, you get to the meat of the matter, which is a very nicely constructed musical that has some flaws,” Wollman said. “But if you can see past the flaws — it’s a real, lasting work in some respects and something that really goes where other musicals have never gone before.” The surprises continued. “Next to Normal” garnered 11 nominations for Tony Awards, including a Best Original Score nod for Yorkey and Kitt. The category seemed like a long shot, considering the competition: Sir Elton John for “Billy Elliot” and Dolly Parton for a chirpy “9 to 5” stage adaptation. “Next to Normal” claimed statuettes for

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37 Best Orchestrations, Best Actress in a Musical for Ripley and Best Original Score. Yorkey paid tribute to the Village Theatre team — mentioning Hunt and Tomkins — in a hurried acceptance speech. “It’s very personal, because Brian is one of us,” Tomkins said later. “Brian is from Issaquah. Brian was this obnoxious kid who drove me crazy.” Tomkins paused. “He was actually a good kid.” Hunt had traveled to Radio City Music Hall for the June 2009 ceremony. The performers from “Million Dollar Quartet” — another up-and-coming production nurtured at Village Theatre — flagged him down as he headed to his seat. The moment turned out to be prescient. Hunt returned for the Tonys the following June.

“Million Dollar Quartet” landed in the Village Theatre festival lineup a year after “Feeling Electric” stopped at the playhouse for a workshop. The based-on-a-true-story musical

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

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38 FROM PAGE 37 recounts a famous jam session: Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis collaborating at the Sun Records studio in 1956 — a “million dollar quartet” as Memphis journalists dubbed the moment. “Million Dollar Quartet” the musical rollicked onto the Mainstage in September 2007. Tennessean Levi Kreis portrayed Lewis — the original rock ‘n’ roll bad boy — in the show. “You get to see pop culture through very personal eyes when you begin to see these women who have memories of this music and being 16 years old, put their purse down at the end of the aisle and dance in the middle of the aisle in the middle of your show,” he said. The jukebox musical brought in more than $1 million in ticket sales — a record unbroken for original musicals until “Anne of Green Gables” crested the mark in January 2011. Producers extended the “Million Dollar Quartet” run to 10 weeks to meet demand. Some audience members continued to dance in the aisles as the show opened in

Chicago and then on Broadway in April 2010. The storyline remains unchanged for the most part, but the Broadway production boosted the glitz factor. “Is it different? Yeah, because I think that any time you go to Broadway, things become a little more polished. They have to adhere to a certain type of presentation,” Kreis said. “Frankly, I’m more fond of the versions we’ve done prior — in Chicago and Seattle — because there was a grit, there was a rawness and, frankly, I think it had more balls.”

Cojones or not, “Million Dollar Quartet” still possessed enough octane to charm audiences and earn solid reviews from critics. “In the case of ‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ it follows the formula of successful jukebox musicals that preceded it — i.e. ‘Jersey Boys’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ — and crafted a show out of familiar songs that do a brilliant job of entertaining the masses,” Playbill editor Ross said. The opening marked a major mile-

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stone for Village Theatre. Not only had the suburban theater nurtured a Tony Award-winning musical, the playhouse now boasted a pair of shows on Broadway at the same time. “I think it’s always been a goal that we could develop new musicals that get to Broadway,” Hunt said. “Having two musicals there simultaneously surpassed any expectations that we ever had.” “Million Dollar Quartet” earned Tony nominations last year for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical — for the spoken storyline — and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Kreis. The musical triumphed in the acting category. The statuette represented validation. Kreis, a gifted actor-singer-songwriter, had battled stage fright in the days before the show opened on Broadway. “I enjoyed the process of helping to do my part to help create my role, and to work with an incredible team to do the best that we could at every stage of development,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s any way to know what people are going to grab on to and respond to. That’s always the quandary about being a creative individual.”

39 The process to perfect a musical for the Mainstage, let alone Broadway, can turn into a slog as authors tune and retune shows line by line. “Unlike other things, musicals never seem to be totally finished — at least my musicals,” “Chasing Nicolette” and “Stunt Girl” author-lyricist Peter Kellogg said. The shows debuted at Village Theatre in recent seasons. Even a runaway Mainstage success — such as “Million Dollar Quartet” — needs additional refinements after the curtain drops. “Somebody said to me once, ‘If you lose somebody for a paragraph in a novel, you get them back on the next paragraph. But if you lose somebody for a minute in theater, it’s hard to get them back,’” “Iron Curtain” scribe Susan DiLallo said. The audience, as a result, performs a crucial role in the long incubation process. David Armstrong, executive producer and artistic director at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, said the affluent, educated audience in the Seattle area appeals to playwrights.

“You could rehearse a show for three years in an empty theater and you wouldn’t solve the problems that you could solve in two days with an audience sitting there,” he said. “You won’t understand what the show needs until you’ve experienced it with the audience.” The musical “Plane Crazy” received a tip-to-tail rewrite based on audience input after the 2010 Village Theatre festival. “Jokes that I had kept in there for 10 years, it was like, ‘You know what? No one laughed. They’re still not laughing. It’s time to cut this,’” author-composer Suzy Conn said. “But you’re so excited, because you get this real feedback, and it’s not jaded industry people being cynical. It’s real people — laughing or not.”

“I always say there are three great theater towns in the United States. There’s New York, there’s Chicago and there’s Seattle,” Armstrong said. “I say that to people from Seattle, and they look at me like I’m out of my mind. But I can assure you that the people in New York and the people in Chicago know that we’re one of

the three great theater towns.” Observers said Village Theatre reinforces a regional reputation for Broadway-quality theater. “Next to Normal” closed on Broadway in January after 21 previews and 733 performances — and recouped the $4 million initial investment, a phenomenal feat for a brooding musical in a bad economy. The show is in the midst of a run in Helsinki, Finland. Theaters in the Philippines and Australia plan to launch the musical soon. “Million Dollar Quartet” is scheduled to open in London in late February as the incendiary Broadway run continues. Other musicals from Village Theatre seasons past — “Chasing Nicolette” and “Stunt Girl” come to mind — and present — “Iron Curtain” — continue to generate interest from producers. “For a long time, we had a better reputation in New York than we did in the Northwest, because the perspective was not there,” artistic director Tomkins said. Credit brisk Broadway ticket sales, Tonys by the armful and a Pulitzer Prize for the transformation.

â&#x153;&#x152; NEIGHBORS

By Greg Farrar

Twelve families celebrate Hanukkah at the Donna and Stuart Rosove home in Lakemont, as they light menorahs, share food and conduct other traditions of the Jewish holiday.

MANY FAITHS, ONE COMMUNITY By Christopher Huber

Issaquah is a melting pot of major religions from across the globe The loud rock music echoes from the concert-worthy stage as worshipers lift their hands and sing in the main auditorium. Greeters smile wide and shake hands as families filter in through the main entrance. While the adults find their seats for the service, their children shoot down colorful slides into the KidZone, a place of fun and adventure that takes up the whole downstairs. This is a typical Sunday morning at Eastridge Church. Like Eastridge, dozens of churches and places of worship contribute their own cultural and religious style and flavor to make up the fabric of faiths in Issaquah. In addition to the evangelical Christian faith Eastridge attendees practice, Issaquah residents attend Christian churches of a variety of denominations, including St. Joseph Catholic Church and School. Many others keep their Jewish faith alive at the Chabad of the Central Cascades near the Issaquah Highlands. Issaquah is also home to growing Hindu, Muslim and Bahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i contingents, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a major role in numerous community service events and activities. While some might have an idea of what people of other faiths believe, religious leaders provide some substance to an important aspect, for many, of life in Issaquah. They discuss what they believe and dispel some common misconceptions.

Evangelicalism Eastridge Church is considered Evangelical, said lead pastor Steve Jamison. Evangelical Christians believe in salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, he said. Evangelicals also believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Jamison acknowledged differences between Catholic and Evangelical worship styles, but said they share the same underlying belief in Jesus Christ’s divinity. Approximately 2,000 to 2,200 people attend on a given weekend at the Issaquah campus of Eastridge, Jamison said. The church hosts concerts and large community events throughout the year and strives to be a solid place to raise a family, he said. A misconception he said people might have is that Evangelical Christians are labeled as being against things. That’s the opposite of what he said the message should be. “The message of Christianity is a completely positive message. Through Christ, we have an amazing invitation to God to be forgiven,” he said. “Sometimes it gets painted with a really broad brush. The greatest message … the message of Christ, is a message of hope for everybody.”

By Leta Paine

St. Joseph Catholic Church altar boys (from left) James Reed, Jack Dougherty, Cedar Cunningham and Boston Munro assist Father Bryan Dolejsi with the Eucharist on Jan. 2 during Mass on Epiphany Sunday.

Catholicism Catholics believe in God’s plan of creation and salvation, as revealed in both the Jewish scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament, said the Rev. Bryan Dolejsi, of St. Joseph Catholic Church and School. It differs from Evangelical Christianity

in that Catholics believe the Roman Catholic Church is the unbroken line from the apostles of Christ — the original church — he said. To Catholics, the Pope is a living representation of the apostles. “The Pope is the Vicar of Christ,” Dolejsi said. St. Joseph originally opened as a mission, located near Flintoft’s Funeral Home, in 1896, Dolejsi said. It now serves approximately 1,300 households and holds five masses each weekend, drawing about 1,500 people weekly. During the week, the church’s school serves about 340 students, he said. One misconception Dolejsi said some people have is that Catholics worship Mary. He said Catholics don’t worship her, but simply hold her in high regard since she was the mother of Jesus. “We honor and respect Mary, but we only worship God,” Dolejsi said.

Mormonism

By Leta Paine

Eastridge Christian Assembly members fill their new worship sanctuary at the dedication service last year for the church building on Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the one God-head, and have faith in Jesus, who atoned for sin, said Greg Mackay, president of the Bellevue stake, a group of 11 LDS congregations in Issaquah, Sammamish and Bellevue. And believers become more like Jesus by doing good

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

42 FROM PAGE 41 works, he said. They believe in modernday prophets and that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are both the word of God. The LDS church is completely run by volunteers, Mackay said. Two locations serve the Mormon community in Issaquah — one along Southeast Duthie Hill Road and another on Sixth Avenue. One common misconception people might have is that Mormons are not Christians, he said. “We may be one of the most misunderstood religions in history,” Mackay said. “We work pretty hard to help everybody understand that we are focused on Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.” By Laura Geggel

Judaism The foundation of the Jewish faith is that they were God’s chosen people, and that it was the religion from which all other monotheistic religions stemmed, said Rabbi Berry Farkash, head of Chabad of the Central Cascades, on Black Nugget Road. The Torah — made of the books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy — is the central text of the Jewish faith.

Rabbi Berry Farkash (left) sings a traditional Chanukah song accompanied by guitarist Nick Forrer on the first night of the 2010 festival of lights party, celebrated at Blakely Hall with a menorah of doughnuts assembled by the children. Chabad of the Central Cascades serves hundreds of families from east Bellevue to North Bend and even Ellensburg, Farkash said. It is primarily an educational center for Jewish families unaffiliated with a synagogue. The center provides various youth classes and holds religious and cultural events

throughout the year. “We create the setting to give people the opportunity to reconnect to their origins,” Farkash said. One misconception Farkash addressed is that people think Judaism is exclusive. It’s not, he said. “We know that all (monotheistic) religions emanated from Judaism,” he said. “It is a message for the entire mankind.”

Islam

By Leta Paine

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple is located at 2208 148th Ave. S.E., Bellevue.

Muslims believe in the one, unique, incomparable and merciful God, who created and sustains the universe, according to the Sammamish Muslims Association. They believe in prophets — including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — who brought God’s revelations to the world, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Currently, practicing Muslims in Issaquah and Sammamish might attend prayers and services at the Islamic Center of Eastside in Bellevue. Others may attend various annual celebrations held at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Sammamish. But soon, the Sammamish Mosque will open along Southeast 20th Street, according to Wassim Fayed, of Sammamish. Those who believe in the foundation of Islam then seek to practice it through

43 prayer, charity, fasting and the Haj — taking a journey to Mecca, if financially or physically able, in one’s lifetime — Fayed said. One misconception Fayed said people might have about Islam is related to the treatment of Muslim women. He said Muslim women are highly regarded. “Islam teaches us that women are to be respected as … the building blocks of society,” Fayed said.

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Hinduism Whether or not you understand the concepts of Hinduism, there’s no denying its impact on suburban culture, and sometimes the traffic. One of the newest and largest Hindu temples in the state, the Vedic Cultural Center in Sammamish, draws thousands of followers during its religious celebrations and Indian cultural festivals throughout the year. Devotees adorn the building inside and out with lights and vibrant flowers. Inside the temple during these events,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

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44 FROM PAGE 43 worshipers — with the women and girls dressed in richly died saris — chant to Krishna while leaders and youths sing and play unceasing worship music. Some decorate the deities, placed on ornate wooden altars, while others enjoy the free Indian cuisine downstairs. Those who follow the Krishna Consciousness — a Hindu tradition — believe in one supreme God (Krishna) who is the origin of everything in existence, said Harry Terhanian, the center’s co-director. Love and devotion to the Lord is the goal of life by which a human attains the pinnacle of his or her potential, he said. Followers receive God’s mercy through acts such as eating according to God’s suggestions in scripture (the Bhagavad-Gita). Towering above 228th Avenue Southeast in Sammamish, the Vedic Cultural Center is one of the most noticeable religious structures in the Issaquah area. Serving about 300 families in Sammamish and Issaquah, the center is home to more than just the temple for followers of the Krishna Consciousness. Its facilities and staff offer numerous weekly cultural and spiritual education programs, and also play host to a variety of grand festivals and

By Christopher Huber

Wassim Fayed, of the Sammamish Muslims Association, reads the Koran at the new mosque in south Sammamish. celebrations annually. Terhanian addressed a misconception that Hinduism is polytheistic: “God is eternally a person that possesses infinite and inconceivable powers.”

Baha’i The basic principal of the Baha’i faith is the unity of mankind, said Saba

Mahanian, a longtime Issaquah resident and member of the local Baha’i Spiritual Assembly. According to the Baha’i faith, all religions have been progressively working throughout history toward a point of unity. Baha’u’llah, whose name means “glory of God,” founded the Baha’i faith in Persia in 1844. Baha’i is an independent, monotheistic religion and is based on Baha’u’llah’s writings and teachings. It has more than five million adherents in 236 countries, according to the Baha’i U.S. office of communications. Currently, the Issaquah Baha’i organization has about 25-30 members, Mahanian said. “All religions are from the same divine source,” he said. “There needs to be a progressive evolution of faith.”

Working together

By Christopher Huber

A devotee blows into a conch shell, during a Hindu ceremony at the Vedic Cultural Center in Sammamish celebrating the birth of Krishna.

Many of the community religious leaders said they are seeking ways to work together and promote understanding and community involvement. Also, during the difficult economic times, Jamison said he has noticed more people coming to church or seeking spiritual growth. “There’s lot of great churches in this community,” he said. “We feel like there’s some real spiritual hunger being expressed.”

Schools & Activities

DIVERSIONS

SOUP’S ON Hamburger soup

By Greg Farrar

Bernadette Anne sets out her ingredients for hamburger soup in the kitchen of her Overdale Park home.

Dish up hearty soups from home By Warren Kagarise cooks to chase off the chill

old days call for something hot enough to steam up the windows. The solution is a crowd pleaser: Set a pot of soup to simmer to combat the gloom. Soup is just right for wintertime. The simmering pot radiates heat. Each ladleful is the perfect pick-me-up on a frigid day. Most recipes require little tending after the initial prep. Soup is the original set-it-and-forget-it dish. Sorry, Ron Popeil. Though the mild Pacific Northwest climate means soup is a solid menu choice year round, late winter and early spring make for the best time to simmer a pot. Local home cooks recommend bubbling soups to counteract the chill. Set the fuss-free recipes to simmer after the mercury drops. So, go ahead, steam up the windows.

This stick-to-your-ribs soup is comprised of pantry staples and easy-tofind ingredients. Issaquah resident Bernadette Anne said it’s simple to make on the fly. The soup freezes easily in plastic zipper bags and is a breeze to reheat on a cold day. Ingredients 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey, browned and drained 1/3 cup chopped onion 15 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes (do not drain juice) 29-32 ounces beef stock, preferably a low-salt or salt-free stock 1 handful fresh parsley 1 package dry onion soup mix (Lipton’s) 4 carrots, sliced 2 celery stalks, chopped 1/4 cup celery tops, chopped 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 package spaghetti dry seasoning mix 10 whole black peppercorns or 1 teaspoon pepper 1 cup water 1 large baking potato, peeled and diced (optional) 1 can of corn (optional) Directions Mix all of the ingredients in a large pot with a lid. Then, let the soup simmer for at least 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots soften.

47 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 tender celery stalks, diced 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup half-and-half 1/2 cup cream (or to taste) Cayenne pepper to taste Instant mashed potato flakes

New England chicken and corn chowder Claudia Schultz ladles up a soup rich in chicken, corn and bacon on wintry nights. The recipe originated as a seafood-free alternative to the ubiquitous clam chowder. The process is simple enough for Schultzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children to make at home. The family likes to serves the soup alongside warm sourdough bread. Ingredients 6 cups chicken broth Meat from one rotisserie chicken shredded, bones and skin discarded. 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, 2 cups pureed in a blender or food processor and the other 2 cups left whole 3 ounces bacon, diced

Directions Crisp the bacon in a medium frying pan. Reserve the crisped bacon for garnish. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat if you made extra bacon for garnish. SautĂŠ onion and celery in bacon fat until the onions and celery are light brown and tender. Add chicken meat, pureed corn, corn kernels, chicken broth and potatoes to the pot with the onions and celery. Simmer gently but steadily, partially covered, for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost soft. Season with salt and pepper. (The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point, and stored and covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. Return the mixture to room temperature before proceeding.) Stir in the halfand-half and cream, and simmer 10 minutes. To thicken the soup, add plain mashed potato flakes in 1/4-cup increments until the desired thickness is reached. Garnish with the reserved crisped bacon.

By Greg Farrar

Michael Shultz, 9, of May Valley, pours a bowl of diced potatoes, diced celery and chopped onions into a soup pot as his mom Claudia supervises his cooking lesson. Ingredients 1 pound of lentils 2 quarts of cold water 1 medium onion, sliced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 teaspoons sea salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes 2 bay leaves 4 Italian sausages, sweet or hot Red wine vinegar

Lentil and sausage soup

By Greg Farrar

Lorie Graff stirs her simmering pot of lentil and sausage soup on the stove in her Tiger Mountain kitchen.

Longtime Tiger Mountain resident Lorie Graff has prepared hearty lentil and sausage soup for more than 35 years. The inspiration for the recipe came from a chef at Costas Opa Greek Restaurant in Seattle. Graff likes to serve the soup alongside a baguette.

Directions Wash and drain lentils. Place in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add the water and all of the other ingredients, except the sausages and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. As the soup simmers, brown sausages in frying pan and turn often until cooked. Cut cooked sausages into six pieces each, and add to soup at the end of cooking. Add a dash of red wine vinegar to the soup after dishing into individual bowls.

NEIGHBORS

“It’s the best job in the world, as far as I’m concerned. I look forward to getting up and going to work every day. We’re counselors or electricians or aid givers. There is a whole number of things we do, or if we can’t accomplish it, we try to find someone who can.” Jeff Storey EASTSIDE FIRE & RESCUE FIREFIGHTER

By Greg Farrar

Capt. Steve Westlake with Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 71 walks toward an incident in downtown Issaquah, where a granddaughter checking in on an elderly woman in her home had found her deceased and called 911. Do you know if your co-workers snore? What about their eating preferences, or whether they prefer washing dishes to cooking? “There are very few jobs where you know people’s sleep habits,” Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighter Pete Wilson said. Firefighters are a tight bunch, and they know just about as much about each other as they do the areas they serve. They are viewed through a glamorous lens, with their heroics of saving people from fires and helping car accident victims — not to mention the steamy firefighter calendars published annually. But the daily routines of firefighters are not always quite as dramatic. Aside from giving grade-school students tours of their stations, firefighters perform daily inspections on fire engines and study to renew their medical and rescue certificates.

HOT JOBS

By Laura Geggel

From adrenaline-charged emergencies to routine calls, firefighters share gritty details Firefighters are held in the high esteem of many. Some people might have a beef with the police, but their firefighter brothers and sisters are usually excluded from public retaliation. Wilson said his childhood ambition aligned him with the law enforcement. As a young man, he did a ride along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. When somebody fired a gun at them, Wilson

changed his mind. He wanted to help people, and getting shot at for no good reason was not on his agenda. “That’s when I decided to volunteer,” as a firefighter, he said. Weighing the intense calls with the daily humdrum, firefighters say they wouldn’t trade the job for anything. “It’s the best job in the world, as far as I’m concerned,” firefighter Jeff Storey

49 said. “I look forward to getting up and going to work every day. We’re counselors or electricians or aid givers. There is a whole number of things we do, or if we can’t accomplish it, we try to find someone who can.”

Morning Firefighter jobs are scarce, and some firefighters are on the road by 5 a.m., coming from as far away as Gig Harbor or Marysville so they can help people in Issaquah. Shifts start at 8 a.m. and run for 24 hours. Their schedules runs like a flashing neon light: on, off, on, off, on, off, off, off, off — a nine-day system known as “Modified Detroit.” Once at the station — their home away from home — the new shift of firefighters talks with the outgoing crew, making sure they know that day’s itinerary and any pertinent details from the previous day. Then, it’s straight to work with engine inspections. Each of Issaquah’s five fire stations has some type of equipment, such as an aid car, a fire engine or a water tender — a giant water container for rural places without fire hydrants, such as Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast or Carnation. If the engine has a maintenance problem or a scratch on it, the firefighters know about it.

“If your hands are on it every day, you get to know it,” firefighter Steve Oltman said. Knowing the equipment wouldn’t be very useful if they didn’t know the territory. EFR firefighters can change stations once a year, and every time they switch they need to get to know the neighbors. Storey, who just transferred to Station 72 on Northwest Maple Street, has to do 116 business inspections, getting to know business owners and the layout of the buildings. Firefighters also need to get certificates in building construction, so they can understand layouts and how fires might spread. For example, some businesses on Front Street North are connected through an underground basement — a prime route for a spreading fire. “We go out to different businesses and make sure the exits are clear and the extension cords aren’t being abused,” Storey said. “It gives us a chance to know the buildings, also.” As the day wears on, firefighters might decide to have a bit of fun with their challenge coins. Every EFR firefighter has one, “and you have this coin on you every second of the day,” Wilson said. A firefighter might pull out a coin. Within seconds, every firefighter in the room follows suit, showing they are part of the clan. Firefighters rue the day they forget or misplace their coins. If caught without them, they have to treat their co-workers to coffee or ice cream — indulgences that can never be satiated, according to a fair few. The hapless firefighter without a coin is soon discovered. “First of all, everyone who knows is going to challenge you,” Capt. John Pelliciotta said. “Once, I saw a room of 18 firefighters challenging a guy who forgot his coin. That’s a lot of coffee.”

Afternoon

By Greg Farrar

Firefighter Jeff Storey secures a motor exhaust hose to the fire engine inside the Station 71 engine bay.

Lunchtime is usually a solitary affair. Firefighters planning dinner together might shop for ingredients at local stores, parking their rig across several parking spots near a grocery store. Back at the station, firefighters stay in shape by working out one hour a day, or exercising on their off-days. In their free time at work, they concentrate on assignments — for example, the technical rescue team. Firefighters on the rescue team

By Greg Farrar

Firefighter Steve Oltman reads a text message from 911 dispatch updating information about an emergency call to which Engine 71 is heading. review their equipment and decide whether upgrades are needed and study new guidelines about rope-, water- and a confined-space rescues. “We have constant training,” firefighter Tim Castner said. “You just can never get on top of it just because of all of the things you have to do.” King County Emergency Medical Services is a leader in the nation among studying better ways to save people in emergency situations. Through King County EMS, EFR has participated in countless studies, including testing whether aspirin, a blood thinner, should be administered to patients experiencing heart attack symptoms; whether firefighter EMTs should carry epinephrine pens for people with allergies; and whether firefighters should check the glucose level of disoriented patients to see if they are hypoglycemic. “There are constant changes in medication and application in the way we treat our patients,” Castner said. Firefighters have to be prepared for any type of call, including suicidal people calling for help, brush fires along Interstate 90 or performing CPR on a

CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

50 FROM PAGE 49 deer — which Oltman admitted was one of his stranger calls. He also once saved a cat from a raccoon nest, though he said most calls involve people, not animals. Every 911 call requires paperwork. EFR Station 71 has a computer lab where firefighters fill out reports. The length of the report “depends on the incident,” Storey said. “The larger the incident the more time it’s going to take to record all of the details.” Details are key — “Sometimes you end up in court,” Wilson said. “It can make your mind remember.” As the afternoon progresses, firefighters might spend time at a public event, working with police to do safety education workshops or serving ice cream for a charity.

Days off? Even on their off-days, firefighters put in time. Storey volunteered to spend time with people affected by the fire in Redmond that killed a father and his four sons, helping them manage their stress

and grief. He also attended the funeral of a Woodinville firefighter who died of cancer. Every fall and spring, he collects money for Jerry’s Kids and the Muscular Dystrophy Association with the Fill the Boot campaign. “That stuff is done on our own time,” Storey said. “It’s stuff we do that we don’t get paid for, at least in terms of money.” Men and women with big hearts connect with their brethren everywhere. They trade badges like children trade baseball cards. Many fire stations have badge boards lined with firefighter badges from departments across the Puget Sound area, the state and even the country.

Hiring, training Securing a firefighting job can take years. Most people begin as volunteers, which pays despite the title. EFR career firefighters earn between $57,500 and $82,200 annually, money that comes from a fire district’s property taxes. It can take years to go from a volunteer to an actual firefighter. In the 1990s, hopefuls used to compete for positions by going through a physical and agility test, a writ-

ten test and interviews. If hired, they would receive much of their training on the job. Nowadays, most firefighters train before they gain employment. “They expect people to be ready,” EFR spokeswoman Josie Williams said. “Fire departments don’t have to spend as much money (on training) any more.” After passing a litany of tests about CPR, EMT training and all things fire related, firefighters are hired with a oneyear probation period with daily evaluations. New recruits are tested to see whether they can hook up to a fire hydrant in less than a minute and are assessed for their compatibility with their co-workers. Many a would-be firefighter has lost a job during probation. “You’re expected to show in one year’s period that you can do this job,” Oltman said. “If we hire you tomorrow, we’re going to work together for the next 30 years.” Once they’re part of the team, new firefighters get a bedroom and a locker that they share with other firefighters. The lockers are the only space that is permanently theirs, and they fill it with “whatever creature comforts you want in one-third of your life,” Wilson said.

51 With their personal books, photos and uniforms stored in their lockers, the firefighters have to keep the rest of their buildings spic-and-span. Every day, they have a chore, such as cleaning out the vehicle bay, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom — in essence, the firefighters are their own maids. “We’re pretty regimented in terms of our daily activities,” Oltman said.

Nighttime The firefighters received the call halfway through their stir-fry dinner in downtown Issaquah. They always orders their meals as take out, even if they’re staying to eat, so they can easily grab their containers and head for the door. With headphones on, the sirens don’t sound as loud inside the truck as they do to passers-by. Using headphones, firefighters can talk to each other and to dispatch, deciding their plan before they reach their destination. They don’t even need a GPS unit, because their earlier canvassing of neighborhoods has stuck in their minds, reminding them where to make left and right turns.

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As soon as they reached the house in question, the firefighters jumped out of their engine, not even turning it off, so they would save time. They soon understood the incident — an elderly woman living by herself had died. Her family, concerned when she didn’t answer the phone, had sent the granddaughter to check on her. The granddaughter found the body. Distraught, she called 911. The firefighters, who jovially kidded each other during dinner a few short minutes ago, transformed into counselors for the granddaughter and took charge of the situation. “You have to put on the caring hat real quick,” Capt. Steve Westlake said. “It’s no longer fun.” Whenever he enters a house, he looks at the environment and people, gathering clues. “I have to think about safety,” he said. “I scan the room and see what the atmosphere is like. A real clean house tells me one thing. A real dirty house tells me another.” Sometimes, firefighters notice photos or knick-knacks and turn it into a conversation piece for an agitated person. “They love that we pick up on that,”

Westlake said. “A lot of times, it’s about making them comfortable.” The firefighters, after living together for so long, can communicate nonverbally, paying attention to body language and deciding when to step forward or stand back. At the woman’s house, they called a chaplain and comforted the granddaughter while filling out paperwork. Another spoke with neighbors, huddled together near the truck. “I think when we heard the truck we all came out,” Kathy Koenenan, of Issaquah, said. “When you see a fire engine, you’re kind of assured,” Milicent Savage said. “Then, your curiosity starts.” The women told Westlake they wanted to help their friend’s granddaughter, and he promised to deliver their message. Once the firefighters left, the chaplain and the community would step forward to help the family with its grief. Sometimes, people send firefighters thank you cards, which they share at their group meetings. “It’s very rewarding when you know that you’ve made a positive difference in somebody’s life,” Storey said.

☺ NEIGHBORS

CLUBS Share interests and meet other aficionados at Issaquah organizations Civic/community A Deeper Well discussion group: 8 p.m. last Tuesday, Issaquah Brew House, 35 W. Sunset Way, 392-4169, ext. 105 American Association of University Women: meets once a month at various locations, 271-8678, issaquah@aauwwa.org American Rhododendron Society, Cascade Chapter: 7 p.m. second Tuesday, Bellevue Presbyterian Church, Bellevue, 391-2366 Beaver Lake Community Club: 7 p.m. first Monday, Issaquah Lodge at Beaver Lake Park, 25101 S.E. 24th St., www.beaverlake.org Cascade Republican Women’s Club: 11:30 a.m. third Wednesday, September through June, Sammamish Plateau Club, 25625 E. Plateau Drive, 861-7910 Daughters of the American Revolution, Cascade Chapter: 10:30 a.m. second Tuesday, Bellevue Red Lion Inn, 11211 Main St., 454-1350

52 Eastside Chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG): 7-9 p.m. third Thursday, First United Methodist Church, 1934 108th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, 206-325-7724, www.bellevuepflag.org Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council: noon second Tuesday, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 4228 Factoria Blvd. S.E., Bellevue, 747-3031 The Eastside Welcome Club: 10 a.m. first Wednesday, 836-9224 Elks Lodge No. 1843: 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesday, 765 Rainier Blvd. N., 392-1400 REX, for those with special needs: 24 p.m. first Sunday, St. Joseph parish hall, 200 Mountain Park Blvd. S.W., 392-5682 Friends of the Issaquah Library: 7 p.m. second Wednesday, djstein@operamail.com Friends of the Sammamish Library: 5:15 p.m. the first Thursday in the library meeting room, 825 228th Ave. N.E., 8683057 Greater Issaquah Toastmasters Club No. 5433: 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Bellewood Retirement Home, 3710 Providence Point Drive S.E., issaquahtm@gmail.com Issaquah Family Network: 5:30 p.m. first Monday, Aegis of Issaquah, 780 N.W. Juniper St, 391-0592 Issaquah Business Builders: 7:30 a.m. first and third Thursday, IHOP Restaurant, 1433 N.W. Sammamish Road, 206-852-8240 Issaquah History Museums: 392-3500 or www.issaquahhistory.org

By Greg Farrar

The final table participants get ready to shuffle up and deal in a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Fundraiser at the Lake Sammamish Elks Lodge.

By Greg Farrar

Susan Hass, of Sammamish (right), gets a close look at a ‘Red Top’ agate from Red Top Mountain near Cle Elum, being shown off by Nancy Adelson, president of the Issaquah Valley Rock Club. Issaquah Eagles Aerie and Auxiliary: 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday, 175 Front St. N., 392-6751 Issaquah Emblem Club: 7 p.m. first and third Wednesday, Elks Lodge, 765 Rainier Blvd. N., 392-1400 Issaquah Guild of Children’s Hospital: 11 a.m. third Thursday, Elk’s Lodge, 765 Rainier Blvd. N., 427-0913 Issaquah Library: 10 W. Sunset Way, 392-5430 Issaquah Networkers: 7:30-8:30 a.m. every other Wednesday, IHOP restaurant, 1433 N.W. Sammamish Road, www.IssaquahNetworkers.com Jewish Juniors Club: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Chabad of Central Cascades, 24121 S.E. Black Nugget Road, 427-1654 La Leche League of Issaquah: 10 a.m. first Tuesday, Overlake Medical Center Issaquah, 5708 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., www.lllusa.org/web/sammamishwa.html MOMS Club of Sammamish Plateau: lindseymwalsh@gmail.com, www.momsclubsammamish.org or 836-5015 Moms In Touch: For more information on groups within the Issaquah School District, call Jan Domek at 6816770 or go to www.MomsInTouch.org. Optimist Club of Issaquah: 6-7 p.m. first Wednesday at Shanghai Garden and

Contributed

Support local nonprofit organizations, like the Guide Dogs for the Blind.

5-7 p.m. third Tuesday at the Issaquah Food Bank, getinvolved@optimists.org Sammamish Heritage Society: Pine Lake Community Center, regular meeting second Wednesday, 260-9804, www.iinet.com/shs Sammamish Presbyterian MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers): first and third Monday, mothers of children (birth to kindergarten) are welcome to join, 466-7345 Social Justice Book Group: 1-2:30 p.m., third Monday at Bellewood Retirement Home, 3710 Providence Point Dr. S.E., Issaquah, shlcministries@hotmail.com Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS): 7:45 a.m. Thursday, Our Savior Lutheran Church, 745 Front St. S., 392-7866 or www.tops.org The Toastmasters of Sammamish: 7:15-8:45 p.m. Tuesdays Mary, Queen of Peace Church, 1121 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish, 392-0963 or meenakshisb@hotmail.com

Hobby ArtEAST: 6:30 p.m. first Monday, Up Front Art Gallery, 95 Front St. N., www.arteast.org or 392-3191 Blue Ribbon 4-H Club: first Friday,

6-8 p.m., Cedar River Middle School, 432-4709 Cascade Mountain Men: 8 p.m., second Tuesday, Issaquah Sportsman’s Club, 600 S.E. Evans St., club shoots noon, the third Monday, www.cascademountainmen.com Eastside Camera Club: 7 p.m. third Thursday, St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church, 4400 130th Place S.E., Bellevue, www.eastsidecameraclub.com Eastside Genealogy Society: 7:30 p.m. second Thursday, Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave. N.E., www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wakcegs Guide Dogs for the Blind: 6 p.m. some Sundays, Issaquah Police Station Eagle Room, 644-7421 Issaquah Alps Trail Club: www.issaquahalps.org Issaquah Amateur Radio Club: 7 p.m. first Wednesday, Issaquah Valley Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way, www.qsl.net/w7bi Issaquah Garden Club: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. second Wednesday, Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave. N.W., info@issaquahgardenclub.org Issaquah Ham Radio Support Group: 7 p.m. fourth Monday at the Issaquah Police Station, 130 E. Sunset Way, talk-in at 146.56 MHz at 7 p.m., meeting at 7:30 p.m., www.qsl.net/w7bi Issaquah Quilters: 10 a.m. to noon second and fourth Friday, Issaquah Depot, 50 Rainier Blvd. N., info@issaquahquilters.com Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club: 6:30-7:30 p.m. first Monday, Sportsmen’s Clubhouse, 23600 S.E. Evans St., 3923311 Issaquah Valley Rock Club: last Friday, September through June, Issaquah Valley Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way, information@issaquahrockclub.org Issaquah Women’s Club: 9:30 a.m. first Thursday, September through June, Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave. N.W., 369-3090 Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS): 9:30-11:30 a.m. first and third Thursdays, Mary, Queen of Peace, 121 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish, 391-3453 Issaquah Valley Grange: 7:30 p.m. second & fourth Monday, Issaquah Myrtle Mason Lodge Hall, 57 W. Sunset Way, 392-3013 Puget Sound Smocking Guild: first Saturday, September through June, Mercer Island Community Center, 391-

2581 or www.smocking.org Rhythm and Reins Women’s Equestrian Drill Team: Sunday, Rock Meadow Equestrian Center, 20722 S.E. 34th St., Sammamish, 222-7100 or e-mail Leemod@pobox.com Sammamish Garden Club: second Tuesday, 836-0421 or cathywebst@aol.com Sunset Highway Cruisers: three times during the year, five car shows with proceeds benefiting Life Enrichment Options, 392-1921 West Lake Sammamish Garden Club: 10 a.m. second Thursday, 641-9084

Service Kiwanis Club of Issaquah: noon Wednesday, Gibson Hall, 105 Newport Way S.W., 891-7561 Myrtle Masonic Lodge No. 108: 7:30 p.m. third Thursday, Lodge Hall, 57 W. Sunset Way, Secretary@MyrtleLodge108.org Providence Point Kiwanis: noon Friday, Bake’s Place, 4135 Providence Point Drive S.E., 427-9060 or ferrinlauve@msn.com for $5 lunch reservations Rotary Club of Issaquah: 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 Renton-Issaquah Road, www.issaquahrotary.org Rotary Club of Sammamish: 7:15 a.m. Thursday, Bellewood Retirement Home, 3710 Providence Point Drive S.E., 444-2663 Sammamish Kiwanis Club: 7 a.m. Thursday, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, 22818 S.E. Eighth, 392-8905 Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3436: 7 p.m. third Tuesday, Issaquah Valley Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way, 8379478

By Dottie Amidel

Dorothy Scovell (left), a founding member of Issaquah Quilters Guild, shows her quilt of houses with blocks made by members.

ISSAQUAH - SAMMAMISH

Advertisers Index Activities

Amateur Photo Contest

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Amateur Photo Contest, 45 Front Street South, Issaquah, WA 98027 Include name, address, phone, email, and the photo’s story. Limit 3 entries per photographer.

Deadline: August 14, 2011 Winners announced: Sept. 7 in The Issaquah Press & Sammamish Review

Home & Garden The Grange Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Great Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Greenbaum Home Furnishings . . . . . . . 55

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Financial

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