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Wildcats track teams place in top six Page 8
Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington May 29, 2015
Explorer Search and Rescue will bring you home when you’re lost By Sam Kenyon skenyon@snovalleystar.com On the first day of 2015, Gay Gibson learned about a group called King County Explorer Search and Rescue. Gibson, a retired contract programmer who lives in downtown Seattle, is an avid hiker. On New Year’s Day, she and her husband Brad went to the Rattlesnake Ledge hiking trail, southeast of North Bend, a trip she had taken many times before. On the ice, she slipped, and her foot got caught in a root. “And when I fell down, it didn’t come with the rest of my body,” she said. Gibson broke her fibula and tore multiple joints in her left ankle. The trail was very busy that day, she said, and they had cell phone reception, so they called 911. Then, they waited. “I just laid there and shivered,” she said. About an hour and 15 minutes later, eight people arrived carrying a long orange stretcher
Lake Sammamish State Park hosts free Summer Smash concert Summer Smash, a free concert coming June 6 to Lake Sammamish State Park, will feature Nolan Garrett along with other local groups Cygnus, Last Minute, LocoMotive and the School of Rock House Band. The backdrop to the stage will be a glorious view of Lake Sammamish. The concert occurs on a “free day” so no Discover Pass is required to park and there is no admission charge. The concert begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 7 p.m. Tim Freeburg, from Freeburg Promotions, will See CONCERT, Page 5
Volunteer searcher Jon Wartes honored for 58 years of service Jon Wartes, a longtime volunteer for the King County Search and Rescue program, was honored for his more than 58 years of service at a ceremony May 16. Wartes continues to help find and rescue injured hikers in the King County area. Last month, he and his son helped coordinate an airlift for an injured woman on top of Mailbox Peak. Wartes’ volunteer service began when he was only 14. He has also been a reserve deputy for King County since 1969. “This program saves lives,” King County Sheriff John in two pieces, and a large bicycle wheel. They assembled the stretcher and rolled Gibson to safety. ESAR to the rescue.
Urquhart said in a news release. “The time and energy Jon has put in over the years, both as a reserve deputy and search and rescue volunteer, has had a tremendous impact. Jon has taught every level of KCSAR advanced leadership, authored manuals and touched countless lives.” Around Melakwa Lake, or Mailbox Peak, Wartes’ work is evident. He has rescued lost hikers, identified problem areas along hiking trails and coordinated the installation of reflective diamonds and signage to reduce the need for future searches. “I was just super pleased that they exist, and that their trainSee ESAR, Page 6
Contributed
An ESAR member rappels down a cliff during a training exercise. Typically, people stuck on steep cliffs are rescued by the Mountaineering Search and Rescue group, but ESAR members learn climbing techniques anyway.
Valley Center Stage brings the charm with ‘Steel Magnolias’ By Sam Kenyon skenyon@snovalleystar.com Valley Center Stage’s newest production of “Steel Magnolias,” written by Herbert Ross, tells a story of lifelong friendship and hardship among a close group of women. The play, which opens May 28, is about a beauty shop in Louisiana in the 1980s and the women who frequent it. “I find it to be a compelling story,” said director Jim Snyder, who lives in North Bend. “I love that it’s basically a true story. He wrote it about his sister and his mother and the ladies in the small town in Louisiana where they lived. “I love that it’s funny and touching. It has a lot of heart. And I love how the women are
If you go ‘Steel Magnolias’ q 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays q May 28 to June 13 q 2 p.m. matinee June 6 q $17.50 for adults; $14 for students and seniors q Thursday shows have a ‘pay what you can’ policy. q Valley Center Stage q 119 W. North Bend Way q North Bend q www.valleycenterstage.org
there for each other and support each other.” This is the seventh produc-
tion from Valley Center Stage this season, including fundraisers. The players in “Steel Magnolias” have been frequent cast members in the other plays this year, and in the past. Robin Walbeck-Forrest, of North Bend, plays Annelle Dupuy-Desoto, the new hire at Truvy’s Beauty Shop. Annelle comes into a close-knit world of five other women who come to the shop every Saturday to laugh, gossip and support each other through tough times in their lives. Annelle herself comes to the beauty shop during a difficult period in her own life. “And it’s exactly what she needs to get herself turned around,” Walbeck-Forrest said. See MAGNOLIAS, Page 9
Food bank hosts dinner and silent auction The Mount Si Food Bank is hosting a lasagna dinner and silent auction at 4 p.m. May 31 at its North Bend location, 316 N.E. Eighth St. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. All proceeds will benefit the food bank, especially its Summer Meals for Kids program. Child entertainment will be provided. Tickets are available at Pioneer Coffee Place, 202 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, or online at http://lasagnadinner2015.brownpapertickets.com. Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER