Coastal Raptors What they can tell us about our ocean
COASTAL RAPTORS In this issue BARTENDER’S CREATIVE COCKTAILS The Polson Museum’s rich history Gourmet bakery’s sweet treats
Farm Fresh Guide & Local The Polson Museum’s rich history Shopping! CREATIVE BARTENDER’S COCKTAILS SUMMER SPECIAL
Gourmet bakery’s sweetest treats
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Miller’s Marijuana Recreational Marijuana Shop
1-360-861-4300
millersmarijuana@hotmail.com 5675 State Route 12 • Porter, WA 98541-9229
We are footsteps away from outdoor recreation! Hunting, hiking, & camping in the Capital Forest World-class ďŹ shing in the Chehalis River
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US 12
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To Oakville & I-5
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Porte
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summer 2016
contents
FEATURES
34
THE SKIES ARE ALIVE
43
WITH A TWIST
What raptors are telling us about the health of our environment
TOP The Polson Museum’s holy grail: a refurbished locomotive Photo by Kyle Mittan ABOVE A Douglas Fir Daiquiri as only a local cocktail inventor could create. Photo by Kyle Mittan
Izzy Ramos Foster is one bartender making a new career for herself with creative drinks
COVER A bald eagle surveys the Ocean Shores shoreline looking for a morsel below. Photo by Tom Rowley
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
COVER
50
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
The Polson Museum’s interesting history and beginning
Our work is not about houses... ...it’s about people.
Multi-year winner!
Serving all of Grays Harbor County Residential - Commercial - Land
Windermere Real Estate/Aberdeen
101 South Broadway • Aberdeen • 360-533-6464 837 Point Brown Ave NW • Ocean Shores • 360-289-3373 www.windermeregraysharbor.com
AKES CAKEC KES CUPCA PG. 18
summer 2016
contents IN THIS ISSUE 14
BOOK
57
Dogs Tell Their Story
12
DIY Farm Fresh Guide
HISTORY Artists who have captured the county
66
EVENTS Our Favorites
18
WORKPLACE CaKecaKe’s gourmet bakery
24
26 TOP Icing is indeed on the cake for one local baker. Photo by Molly Bold ABOVE Seafood made more delectable by being fresh from the Harbor. Photo by Molly Bold
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
WHO & WHY Why Albie Shaver chooses the coast for her home and business
SHOPPING Summer Treasures
26
72
74
LAST SHOT Third Beach Sunset
DINE Breakwater Seafood and Chowder House
30
ART Ceramic artist Kimmi Kearns
IN EVERY ISSUE 10 From the Editor 73 Advertisers Directory
LOVE WINS. The longest-lasting sedan in its class
Most Awarded Small SUV
Your Subaru Dealer for 33 Years
1-360-943-2120 2300 Carriage Loop SW • Olympia • Mon-Sat 8 to 7 ~ Sun 11 to 6 • www.HansonMotors.com
Furnishings for Coastal Living.
360-532-4000 | editor@washingtoncoastmagazine.com
Publisher
Stan Woody
Editor
Doug Barker
Associate Editor
Kellie Ann Benz
Contributors Editorial
Come have a beautiful shopping experience!
Doug Barker Kellie Ann Benz Jake Schild Kyle Mittan Angelo Bruscas Gail Greenwood Ayres Callie White Erik Sandgren
Photography
Kyle Mittan Tom Rowley Dan Jackson Marcy Merrill Molly Bold Aaron Lavinsky Gabriel Green Angelo Bruscas MacLeod Pappidas Kellie Ann Benz Polson Museum
Editorial Assistant
Karen Barkstrom
Magazine Kristina Case, Simply Graphic Graphic Designer
522 Simpson Ave. • Hoquiam
360.532-2434 mchughsfurniture.com 8
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Ad Graphic Designers
Constance Ellis Emily Evans
Advertising Sales Manager
Jo Treadwell 360-537-3917 jtreadwell@soundpublishing.com
Production Manager
Martin Osburn
Circulation
Kris Cearley
Subscriptions
Addy Moreno
Distribution
Doug Ames
Contact information Advertising inquiries, subscriptions & change of address: 360-532-4000. Back issues $8 plus shipping and handling. Washington Coast Magazine is published by The Daily World, a division of Sound Publishing and may not be reproduced without express written permission, all rights reserved. No liability is assumed by Washington Coast Magazine, The Daily World or Sound Publishing regarding any content in this publication. A subscription to Washington Coast Magazine is $14 annually. Single copies are available at select locations throughout À>Þà >ÀL À > ` *>V wV V Õ Ì ið À `iÌ> Ã] Û Ã Ì www.washingtoncoastmagazine.com © 2016 by The Daily World 315 S. Michigan St. Aberdeen, WA 98520
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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SUMMER ISSUE : Raptors, history & good food
A
A couple of issues ago our cover image was of a pair of snuggling seal pups on the beach. They virtually cornered the market on cute, with their demure, smiling expressions and little button noses. There’s nothing cute about the bald eagle on the cover of this issue. It’s all about power, precision and design as it glides along the beach hunting for food. The photo was taken by Tom Rowley, a retired radiologist who lives in Hoquiam. For such a simple image, there is a lot to look at. I’m most taken by the way the very tips of the bird’s primary flight feathers just graze the water, and the precision and awareness of its own body the eagle must have to fly so effortlessly. One could spend hours studying the design of the wing and the articulate layers of feathers in Rowley’s photo. And then there are the eyes, the beak and the talons, the business ends of the bird’s constant hunt for food. That Rowley was able to capture that much detail in a moving target like this one is astonishing. Rowley is a volunteer with the Coastal Raptors program run by his friend, Dr. Dan Varland. The work that Varland and a coterie of volunteers is
doing is detailed in Angelo Bruscas’ excellent story that starts on page 34. The work the group does tracking the health of raptors has important implications for the environmental health of the ocean in ways that affect all of us. As usual, the magazine has an eclectic mix of stories about life on the Washington Coast. Erik Sandgren, a Grays Harbor-based artist, has a thoughtful piece about the ways in which Grays Harbor as a place have influenced him and other fine artists, including painters, photographers, sculptors and musicians. Also in this issue are stories about a talented mixologist, a remarkable gift of history to the City of Hoquiam, and Breakwater Seafoods, a restaurant and market that serves seafood second in freshness only to what the eagles are catching at the beach. It’s going to be a great summer at the coast. We’re glad you’re here and if you aren’t here, we’ll be glad when you get here. Doug Barker, Editor
Stay connected! VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE! www.WashingtonCoastMagazine.com Click it to read our past articles and learn about upcoming events.
Our cover wall in the lobby of the Daily World offices in Aberdeen. This summer issue will our 7th one!
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Thank you for taking the time to write to us on >ViL ° 7i Ûi i>À } vÀ ÕÀ Ài>`iÀð / à is just our seventh issue and we’ve already got readers from as far away as Texas. We are very happy that you are enjoying our magazine, we enjoy making it for you.
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FARM FRESH GUIDE Summer is blooming on the Harbor and thanks to the joint effort by Washington State University and Greater Grays Harbor Inc., we can enjoy the annual list of locally farmed produce from corn to lavender and everything else in between. Here is a snapshot of the “2016 Farm Fresh Guide” from Washington’s coast. To see the entire list of all farms producing year-round, visit www.graysharbor.wsu.edu or call 360-482-2934 for your own brochure (brochures includes a map of all the farms). C O P Y P RO V I D E D B Y T H E G R A YS H A R B OR C OUN T Y FA R M FR ES H GUI D E
ABERDEEN Bradys Oysters, Inc. (Kristi Ballo, Korry Engvall) 3714 Oyster Place E., Aberdeen (360) 268-0077 www.bradysoysters.com Open 7 days: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Lily Lane (Monte & Loni Hooper) 6 John Wayne Lane, Aberdeen (360) 581-6184 www.facebook.com/LilyLaneFarm Open Thur-Sun, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
ED ITED BY K ELLIE ANN BENZ
Westport Winery Garden Resort (Blain & Kim Roberts) 1 South Arbor Rd., Aberdeen (360) 648-2224 www.westportwinery.com Open daily from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. with lunch and dinner offered daily.
E-mail: angus@coastaccess.com Fresh lavender in bloom available July through August, you pick or we pick.
HOQUIAM
DEW Acres (Darrell & Evelyn Wogan) 64 Geissler Road, Montesano (360) 249-5086 at www.dewacres.com Open year-round. Call for hours. Delivery available.
Lytle Seafoods Oyster Shack (Mike & Kathy Lytle) 1 Rock View Lane, Hoquiam (360) 538-2654 www.lytleseafoods.com Open daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fresh Guide
12
Aberdeen’s Lily Lane as the summer’s newest flowers reach toward the warm sun.
Meat
Berries
Hay
Flowers
Seafood
Vegetables
Oats
Wool
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Lavender Valley (Dale Dineen) 48 Robertson School Road, Hoquiam (360) 532-7253
MONTESANO
Shaffner Farms (Owen & JoAnn Shaffner) 158 Geissler Road, Montesano (360) 249-6722 www.facebook.com/ShaffnerFarms Summer hours are Tues. – Sat., 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; closed Mon.
DIY f f Wynoochee Windmill Farm (John & Terry Stevenson) 1381 Wynoochee Valley Road, Montesano (360) 249-3755 Open Sat. – Sun. 10 a.m. -5 p.m. thru June 25. Visitors welcome at other times as well, call ahead. Wynoochee Valley Meats (C&R Cattle) (Craig & Rose Gallington) 92 Old Wynoochee Road, Montesano (360) 249-MEAT (6328) E-Mail: wvmeats@centurylink.net Visit our shop or call to schedule all of your butchering needs. C&S Livestock (Craig & Sally Thiessen) 65 Simmons Road, Montesano (360) 249-6196 or (360) 500-9079 www.cslivestock.com Delivery is available for a fee. Order your hay today.
ELMA Dunlap Farm LLC (Gene & Rebecca Goeres) 75 Dunlap Road, Elma (360) 482-3608 Call for hours.
(360) 861-8584 Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or by appointment.
Juel’s Unique Nursery (Julie Sanchez) 350 E. Satsop Road, Elma (360) 482-2441 www.juelsuniquenursery.com Open Feb.1 - Oct. 1, 9 a.m. -6 p.m. Cindy’s Plant Stand (Cindy Knight) 1199 Monte-Elma Road, Elma (360) 482-3258 Open spring until killing frost. Tours available.
Oak Meadows Buffalo Ranch (Ed & Jill Lagergren) 91 Porter Creek Road W., Elma (360) 482-3853 www.oakmeadowsbuffalo.com Open: Mon.- Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Sundays. Call ahead.
B.C. Farm (Scott Beerbower) 1179 Monte-Elma Rd., Elma (360) 482-2098
ÕÌ y ÜiÀà >ÀV £ Ì "VÌ° £ä] VÕÌ À ÕL>ÀL by the pound May 1-Sept. 1. Call for hours or to make appointment seven days a week.
COPALIS CROSSING
Satsop Bulb Farm (Kris Edem & Karel Smith) 930 Monte-Elma Road, Elma (360) 482-5566 www.satsopbulbfarm.com Flowers in spring, bulbs in fall.
Ida M’s Blueberry Row (Nicole Caldwell) 2262 Ocean Beach Road, Copalis Crossing (360) 589-1034 Sunday to Tuesday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. or by appt. Call ahead.
Voss Acres Produce (Steve & Sharon Voss) 1683 Ocean Beach Road, Copalis Crossing (360) 591-1287 www.vossacres.com Open daily, year round, until 6 p.m.
New Moon Alpacas (Allison & Denise Moss- Fritch) 350 Cloquallum Road, Elma
Front St
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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BOOKS f f
‘Dogs Tell Their Stories’ MAKES US AS HAPPY AS A DOG ON THE BEACH STORY BY K ELLIE ANN BENZ PHOTOS BY MARCY MERRILL
There are few things that inspire joy more than witnessing a dog running with abandon along a beach or hopping VJTQWIJ VCNN ITCUU KP C ƂGNF Their happiness is our happiness. If only we could hear their thoughts and share ours with them. That’s exactly the thinking that got photographer Marcy Merrill and author Rex Paul Martin — both Washington coast residents — to create the picture book “Dogs Tell Their Stories” In it, the two long-time dog adopters share the images and stories of coastal dogs who have made the ocean beaches their backyards. To create the book, Merrill photographed each dog in their neighborhood with their guardians, and Martin imagined each dog’s thought-process during a pivotal moment in their lives. First published in 2012, the coffee table book has helped to raise money for the Stafford Creek Correctional Center’s prison dog program, Freedom Tails. The program pairs inmates with shelter dogs who need some nurturing time to become socialized enough for adoption. The inmate handlers teach dogs boundaries, basic obedience and house training, as well as offer them much needed affection and grooming. To date, the program has successfully placed more than 200 dogs into loving homes and the more than 40 inmate handlers have learned invaluable lessons in patience, loyalty and the power of kindness.
Info
THE CAUSE FOR DOGS Proceeds from book sales help Stafford Creek Correctional Center’s prison dog program.
The book can be ordered online through Amazon, directly from the book’s Facebook page, which is called DOGS Tell Their Stories, or by calling 360-267-1036.
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg BOOKS Here’s a snippet of just one of the dog stories from the book.
The story of Heidi James Every time I get in the car to go someplace, I never know if it will just be a trip to the store, or one of those weeks and weeks on the road with my humans. When I do get in the car these days, Marcy has to help me up. My jumper doesn’t jump so well anymore. I guess I’ve been to every State except Hawaii and Alaska. Bob and Marcy never had puppies. I am glad. Puppies give me the creeps. Bob and Marcy appreciate me alone for all my talents: I can sense a change in the weather; I can scare away frogs and clothes that hang over the upstairs railing, and thunder and lightning. I wipe my face on my bed after dinner when Marcy wants to show off that I understand her commands, and she gets proud when the neighbors say I am ‘aloof’. Actually, that is a cover for being afraid of a lot of things, which is i L>ÀÀ>ÃÃ }] > ` Ì i ÌÀÞ Ì Li wiÀVi > ` vi>À iÃÃ > ` bark more. You know that giant statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox, in Bemidgi, Minnesota? It scared the heck out of me, so I barked so loud and long that people were driving by, looking, pointing and laughing. I was embarrassed, but not as much as Bob and Marcy.
TOP, LEFT: Dogs participate in the Stafford Creek’s Freedom Tails program alongside inmates. Both the dogs and the inmates benefit from the training. BOTTOM, LEFT: Heidi James, one of the subjects of “Dogs Tell Their Stories” shows her appreciation for beach life. ABOVE: A typical dog greeting at the beach before the play begins. All photos by Marcy Merrill.
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gg WORKPLACE
{CAKECAKES}
ICING
ON THE
CAKE
ONE BAKER CREATES A BIG DEAL IN LITTLE CAKES
S T OR Y B Y GAIL GREENWOOD AYRES PHOTOS BY MOLLY BOLD
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
N
ot many people can say that starting a new business is a piece of cake, but for the owner of a gourmet bakery in downtown Aberdeen it was. Well, sort of.
In March of 2014, Brittany Figg-Case, opened the doors of caKecaKes, beginning her business with what most entrepreneurs only dream of — a loyal customer base, a chic new shop and no debt. A longtime bartender at the Quinault Beach Casino where her husband, Anthony works as the executive chef, Figg-Case’s evolution from someone who occasionally brought homemade treats for her co-workers, to the owner of a burgeoning business in a trendy shop was quite a ride.
“Starting a new business is not for the faint of heart,” says the fresh-faced brunette with a remembering smile. Now 31 years old, she reflects that owning a bakery hadn’t been anywhere on her radar screen. She had worked at the casino for 12 years and was taking college classes with the goal of becoming a nurse. But with the encouragement from others that her baked goods were good enough to sell, Figg-Case decided to start a Facebook page and let people know she was available to bake cakes. As her reputation for delicious and delightfully decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies grew, so did her working hours. For a while, she would go to work at the casino Friday night and come home from bartending at 2 a.m. then spend from 2 to 6 a.m. Saturday decorating cakes before getting a few hours of sleep. Then back up at noon to begin her 2:30 p.m. shift on Sunday. The long hours were helpful in building her skills and clientele, but difficult on family life with little time to spend with their son Kingston, now 8. (He’s the reason for the bakery’s name. “Cakecakes” was his way of saying cupcakes when he was young and the capital K’s in the name are also a nod to him.) But after looking into the possibility of obtaining a cottage food license, FiggCase decided working at home was too difficult. “I would procrastinate, that’s part of the reason I stayed up so late at nights.” So, she began saving money and slowly collecting equipment to someday make her hobby into a real business. Her first purchase: a $1,000 commercial refrigerator from Craigslist. Her finds included five second-hand mixers that she now uses every day.
CaKecaKes 107 E. Wishkah St. Aberdeen, WA 360-532-0170 You can message the bakery via CaKecaKes on Facebook.
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WORKPLACE gg DRINK
CAKES CHEESECAKE CINNAMON ROLLS COOKIES CAKEPOPS BROWNIES MACAROONS DONUTS PIES
“
Someday, I’d like to be that hometown bakery that everyone remembers. I plan on doing this for a long time.
”
With their house jammed with equipment, the couple decided it was time to make a decision. They decided the time was right to build a real business and began looking for a place to house the bakery. They were thrilled when they found the space at 107 E. Wishkah St. in Aberdeen.
The decision to do the construction work themselves meant Figg-Case had to open the business a lot later than she had hoped, but that was a small price to begin with no debt.
However, despite their careful work and planning, life happens. They signed the lease on June 30 and found out she was expecting on July 3.
Now two years later both are healthy and growing.
From hand scraping layers of linoleum and carpeting to painting the chevron décor, they spent months tearing down and building up the inside of the space. “Anthony is amazing. Not only has he been a tremendous support, he knows exactly what I needed in a commercial kitchen and he can do anything. He’s really a jack of all trades,” Figg-Case said. Top: The baker in her element, Figg-Case prepares the dough for the day’s baking. Left: Pastry detailer Jacklyn adds the final touches to a cooled batch of fresh cupcakes Right page: Cake tops make for great presentations and delicious sampling.
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After nine months of great expectations, a new store and their daughter Sailor were born within days of each other.
“My favorite part of this business is seeing people’s reactions when I show them their cake or they try a cupcake,” she said. In addition to local acclaim, CaKecaKes earned kudos in the 2015 King 5 Best of Washington contest. It ranked first for Best Bakery, fourth for Best Wedding Cakes and fifth for Best Cupcakes in all of Western Washington. The local community is also clearly sweet on the bakery, which has been welcomed with open arms and satisfied stomachs. (Perhaps her penchant for delivering any unsold items at the end of the day to neighboring shop keepers, the fire department, police department or mission, has something to do with it.)
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Huge Mattress Selection! Queen Pillowtop Mattress Set starting at
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Delivery & Pickup Available
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201 E. Wishkah St. Downtown Aberdeen 532-6280
Mon.-Fri. 10:00-5:30 • Sat. 10:00-3:00 • www.wiitamaki.com
SELMER’S HOME FURNISHINGS Mon-Sat 10-6 • Sun 12-5 419 E. Wishkah Street • Aberdeen • 360-532-2260 WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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Above, and right: Figg-Case with two of her biggest fans, and best taste testers, son Kingston, 8, and daughter, Sailor, 2.
An absolute stickler for freshness, Figg-Case won’t sell day-old items, so she donates them — but often there aren’t any to give away because she frequently sells out In fact, the stores’ hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or until sold out. (However, she can make arrangements to have pre-ordered items picked up earlier.) Totally self-taught, Figg-Case’s recipes are a combination of her grandmother’s and others’ recipes she has tweaked. “My chocolate cake can’t be beat. It’s the way I cook it,” she said, explaining how she alters the temperature at a key point in the baking. She uses 11 kinds of cake, including vanilla-almond, lemon, banana, coconut, carrot and strawberry swirl, and then inserts one of more than five flavors of filling. Next she tops with one of her 22 types of buttercream frosting, including raspberry, salted caramel, peanut butter, mocha, Nutella, cream cheese and white chocolate. And if that weren’t enough, she often tops the frosting with coconut, crushed candy bars, cereal, nuts, etc. The possibilities are virtually endless and Figg-Case has found that her years of combining interesting flavors as a bartender have served her well. The $2.75 a cupcake or $25 for a dozen, reflects the quality of the ingredients — only butter, real Dutch processed cocoa powder, sour cream, Greek yogurt, for instance — no shortening or shortcuts. In addition to cakes and cupcakes, she sells cakepops, brownies and 11 different kinds of cookies That includes her best seller “the Quarter Pounder,” featuring chocolate and white chocolate marshmallow, and weighing in at — you guessed it — one-quarter pound for $2.25. She also takes orders for cheesecakes, pies and cinnamon rolls.
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Beach Homes Aren’t Just For Summer Visit www.OwnOceanShores.com
Donna Jones Broker 360-580-5354
donnajones55@live.com
And while Figg-Case makes it clear that hers is not an allergenfree establishment, ment, she tries to keep some gluten-free options such as French f Macaroons or Krispy Treats in her glass Figg-Case and will make gluten-free cakes to order. In addition, sometimes when the nearby Rediviva restaurant caters a large function, it includes her desserts. Also, she’s already talking with Dan Malvini, about supplying some desserts to Cortese’s Italian Ristorante on Heron Street.
Real Estate / Ocean Shores
Cabins Oceanfront Units Jacuzzis Fireplaces Kitchenettes
Great seaside lodging at an affordable price
But for now it’s her cakes that bring in the bulk of her bottom line. And nowadays people seem to have lots of occasions to eat them. In addition to the wedding, birthday, anniversary, graduation, retirement and bridal and baby shower cakes, she’s also often asked to bake for a gender reveal party or a television premier. “I have made so many Walking Dead cakes,” she said with a laugh. With the bakery’s growing popularity, it’s helpful that cake decorating is among her husband’s many talents and that she’s also recently hired her best friend, Jacklyn Madison. “Someday, I’d like to be that hometown bakery that everyone remembers. I plan on doing this for a long time,” she said.
1593 State Route 105, Grayland walshmotel.com
360-267-2191
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg SHOPPING
Local Summer
TREASURES Oh, the joys of a sunny summer day. While the heat beats down on most everywhere else, here on the coast we can enjoy a breezy summery day either by the sea or in the shade. We took a look around at the many places where cool, locally made items could be found and gathered all of our favorites into one patch of joy. Here are our picks for summer shopping items made right here on the Washington coast.
1
NANCY’S PACIFIC NORTHWEST JAM “PEACH”
5
WOODEN, HANDMADE TOY BOAT
6
$12.50 >ViL \ À>ÞÃ >ÀL À >À iÀÃ >À iÌ
3
4
MINI TIKI MAN À> ,>ÌÌi -VÕ «ÌÕÀiÃ] $11 gardenvarietyhoe. blogspot.com or call 360-470-0718
RE-PURPOSED POTATO SACK PURSE
Wild Is Jim and Desir’ee Wildhaber, $30 dejihi5@yahoo.com or call 360-591-4729
HANDPAINTED CREATURE EGGS ROCKS
Art Designs by Naomi, assorted prices www.artdesignsbynaomi.com or call 360-612-3804
$7.25 >ViL \ À>ÞÃ >ÀL À >À iÀÃ >À iÌ
2
1
SEA BUCKTHORN NUTRITIVE FACE & BODY LOTION
Rainwater Botanicals, $14 www.rainwaterbotanicals.com
7
STAINED GLASS SLIM HANGING VASE Moclips Glass Art, $14.95 email moclipsclass@hotmail. com or call 360-276-0087
8
6 8
SUMMER STONE NECKLACE
Bonny’s Angels, $72 >ViL \ ÞÃƂ }i Ã
7
5 24
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
SHOPPING f f
3 2
4
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gg DINE
{Breakwater Seafood and Chowder House}
STILL WATERS RUN DEEP A seafood company turns their passion for local food into a popular riverfront eatery S T O R Y B Y G A I L G R E E N W OOD A YR ES
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P H OT OS B Y MOL L Y B OL D
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Top: Breakwater Seafood and Chowder House looks out over the Wishkah River in downtown Aberdeen. Above: Customers enjoy a selection of fresh seafood
DINE f f
“It’s fresh from top to bottom.”
-Roberta Timmons, owner
T
here is a lot of water around Grays Harbor — but only one restaurant where you can actually sit on top of it: Breakwater Seafood and Chowder House, which, since 1987, has been serving fresh, local seafood and from-scratch chowder in its restaurant, and local seafood from its fish market located in the same building.
Throughout the year, the downtown Aberdeen spot is a great place to sit and watch the wildlife, from birds to seals, and the boats that ply the Chehalis and Wishkah rivers. In the winter there’s a counter by a window, in the summer there’s a long deck out over the Wishkah River, with ample seating to fit the hungry crowds that gather for lunch.
Timmons, one of the owners. Breakwater Seafood has a tradition that stretches back to the 1940s, when a group of fishermen decided to form their own market to sell their catch. Their business was purchased in 1987 by Sonny Bridges, a local restaurateur, and a few other investors. The move was part of an overall effort to redevelop F Street, which is redolent with Aberdeen’s industrial history.
And this summer the Breakwater is poised to capitalize on its riverfront location like INFO never before. It recently remodeled, replacing Breakwater Seafood all its equipment and and Chowder House cupboards, installed beer 306 S F STREET ABERDEEN, WA taps, and is planning a 360-532-5693 full-service bar in time for DON’T MISS: clam strips, grilled the summer, so you can crab & cheese + the legendary enjoy a martini with your clam chowder. crab cocktail. “It’s fresh from top to bottom,” said Roberta
Bridges and his fellow investors moved the market a block north on F Street to its current location and added the restaurant. They painted it with its signature bright colors and drew up a basic menu that would fit the small space and most people’s tastes — fish and chips plus chowder, in a
Top Left: Fresh seafood is what Breakwater is all about. Top Right: The menu offers a range of options from the famous clam chowder to cod & chips Above: Packaged seafood is also available at Breakwater
nutshell — and boom, history was made. And Breakwater chugged along, turning out its hand-battered cod and halibut, Sonny’s grandmother’s chowder recipe, and fried local shrimp and crab cocktail — until April of 2012, when the longtime manager decided to retire and a new ownership group was formed.
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg DINE
Northwest Carriage Museum
restored Over 40 Magnificently horse-drawn carriages circa 1880-1910
Fun, interactive exhibits for all ages! Group and school tours available Open Daily 10 - 4 PM 314 Alder St. (at Hwy 101 & St.Rt.6) • Raymond, WA (360) 942-4150 nwcarriagemuseum.org 28
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
f f DINE like the former Bridges’ Seabreeze Salad — a concoction of lettuce, shrimp, crab and Goldfish crackers tossed in bleu cheese dressing. “We used to go through five gallons of lettuce a week,” Timmons said. “Now we go through five five-gallon containers a day.”
Left: Diners enjoy a seafood salad while looking out over one of the Harbor’s many tributaries. Top: Staff prepare an order fresh for a customer
Since then, Timmons said, the venerable institution has been steadily capitalizing on its fresh seafood’s appeal with some new recipes and preparations, particularly salads,
The restaurant has added an oven so that people who want their fish prepared without frying have that option. There are side salads for those who want to skip the fries, and the majority of the dressings are made on site from scratch. But there’s no messing with the foundation of Breakwater’s success — the fish and shellfish caught in nearby waters, and the consistency of the success of its popular hand-breaded fried offerings.
“We get our fish as local as possible,” said Christina Kost, owner and manager. “We use Quinault Pride, Brady’s Oysters, Washington Crab, Merino’s and Nelson’s,” along with other companies that fish the Columbia and raise shellfish in the nearby Willapa Bay. Breakwater does this not only to support local businesses, but to show its sense of pride in place. Having local connections has paid off, too. When the crab season opened late this year, Breakwater kept it in stock thanks to years of buying locally-fished Dungeness crab. Countless Harborites were able to save their Christmas suppers with this local holiday staple. And the retail side also sells platters of seafood, custom-built, for customers throwing a party. With fresh paint, a fresh air view and fresh seafood, this summer is shaping up to be the time to get to know Breakwater. “We’re just so excited at all the things we have going on,” Timmons said. “We’re so happy we can share it with our customers.”
QUALITY ◆ INTEGRITY GUARANTEED
Serving Grays Harbor since 1983 301 W. Market ◆ Aberdeen ◆ 533-4113 WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg ART
Letting the color tell the STORY
Above: Kimmi’s work represents many of her inspirations including the beach.
STORY BY GAIL GREENWOOD AYRES PHOTOS BY MARCY MERRILL
How one artist lets the shape and color of her creations guide her
F
rom a high-powered, high-stress career as a V iv v À >Ì vwViÀ at a clothing accessories manufacturer in Southern California to an artist living on the beach in Washington, Kimmi Kerns has made quite a transition – and she’s loving it.
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An energetic, tall redhead, Kerns’ enthusiasm for life is reflected in the bright colors and happy themes of her tiles, trivets, coasters, magnets, bottle stoppers, ornaments, yard art and more.
In addition to the smaller items and to her unique hanging art, Kerns also creates custom tiles for area homes, including backsplashes, showers and stunning fireplace surrounds.
There’s nothing dull or drab about the Westport artist or her ceramic art.
“I know that Grays Harbor was not named that because of gray skies, but there can be a lot of gray here and I always have fun bringing the color into people’s homes,” she said. “I just like to spread joy!”
“What I am inspired by is art nouveau – the flowing lines, etc. And, of course the beach. I’m inspired by that – the boats, starfish, shells. … Right now I’m on a fish cycle,” she said.
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
ART f f
Kerns, 57, and her husband, Larry Kerns, the CFO of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe in Tokeland, live in a condominium in Westport. However, her workshop and show room is housed in a 15-by-40-foot shop at a storage facility in nearby Grayland. Before she left California and her career, Kerns squeezed a few art classes into her demanding schedule. “I knew I wanted to do something with art. I took classes in painting, drawing and stained glass. I was a crafter – sewing, embroidering and doing cross stitch. I even fused glass for a while.” Then she took a ceramics class. While she didn’t particularly like working on the wheel, she rediscovered the joy of creating handbuilt ceramics. “Suddenly I was back to when I was a kid in school making clay creatures. I remember how surprised I was when the gray glaze became blue after it was fired. It was like magic.”
Westport the following year. “I named it Havenwyld because I think you should make your home a haven in this wild world.” On a shelf above her workbench, two kidsculpted creatures from her youth serve as inspiration. “The transformation in the kiln is still like magic to me,” she said. The last two years she has shared some of that magic with Ocosta School District students. First she made bowls and rattles with second graders and then wind chimes and bowls with third and fourth graders as part of an after-school grant. “With clay, you can make things that are useful and beautiful. It gives children a sense of accomplishment and pride – and it’s fun! I want to share that joy and get more people involved in art. I also believe that art is part of a well-rounded education.”
Above: After rolling out the ceramic clay, it is expertly cut into the desired shape before it’s baked in the kiln.
“Everything about clay is fun … except for the exploding in the kiln part,” she said with a knowing laugh.
After exploring her new love of ceramics, she took the next step and began Havenwyld Ceramics in 2006. The couple moved to WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg ART
As part of the Artisan Tile Northwest’s annual tile festival in Seattle in October 2014 she won an award for “best use of color.” The prize was the opportunity to spend a day at Status Tile in Seattle and have a mold of her own design created.
“There are certain unbreakable rules in ceramics,” she explained. “And, if you break them, your things will break.” Those rules include making sure that you don’t fire really wet clay or clay with an air bubble in it, she said. If you do, it not only can ruin that particular piece, but other items in the kiln at the time.
“Instead of handmade, they have an extruder so their machine can pump out 75 tiles in an hour. They made a mold of the lighthouse picture I designed and made 50 copies.”
Kerns’ shop is every artist’s dream, with two kilns, a slab roller, scroll saw, pegboard of tools, containers of cookie cutters, shelves full of stock to paint or ready to sell and plenty of work bench space. It also mirrors her brain. “I recently took a little test online to see if I was more left brained or right brained and I came out exactly equal,” she said. So, while there’s every evidence of creativity, color and whimsy – Gumby and Pokey are also on hand as muses – Kerns’ shop also reveals a love of detail and organization. For instance, she has rows and rows of tiny tiles in a rainbow of colors filed in plastic
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“
“
What I am inspired by is art nouveau – the flowing lines, etc. And, of course the beach. I’m inspired by that – the boats, starfish, shells...
containers. Each she painstakingly fired and then carefully labeled on the back with the name and number of the glaze and the temperature it was fired at so she can seek the exact color she wants for a project.
She is donating 45 of those beautiful blue lighthouse tiles to purchase for $100 each as a fundraiser for the Westport South Beach Historical Society. She is the president of the organization, which supports the Westport Maritime Museum and Grays Harbor Lighthouse. The lighthouse tiles can be purchased at either location or by contacting the museum.
Her delight in color is so intense that she wants to be absolutely certain that she selects the glaze that will give her the precise finished look she’s after.
Throughout the summer, Kimmi will be available at her studio at 933 Grange Road in Unit 1 of the storage building from 1 to 4 p.m. each Tuesday, with the exception of July 12.
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
ART f f She plans to offer her wares at a craft festival in Tokeland in June and at the Westport Art Festival Aug. 20 and 21. Her work can be viewed at the Westport Winery’s sculpture garden, the Harbor Art Guild Six Rivers Gallery in Hoquiam, and the Healing Arts Gallery at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen. She also plans to participate again in the Fall Art Gala, a juried show at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen.
KIMMI’S WORK HAVENWYLD CERAMICS For more information, check out her website at www.havenwyld.com. E-mail: KimmiK@havenwyld.com enw Phone: (360) 589-6695 95 Far Left: Kimmi’s work is bright, and colorful, in her words, “I like to spread joy!” Tiles are labeled with the exact color and temperature fired-a resource Kimmi uses for her projects. Above: Kimmi operates a slab roller
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THE SKIES ARE
ALI E What raptors living on our coast are telling us about the health of our environment STORY BY ANGELO BRUSCAS PHOTOS BY TOM ROWLEY
AS
the two 4-by-4 vehicles slowly crawl up the beach past Ocean City, a distinctive shape appears in the distance on the horizon.
"Flies like an eagle," says the confident watchful eyes of Tom Rowley, volunteer photographer for the Coastal Raptors. He's on the lookout during a recent spring survey of raptor activity from Copalis Beach to the North Jetty and back to Ocean Shores over a four-hour period.
Started and directed by Dr. Dan Varland, Coastal Raptors is a non-profit effort that has been tracking and studying the North Beach populations of eagles, peregrine falcons, turkey vultures, ravens and other winged majesties of the coast for the past two decades with the help of volunteers like Rowley.
X VOLUNTEERS ARE A SIGNIFCANT PART OF COASTAL RAPTORS
“I am the only raptor biologist on the coast, so I use volunteers pretty heavily to help me with the work, and it’s worked out really well,” Varland said.
Varland has been monitoring coastal raptors since the 1990s when he came to work for the timber company Rayonier as a wildlife biologist after receiving his Ph.D in animal ecology in 1991 from Iowa State University. In that time, he has caught and banded more than 250 peregrine falcons and eagles, documenting the age, sex and species, as well as locations from Long Beach to the Copalis River, spanning most of the south Washington coast. At the same time, Rowley has taken countless photographs that tell the full story of the success of their efforts. “Just the photos tell the story of the magnificence of these birds,” Varland said. “They help foster an appreciation and commitment to conservation among the public, and that’s what we really need … and the science helps us get down to the nittygritty to answer the question — ‘Which conservation measures, if any, are really needed?’” On the spring survey with longtime photographer and friend Rowley — along with a group of two
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
Below: Dr. Dan Varland with one of the many juvenile raptors he captures, bands and releases along the Washington coast. Varland is the director of Coastal Raptors.
WEND Y MURRAY
Above: A pair of eagles on the beach watch for potentiel prey. students and a professor from the Washington State University veterinarian program — Varland demonstrated some of his techniques for observing, and sometimes capturing, sampling and banding the raptors for study, while Rowley took photos of the birds and beach environment. One of the tools to catch the birds is a 20by-20 foot square net that essentially is shot out over the sought-after raptors. Often, it is covered like a pile of washed-up driftwood and baited — ideally something on the beach the birds would eat. It took Varland nearly a year and a half of trial-and-error research until he finally figured out a way to blast the net using .22-caliber blank shells so that it would cover and catch the birds. Raptors are smart birds, Varland notes, and
catching them takes an equal amount of cunning. “What we have found for eagles is that you want to have your bait where they are feeding, 12 or 13 feet away from the launcher, because they are so fast,” he said of the process.
RESEARCH IN ACTION Captured peregrine falcons are given a green or black-over-blue visual identification band and a red or blue U.S. Geological Survey band. “We anodize USGS bands to distinguish between peregrine falcons we band at Long Beach from those we band at Ocean Shores and Grayland. Red bands are applied to
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peregrines we capture at Long Beach and blue bands to those captured at Ocean Shores and Grayland. We are the only researchers banding peregrines with USGS bands anodized red or blue, so the color coding also allows us to distinguish our banded peregrines from peregrines banded by other researchers,” Varland noted on his website. Peregrine falcon visual identification bands have a letter-letter, letter-number or numbernumber code. Peregrine falcons were on the endangered list from 1974-1999, but they now have been taken off with the virtual elimination of the now-banned insecticide DDT from the food chain.
They also observe northern harriers and merlins, a species of small falcon, which appear to be diminishing in numbers.
particularly susceptible to lead poisoning, and determining lead exposure in the local birds is considered an important task in reintroducing the species that once ranged into the Pacific Northwest. Bald eagles, removed from the endangered list in 2007, and ravens also have similar feeding patterns.
On another front, Coastal Raptors is establishing a baseline of information on bald eagles, turkey vultures and ravens — by screening them for the presence of avian diseases and the presence of contaminants such as lead. Part of the effort is to help show if there is the possibility of introducing the rare California condor into the area.
Coastal Raptors most recently has been testing to determine if raptors, like waterfowl, can carry the avian influenza disease and survive. By the end of last year, Coastal Raptors had tested 51 birds for exposure to avian influenza: 18 bald eagles, 16 turkey vultures, 13 peregrine falcons and four common ravens.
California condors, Varland said, are
While a few tested positive for exposure,
“What we have found through our research is very positive, and it’s a good story,” Varland said. “The eagle numbers are clearly going up. The peregrine falcon numbers are holding steady.”
Below: A peregrine falcon is released after important health data is recorded.
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X AVIAN DISEASES AND LEAD ARE TWO THINGS THE BIRDS ARE TESTED FOR.
none were positive for a more deadly strain knows as “highly pathologic avian influenza,” according to the Coastal Raptors December report. Another part of Coastal Raptors research is testing for the presence of mercury in peregrine feathers.
VOLUNTEER NETWORK Varland relies on a network of volunteers to help with the surveys and assist in the captures and banding work. On the early March survey, the beach area is divided into four transects, and one volunteer records all the people, vehicles and dogs, either on a leash or running free, whether on the dunes, beach or access roads. The survey is done while driving, so no raptors are counted while stopped for more than a minute.
There are about 50 such driving surveys he does in a year, and you can follow the results on his Coastal Raptors website. “We’ve got photo documentation of nearly all of the birds we have captured over the years on the website,” Varland said. Rowley, one of Varland’s longtime collaborators, is a retired physician who came to live in Hoquiam in 1977 after his radiology residency at the University of Washington. The two recently collaborated on the Polson Museum’s first natural history exhibit, with 31 framed photos and more than 500 images taken from their surveys over the years. “Tom chanced to meet Dan Varland more than 20 years ago and has regularly accompanied him on his surveys. From the start he has participated helpfully with
“
What we have found through our research is very positive... the eagle numbers are clearly going up. The peregrine falcon numbers are holding steady. -Dr. Dan Varland
”
Left: Volunteers weigh a peregrine falcon. Weighing helps keep track of the bird’s overall health. Above: A peregrine falcon is given a mouth and beak exam.
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Clockwise: Coastal raptor volunteers perform a variety of non-invasive tests on the raptors to determine their health and environmental pollutants. Volunteers have been monitoring these raptors for so long that they recognize each year after year.
X A PHOTO GALLERY IS AVAILABLE AT THE WEBSITE
camera in hand, making a lasting, visual record of Coastal Raptors’ scientific work and the wild, natural, rugged beauty of our coast,” the Polson Museum said in its introduction to the exhibit. The two met at church in Hoquiam and then went out for coffee, Varland recalled. “We got to talking about my surveys, and he was interested in going, and he’s been going ever since,” Varland said. “He just has an interest in the outdoors and nature, and he’s been taking photos since the first trip out. He’s just gotten better with his photography with better equipment over the years.” Although he spends countless hours on the beaches observing the raptors, Varland notes that 95 percent of his time is still spent in his office. “If you are going to do science, you’re going to be behind a desk,” he said with some chagrin.
Varland’s work has been steadily drawing more attention along with individual contributions to fund Coastal Raptors. Last April, Varland received a special achievement award for his work from the Washington chapter of the Wildlife Society. Varland also works closely with Dr. Scott Ford, a certified avian veterinarian of national prominence. Together they started the continuing avian scavenger study. Ford is an associate editor of the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, and he recently asked Varland to contribute to a “Notes from the Field” section in the journal. Varland described how two Quinault tribal members one day encountered him on the beach preparing for a capture.
To learn more, visit www.coastalraptors.org process,” he said. “Once we had the bird secure, they got a chance to hold it before we released it, and it was a very special moment for them and for the rest of us.” The Quinaults later returned the favor, showing Varland an original canoe paddle with a carved eagle on it, a memento they had created to honor the work he has done.
“When the net launcher goes off, it makes a big boom, and when they heard that, they came over and became part of the
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Historic Billy’s Bar & Grill is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. • Full Service Menu • Homemade Soup • Fresh Garden Salad • Famous Billy’s Brick Burgers on a Torta Bun
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H T A I W
twist
S T ORY BY J A K E S C H I L D P HOT O S B Y K Y L E M I T T A N
How one bartender is making a new career for herself
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In 2004, if you asked Izzy Ramos Foster where she’d be in 10 years, she definitely wouldn’t have expected to be at the western edge of the United States in Grays Harbor County.
The Douglas Fir Daiquiri puts a twist on a classic daiquiri by adding syrup from a Douglas Fir tree to rum, lime and sugar. Ramos Foster makes the syrup herself.
It’s funny because the bartending school wasn’t anything I ever had in mind...
At the time, the now 31-year-old was just about to enter bartending school in Miami. After moving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when she was 14, Ramos Foster had graduated from high school and spent some time in college studying television and film. Not being inspired by work in the TV industry, she tried her luck at ABC Bartending School, enrolling in the two-week course after receiving a $500 loan from a friend. The experience paid off and ever since, the newly transplanted Washingtonian has centered her career around making the perfect cocktail. Ramos Foster operates Mixotica Cocktail Design, a bar consulting company that has created seasonal cocktail menus for Rediviva in Aberdeen and Mill 109 in Seabrook. Ramos Foster’s inclination to attend bartending school wasn’t completely random. She remembers that when she was younger, she would make drinks for her friends after secretly making her way into her dad’s liquor cabinet in Miami. “It’s funny because the bartending school wasn’t anything I ever had in mind,” she said.
“But I do remember anytime I had a little gathering or party or went to someone’s party or gathering, somehow I always ended up being the one making the drinks … and people liked them.” Driving by ABC while she was in Florida, Ramos Foster got to thinking that being a full-time bartender might be a career to pursue. Although it’s not the most common occupational path, growing up in Miami, she knew there were plenty of gigs in the industry. Ramos Foster completed the program and started working at bars and restaurants, taking a number of different jobs in the service industry. Eventually, she came full circle, landing a job teaching at ABC. A former instructor hired Ramos Foster, even though he told her he was “taking a chance” on the deal because of her tattoos and piercings. She liked the job, and she became good at it. “You stand in front of a group of students for two weeks and you have to teach the same stuff,” she said. “It gets repetitive and you get really good at it.” The gig was a good one for Ramos Foster, allowing her to work at the school while still holding other jobs to supplement her income. But, after meeting her future husband, her
One of Ramos’ unnamed original cocktails mixes gin, lemon puree, orange marmalade, lemon and a spray made with homegrown lemon verbena. The drink is garnished with thyme from Ramos’ garden.
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You can really be creative with anything you carry. You just have to think outside of the box. plans changed. She met Neil Foster, now her husband, in 2011 through a mutual friend while he was stationed in Louisiana in the military. Foster is originally from Shelton and toward the end of his time in the military, the couple decided they wanted to live together. They moved to Grays Harbor.
Izzy Ramos Foster
MIXOTICA COCKTAIL DESIGN (360) 836-0520 On Facebook
Ramos Foster says she wasn’t attached to Miami, but making the move across the county definitely proved to be a cultural shock. When she first came to town in 2013, Ramos Foster worked for Rediviva. On top of the transition from a major metropolitan city to Grays Harbor, she realized she wasn’t making as much money serving food and cocktails as she was in Florida. “At Rediviva, my best night was $200, nonstop running food, making cocktails for servers, customers; it was crazy,” she said. “Maybe $800 minimum in Miami. (It was) a huge pay cut.” Since moving to the Harbor, Ramos Foster
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Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
has designed seasonal cocktail menus for Mill 109 and Rediviva. She puts her own twists on traditional drinks like daiquiris and Manhattans, as well as creating original cocktails. Her “bar consulting” company is Mixotica Cocktail Design. For now it’s just supplemental income, but it has to the potential to be more than that, she said. Ramos Foster has a wide variety of different concoctions she puts together, from a bourbon drink garnished with a banana to a Douglas Fir Daiquiri to which she adds an ounce of Douglas Fir syrup. What’s more is that not only does Ramos Foster think up a wide array of drinks, she also picks a number of the different ingredients she uses herself, using fruits and herbs from around the area to add to her cocktails. When working with local bars, Ramos Foster says she asks management what they want in a cocktail menu and then makes decisions
One of Ramos’ original unnamed drinks uses Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, vermouth, amaretto liquer, bitter liquer and banana syrup. The drink is garnished with a slice of banana.
on what products to get to spice up classic drinks or put together original libations. “If they are a basic bar and they want something simple, I work with what’s already in stock,” she said. “You can really be creative with anything you carry. You just have to think outside of the box. “There are very simple things you can do. I can work with a very minimal inventory of something and just kind of teach (the bar staff). Sometimes you can go back to the classics, sometimes you can rework them and make them very good.” At Mill 109, for example, Ramos Foster said she added marmalade to a margarita, putting a twist on a famous drink.
Left page: Ramos Foster in her home mixology lab. She keeps a fully stocked bar, in addition her own unique supplies for inspiration as she designs cocktails for clients. Above, center: Ramos Foster uses all of the tools she learned as a bartender in her home mixology lab. Above: Ramos Foster has learned the delicate balance of taste and presentation after years in bartending.
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Above: Ramos Foster likes to experiment not just with mixes, but with decoration and presentation too. A little flame in a carved out lime makes a Tiki-themed drink much more fun. Right page: Ramos Foster likes to keep notes on her measurements so she can re-create favorite drinks.
For Ramos Foster, making interesting cocktails is a way to give locals and tourists alike a chance to order a drink that falls outside of the norm. “I want anyone who comes from out of town to walk into a bar and be able to get a decent cocktail,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be just a whiskey shot or a Jager shot or a Rainier in a can.”
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In the future, says Ramos Foster, she hopes to expand her consulting company by reaching out to more bars in the area to provide her services.
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
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A place to call home ST O R Y AN D P H O T O S B Y K Y L E MI T T A N
For decades, the 92-year-old, two-story mansion just east of Hoquiam’s Riverside Bridge was known as the “community’s attic.” The shingle-sided Colonial Revival-style house fell into city hands as a gift in 1976, ending a search for a building to house a museum. In November of that year, it became the designated organization for Grays Harbor County history.
A lumber baron’s family home becomes a monument to Hoquiam’s past
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Now known as the Polson Museum — named after Arnold Polson, who commissioned the home’s construction in 1924 and lived there until the mid ’60s — the mansion with its towering white columns is a go-to assemblage of Grays Harbor artifacts. An artifact itself, the building houses an inventory spanning centuries of the area’s logging heritage and gives glimpses of everyday life from decades past. But it wasn’t always as organized. “I think anybody would tell you that the Polson in those days — and I’m talking about in the ’80s — was somewhat of the community’s attic,” said museum Director John Larson, a University of Chicagoeducated historian. “It was a jumble of a lot of old stuff throughout.” Nowadays, all 26 rooms inside the Polson serve a purpose, and no one who spends an afternoon there is likely to find anything resembling an attic.
Fit for a lumber baron A century ago, the Polson name carried a lot of weight on Grays Harbor. Brothers Robert and Alex were among the
Harbor’s first lumber barons, heading up the Polson Logging Company.
VISIT THE POLSON MUSEUM
Robert paid to have the house built for Arnold, his nephew and Alex’s son, who had just married. Arthur Loveless, a prominent early-century Seattle architect, designed the house for Arnold and Priscilla Polson, giving it its iconic arches above the windows and columns that support the portico.
The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m.
Inside, the house boasts 6,500 square feet, and the Polsons cut no corners on its construction — the house was built to their specifications from top to bottom.
www.polsonmuseum.org
Admission costs $4 for adults, $2 for students, $1 for children under 12 years old and $10 for families.
Larson pointed to the 2 1/4-inch-wide floorboards in the 30-foot-long living room just left of the front door. The hemlock boards run the width of the building, front to back, single boards measuring 40 feet long in some parts of the house. The single-length boards eliminate end-joints, Larson said, which make for little creaking. Such specifications required the boards be milled at the Eureka Lumber Company, a Polson-owned mill that once sat at the foot of Ontario Street in Hoquiam. Photo courtesy of Polson Museum
BY THE YEARS 1924
1965
CONSTRUCTION
FOR SALE
Home built by Arnold & wife Priscilla Polson boasting design by a prominent Seattle architect, with 6,500 sq. ft and materials from a locally based lumber company.
After 4 decades and approaching their later years, the Polson’s move out and put the house up for sale.
1968
1976
2009
DEATH IN THE FAMILY
MUSEUM TAKES SHAPE
EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
Arnold Polson passes away, leaving the home to his wife Priscilla, who leaves Hoquiam and returns to Seattle.
Priscilla Polson donates the mansion to the city of Hoquiam. Plans for bringing a museum to Ì i >Ài> w ` > i°
The Polson Museum launches the Railroad Camp and builds the locomotive shop. A hands-on education center for future generations.
“A lot of people come here also to see this old house. They can walk through the entire house and kind of experience what life in a big mansion like this might have been like.” - Museum Director John Larson WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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Vintage blankets and a record player are just some of the items that fill this replica bedroom; A model train takes up an entire room of the Polson Museum; a donated gun was once a gift from the home’s original owner.
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WANDER AROUND AS YOU LIKE. THE MUSEUM HAS NO DESIGNATED ROUTE.
Summer 2016 | WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE
“We expect our visitors to find what interests them and what captures their attention and love. There’s certainly something for everybody here.
Top: If these walls could talk. The study in the Polson Museum has undoubtedly been witness to many discussions over the centuries. Today, visitors to the museum can study the study on their own. Below, left: A large American flag fills the main stairwell above the entrance way foyer. When visiting the Polson Musem, it’s important to look up. Many artifacts hang on the walls inside the large house.
“A lot of people come here also to see this old house,” Larson said, in addition to what’s inside. “They can walk through the entire house and kind of experience what life in a big mansion like this might have been like.” Arnold and Priscilla Polson left the house and put it up for sale in 1965. For years it sat empty, with prospective buyers arguing that it was too much work for the price, or too expensive altogether. The house was under Priscilla’s care after Arnold died in 1968. A woman who associated more with life in Seattle, she had
no reason to stay in Hoquiam, Larson said. By 1976, officials and citizens interested in bringing a museum to the area had identified the Polson property as an ideal site. Riverside Avenue, five years earlier, had been converted to its current one-way, westbound configuration. With the mansion unoccupied for the last decade, it had become a blight. Priscilla Polson eventually donated the house to the City of Hoquiam. The city owns the building to this day, but the Polson Museum, a registered non-profit organization, was founded to operate it in November 1976.
local photography, which rotates seasonally. Hang a right, and you’ll find yourself in a former dining room that showcase Native American basketry. Straight ahead to the right is the museum’s research library, a den-like corner room with a player piano and volumes of reference materials, including Hoquiam High School annuals and city directories dating back more than a century. The museum has no designated route, and it’s like that on purpose, Larson said. “We expect our visitors to find what interests them and what captures their attention and love,” he said. “There’s certainly something for everybody here, from those who are interested in heavy-duty industrial history to those that are interested in fine clothing of bygone years.”
“Our mission is much broader than just simply Polson history or logging history,” Larson added. “You come in here and you’re going to experience a wide variety of topics.”
‘Something for everybody’ Beyond the columns and the 10 steps leading up to the front door, the Polson’s first-floor entryway leaves the visitor with a few choices. A left turn into the 30-foot-long living room leads to an exhibit featuring
A slight left from the entrance takes the visitor up two flights of stairs to the second floor, where the bulk of the museum’s logging and sawmilling exhibits are kept. A 160 squarefoot model train exhibit depicts a logging railyard circa 1915. Logging tools spanning the eras of technological advancement surround the display. The adjacent room features a sawmilling exhibit, complete with the various sawblades once used to get the job done. The room’s focal point — a neon sign sporting the number
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Left: Larson gets some help returning the locomotive’s plaque to its rightful place. Bottom left: Museum volunteers carefully extract the locomotive from its transportation truck into the shop built exclusively for its restoration. Bottom right: A sample of the size of old growth trees that the old timers typically hauled out of the forest when forestry was new to the region. Trees were so big that only the locomotive could haul it to the lumber yard.
The museum’s Holy Grail of logging artifacts isn’t anywhere inside the house — it wouldn’t fit. The wooden shed at the east end of the lot houses the No. 45 steam-powered locomotive that once carried logs for the Polson Logging Company in the early-to-mid 1900s — 45 tons of logging history.
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405 — also showcase a darker side of Harbor history. The 405, once located at 405 E. State Street in Aberdeen, was known as one of the area’s classier brothels, and one of the last to close in 1964. But the museum’s Holy Grail of logging artifacts isn’t anywhere inside the house — it wouldn’t fit. The wooden shed at the east end of the lot houses the No. 45 steam-powered locomotive that once carried logs for the Polson Logging Company in the early-to-mid 1900s — 45 tons of logging history. The massive wooden shop was built relatively recently, but it might as well be straight from an early-1900’s logging camp, complete with a short set of railroad tracks and all the classic machinery and tools one would find at such a site. The shop was built in 2009, Larson said, back when the museum had no locomotive, but hoped to get one. Six years later, with the help of Tim and Lisa Quigg, benefactors with local ties, the museum was able to buy the engine from a collector in Oregon. Getting the No. 45 back to the Harbor was a major development, Larson said, considering all logging locomotives that once served the Harbor have since left the area. “Every one of them was sold, given away, scrapped — they’ve been dispersed around the country,” Larson said. “So for us at the Polson to actually bring that back was a big deal.”
The locomotive is currently undergoing a restoration process, led by a group of locomotive experts who volunteer their time for the effort. As significant as the No. 45’s arrival to the Harbor was, Larson is quick to emphasize that it’s not the only artifact in the logging camp exhibit. The back end of the shop is home to a Lamb SpeedTrak, a massive piece of machinery that carried large old-growth logs. A 25-foot-long, 28,000-pound log, harvested by Rayonier near Copalis Crossing, now sits atop the SpeedTrak, displaying the machine’s functionality. “Some of those artifacts are, historically, just as important as the locomotive,” Larson said.
Future plans Even with an entire mansion and replica logging camp full of artifacts, Larson said he has plans for expansion and changes to existing exhibits. Pointing to the museum’s clothing exhibits as an example, Larson said he would like to
see the garments in that collection displayed in a way that better portrays how they were used, rather than how they look packed into closets. Larson said he would also like to see the house itself featured more. The museum’s expanding, too. In late December, it completed the purchase of the Japanesque craftsman bungalow just west of the Polson lot, and fourplex west of that. The house, to be named the Hubble House after the family that built it in 1915, will offer additional storage, exhibit and communityevent space, as well as a woodshop in the garage for restoration and other projects. But until then, the Polson’s 26 rooms — and an entire logging camp — have plenty to offer for anyone hoping to get a taste of Grays Harbor’s most iconic industries, and the people who helped lead them.
Top: Museum volunteers painstakingly place tiles in the tiny railway needed to load the locomotive into the locomotive shop at the Polson Museum. Left: Polson Museum executive director John Larson sits on the restored locomotive, a project that started in 2009 and continues today. WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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Fun in the Sun All Summer Long! JUNE thru SEPTEMBER
WESTPORT CHARTER ASSOCIATION FISHING DERBY
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Compete for daily cash prizes in the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World” Celebrating the bond between two legged & four legged friends!
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14th ANNUAL RUSTY SCUPPER’S PIRATE DAZE
Pirates invade Westport Marina for a weekend of fun, food, and frivolity.
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MARITIME MUSEUM’S OLD FASHIONED 4th Crafts, music and food at the Maritime Museum.
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TOKELAND’S 4th OF JULY PARADE
Join the parade at 11:00am in one of Washington’s oldest resort towns.
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WINDRIDERS KITE FESTIVAL
Kite flying competition, demonstrations, and games.
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EASTSIDE STREET RODS SHOW & SHINE
Scenic poker run, parade and vintage car at Westport Marina.
JULY 23-24
TOKELAND WOOD & ARTS FEST
Chainsaw Carving, Wood Artists, Food Vendors, Live Music.
JULY 30
ELK RIVER BOAT CHALLENGE
A 7 or 3-mile human-powered boat race at the Elk River Estuary.
AUGUST 13
8th ANNUAL WASHINGTON TUNA CLASSIC Charitable Tuna Derby.
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HISTORY f f
Harbor Artists A HISTORY OF THE CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BROUGHT A VARIETY OF ART TO THE AREA. B Y E RIK SA N D G R E N
I
have been a painter of the Twin Harbors since 1989 when I first arrived in Aberdeen. In painting these landscape spaces I walked in the footsteps of other artists. My oils, watercolors, acrylics and drawings over the past quarter century range from the literal to the mythic — always with one eye to the Harbor itself and the other toward my predecessors. I have brought to these efforts a legacy of painting practice and knowledge that really began with my father, Nelson Sandgren’s, Depression-era education in the Art Department at the University of Oregon. His connection to an influential teacher there became even more clear to me a few months ago when a copy of “Cohassett Beach Chronicles” flew off the Timberland Library shelf and into my hands. By Kathy Hogan, as edited by Klancy Clark de Nevers and Lucy Hart, its wartime narratives of the Cohassett Beach community of Westport enlarged my notion of a coherent web of artistic effort centered on the south central coast of Washington over several generations.
Top: Erik Sandgren, left, and Cascadia Art Museum founder Lindsey Echelbarger, chat in front of a recreation of a mural originally painted by Lance Hart in the 1920s for the Moose Lodge in Aberdeen. Cascadia used Hart’s original studies when it commissioned the recreation. Photo courtesy of Cascadia Museum. Above: “The Beacon - Cohassett Beach,” by Lance Hart, 1931, (gift of Lucy Hart and Lisa Hart Guthrie).
Sometimes an artist can be literal and direct; at other times more sublimation and abstraction are required. Robert Motherwell and Lee Friedlander are the latter. Visual WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg HISTORY
harbor art
Twin Harbor artists, visual and otherwise, such as Samuel Chamberlain, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Richard Mc Lean and Trisha Brown inevitably left to practice in the big cities. As we recognize and celebrate their contributions, it is also interesting to acknowledge artists who didn’t leave, or at least didn’t get very far, and whose work is grounded in the regional essence of the Twin Harbors. artists of substantial national reputations, they were born in Aberdeen and left to make their marks in international centers for art. And they are not alone. To discern the Harbor in a work of art we can either recognize specific features or we can look beyond the familiar face of things. Sometimes the environmental influence is embedded in the form of the work. Nirvana’s variety of grunge is perhaps the very best example of a strong parallel between the place and a style. Very little of the lyrics or music is specifically about Aberdeen and yet some say that Aberdeen owns grunge. Similarly, we can consider the great American sculptor Alexander Calder. While not
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from the Northwest, he came out to visit his sister in Hoquiam and found summer work in local logging camps. For the rest of his life he produced innovative sculptures that mirror the high lines, engines, riveting, cables and thin linear connections between big shapes moving in space. To me his work belongs very much to Grays Harbor — the logging show as transformed and made essential through an artist’s imagination. The photographs of Lee Friedlander, one of the most influential photographers of the past half century, are likewise compelling post-modern compositions. They are eccentrically composed in
Clockwise: “Waterfront Mill and Salmon Fishermen” by Erik Sandgren 2014; “Green Mountain” by Albert C. Runquist (Virginia Haseltine Collection of Pacific Northwest Art); “When the Glomer Broke” by Arthur Runquist (Virginia Haseltine Collection of Pacific Northwest Art); a study from Lance Hart’s mural for the Aberdeen Moose Lodge, Courtesy of Cascadia Museum Private Collection, Edmonds, Wash.
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gg HISTORY Each of these artists dramatically universalized and abstracted their experience in ways that resonate with a broad audience. While not explicitly representing the Twin Harbors, their work nonetheless can be seen as shaped by the defining characteristics of the region.
harbor art history
Clockwise: “Untitled” (mill at Aberdeen), by Lance Hart, circa 1916 (Courtesy of Martin-Zambito Fine Art); study for mural at Aberdeen Moose Lodge, by Lance Hart, circa 1920 (courtesy of Cascadia Museum Private Collection, Edmonds, Wash.); Photograph of Lance Hart, about 1930 (Gift of Lucy Hart and Lisa Hart Guthrie).
alienating environments — wry evocations of post-modern life that are compellingly bleak and beautiful at the same time. To me it is clear that they grow out of and evoke the industrial features of Harbor life. Robert Motherwell was also renowned on the national scene. During and after the heyday of the New York School, many artists have retained a strong allegiance to the world of objects and spaces. Elton Bennett’s prints and my own paintings, for example, are composites of local and regional environments. Three other early-mid twentieth century painters of note were particularly inspired by this part of the world. These three painters are well represented in Northwest museums and private collections even though they are beneath the radar of the general public.Their nuanced color and striking compositions depict familiar surroundings. They have particularly inspired my efforts to paint here, and in so doing to craft poetry of the
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mundane. Expanding the area of influence to Willapa Bay of the Twin Harbors, we find Albert Runquist (1894-1971) born in Aberdeen, and Arthur Runquist (1891-1971) born in South Bend. The Runquist brothers both grew up on the Twin Harbors then studied at the University of Oregon, the Art Student’s League in New York and at the Museum Art School in Portland. Albert was recognized sufficiently to be included in the Depression-era Works Progress Administration program to put artists to work and worked on a Sedro Woolley Post Office Project. They both labored in Vancouver’s Kaiser shipyards through World War II. They sought to memorialize both this Pacific Northwest landscape and the people who work in it and their representations of the working man, based on personal belief and experience, are interpretable as social criticism.
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Clockwise: “Untitled” by Lance Hart, (Gift of Lucy Hart and Lisa Hart Guthrie); “Untitled” by Lance Hart, (Gift of Lucy Hart and Lisa Hart Guthrie); “Chehalis Salmon Boats,” by Erik Sandgren 1999.
Cohassett Beach in Westport offers a special nexus of artistic influence. Lance Hart had a cottage there and was the first serious inspiration for the young Robert Motherwell. Their coastal landscapes are fully imbued with characteristic rain and clouds, oncoming storms, driftwood, snags, birds, wind, boats and men working in the elements — logging, fishing and clamming. Of the landscape that has most inspired me, I have found nothing more inspiring than their loosely painted evocations. Later in their life they lived together and painted rather reclusively near Neahkanie Mountain in Oregon. Together, they developed a painterly approach of loose brushstrokes that seems timeless. Their later paintings are sometimes indistinguishable from each other. Observing everyday subjects, they applied pigment with a loose unaffected brushwork, a hallmark of style that completely avoids any form of commercial ambition, facility, grandiosity and polish. Lance Wood Hart (1891-1941) was born in Lexington, Ky., and came to Aberdeen as a child at the death of his father. The family moved to be with his mill-owning uncle. In 1908 the Grays Harbor Post commended his “Exceptional skills and abilities.” Trained at the Chicago Art Institute and the Royal Academy of the Arts in Stockholm, he returned to the Harbor to make oil paintings. He developed a wonderful palette of warm color and suffused brightness that enlivened his coastal paintings. By 1931 he was assistant professor of drawing and painting at the University of Oregon. As it happens, my father, being a young painting student, took Hart’s composition course there. He used what he learned from Hart in many subsequent mural commissions. A treasured student exercise from Hart’s class manifests the same underlying geometries that animate Hart’s paintings — and the way in which his teaching is also effective and memorable.
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Hart’s Snohomish Post Office mural for the New Deal art program in 1940 is still viewable. It depicts heroic labor as the hope of the future. In the 1920s Hart had painted a large mural for the Aberdeen Moose Lodge. The only known photographic evidence of Lance Hart’s 1920 Aberdeen Moose Lodge mural can be found in the Jones Historical Photo Collection. Long lost, along with the building itself, its five, grand panels have been recreated to scale for the new Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds. Lindsey Echelbarger, the museum’s founder, has custody of the small surviving watercolor sketches from which these huge mural panels were done. Cohassett Beach in Westport offers a special nexus of artistic influence. Lance Hart had a cottage there and was the first serious inspiration for the young Robert Motherwell. Motherwell said of Hart, “He was the first artist I had ever met and was one of the loveliest men I ever met.” Describing summers at Cohasset Beach to an interviewer, Motherwell said, “… there were all these girls around and these fantastic beaches, isolation, this marvelous artist to talk to and who taught me how to play poker, and taught me how to make glug, which is a Scandinavian hot drink. So it was a kind of real beautiful holiday from the world.” After his education at Stanford and Harvard, Motherwell was connected by Lance Hart to the University of Oregon for his first teaching gig. There Motherwell began to paint steadily for the first time. Hart was also close to David McCosh — another of my father’s mentors at the U of O in the late thirties. Eight years after Hart’s premature death in 1941, McCosh was welcomed by the Hart family to their cottage at Cohassett while on sabbatical leave from the U of O. It was then and there that he made the magnificent breakthrough in his work that became the hallmark of his mature style. A new
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HISTORY f f
“Untitled” by Lance Hart, (Gift of Lucy Hart and Lisa Hart Guthrie). fragmentation of planes and calligraphic line relate directly to the beach flotsam and driftwood at Cohassett. Lance’s daughter Lucy writes that “our father taught with David McCosh and yes, David took his sabbatical and stayed in our cottage at Cohassett Beach. How he survived the cold drippy winter there is a mystery. The only heat in the cottage was from a living room fireplace and a wood stove in the kitchen. The cottage was not insulated so it must have been drafty and cold. There was a studio workspace in the house, perfect for an artist.” The weather must have been part of the inspiration because McCosh’s paintings from then on consistently differ in style from his large 1929 murals for the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., and the 1935 New Deal mural in the Kelso, Wash., post office. Until the digital age, the art market mostly meant big cities. In the visual arts “regional” had become a dirty word — a label artists no longer wanted to be saddled with. Now, however, as with American roots music, we recognize fine visual art in nooks and crannies once thought to be remote. The work of all these artists is viewable in public collections. From naturalism to abstraction they offer us perspective on our place and time. Differences in style and approach can be tested against the continuities of the place itself. We may move on from the Twin Harbors with the insight that this special bit of coast has given shape to many an artist’s vision.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erik Sandgren and his partner Kathryn Cotnoir are painter/printmakers who have lived on Grays Harbor making art for more than a quarter century. See his work: Sandgren’s paintings and prints will be exhibited at the Polson Museum in Hoquiam, from May 21 to December 2016.
Images of paintings by Lance Hart, Albert Runquist and Arthur Runquist that appear on pages 57, 58, 62 and 65, and the photograph of Lance Hart on page 60, are ©Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg EVENTS
our favorite
EVENTS JUNE 3-6 Tall Ships at the Port of Ilwaco Historic tall ships the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain visit the Port of Ilwaco, where visitors can board the ships for selfguided tours. Crew members are on hand to answer questions and share stories. More intrepid visitors can even book a sail. 4 Wearable Art Show Artists in various forms of media create wearable pieces of art, blending whimsy and function at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. 6:30 p.m. 4-5 Festival of Colors Kite Festival Annual event showcasing kites and kite flying in Ocean Shores. 5 Grays Harbor Symphony Orchestra The symphony will present distinctly American works like John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes,” Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown,” Morton Gould’s “An American Salute,” and John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” at the Grays Harbor College Bishop Center. Featured soloists will be Joy Dorsch singing Copland’s “Old American Song,” and the winners of the Grays Harbor Music Teachers Association concerto contest. 11 Flag Day Parade Salute the Stars and Stripes in Ocean Shores at one of the few remaining small-town Flag Day parades. Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park. 12 Grays Harbor Civic Choir The Grays Harbor Civic Choir performs a light-
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hearted, toe-tapping concert of familiar songs, including Broadway show tunes, vocal jazz and American Folk tunes at the Grays Harbor College Bishop Center. 16 Grays Harbor College Music Department Quarterly concert of the Grays Harbor College music department conducted by William Dyer, featuring the college Jazz Band and Jazz Choir at the Bishop Center for Performing Arts at Grays Harbor College. 18-19 Northwest Garlic Festival Abandon your mouthwash and head for the coast! Sample an array of garlic-laced foods and crafts in Ocean Park on the Long Beach Peninsula. 24-26 Rusty Scupper’s Pirate Daze Talk like a pirate at this family friendly pirate celebration in Westport. Saws ‘n Shores Master and amateur chainsaw carvers and sand sculptors take to the North Beach, centered around the Ocean Shores Convention Center, with daily competitions and carving auctions. 25 Savory Seabrook Wine & Seafood Festival Farmers Market, winery and seafood vendors, plus entertainment at Seabrook near Pacific Beach. Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park.
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gg EVENTS Rediscover ‘Unforgettable’ Grays Harbor...
26 Fleur de Lis Festival & Art in the Vines Westport Winery hosts a French-themed art market. Unforgettable Hiking, Walking, & Camping
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2 Aberdeen Founders Day Parade Vendors, music, art and more join the annual parade and celebration of the founding of Aberdeen. Firecracker 5K Walk/Run Perfect for athletes of all ages, the event starts at the Port of Ilwaco and leads participants along the Discovery Trail to Beard’s Hollow. Fireworks at the Port The Port of Ilwaco presents its “Feel the Thunder” fireworks show.
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2-4 Seabrook 4th of July Festival A bike parade, farmers market, s’mores and more at Seabrook near Pacific Beach. 3 Tokeland Parade & Old Fashion Family Picnic Take a step back in time at this old-fashioned community parade and picnic in Tokeland.
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Home Décor 3-4 Old Fashioned 4th Westport celebrates Independence Day with kids’ activities, games, music and fireworks. 4 Splash Festival Aberdeen’s day-long 4th of July celebration featuring games, music, fireworks and more. The festival also features the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain at their hope port, with activities also at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport’s Seaport Landing. Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade & Art in the Park The Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade in downtown Ocean Park is a true slice of Americana. Classic cars, homemade floats, chalk art, waving flags and more.
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Fireworks on the Beach Fireworks on the Bolstad Avenue beach approach in Long Beach. 8-10 Windrider Kite Festival Grayland hosts the second-largest kite festival in the state of Washington. McCleary Bear Festival A carnival, car show, parade and games accompany traditional bear stew in McCleary. 9 Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park. 15-16 Eastside Street Rods Show & Shine Classic cars descend upon Westport for this two-day car show. Historic Montesano Poker Run & Car Show Montesano hosts a charity poker run and classic car show. 16 19th Annual Garden Tour Visit private gardens to learn local tips and practices all over the eastern part of Grays Harbor County. WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg EVENTS 23 Midnight Cruisers Rod Fest Third annual “Rod Fest” in downtown Aberdeen. Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park. 23-24 Tokeland Wood & Art Fest See woodcarvers, woodcrafters and other artists at work during this family friendly event that features art, music, food and more in Tokeland. 29-31 Bikers at the Beach Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descend upon Ocean Shores to enjoy a dance, parade and more. Long Beach NPRA Rodeo The Long Beach NPRA-sanctioned Rodeo is a peninsula classic, now in its 71st year. Finnish American Folk Festival The Finnish American Folk Festival returns for 2016, highlighting Naselle’s rich Finnish heritage. 30 Elk River Challenge A man-powered boat race on the beautiful Elk River estuary near Westport.
16 (continued) Montesano Car Show & Summerfest Car show and festival activities for the whole family in Montesano. Music in the Gardens Tour The annual Music in the Gardens Tour, now in its 10th year, opens beautiful Long Beach Peninsula gardens to the public. 16-17 Clamshell Railroad Days Join the annual Ilwaco celebration of the “Clamshell Railroad,” which ran with tides along the Long Beach Peninsula for 41 years between 1889 and 1930. 20-23 Sandsations The 32nd annual sand-sculpting extravaganza known as Sandsations returns to Long Beach’s Bolstad Beach Approach for four days of fun. 21-24 American Idiot Green Day’s powerhouse album is brought to life in this electric punk rock musical of youthful disillusion at the Bishop Center for the Performing Arts at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen. The musical, based on the Grammy Award-winning multiplatinum album by the same name, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before.
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AUGUST AUGUST 5-6 Heat On The Street Car & Motorcycle Show Classic car show plus vendors, food and more in Elma. 5-7 Willapa Festival A battle of the bands, parade, quilt show, car show, vendors, food, chowder cook off, mud run, art show, beer garden, carriage rides and more descend upon Raymond’s downtown. 6-7 Surf n’ Saddle Jr. Rodeo Rodeo geared toward cowboys and cowgirls ages 2 to 18 compete age-appropriate rodeo events. 8 8th Annual Tuna Classic Charitable tuna derby in Westport. 10-14 Grays Harbor County Fair First-rate entertainment, food and county fair good times at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma. 11-14 Grayland Open Jet Ski Competition Professional and amateur jet ski competition that has gained a large following in Grayland.
Another Record Year at Grays Harbor! We are celebrating the 400,000 vehicle shipped out of Grays Harbor
13 Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park. Jazz & Oysters Great jazz paired with great food have made this delightful outdoor event in Ocean Park a hit for 31 years. 15-21 Washington State International Kite Festival Enjoy seven days of kite-flying, beach-playing, festivalvending fun! World-renowned kite flyers converge on the Long Beach Peninsula annually during the Washington State International Kite Festival.
SETTING GOALS & ACHIEVING THEM!
20-21 Fun Fly Novice and professional kite flyers perform at this festival in Ocean Shores. 20 Grays Harbor Pride Festival Festival raising awareness of the LGBTQ community in Hoquiam. 20-21 Westport Art Festival Juried show of arts & crafts, some for sale, in Westport. 24-27 Pacific County Fair Pacific County Fair has been a tradition in Pacific County for generations, and boasts a week of food, animals, fair queens, exhibits, carnival rides and more. This year’s theme is “Sew it, Grow it, Show it.” 27 Waikiki Beach Concert Regional musicians present a variant of music starting at 7 p.m. at Cape Disappointment State Park. WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg WHO & WHY At Coffeeman we love our loyal customer base. Our customers are laid back, they make it easy to become friends with. There are many family members on the Harbor — including my 100-year old grandmother.
Albie Shaver [and her husband] own several local businesses. You can find their Aberdeen Coffeeman Espresso locations at 415 W. Heron St. (between Jefferson and Michigan) in downtown Aberdeen and near the Port of Grays Harbor at 2620 Port Industrial Road.
WHY I LOVE IT HERE:
by Albie Shaver
TRAN S CR IBE D B Y K E L L I E A N N B EN Z P H OT O B Y KYL E MI T T A N
Here are just a few of the reasons Albie chooses to make her home and business here. When we asked Albie Shaver of the popular coffee spots Coffeeman Espresso what she loved about living on Washington’s coast, she sent us a five-page letter. Here, in her own words, are the reasons Shaver chooses to make her home, and business, in Grays Harbor County. Geographically the area is beautiful from all directions; rivers, mountains, lakes, beaches, forests all just minutes away. I love stormy days on the Harbor. I dress
for it, have the right coat, boots, stockings, cap — no need for an umbrella. With that combination, it’s just like any other day. Wind storms are common on Grays Harbor and Harborites are prepared and actually seem to look forward to them at times. They always seem to be prepared and ready to ride it out. At Coffeeman we love our loyal customer base. Our customers are laid back, they make it easy to become friends with. There are many family members on the Harbor — including my 100-year old grandmother.
It’s a stress-free and beautiful commute to work every day. Commuting is a pleasure, not a chore. There are so many festivals and activities to attend all year long. Some of my favorites are Pirate Days, Loggers Playday, Splash Fest, McCleary Bear Festival, Montesano Festival of Lights and the Razor Clam Festival. The lower cost of living here affords living a better lifestyle than most other places. Did I mention the great storm watching?
We like that we can keep our prices as low as we possibly can. We offer local, not corporate, pricing.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALBIE SHAVER She is a fourth generation Harborite and a graduate of Aberdeen High School. Coffeeman is one of three businesses she and her husband own locally (the others are Rainier Lanes in Aberdeen and Shores Bowl in Ocean Shores). Combined, they employee 20 locals. They have been in business on the Harbor for 15 years. The Shavers pride themselves in being locally owned and operated, meaning that whenever they can they employ area contractors. The couple believes in investing in the community and giving back. They ÃÕ«« ÀÌ V> à i ÌiÀÃ] *č7-] Ì i Ài > ½Ã > ÃÕ«« ÀÌ } wÀiw} ÌiÀî > ` }}iÀà * >Þ`>Þ] Ì > i Þ > viÜ°
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AD DIRECTORY 22 64 32 29 42 58 42 21 11 22 64 75 53 23 68 13 76 67 61 69 7 69 16 61 23 8 49 3 28 48 2 71 68 48 61 49 73 33 13 75 21 56 75 59 28 9 75 23 67 21 5 64 71
Aberdeen Revitalization Aloha Alabama Aurora Lasik B&B Automotive Billy’s Bar & Grill Brady’s Oysters Breakwater Seafood & Chowder House Bryan & Son Jewelers Capital Medical City of Aberdeen Country Closet Country Creations Dennis Co Donna Jones Elma Chamber of Commerce À Ì -ÌÀiiÌ >À iÌ GH Community Hospital / ÕÀ Ã É > À}À Õ `Ã Grays Harbor PUD Ài>Ì 7 i`iÀ> Ài` Ì 1 Hanson Motors Inc. Harbor Drug Kalich & Sons Levee Lumber Martin Bruni Liquor McHughs Mill 109 Miller’s Marijuana Northwest Carriage Museum Ocean Crest Oyhut Bay Pasha Automotive Port of Grays Harbor Premier Realty Westport Primary Residential Raintree Veterinary Rayonier Seabrook Land SeaWorthy Home Schumacher Electric, Inc. Selmer’s Shop ‘n Kart Shujack’s Bar & Grill Sweetleaf The Stowaway Timberland Bank Total Trends Walsh Beach Motel 7iÃÌ« ÀÌ ƂÀÌ iÃÌ Û> Wiitamaki Jewelry Store Windermere Real Estate Windereme South Beach Wishkah River Distillery WASHINGTON COAST MAGAZINE | Summer 2016
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gg LAST SHOT
AAR ON LA VIN SKY
Sunset over Third Beach
The sun sets on another summer day at Third Beach on the Washington Coast. Much of the State’s most pristine and picturesque vistas can be found along the northern-most part of Highway 101 along the Olympic Peninsula.
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