Community cancellations for March 25, 2020

Posted

As the state strives to protect its citizens from transmission of the coronavirus, the arts, entertainment and education venues and organizations of Port Townsend and Jefferson County continue to winnow down their public activities.

AAUW HOME & KITCHEN TOUR

The American Association of University Women’s annual Home and Kitchen Tour, set for April 24, has been canceled until next year.

Event organizers extend their thanks to all the volunteers, homeowners and local businesses who supported the tour, and ask the community as a whole to consider donations to the AAUW’s scholarships and educational funds, in lieu of the tickets they might have purchased.

For more information, visit pt-wa.aauw.net/activities/home-kitchen-tour.

CABIN FEVER QUILT GUILD

The Cabin Fever Quilt Guild — which offers as many as five weekly meetings per month, one for each week of the month — is postponing all its events at the Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum for the month of April.

These meetings, all held on Mondays, include the business meeting, the skill-building seminar, the class on that month’s topic, a sit-and-sew” get-together and “comfort quilt” sewing.

For more information, visit cabinfeverquilterswa.com.

CELEBRATION OF MADRONA

Bill Evans, Don Halquist and several other Port Townsend-area dancers had planned fundraising performances for the Madrona MindBody Institute at Fort Worden State Park from April 23 through April 25, but those have been postponed, with new dates yet to be determined.

The “Celebration of Madrona” concert of contemporary dance, rhythm tap dance and dance theatre was intended to honor the contributions of the Madrona MindBody Institute to the cultural life of the community.

The event was also intended to raise money to help refinish and repair the sprung hardwood ballroom dance floor in the historic Fort Worden Madrona building.

FORT WORDEN ANNUAL CELEBRATION

The Friends of Fort Worden’s annual Celebration, featuring Cliff Mass and scheduled for April 24, has been canceled due to COVID-19 coronavirus concerns.

Event organizers say they will continue to assess the situation to determine whether to reschedule the event in the fall or cancel it altogether.

In the meantime, those who have already purchased tickets will be informed in the near future about a potential new date, as well as how to obtain refunds.

In keeping with its mission to support Fort Worden State Park, the Friends will continue to offer tickets for the “Support the Fort” drawing, to be rescheduled sometime in October.

Your winning ticket treats you and five guests to a summer tour of Protection Island in 2021, transportation included. You need not be present to win, and tickets are $20 each.

Raffle tickets can be purchased online at fwfriends.org, or in person after the Friends Gift Shop reopens, or on the date of the drawing.

JEFFERSON COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

The Jefferson County Amateur Radio Club meeting scheduled for the first Wednesday in April at the Cape George Fire Hall has been canceled.

JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

The Jefferson County Genealogical Society’s class on “Understanding Your DNA Results,” slated for two sessions on April 6 and April 20, has been canceled.

This class was set to explain basic vocabulary and analytical techniques.

The classes of 10 were already full, but registrations were being taken on a wait-list status.

For locations, requirements and costs of these classes, when they return, call at 360-379-1060.

JEFFERSON COUNTY LIBRARY

While the Jefferson County Library still plans to keep its doors closed until April 13, its reference services will remain available via phone (360-385-6544) and email (information@jclibrary.info) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, the library has a number of virtual services available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including:

• eBooks and eAudiobooks via anytime.overdrive.com.

• Streaming video via jclib.kanopy.com.

• Searchable CLEO catalog and place-holds via cleocat.jclibrary.info/polaris.

• Research databases via jclibrary.info/research-learning/a-z-online-resources.

• And wi-fi in the library parking lot in Port Hadlock.

Library Director Tamara Meredith encouraged the public to check the library’s website (jclibrary.info) and Facebook page (JCLibraryPortHadlock) for links to online storytimes and training sessions on how to navigate e-resources, such as an online library card signup process to allow patrons to access e-materials.

KEY CITY PUBLIC THEATRE

All performances and programs scheduled at the Key City Public Theatre through May 3 are canceled.

This includes the run of “Always, Patsy Cline,” which was set to open April 2 and is now postponed until January or February 2021.

Those who have purchased tickets may donate them to the nonprofit theater, exchange them for a future performance or gift certificate, or receive a refund. For more information, visit keycitypublictheatre.org.

“While this is a challenging time for all of us, we have been heartened by overwhelming responses of support, including generosity from patrons expressing a desire to donate their purchased tickets,” the theater said in a statement. “Nationwide, thousands of theater professionals’ jobs and health care are at stake.”

For those who have bought tickets for upcoming performances, transferring them to donations or gift certificates supports theaters such as Port Townsend’s.

NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF WOODEN BOATBUILDING

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is closed until at least April 27.

During the closure, staff members are retooling how they stay in touch with current and incoming students, how they work collaboratively while social distancing and working remotely, and how they can continue to build the school’s curriculum and campus.

School officials said they are prepared to re-open April 27 if Gov. Inslee declares it’s safe to do so.

In the meantime, the school campus is closed to students and visitors, is not offering individual tours at this time and has canceled its First Friday public tours.

The school invites visitors to explore its website at www.nwswb.edu or on social media accounts.

Administrative staff and instructors are working in isolated offices or remotely.

Follow the school’s progress at nwswb.edu/news.

The school is also still actively accepting and reviewing applications for programs beginning in October.

NORTHWIND ARTS CENTER

The Northwind Arts Center will remain closed until April 24.

While Northwind representatives expressed the hope they might re-open for May exhibits, they admitted they couldn’t say for sure.

Northwind is working with staff and volunteers to provide as much of its programming online as possible, including the artist showcase, with art available for show and sale online; redesigned artist listings, with individual webpages for artists to promote themselves, all free of charge; news about upcoming exhibits and rescheduled exhibits; and concerts and readings offered online.

“All of this is to keep the artists connected to you, and the community connected to the arts,” Northwind Executive Director Michael D’Alessandro said. “We recognize our responsibility as a community to keep the threat of virus spread down as much as possible. Artists are part of the lifeblood of a healthy community, and we recognize Northwind’s responsibility to help maintain this aspect of our health and well-being.”

OLYMPIC NEIGHBORS

Olympic Neighbors has postponed its Community Karaoke, Game Night and Potluck at the Port Townsend Community Center on March 27, and its “Do Good, Feel Good” yoga benefit at the Madrona MindBody Institute on April 6.

OLYMPIC PENINSULA YMCA

The YMCA has closed all its Olympic Peninsula locations, including the YMCAs of Sequim, Port Angeles and Jefferson County, with plans to keep them closed through at least March 31. All classes, programs and events have been postponed or canceled at this time.

While those YMCA facilities will be closed for two weeks, the Y will continue to provide full-day childcare services to families in need during school closures at its licensed childcare sites at Salish Coast Elementary School in Port Townsend and Dry Creek Elementary School in Port Angeles.

Child care will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and the program will put a priority on serving children whose parents are first responders or medical professionals.

The YMCA childcare program at Salish Coast currently serves 44 children, with a capacity to serve 75, and the Dry Creek program currently serves 32 children, with a capacity to serve 60.

The Y will continue to conduct daily health screenings of each child and staff member, keeping group sizes as small as possible and cleaning the program space and equipment regularly.

For more information, contact Erin Hawkins at 360-452-9244, ext. 896, or erin@olympicpeninsulaymca.org.

PORT TOWNSEND CONVERSATION CAFE

Since the Port Townsend Conversation Cafe meets in a restaurant, and all restaurants are now closed now except for take-out and delivery orders, the conversation cafe is closed until further notice.

Anyone who still wants to share with the group might consider posting on the Facebook page for “Conversation Cafe - Port Townsend, Washington.”

PORT TOWNSEND WEARABLE ART SHOW

While the Port Townsend Wearable Art Show scheduled for May 9 has been canceled, its emergency fund remains open.

The Wearable Art Show is a benefit for the Jefferson Community Foundation’s Fund for Women and Girls, and its 10th anniversary was set to take place at Fort Worden State Park’s McCurdy Pavilion.

Chairwoman Tina Flores-McCleese asked ticket-holders to consider converting their purchases to a donation to the foundation, which will direct all such contributions to its emergency fund.

The Jefferson Community Foundation, along with United Good Neighbors and the Housing Solutions Network, has opened the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Flores-McCleese said this campaign will support local nonprofit organizations and government agencies that are helping meet basic community needs, facing increased demand for services or dealing with their own organization’s hardship.

Those who prefer a full refund may contact Brown Paper Tickets within two weeks via refunds@brownpapertickets.com. Ticket-holders should include their confirmation numbers.

“Artists, models, volunteers,” Flores-McCleese added, “thank you for all you do and have done for the show. We are coming up with ideas of what might be next, so please stay tuned for an update in the coming weeks.”

Donations of any kind are welcome at JCFgives.org, while the foundation office in Port Hadlock can be reached at 360-385-1729.

“We will all be needing each more than ever,” Flores-McCleese said.

QUIMPER GRANGE

The Quimper Grange has closed down all its events, both those sponsored by the grange and those sponsored by others.

ROTARY CLUB OF EAST JEFFERSON COUNTY

The Rotary Club of East Jefferson County has moved its meetings online for the duration of the COVID-19 response, and ran a closed online test of the Ring video system, similar to Zoom video, on March 19.

“We expect to be able to submit revised speakers inputs shortly thereafter with information for the public on how to join us online to listen to a speaker,” said Pete Leenhouts, program committee chair of the Rotary Club of East Jefferson County.

The Port Townsend Rotary Auction on March 28 has also been canceled.