Susong's Grand Park Tales

Alice Susong will draw from a treasure trove of her life with her national park ranger husband, Dunbar, for the First Friday Story Night. With a presentation titled “What living in National Parks is really like,” Susong's presentation may include her encounters with moose, elk, tourists and other wildlife.

Spending 30 years living in national parks with her husband, Susong comes with a wealth of stories, having lived in the Rocky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. After moving to Sequim in 2004, she produced a CD, “Life With Ranger Dunbar” and has spoken to public school classrooms, the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, national parks from Olympic to Grand Teton, churches and cruise ships. While on her way to Alaska on the “Prairie Home Companion” cruise, she won second prize in an onboard talent show for her storytelling.

The evening, slated from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, is brought to the community by Quimper Storytelling Guild, which hosts monthly oral stories in the evening at Friends Meetinghouse at 1821 Sheridan St. This is the 10th season of the First Friday Story Night, a communal exploration of the art and ritual of the oral tradition through old myths, folktales, fairytales, family, personal and modern stories.

Arts by the Dock Fair

Running parallel to this weekend's Wooden Boat Festival will be the 47th annual Crafts by the Dock from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 9.

Featuring many new artists and old favorites, juried arts and crafts exhibiting arts include their handmade furniture, gold and silver jewelry set with semi-precious stones, metal sculpture work by Gunter Reimnitz, handwoven rugs, paintings, fish print rubbings, tile murals of fish, nuno felted clothing, painted silk scarves, Jim Stewart’s Damascus steel knives for kitchen and hunting, pottery, turned bowls, wood carvings, jewelry from glass, wood, enamels, clay, copper and more.

Along with the arts and crafts, Captain John will return with nautical knots and marlin and swordfish bills. Local musicians will also perform.

The event is brought to the community by the Port Townsend Arts Guild, a local self-supporting nonprofit, which offers college scholarships to local students majoring in the arts.

Dwyer to bring music to elders

As part of the Arts to Elders program, Northwind Arts Center will welcome the Jack Dwyer Band Tuesday, at 2 p.m. Sept. 11.

As leader of the group, Dwyer is a multi-instrumentalist and teacher based in the Pacific Northwest, and is best known for his talent on the mandolin. Under his own name and among some of the most respected Northwest and nationally known musicians, Dwyer records and performs original music, tours year-round and operates a recording space in Port Townsend. When he was a resident of Portland, Oregon, he taught music at Lewis and Clark College for seven years.

Pianist George Radebaugh and Mick Nicholson will join Dwyer for the performance. As a member of The Alternators and The Delta Rays, Radebaugh has been active in the music scene for the last 37 years, performing in numerous other bands. Nicolson has gigged around the Seattle area with many groups after 11 years of touring the world with the U.S. Navy Band.

The concert is free at Avamere, 1201 Hancock St. The Arts concert series is an outreach service of the Northwind Arts Center in cooperation with Port Townsend's senior centers.

Lyons featured for Salish Sea Day

On Saturday, Sept. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Pope Marine Park in Port Townsend, there will be a free concert featuring singer/songwriter and guitarist, Dana Lyons.  He will be sharing his “Songs of the Salish Sea” focusing on the health and restoration of our important waterway.

 The event will feature song, art and education integrated together to raise awareness of how locals can help Save the Salish Sea. Interspersed with Dana Lyons’s songs, leaders in the community will talk about the challenges the Salish Sea faces and how we all can protect it. The family-friendly event will also include inter-generational art creation and information tables. Speakers include Deborah Stinson, Mayor, City of Port Townsend; Laura Tucker, Climate Educator; and others.

 The local community is joining other communities around the bioregion to build broader awareness and advocacy for protection for our Sacred Sea and all living creatures.    While the sea itself may separate us physically, we are uniting to face these growing threats together.