QUUF continues transportation talks

A second “Community Values and Transportation” forum is set for 7-9 p.m., Thursday, April 27 at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave.

The purpose of the meeting is to identify from one to three initiatives or actions the group wants to work on in the coming months. Participation in this group would involve a citizens’ effort to identify core issues, develop plans and work to implement change in the area’s transportation system, according to a press release.

The purpose of the meeting is to narrow the conversation to specific initiatives related to Jefferson Transit and public transit in general, active transportation (cycling, walking) and motor vehicle use reduction. The event is organized by the Transportation Lab, a Local 20/20 action group working to promote a transportation system that minimizes need for personal motor vehicles.

Free tai chi, qigong classes offered

Port Townsend Athletic Club celebrates World Tai Chi and Qigong Day on Saturday, April 29 with an introduction to the ancient Chinese art forms at 10 a.m. at Pope Marine Park. In the event of rain, activities would be moved to the club, located at 229 Monroe St.

Tai chi is a Chinese martial art form of stylized, meditative exercise, characterized by methodically slow circular movements and positions of bodily balances. Qigong is a Chinese system of breathing exercises, body postures and movements, and mental concentration intended to maintain good health and control the body’s flow of vital energy, according to a press release.

CHS students fund ShelterBox purchase with car wash

Chimacum High School Interact Club students hold a car wash and bake sale on Sunday, April 30 to purchase a ShelterBox, an emergency shelter and vital aid kit. The event is 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Olympic Equipment Rental parking lot, across the street from Hadlock Building Supply, in Port Hadlock.

One ShelterBox supplies everything 10 people would need for survival in the event of a disaster, including a tent, bedding, food and water.

Since the purchase of its first two ShelterBoxes in 2010, the club has acquired a total of six ShelterBoxes. According to a press release, as of May 2016, five of those ShelterBoxes have been deployed for disasters in Haiti (2010), Colombia (2011), the Philippines (2012), Sudan (2013) and Niger (2016).

The club’s most recent box, purchased in October 2016, is awaiting deployment.

Women's clinic open house welcomes public May 1

Jefferson Healthcare Women’s Clinic is holding an open house from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday, May 1.

The community is invited to meet the clinic care team, attend a Q&A with Dr. Ann Hoffman and Jane Albee, ARNP, and take a tour of the clinic. The event includes cake and refreshments, and a cooking demo by chef Arran Stark. The first 100 guests receive a gift.

The Women’s Clinic is on the main floor of the Jefferson Healthcare Medical Center.

House museums open for season

The Jefferson County Historical Society (JCHS) has announced that Port Townsend’s two historic house museums – The Rothschild House and the Commanding Officer’s Quarters – are to open for the summer season on Monday, May 1. JCHS manages the Washington State Parks–owned museums.

The Commanding Officer’s Quarters, at the end of Officer’s Row in Fort Worden State Park, was home to more than 25 commanding officers and their families from 1904 to 1953.

It was restored in the late 1970s and opened as a museum in 1982.

The museum spent the winter wrapped in white plastic to contain lead paint that was being removed from the building as its exterior was renovated. Renovation began last September. Washington State Parks Collections curator Alicia Woods photographed the placement of the items in every room on three floors of the building and then carefully packed them into boxes, which were later unpacked by JCHS volunteers and staff, and park maintenance employees.

The Commanding Officer’s Quarters museum is open daily from noon to 5 p.m. through October.

The Rothschild House museum, on the corner of Franklin and Taylor streets, was built in 1868 and is furnished with its original contents, owned and used by the Rothschild family.

It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through October.

Admission to either location is $6, a pass for both locations is $8. Admission is free for JCHS members.

Film addresses stress May 2

A screening of the film “Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope” is set for 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, May 2 at the Chimacum High School auditorium, 91 W. Valley Road.

Nationally recognized speaker Jim Sporleder is to be in attendance at the screening. Sporleder was the principal of Walla Walla’s Lincoln High School, which was the focus of the 2015 film “Paper Tigers,” directed by James Redford, who also directed “Resilience.”

Sporleder is a trauma-informed coach/consultant and trainer with the Children’s Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla. Lincoln High School became a “trauma informed” school as a result of its understanding of adverse childhood experiences, and is nationally recognized for the notable drop in its out-of-school suspensions, increased graduation rates and higher numbers of students seeking tertiary education, according to a press release.

The event is sponsored by the Chimacum Prevention Coalition, Jefferson County Guardian ad Litem/CASA program, WSU Jefferson County Extension 4-H, Jefferson County Public Health, Chimacum School District, Port Townsend Film Festival and the state Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.

Fake news addressed at May 4 forum

A free forum titled “Media Literacy, Fake News, the Truth and Consequences” is set for 7 p.m., Thursday, May 4 at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.

The presentation, featuring Rich Riski, journalism and mass media teacher at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, is to cover the concept of fake news and media literacy. Riski is to cover how to understand the nature of legitimate news, the sources of the news, how the news is delivered, and how to recognize a legitimate news source or illegitimate news source or whether a source is potentially click bait or propaganda. The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters–Jefferson County and AAUW Port Townsend. For more information, contact Jackie Aase, 385-6027.

Master Gardener plant sale set for May 6

The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation holds a spring plant sale from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, May 6 at H.J. Carroll Park in Chimacum.

The sale offers visitors the chance to buy plants potted and labeled by local Master Gardeners.

Roaming Master Gardeners are to be on hand to answer questions about how to care for plants purchased and other queries. The foundation also is to conduct a plant clinic during the event, so attendees can bring specimens of problem plants from their garden for diagnosis.

Kul Kah Han Native Plant Garden is also offering native grasses, annuals, perennials, ground covers and shrubs at the picnic shelter next to the garden.

Author discusses adverse effects of cheese May 7

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine founder Neal Barnard, M.D., FACC, talks about his recent book, “The Cheese Trap,” at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 7 at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.

In “The Cheese Trap,” Barnard explores Americans’ love affair with cheese and the damage it causes.

The free event is sponsored by the Port Townsend Food Co-op and the Port Townsend Beyond Vegan Meet-up Group.

(Compiled by Leader staff writer Katie Kowalski.)