For many, music is considered the great healer.
Sentimentally, listening to a comfortable collection of tunes can be a great stress reliever while breaking into song can sometimes even help to stave off depression. Experts suggest it’s the rhythm and beat which give music its soothing power.

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Linda Snyder once sat on a committee whose organizers wanted to hold standing meetings on Wednesday evenings during the summer.

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A look at Independence Day Events across the county, lighting the proverbial fuse for Fourth of July.

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As the first Friday of July falls squarely on July 4 this year, art galleries in Bremerton have focused their exhibits quirkily around the Independence Day theme, and will be debuting with receptions that day.
Galleries on Bainbridge, including Bainbridge Arts and Crafts which recently received a $1 million endowment that made headlines, will be waiting it out, hosting their first Friday parties during the second week July 11 due to the nuttiness of the island’s Grand Ole Fourth celebration.

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King Vidor’s 1928 silent film satire “Show People” reminds me of something like those “Scary Movie” flicks of today.
Those features (more like DVDs as they don’t even come out in theaters most of the time anymore) poke fun at the whole scary movie genre with spoofs on all the contemporary blockbusters and incredibly, oft intentionally, bad acting.
Vidor’s piece is much more of a beautiful relic with an all-star cast from the days of the silent film — featuring Marion Davies and William Haines, with cameos from everyone including Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and all the greats.

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On the heels of what’s arguably Kingston’s grandest day of the year, comes something new.
Just up the street from the Little City by the Sea’s downtown core and Fourth of July events, the Independence Day celebration will be extended with a Saturday full of skate competition and concerts. From the group that basically brought you the Kingston Skate Park itself comes The Kingston Sk8 Rollick.

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The protagonist of Carol Cassella’s debut novel improbably turns anesthesia into poetry.
From the first paragraph of “Oxygen,” Dr. Marie Heaton’s reverence for her work putting people to sleep comes through in a way that’s – oh, let’s just get it over with – breathtaking.
Of course, as with any juicy and well-crafted story, there’s more to Marie than she herself lets on, and her tendency to over-embrace the rigors of her job hint at conflict and denial that any reader who loves her work, perhaps too much, will identify with.

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Perusing the storefront gallery at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts reveals an eclectic, accessible collection of painting, textile, jewelry and glasswork. There’s usually a fun find, and with any purchase comes the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing you’ve supported an area artist and a long-standing non-profit gallery.

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Imagine living life like a game show contestant who’s been put inside one of those soundproof isolation boxes.
You can see and hear most everything that’s going on around you, but the game show host won’t turn on your microphone. So you live out your life, day by day, watching and even involved in the game but never getting the chance to fully engage. That’s how Enzo feels.
The book is called “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” It’s a metaphor for life, narrated by this old philosophical dog, Enzo, who’s figured out the meaning of life through the rules of the race track.

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Bremerton’s Skateland is about to host an elbow-throwin’, fast-speed rollin’, rollickin’ roller derby event.

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