Briefs

Memorial closes

The Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Wall and bus turnaround will be closed until mid-December.

That area is fenced off. The main parking area, pavilion and Departure Deck will remain open. Site preparation work for the Taylor Well serving Rockaway Beach has led to the closure.

The city is replacing the Rockaway Water System well pump and rehabilitating the well. The existing well pump is nearly 20 years old, and rehabilitation has not been completed since it was installed by 1994.

The well maintenance work is critical to continued operation of the Rockaway Water System as it is the sole supply. During well maintenance, Kitsap Public Utility District No. 1 will provide water to Rockaway Water System customers.

Oak sees the light

An oak tree at Moritani Preserve that could be a few hundred years old can now be seen by visitors after the park district removed giant chestnut trees that had overtaken it.

Lydia Roush, natural resource manager for Bainbridge Island Metro Parks & Recreation District, said: “It’s much more aesthetic to walk through here and see this huge, majestic and very old oak. The horse chestnuts were growing into it and shading it out. We’re hoping now that it’s got more sun and more space, it’ll perk back up and shoot out some new limbs in the spring.”

The specific variety of oak is still in question. If it’s a Garry, it could grow up to 65 feet tall with lifespans of 500 years.

The four-day restoration project targeted “weeds of concern” – trees not yet formally added to the invasives list, but trending toward nuisance.

BHS play

Bainbridge High School Theater presents “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Tickets are available online for $10.

The play will take place at the BHS theater at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 and at 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 19.

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl, who is transported through time and space with her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O’Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet.

Turkey Trot

After being virtual the past two years due to COVID, the Turkey Trot benefit for Helpline House returns this Thanksgiving Day at Battle Point Park.

Online registration is open at www.helplinehouse.org. Sign up by midnight Nov. 19 for early bird discounts. Day of registration starts at 7:30 a.m. with the one-mile kickoff run at 8:30 a.m., followed by the 5K at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers are welcome on the mostly flat course. Volunteers are needed; go to helplinehouse.org. Proceeds go to Helpline House, a nonprofit that offers a range of free social services, including a self-service food bank, housing and utility assistance, and mental health counseling.

City volunteers

The city of Bainbridge Island again is looking for volunteers with some expertise to serve on its various committees.

Deadline to apply is 4 p.m. Nov. 30. Terms begin in January. To apply go to www.bainbridgewa.gov

Volunteers are needed for the Race Equity Advisory Committee, Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission and Environmental Technical Advisory Committee.

For details contact executive assistant Roz Lassoff at 206-780-8624 or rlassoff@bainbridgewa.gov

Bake shop moves

After a successful run at the Winslow Mall as a cart, Coquette Bake Shop and Creamery is moving up the street and up in size to their new home at Winslow Green.

Coquette owner Jerry Childers expects to take occupancy in the former Red Cedar Cafe location this week and be open for business in early January 2023.

“I’m excited to reinvigorate a formerly vibrant community center for islanders and visitors and look forward to filling the tables, both inside and outdoors with people and conversations fueled by special coffee and extraordinary food,” Childers said.

Coquette Bake Shop will continue to operate at Winslow Mall until the new location opens.

Health equity

The Community Health Plan of Washington has awarded $10,000 grants to each of three organizations to help with marginalized people in Kitsap County.

The groups are the Korean Women’s Associationand the Kitsap Immigration Assistance, both in Bremerton; and the county’s Family Education and Support Services.

Statewide, 23 other organizations received the same funds. After three years, 43 organizations have received $730,000.

The Advancing Equity Fund aids organizations providing care and support systems for people from communities of color, Indigenous and Native communities, immigrants and refugees, and those experiencing the greatest barriers to their best health and well-being, their news release says.

Leanne Berge, CEO of CHPW, said COVID brought the inequities of health to the forefront, but that CHPW has been working to bridge the gaps in health at the local level for some time.

Festival of gems

The free annual Fall Festival of Gems will take place Nov. 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kitsap Fairgrounds in Bremerton.

There will be demonstrations on gem faceting, silversmithing, wire wrapping, beading and making cabochons. Dealers include jewelry, fossils, equipment, rough material, minerals and gems. Also, there will be club displays, junior events, a silent auction and raffle prizes. For more on the event, put on by the Kitsap Mineral and Gem Society, go to www.kmgsrockclub.com. Presidents Hall at the fairground events center is located at 1250 Fairgrounds Road NW.

BI police log

Oct. 24: Motor vehicle hit and run with property damage, Highway 305

Oct. 24: Motor vehicle traffic accident, High School Road.

Oct. 25: Vehicle fire, North Madison Ave. at NE Raccoon Lane.

Oct. 25: Boat adrift, Pleasant Beach Drive NE

Oct. 25: Residential burglary, NE Koura Road

Oct. 25: Motor vehicle traffic accident. NE Baker Hill Road at Lynwood Center Road NE

Oct. 25: Motor vehicle traffic accident, Sportsman Club Road NE at Highway 305.

Oct. 25: Theft from a vehicle prowl, NE Bill Point Drive NE

Oct. 26: Motor vehicle traffic accident, NE Day Road East at Highway 305.

Oct. 26: Fraud, Camelia Loop NE

Oct. 27: Theft, Shannon Drive NE