Help fill up a kid’s backpack

School will begin before you know it and Helpline House is ready to receive donations of backpacks, school supplies and clothing gift cards for local children in need.

Among the most needed items are large, sturdy backpacks, three-ring binders, calculators, pencil boxes and pouches, colored pencils, thin markers, college-rule paper and notebooks and sharp-pointed scissors.

Gift cards in denominations of $25 or less and financial contributions are welcome.

Bring donations to Helpline House, Eagle Harbor Book Co., the Bainbridge Island Post Office or Bagels and Beans through the end of August.

For information call 842-7621.

Have a picnic in Eagledale

The Eagledale neighborhood picnic is open to all islanders, so more people can enjoy the fun.

Bring a potluck dish and mix and mingle from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 19 in Eagledale Park, located on Rose Avenue off Eagle Harbor Drive.

The event takes place every two years, said organizer Margaret Moe, adding, “We have done it for years.”

For information call Moe at 842-2034.

Cultivate an oyster garden

This time of year in the Northwest, islanders who fancy themselves gardeners (terrestrial gardeners, that is) are busy picking strawberries, weeding out morning glory, tending green tomatoes and, most of all, dragging hoses around trying to keep things watered.

If you find that terrestrial gardening is too much work – when you could simply head to the Saturday market and buy your produce from other hard-working farmers – then shellfish gardening is for you.

There is no hurry to pick your shellfish before it goes bad, there is no irrigation needed and, best of all, there is no weeding required. All you need is a little patch of waterfront.

To get started contact the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, which kicked off the inaugural round of shellfish gardening installations in partnership with Baywater Inc. and the City of Bainbridge Island.

A shellfish gardening starter kit costs $250, which buys roughly 600 oysters and 60 pounds of manila clams.

Oysters for eating on the half shell will be ready for harvest next fall. Steamer clams will be ready for harvest in 2008; and native Olympia oysters will be ready for harvest in 2009.

Shellfish gardening is easy, tasty and good for the marine ecosystem.

For information call Morgan Rohrbach at the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, 780-6947.

Ovation! sings out for actors

Ovation! Musical Theatre Bainbridge will hold auditions for Gian Carlo Menotti’s Christmas musical masterpiece “Amahl and the Night Visitors” from noon to 5 p.m. September 17 at Bainbridge Commons.

To audition, prepare a traditional carol to sing and bring piano music in the appropriate key for the accompanist.

All parts are open and performers of all experience levels ages 8 and older are encouraged to try out.

To schedule an appointment contact info@ovationmtb.com or 842-0472. For information see www.ovationmtb.com.

Self-defense makes sense

A basic self-defense workshop for women will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Be New Yoga Studio.

Five-time U.S. TKD Gold Medalist Jose Lugo will lead the two-hour workshop.

Space is limited. To register contact Michelle Hutchins at 780-3855 or mmhutchins@comcast.net.

Hone writing at Field’s End

Registration opens Aug. 15 for the fall 2006 writing classes offered by Field’s End, a regional writers group affiliated with the Bainbridge Public Library.

Classes for adults and one for college applicants are on the roster for October and November.

Award-winning writer Kathleen Alcalá will teach “Writing Historical Fiction” from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday evenings in October, as well as Nov. 2 and 16. The class costs $240 and is limited to 15 students. Writers of all levels are welcome.

This six-week class will cover the areas of research, creating cultural context and techniques for bringing astory to life. It includes a discussion of cover letters, the synopsis and possible markets for historical fiction.

Sheila Rabe will teach “Your Nonfiction Book Project: Putting It All Together” from 10 a.m. to noon October 14, 21 and 28 and November 11. The class will cost $160. It is limited to 15 participants.

The class will help writers bring a project together and give it the kind of “sales appeal” that can get agent and editor attention.

Best-selling author Susan Wiggs will teach “Who I Am: Writing the Personal Essay for College Applicants” 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16 and 23 at Pegasus Coffee House. High school students will examine college essays and create ones that represent who they are.

Registration forms are available at www.fieldsend.org and the Library. Tuition assistance is available. Contact registrar@fieldsend.org.