u/KitsapRealEstateTeam

My husband and I watch an embarrassing number of terrible '80s horror movies. We were in the middle of one when I got up for... honestly, I don't remember. Probably a glass of water. Maybe to pet a cat. Around here those are the two most likely reasons I'd leave the couch.

I went by the front window. No idea why now, maybe Amazon? (I just can't quit them. I'm trying. This was also like three years ago.) Let's imagine I was getting up to pet my cat, just because.

There was a ferry going the wrong way.

Now, I realize that sounds banal. Logistically, since it's a mode of transportation, you expect a certain amount of back and forth. Ferries can obviously go whichever direction they want. But I live on a hill overlooking Puget Sound, and after years of looking out this window I've gotten used to the rhythm of the traffic. I can see downtown Seattle, the Bremerton ferry, the Bainbridge ferry, and the Southworth route. Day after day, the ferries follow the same patterns. They go to Seattle, they come back.

Instead of heading toward Seattle like my li'l brain expected, it was cutting straight across the Sound, perpendicular to the shore. On top of that, it gave some little blasts on their horn.

My husband and I pulled up MarineTraffic, which is one of my favorite apps- one I use far more often than any reasonable person probably should. If you've ever looked out at Puget Sound and wondered, "What ship is that?" it'll usually tell you. Ferries, tugboats, cargo ships, Navy vessels... if it's out there, chances are you can identify it. It's a whole thing at our house. He won't download it himself, though. If he's home by himself he'll send me pictures of a boat and have me look it up. We're a little codependant over here too. If it wasn't funny, I'd probably make him download the damn thing.

Nothing too weird was actually happening, as it turned out! Washington State Ferries was repositioning a boat to another route. Southworth was stealing a boat from Bremerton. The horn wasn't announcing some mysterious ferry emergency. It was warning a few kayakers who had wandered a little too close.

That's how I (really we, but the SO isn't writing this) ended up learning that ferry horns aren't random. They're actually a language. You want me to explain it? You know I would really like to!

Ok!

-One short blast means, "I'm altering course to starboard," or turning right.

-Two short blasts mean, "I'm altering course to port," or turning left.

-Three short blasts mean the vessel is "operating astern propulsion", or backing up. No, I'm not going to tell you that I knew those words before I spent some time Googling. I can't know everything, I'm using source material here.

-Five or more short blasts are the one you've probably heard if somebody is making a really dumb decision. That's the danger signal. It basically means, "I don't understand what you're doing, and we're about to have a problem." It's actually pretty easy to underestimate a ferry if you're out on the water yourself. They don't throw a ton of wake really, and I've kind of disregarded them myself while I'm kayaking. They're FAST though.

-Long blasts are a little different. A prolonged blast is used in several situations, but around Puget Sound you're most likely to hear it when visibility is poor. In fog, vessels sound a prolonged blast at regular intervals so other boats know they're there, even if they can't be seen.

-If you hear "shave and a haircut, two bits..." ...well, I don't actually know what that means. My thought is the ferry captain is drunk, but the Coast Guard may have a different interpretation. (There's a long history of sodden ferry captains, but that's for a different day.)

My husband ruined my Tuesday.

That's not entirely fair.

He left a Seattle history documentary playing while he went back to work after lunch. Usually, if I'm eating alone, I'll throw on something wonderfully mindless. Maybe a train ride through Switzerland. Maybe an old Cubs game. Instead, YouTube decided I needed an emotional crisis. About twenty minutes later I texted him: "You ruined my day."

The documentary had started talking about Tokitae.

I've loved orcas for as long as I can remember. I was exactly the kind of kid who would've covered every school folder in Lisa Frank unicorns and whales if I'd gotten enough of them from the dentist. In my mind, orcas were supposed to be leaping through rainbows while synth music played in the background.

That's how childhood works.

When I was 10 or 11, my parents took me to Orlando. We went to SeaWorld. I was OVER THE MOON. It was the 1980's. I transformed into a child who wrote letters to the president about the ozone. I donated to manatee protection, even though I lived in Kansas.

I finally visited SeaWorld again for my 30th birthday. Instead of leaving amazed, I left disappointed. Not just in SeaWorld. In us. I cried when I saw the orca, my ex-husband kind of giggled at me.

Humans can do awful things. (Not his laughter, the orca.)

I couldn't enjoy the show anymore because all I could think was, Why did we decide this was okay?

Years later, when I found out I was moving to western Washington, one of my very first thoughts was, How long will it take before I see my first wild orca? Not the Space Needle. Not Pike Place. MAYBE Rainier. Orcas.

Eventually, I did.

The first time was during the firstl No Kings rally in Manette. An orca surfaced beneath the Manette Bridge, and I completely forgot there was a rally happening. The second time was from the beach across from the shipyard earlier this year. I have blurry little videos that probably look like black commas floating on the water to everyone else. Life goal recognized!

Ironically, my husband has lived here since 1996. He's the only postal employee at the Southworth Post Office, which sits practically on top of the ferry dock. We live near the Manchester dock. We kayak. Between work and home, he's spent thousands of hours looking at Puget Sound. He's never seen a wild orca.

I somehow got there first.

So when the documentary started talking about Penn Cove, I figured I knew the story.

I didn't.

Somehow I'd never connected that Tokitae wasn't just an orca I'd grown up hearing about. She was OUR orca.

She was taken from the Salish Sea. From the waters I now consider home. That realization stopped me. Not because the facts were new. Because the geography was. I'd separated those ideas in my head without realizing it.

Then I did what I always do, I dug in. THat's how we do things in this house. We're readers. This is going to be a hard one to write, but I'll be better for it.

In August 1970, the Southern Resident orcas were chased into Penn Cove by boats and aircraft. Explosives underwater were used to frighten them into nets. Pods were separated. At least 5 whales died during the captures. A young female was sold to the Miami Seaquarium, where she'd spend the next fifty-three years performing under the name Lolita.

Her name was Tokitae.

Then I found myself reading what the Lummi Nation had written. They don't describe Southern Resident orcas as wildlife. They describe them as relatives. That changed the story again. It wasn't just about conservation and bad decisions anymore. It was about family. About home. About loss. I realized I wasn't really reading about whales anymore. I was reading about the place I live.

It was about discovering that the place I now call home is the place she lost hers. Her family, her home, the area she felt most safe.

I always think I'm researching one thing. Instead, I end up learning something about people. Sometimes it's something wonderful. Sometimes it's a reminder that humans are capable of extraordinary cruelty.

But every once in a while, learning a story changes the way I look at a familiar stretch of water, or a shoreline I've driven past a hundred times. Because if understanding something helps me care for it a little better, or helps someone else care a little more...

What’s Happening Around Kitsap: July 21-27

There’s a lot happening around Kitsap this week, from summer concerts and festivals to family activities and enough live music to keep your calendar full. This isn’t every single event happening, but it’s a solid roundup of many of the highlights. WHALING DAYS!!!
Festivals & Community Events
Wednesday, July 22
Music at the Green featuring Steel Rain (Steel Drum), 6:30 p.m., Kingston Village Green
Movies in the Square, 6-9 p.m., Quincy Square, Bremerton
The Rhapsody Project, Noon-12:45 p.m., Admiral Theatre, Bremerton
Music at the Green concert series, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Kingston
Whaling Days Festival | Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26 | Silverdale Waterfront
One of Kitsap’s biggest summer traditions featuring the Grand Parade, live entertainment, carnival rides, vendors, food, the beer garden, car show, fun run, and family activities throughout the weekend.

Thursday, July 23
Concerts by the Bay, 6:30-8 p.m., Waterfront Park Gazebo
Family Movie Night on the Lawn: A Minecraft Movie, Maynard’s, Silverdale
Friday, July 24
Poulsbo Summer Nights at the Bay & Pop-Up Play in the Park, 6-8 p.m., Liberty Bay Waterfront Park
Feng Hsiang Dance Troupe from Taiwan, 2-3 p.m.
YMCA Teen Late Nite, 9-11 p.m., Silverdale
Saturday, July 25
Kitsap Live Steamers Train Rides
Discover Kitsap Parks: Lasting Legacy, 10 a.m.-Noon, Hansville
Silverdale Chess Club at Maynard’s, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
FREE Mosaic Necklace Pendant Project, Silverdale
Puppet Karaoke, 6-9 p.m., Polaris Theater, Port Orchard
Sunday, July 26
Mustangs on the Waterfront, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Port Orchard Waterfront
Bainbridge Farmers Market Kids Club

Live Music
Wednesday
Ryan Boone, 5-7 p.m., Eleven Winery Wine Bar, Manette
Frankie McCabe, 6-8 p.m., Fletcher Bay Winery Coppertop, Bainbridge
Steel Rain, 6:30 p.m., Music at the Green, Kingston
Thursday
Jack Ramsey, 5:30 p.m., Cellar Cat, Kingston
Jonathan Campbell Jazz Quartet, 6:30 p.m., Music in Manette, Whitey Domstad Park
Worms in Dirt with Mr. This & That, Asunder Sweet, Crooked Notes & Happy Feather, 8 p.m., The Charleston, Bremerton
Friday
Mark Alexander & Larry Wischhoefer, 5-7 p.m., Hard Hat Winery, Poulsbo
McBlues, 5-7:30 p.m., Echoes Brewery, Poulsbo
Cleared for Takeoff, 6 p.m., Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst
Sub-Serious, 6 p.m., Summer Sounds at The Point Casino, Kingston
Flutewood Mac, 6-8 p.m., Bushel & Barrel Ciderhouse, Poulsbo
Analisa Reyes, 6-8 p.m., Valhöll Brewery, Poulsbo
The Undecided, 6-9 p.m., The Garage, Bremerton
WEPA!, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Brownsville Deli
Jack Parker, 7 p.m., Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston
Hot Spring Water, 7 p.m., Brother Don’s, Bremerton
WA Deathfest X (Day One), 8 p.m., The Charleston
Jenny Don’t & The Spurs, 8 p.m., Tracyton Movie House
Catch A Wave (Beach Boys Tribute), 8:30 p.m., Clearwater Casino
Saturday
The Foundlings, 5-7 p.m., Hard Hat Winery, Poulsbo
Hippy & the Squids, 5 p.m., Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst
The Tonze, 6 p.m., Summer Sounds at The Point Casino, Kingston
Crystal Springs Band, 6-8 p.m., Marketplace, Bainbridge
Bad Neighbor, 6-9 p.m., The Garage, Bremerton
Annie Eastwood Band, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Cellar Cat, Kingston
Less Paulish, 7-9 p.m., Tipsy Blackbird, Bremerton
NW Chill, 7 p.m., Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston
Color Me Paisley, Brother Don’s, Bremerton
WA Deathfest X (Day Two), The Charleston
Vic Bondi & His Issues, The Manette
Hair Nation, 8:30 p.m., Clearwater Casino
Sunday
Less Paulish Trio, 2-5 p.m., Eleven Winery, Bainbridge
Mark Lewis & Bill Anschell, 4:30-7 p.m., Remedy Speakeasy, Bremerton
Psycho Sushi, 6-8 p.m., Fletcher Bay Winery, Bainbridge
Jonas Myers Trio, 6-8 p.m., Cellar Cat, Kingston
Silver City Three, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Brass Kraken, Poulsbo
Carl Verheyen Band, 7 p.m., Treehouse Café, Bainbridge
Seize the Means, 7 p.m., The Charleston, Bremerton

Kids & Family
If you see something you like but the day doesn’t work, double-check the event dates. Many of these run multiple days or throughout the week. We’re only listing each recurring event once to keep this post readable.
Recurring
Where’s Waldo? Scavenger Hunts in Kingston, Poulsbo, and Port Orchard
Summer STEAM at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum
$1 Summer Movies at Regal Poulsbo
Summer Break Movie Club at Tracyton Movie House
Wednesday
Fun Day at the Farm
Baby Storytime (Bremerton)
Music & Storytime with Ms. Judi (Kingston)
Jeff Evans Magic Show (Bainbridge)
Storytime in the Park (Bainbridge)
Toddler Storytime (Poulsbo)
Tiny Tunes (Kingston)
LEGO Club (Bremerton)
Free Ice Skating Admission (passes required)
Teen Space (Bremerton)
Free Supper, Storytime & Books (Port Orchard)
Thursday
Summer D&D Campaign (Port Orchard)
Tween Dungeons & Dragons (Bremerton)
Weekly Board Game Gathering for Teens (Bainbridge)
Read to a Dog (Bremerton)
Friday
Out of This World Upcycling (Port Orchard)
Tween/Teen Lawn Games: H2O (Bremerton)
Galaxy Tie-Dye (Kingston)
Saturday
Family Matinee (Bainbridge)
Kids Club at the Bainbridge Farmers Market
Kitsap Live Steamers Train Rides
If I missed something you’re excited about, add it in the comments. Summer calendars fill up fast, and there’s always another event around the corner.

Quick question! Are the weekly event posts I was doing before helpful to anyone? I never really nailed the format, and they're weirdly time consuming to compile... Should I keep trying to land a format? I'll totally do it if anyone scans them!

You know how some people have their deep thoughts when they're showering? (Or hiking, or sitting at a bonfire, or paddleboarding.) I spend a ridiculous amount of time driving. That's just part of being a Realtor, especially if you mostly work with Buyers. They want to see everything, everywhere, and honestly, I don't mind. I have a habit of maximizing my time out of town. A special store, a fry bread taco... I make it count.

Somewhere around Belfair, the landscape changes. The forests begin to look different, and every so often I'll come around a corner to a fresh clearcut. I have the same reaction every single time. I don't like them. They make me sad. I imagine my deer buddies, wandering forlorn.

The funny part is that I'm totally aware they don't just happen. Somebody planted those trees decades ago. Somebody planned for them to be harvested. The trees that were there were probably planted in lovely, straight lines. There are even those rhyming signs along Highway 101 reminding you of this exact thing. That's the whole point of a tree farm. So why does my brain still insist on looking at it like something has been lost?

I think western Washington has a weird relationship with trees. We build our houses out of them, heat our homes with them, hike through them, argue over them, and somehow still manage to get emotionally attached to them. I know I have. I walk Banner Forest almost every day, and ring-a-ding... it's state DNR land. It isn't exactly untouched wilderness itself. There's beefy paws all over it.

Real estate taught me one other interesting thing, not just that I need to download a few podcasts before I drive to Sequim. Sometimes the history of a property doesn't just show up in old photos. It shows up in the title report. Every once in a while you'll see old easements or reserved rights held by timber companies like Weyerhaeuser, little reminders that the land had an entirely different life before houses were built there.

When did companies like Weyerhaeuser end up owning so much of the land? How much of what I'm looking at is natural forest versus something that was planted? How many of the neighborhoods I drive through every week used to be timberland?

My love of history (whether it's regional, national, or anywhere in the world,) has a tendency to make me overthink something as simple as a walk in the woods. I gulp down the fresh air, listen to the Douglas squirrels beep at me, and find myself wondering whether Banner Forest has a real understory, or whether I'm walking through something that only looks wild because I don't know enough to tell the difference.

(And if you love trees too, do yourself a favor and read The Overstory by Richard Powers. It won the Pulitzer in 2019, and I haven't looked at forests quite the same way since.)

https://preview.redd.it/f1qj9craweeh1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d2683b12501ac6fda76f5de813621ee1c93853e

There used to be a fence behind my house. Technically, there still (sort of) is. I know this because there's still a gate. The fence itself has been completely torn apart by what I can only describe as a blackberry empire. We spent $600 earlier this year to have them pushed back about 3 feet and have the fence boards finally removed. Are the blackberries on my property, you might be asking? No. They are not. They're on church property. I am not that church. Every year I cut it back, and every year it comes back. Stronger.

My husband and I were talking about it the other day, discussing what the plan is for this summer. Freeze berries? Make pies? Barbecue sauce? Leave them to the birds? I feel like this would all be up to me, so I'm satisfied with birds/deer. Regardless, we were watching a Vincent Price movie a little while later when he asked me if I knew about why they were here. The blackberries, that is.

Weird question.

Back in 1885, famed horticulturist Luther Burbank (also a total eugenicist, but I feel like that topic is considerably less fun,) introduced what he called the Himalayan blackberry. He thought that this hybrid berry it would make an incredible crop. The berries were large, the plants were tough, and they produced fruit like crazy. Honestly, he wasn't wrong. The problem was that birds loved the berries just as much as people did. They spread the seeds everywhere with their projectile poo, and the canes rooted almost anywhere they touched the ground. Western Washington turned out to have the perfect climate for a plant that was already a little too rough and tumble. A little too enthusiastic.

Many of us have a pretty complicated relationship with Himalayan blackberries. We spend half the year trying to get rid of them, and then spend the other half eating them. Meanwhile, we actually have a native blackberry too. It's called trailing blackberry, and although the berries are much smaller, a lot of people think they have a better flavor than the giant Himalayan ones. They just never tried to take over the neighborhood. I completely agree with this take, actually. It's my personal stance.

Now I have another confession. Every time I see someone buying fresh blackberries at the grocery store in July, I have to fight the urge to say something. Not because they're doing anything wrong. My brain just immediately thinks, "You paid for those?" I usually tell my husband about it later.

What I should really keep in mind is that harversting your own requires accepting a certain amount of danger and personal risk. It isn't like my husband didn't accidently hit me directly in the face with a cane a few years ago while we were fighting them together.

That would never happen at Fred Meyer.

Sometimes when the weather is nice, I’ll take my usual daily walk at Banner down to Anderson point instead (is that Port Orchard? Olalla? I’m honestly not totally sure where that line is.) This last week I found myself wandering around all the driftwood and kind of wondering where it actually came from.

Not in the “well… it’s a tree” sense. I mean, did these grow a mile away? Did they float over from the Olympic Peninsula? Have they been out there for months? I’d somehow never stopped to think about prior tree locations. I can build a lean-to though.

Imagine a cedar growing along the Hoh River. A winter storm rolls through, the river swells, the bank gives way, and suddenly that tree is headed downstream. Rivers are basically like conveyor belts, carrying logs to the Pacific. Once they reach the ocean, currents, tides, and storms take over. Some wash ashore pretty quickly. Others drift around for months, maybe even years, before finally landing somewhere.

That’s why all of our beaches can look so different. Rocks, driftwood, whole drift trees, sand…

Around here, Anderson Point has plenty of driftwood, but it’s nothing like Kalaloch. If you’ve been there, you’ve probably seen what are basically entire trees on the beach, root balls and all. Dungeness Spit is another one that always amazes me. (And Ruby Beach, and La Push… you get it.)

The difference is mostly the water. The open Pacific has powerful waves and huge rivers feeding it, so it throws enormous logs onto the beaches. Inside Puget Sound, we’re more sheltered. The tides still move wood around, but you’re generally looking at smaller logs and branches instead of entire trees.

I probably need to apologize in advance to anybody who decides to go hiking with me in the future. I feel like I’m going to be wondering aloud about where specific trees came from after writing this.

Imagine it’s 1905 and you’re a resident of Seattle. Proper Seattle, maybe you live in a cute little flat above Pioneer Square. The great flood of 1906 hasn’t happened yet, so that’s good news.

Work has been busy. The city is noisy. There might be sewage in places where there shouldn’t be sewage. You need a few days away in the fresh air, so you start making plans.

You could spend hours searching for the perfect Airbnb.

You could compare hotel reviews until your eyes glaze over.

You could even look for a place with a hot tub and free breakfast. Hot stone massage? Sounds great!

Unfortunately, you’re about a century early.

Instead, you buy a ticket on a steamship headed for Hoodsport. When you arrive, a stagecoach is waiting to carry passengers the rest of the way to the Antlers Hotel on the shore of Lake Cushman. You may not have a ton of other options.

Today, Lake Cushman is known for camping, hiking, boating, and fishing. In 1905, it was already becoming one of Washington’s favorite summer escapes. You have to wonder if in 1905 people were jumping off of that one big rock. (Sidebar – does that have a name or is it just a big rock?)

Families came from Seattle to spend days on the lake, walk through forests that had barely been touched, and enjoy mountain air that felt worlds away from the city, even though the trip only started with a ride across Puget Sound.

The Antlers Hotel had opened in 1889 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the state’s premier resorts. Getting there wasn’t super easy, but that was part of the appeal. Vacations weren’t about convenience. They were about leaving your everyday life behind. Still are, really.

For decades, visitors made the same journey. Steamship. Stagecoach. Lake. Veranda. Repeat.
Then Tacoma City Light came looking for hydroelectric power.

Construction of Cushman Dam No. 1 began in the 1920s. As the reservoir grew, the shoreline changed, roads were relocated, and the Antlers Hotel was torn down before the rising water reached it. The spot where generations of vacationers once gathered now sits beneath the surface of the expanded lake.

I love stories like this because they remind me that landscapes aren’t nearly as permanent as they seem. We stand on a beach, paddle across a lake, or drive a familiar road assuming it’s always looked that way. Most of the time, it hasn’t.

Lake Cushman is still one of Washington’s fun summer escapes. It just feels a LITTLE different now than it did 120 years ago.

Imagine it’s 1905 and you’re a resident of Seattle. Proper Seattle, maybe you live in a cute little flat above Pioneer Square. The great flood of 1906 hasn’t happened yet, so that’s good news.

Work has been busy. The city is noisy. There might be sewage in places where there shouldn’t be sewage. You need a few days away in the fresh air, so you start making plans.

You could spend hours searching for the perfect Airbnb.

You could compare hotel reviews until your eyes glaze over.

You could even look for a place with a hot tub and free breakfast. Hot stone massage? Sounds great!

Unfortunately, you’re about a century early.

Instead, you buy a ticket on a steamship headed for Hoodsport. When you arrive, a stagecoach is waiting to carry passengers the rest of the way to the Antlers Hotel on the shore of Lake Cushman. You may not have a ton of other options.

Today, Lake Cushman is known for camping, hiking, boating, and fishing. In 1905, it was already becoming one of Washington’s favorite summer escapes. You have to wonder if in 1905 people were jumping off of that one big rock. (Sidebar – does that have a name or is it just a big rock?)

Families came from Seattle to spend days on the lake, walk through forests that had barely been touched, and enjoy mountain air that felt worlds away from the city, even though the trip only started with a ride across Puget Sound.

The Antlers Hotel had opened in 1889 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the state’s premier resorts. Getting there wasn’t super easy, but that was part of the appeal. Vacations weren’t about convenience. They were about leaving your everyday life behind. Still are, really.

For decades, visitors made the same journey. Steamship. Stagecoach. Lake. Veranda. Repeat.
Then Tacoma City Light came looking for hydroelectric power.

Construction of Cushman Dam No. 1 began in the 1920s. As the reservoir grew, the shoreline changed, roads were relocated, and the Antlers Hotel was torn down before the rising water reached it. The spot where generations of vacationers once gathered now sits beneath the surface of the expanded lake.

I love stories like this because they remind me that landscapes aren’t nearly as permanent as they seem. We stand on a beach, paddle across a lake, or drive a familiar road assuming it’s always looked that way. Most of the time, it hasn’t.

Lake Cushman is still one of Washington’s fun summer escapes. It just feels a LITTLE different now than it did 120 years ago.

Fathoms O’ Fun in Port Orchard. Bremerton Bridge Blast fireworks off the Manette. World Cup watch parties all week. Big one, Kitsap. Sorry I’m late on this!

FESTIVALS Bremerton Bridge Blast — Jun 27, 11a–10p & Jun 28, 11a–5p | Bremerton Boardwalk | Free | 90+ vendors, food trucks, beer garden + fireworks | Note: Manette Bridge closed Sat 8am–Sun 2am | bremertonbridgeblast.com
Fathoms O’ Fun — Jun 27, 4–10p | Downtown Port Orchard | Free | Activities, food trucks, music + Grand Parade | fathomsofun.org

KIDS & FAMILY Tiny Tides Storytime + Free Play — Jun 22 | Bainbridge Play Cafe | Free $1 Movies — Jun 22–23 | Regal Cinemas Poulsbo $2 SummerFest Movies — Jun 22–24 | SEEfilm Bremerton Cinema Teen Summer Hangout — Jun 22 | Bainbridge Library | Free Baby Storytime — Jun 22 | Kingston Library | Free Woodcarving Ages 12+ — Jun 23, 9a–12p | Sheridan Park Community Center, Bremerton | $3 Open Community Playdate — Jun 23, 10a–12p | Island Cooperative Preschool, Bainbridge | Free Family Storytime and Playgroup — Jun 23, 10:30a | Downtown Bremerton Library | Free World Cup Fan Zone Kids Day — Jun 24, 11a | Quincy Square, Bremerton | Free Clay Slug Creation — Jun 24, 1–3p | Kingston Library | Free LEGO Club — Jun 24, 2–3p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton | Free Free Ice Skating — Jun 24, 2–5p | Bremerton Ice Center | Free (pick up passes at Bremerton Parks & Rec, $5 skate rental) Teen Space — Jun 24, 3–4:30p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton | Free Read to a Dog — Jun 24, 3:30–4:30p | Poulsbo Library | Free Weekly Car Show — Jun 24, 4–7p | Bremerton National Airport | Free Concert Truck on Bainbridge — Jun 24, 6p | Bainbridge Island PAC Town Square | Free SEA Discovery Center — Jun 26, 11a–4p | Poulsbo | Free (donations welcome) Giggle and Grow Parent Support — Jun 26, 12–1:30p | Nurturing Expressions, Poulsbo | Free World Cup Fan Zone Watch Party — Jun 26, 5p | Quincy Square, Bremerton | Free Glow-in-the-Dark Putt Putt Golf — Jun 26, 6–9p | Port Orchard Library | Free Music on the Green — Jun 26, 6–8p | Winslow Green, Bainbridge | Free Late Nite at Haselwood Family YMCA — Jun 26, 9–11p | Silverdale | Free Fathoms O’ Fun Festival & Grand Parade — Jun 27, 4–10p | Downtown Port Orchard | Free Bremerton Bridge Blast — Jun 27, 11a–10p | Bremerton Boardwalk | Free Beach Exploration — Jun 28, 10–11:30a | Lions Park, Bremerton | Free Point No Point Lighthouse Tours — Jun 28, 12–4p | Hansville | Free

FARMERS MARKETS Port Townsend — Wed afternoon Bremerton — Thu 4–7p Poulsbo — Sat 10a–2p Bainbridge Island — Sat 10a–2p Port Orchard — Sat 9a–2p Port Townsend — Sat 9a–2p Kingston — Sat 10a–3p Silverdale — Sat 10a–2p Chimacum — Sat 10a–2p

OPEN MICS Remedy Speakeasy Comedy — Wed 9p | 602 4th St, Bremerton Bushel & Barrel — Thu 6p | Poulsbo Downpour Brewing — Thu 6–9p | Kingston Tammy Frost Trio — Thu 7p | Brother Don’s, Bremerton Brother Don’s Jam — Sun 5p | Brother Don’s, Bremerton Brass Kraken — Sun 6:30p, 21+ | Poulsbo

LIVE MUSIC
Monday, June 22 Lucy Clearwater (LA-Based Americana/Folk) — doors 7p, all ages, $25 adv/$30 door | Rainshadow Recording, Port Townsend | rainshadowrecording.com
Tuesday, June 23 Bryson Evans (Americana Singer/Songwriter) — 5:30p, all ages, no cover | Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst
Wednesday, June 24 Kinda Nice Tho (Feel Good Groove Band) — 4–6p, no cover | Taps at the Guardhouse, Port Townsend Harmony Wombats (Traditional Acoustic Trio) — 6–8p, all ages, no cover | Fletcher Bay Winery Coppertop, Bainbridge Joel Underwood (Singer/Songwriter) — 6:30–8:30p, 21+, no cover | Ty’s Wine & Brew, Poulsbo
Thursday, June 25 Sandy Mason Duo (Jazz Vocalist) — 5:30–7:30p, 21+, no cover | Cellar Cat, Kingston Sarah Brunner (Singer/Songwriter) — 6–9p, 21+, no cover | Tracyton Public House, Bremerton Septik (Bremerton Punk) w/ Reaper Punx — 8p, all ages, cover TBD | The Charleston, Bremerton Samvega (California Heavy Psych Rock) — 8p, 21+, $10 | The Manette, Bremerton
Friday, June 26 Mark Alexander & Larry Wischhoefer (Acoustic Duo) — 5–7p, all ages, no cover | Hard Hat Winery, Poulsbo The Undecided (Blues/Rock/Americana) — 6p, all ages, no cover | Summer Sounds at The Point Casino, Kingston Jesse Rise (Singer/Songwriter) — 6p, all ages, no cover | Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst Guitar Worship Service w/ Jordan Eller, Puddle Jumper, Infinite Obscurity and MONED — 6p, all ages, free/donation | Beats N Cats Records, Bremerton Morgan Smith & Co (Americana/Country/Bluegrass) — 6–8p, all ages, no cover | Bushel & Barrel, Poulsbo Triple Shotz (Classic Rock) — 6–9p, 21+, no cover, followed by live DJ | The Garage, Bremerton Hippy & The Squids (Acoustic Rock) — 6:30–8:30p, all ages, no cover | Brownsville Deli, Brownsville Smokestack Shaw (Bluesman) — 7p, all ages, no cover | Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston Joel Gibson Jr (PNW Country) — 7p, all ages, no cover | Brother Don’s, Bremerton Jack Dwyer & The Rodeo Dendrons (Honky Tonk) — 7–9p, all ages, $5 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum Vinyl Night w/ DJ High Horse — 7–9p, 21+, no cover | Tipsy Blackbird, Bremerton Tim Enders Band (Blues/Rock) — 7–10p, 21+, no cover | Manchester Pub, Port Orchard Silver City Six (Classic Rock) — 8p, 21+, no cover | The Bethel Saloon, Port Orchard Invocation Ritual (Death Metal) w/ Vaulderie and Burial Rites — 8p, all ages, cover TBD | the Charleston, Bremerton Chicaco Tribute Authority (Chicago Tribute) — 8:30p, 21+, $15 | Beach Rock Lounge, Clearwater Casino, Suquamish Deep Blue Sea (Film) — 8:45p | Gig Harbor Galaxy 🦈 Saturday, June 27 Laborer & The Universal Roots (Roots/Reggae) — 4–6p, no cover | Taps at the Guardhouse, Port Townsend The Foundlings (Irish/Scottish Folk Duo) — 5–7p, all ages, no cover | Hard Hat Winery, Poulsbo Low Light Room (Indie Singer/Songwriter) — 5:30p, all ages, no cover | Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst The Tonze (Old School R&B) — 6p, all ages, no cover | Summer Sounds at The Point Casino, Kingston Psycho Sushi (Eclectic Rock/Pop) — 6–8p, all ages, no cover | Marketplace, Bainbridge Guitar Worship Service w/ Von Wildernhaus, GAR, NR and Eat The Sun — 6:30p, all ages, free/donation | Bigfoots House Of Vinyl, Bremerton Altered 90s (90s-2000s Alt Rock Covers) — doors 6p, all ages, $15 | the Charleston, Bremerton Big Bear Band (Classic Rock) — 6–9p, 21+, no cover, followed by live DJ | The Garage, Bremerton Kimball & The Fugitive Trio (Jazz Standards) — 6:30–9:30p, 21+, no cover | Cellar Cat, Kingston Kitsap County Ramblers (Acoustic Americana) — 7p, all ages, no cover | Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston NW Chill (Acoustic Trio) — 7p, all ages, no cover | The Filling Station, Kingston Two For The Apocalypse (Psychobilly Duo) — 7p, all ages, no cover | Brother Don’s, Bremerton The Whags (Americana/Jam Band) — 7–9p, all ages, $5 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum Abracadabra Trip (Rock N Soul) — 7–10p, 21+, $7 | the Roadhouse, Port Townsend Alice Howe & Freebo — 7:30p, all ages, $25 adv/$30 door | Palindrome | rainshadowrecording.com Meghanne Storey (Grunge Folk Singer/Songwriter) — 8p, 21+, no cover | The Bethel Saloon, Port Orchard Bread & Gravy (Homecooked Comfort Music) — 8–11p, 21+, no cover | Tracyton Public House, Bremerton The Disorderlies (Seattle Punk) w/ Me! Grimlock and Less Than Three — 8p, 21+, $10 | The Manette, Bremerton Evo Floyd (Pink Floyd Tribute) — 8:30p, 21+, $15 | Beach Rock Lounge, Clearwater Casino, Suquamish

Kitsap Housing Market Update — June 2–9, 2026

(Excludes Bainbridge Island)

Before you read the numbers this week, a quick note: the headline pricing data looks like the market fell off a cliff. It didn't. I'll explain why as we go. The underlying story is actually pretty steady.

NEW LISTINGS & INVENTORY

92 new listings this week, up from 79 last week. Supply is back to building after that one-week pause. Back on market activity jumped to 17, up from 10 — the highest BOM count in several weeks. More contracts falling through means more homes cycling back. Worth watching but not yet a pattern.

Total residential inventory hit 570, up from 540 last week. Total res plus condo came in at 616, up from 584. The brief inventory decline from last week didn't stick. We're back to building and now sitting at the highest inventory level of the entire spring.

Price reductions pulled back to 78, down from 86 last week. That's actually welcome news — the first meaningful decline in reductions in several weeks. Whether that's sellers getting smarter about pricing upfront or last month's reducers finally closing, the direction is the right one.

List price increases came in at 3, up slightly from 1 last week. Still essentially nothing — seller confidence on the aggressive pricing front remains low. The market rewards correct pricing right now, not hopeful pricing, and most sellers seem to understand that.

Cancelled listings ticked up to 13, from 11 last week. Two consecutive weeks of elevated cancellations is worth noting. Sellers pulling listings could mean frustration, repositioning, or just timing out. Not alarming but worth tracking.

DEMAND

144 pending sales, down just slightly from 146 last week. For all practical purposes demand held flat — two essentially identical weeks back to back at a strong level. After the Memorial Day bounce restored confidence in the demand picture, this week confirmed it wasn't a fluke. Buyers are steady.

The pending sales story for this spring has been remarkably resilient. We had the Memorial Day dip, the bounce back, and now two consecutive weeks holding right around 145. That's a healthy demand base doing what healthy demand does — showing up consistently.

CLOSINGS & DAYS ON MARKET

63 homes closed this week, down from 99 last week. That's the number that looks jarring and isn't particularly meaningful on its own. Closings reflect contracts written several weeks ago, and the quieter contract period from mid-May is what's showing up now. The strong pending weeks from late May and early June will hit the closing column soon. Patience.

Average CDOM dropped to 30.27 days, down from 39.20 last week. That improvement is real — the average bouncing around week to week is normal, and 30 days average is a healthy market. Median CDOM held flat at 13 days for the second consecutive week. Stable and fast.

PRICING — THE PART THAT NEEDS CONTEXT

Average sold price came in at $560,951, down from $647,698 last week. Average list price was $559,981. Average original list price was $564,702. On the surface that's a $87,000 single-week drop in average sold price.

Median sold price came in at $510,000, down from $595,000 last week. Median list price was $499,995. Median original list price was $499,995.

Here's why none of that is what it looks like. The sale-to-list ratios this week are actually better than last week. Average sale price to list price came in at 100.19%, up from 99.76%. Median sale price to list price hit 102%, up from 100%. The typical home sold above asking price — by more than last week.

If prices had actually dropped, sale-to-list ratios would have dropped too. They didn't. What happened is that the mix of homes closing this week skewed heavily toward lower price points. More smaller homes, more entry-level transactions, fewer high-end closings. That pulls both the average and median down without reflecting any change in what homes are actually worth.

This is the difference between composition and appreciation. One week of lower average and median pricing in a market with strong sale-to-list ratios is a composition story. Every time.

Average sale price to original list price came in at 99.34%, up from 98.37% last week. Median sale price to original list price hit 102%, up from 99.33%. Sellers who priced correctly from day one did better this week than last week on both metrics.

SOLD BREAKDOWN

63 closings — 18 above list, 20 at list, 25 below. That puts 60.3 percent at or above asking, down from 74.75 percent last week. That's the number worth paying attention to this week.

The below-list count held at 25 for the second consecutive week while the total number of closings dropped from 99 to 63. That means the below-list share of closings grew not because more homes needed concessions but because fewer total homes closed. The denominator shrank.

Still — 60 percent at or above asking is lower than we've seen in recent weeks and worth watching. Two consecutive weeks of elevated below-list counts while overall closings are lighter could be noise, or it could be an early signal that negotiating leverage is shifting slightly toward buyers in some segments. One more week of data will tell us more.

The above-list count dropped to 18, the lowest since early in the spring run. Again — small closing week, compositional factors, one data point. But noted.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Strip away the headline pricing noise and this was a stable week. Demand held steady at 144 pendings. Days on market improved. Sale-to-list ratios actually strengthened. Price reductions finally pulled back. The market heading into summer is not softening — it's digesting.

The things worth watching going forward: inventory hit its highest point of the spring at 570. Cancelled listings are elevated two weeks running. The at-or-above list percentage has pulled back from its highs. None of those individually are cause for concern. All of them pointing in the same direction over the next few weeks would be a different conversation.

For buyers — 570 homes in inventory is the most you've had all spring. Demand is steady but not at the feverish pace of early May. This is probably the most balanced the market has felt since March. That doesn't mean slow. It means there's real inventory to work with and slightly less competition on some homes than there was six weeks ago.

For sellers — 102 percent median sale-to-list is still an extraordinary number. The formula hasn't changed. Price it right and the market takes care of you. What's changed slightly is that the gap between a well-priced home and an overpriced one is getting wider, not narrower. The 78 reductions this week — even down from last week's high — are a reminder that the market's patience for overpricing hasn't grown.

Data covers the Kitsap County residential market, excluding Bainbridge Island. CDOM = Cumulative Days on Market.

We Sure Have a Lot of Nuclear Weapons

In 1942, the Navy bought a chunk of land on Hood Canal near the tiny town of Bangor and turned it into an ammunition depot. Conventional weapons, shipped to the Pacific theater. Nothing unusual for wartime. They added buildings, built a pier, put up some barracks. Through Korea and Vietnam it stayed exactly that, just a place to store and ship weapons. Nobody paid much attention.

In 1973 the Navy announced it was converting the depot into a submarine base. In 1977 it was officially activated. In 1982 the USS Ohio arrived in Hood Canal, the first Trident ballistic missile submarine, 560 feet long, gliding through the water past sailboats and recreational fishermen.

That’s still how it works, by the way. The submarines are out there right now.

Bangor is home to the largest concentration of deployed nuclear weapons in the United States. Around 1,300 warheads, depending on which estimate you use, loaded onto Trident D-5 missiles on eight submarines or stored underground on the base. Each warhead can destroy a city. One submarine carries a nuclear payload equal to roughly 1,400 Hiroshima bombs. If Washington state were a sovereign nation it would be the third-largest nuclear power on Earth, after the rest of the United States and Russia. Kitsap County alone has more warheads than Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea combined.

It is 20 miles from Seattle.

The protests started immediately. A group called Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action was founded in Poulsbo in 1977, right next door to the base, the same year it was activated. They leafleted. They blocked gates. In 1979 three thousand people rallied outside the base and three hundred climbed the fence. They were arrested, bused to Tacoma and released without charges.

Then the warheads started arriving from the Pantex nuclear assembly plant in north Texas on rail cars that were, at first, painted white. Protesters called them the White Train. I already wrote about those! With help from rail enthusiasts who knew the routes, they tracked the trains all the way from Texas, spreading word up the line every time one left Pantex. People sat on the tracks at Bangor to block them from entering the base. Eventually the Department of Energy stopped shipping by rail entirely and switched to unmarked trucks.

When the USS Ohio arrived in 1982 there were several thousand people gathered on shore and a small flotilla of protest boats in the water. The Coast Guard kept the boats back by severing their outboard motor gas lines.

Ground Zero is still in Poulsbo. They still leaflet at the base entrance, every week, on Thursday mornings. They hold actions every year around Hiroshima Day in August.

Washington state law, separately, forbids planning for a nuclear attack. There is a statute on the books. The thinking at the time was that planning for nuclear war would normalize it. So officially, the state has no plan.

The Navy intends to operate nuclear submarines at Bangor through at least 2080.

The next time you’re on the Hood Canal bridge, look around and think… What a lovely place we live in!

Sources:

•	KUOW, “The Secret World of Nukes in Washington State”  
•	Federation of American Scientists, “Pacific SSBN Base” (fas.org)  
•	Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (gzcenter.org)  
•	HistoryLink.org, “Washington Naval Depots (World War II)”  
•	Naval Base Kitsap, GlobalSecurity.org  
•	Antiwar and Radical History Project, University of Washington

Stuff to Do in Kitsap County: June 2–7

Big arts festival weekend, Free Fishing Weekend, and Seabeck Farmers Market opens for the season. Here’s the rundown. I’m tired already- this one is SO MUCH!!!

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

•	BIMA Treasure Trek — all of June, countywide. Pink glass orbs hidden on public lands. Find it, keep it. kitsap.love  
•	Bremerton Boardwalk Night Market — Fri Jun 5  
•	Moonlight Market — Fri Jun 5  
•	Wayzgoose Kitsap Art Festival — Sat Jun 6, 9a–6p | Sheridan Park Community Center, Bremerton. Free.  
•	Kingston Sunset Market — Sat Jun 6  
•	Bainbridge Art Fest — Sat Jun 6 10a–7p & Sun Jun 7 11a–5p | Bainbridge Island Waterfront Park. Free (optional purchases).  
•	Kitsap Humane Society PetsWALK — Sat Jun 6, 9a–2p | Lions Park, Poulsbo. $40 adults/$30 kids.  
•	FREE Kitsap Kids’ Day — Sat Jun 6, 10a–2:30p | Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Bremerton. Free.  
•	Free Fishing Weekend — Sat Jun 6 & Sun Jun 7. No license required statewide.  
•	Poulsbo Community Orchestra Season Finale — Sun Jun 7, 3p | Poulsbo First Lutheran Church. Free.

KIDS & FAMILY

Tuesday 6/2

•	Tots on the Trail – Sound to Olympic Trail, 9a | Bainbridge Play Cafe, free  
•	$1 Movies at Regal Cinemas Poulsbo, 11a | $1/person  
•	Dinosaur Storytime & Fossil Exploration, 3:30–4:30p | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Cool Cars of Summer Car Show, 4p | McClouds Grill House, Bremerton, free

Wednesday 6/3

•	New Mom Coffee Meetup, 1p | The Coffee Oasis, Bremerton, free  
•	Free Ice Skating, 2–5p | Bremerton Ice Center, $5 rental (pick up passes at Parks & Rec first)  
•	Afternoon Gaming, 2–3p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton, free  
•	Read to a Dog, 3:30–4:30p | Kingston Library, free  
•	LEGO Lounge, 3:30–4:30p | Poulsbo Library, free  
•	Weekly Car Show at Bremerton National Airport, 4–7p | free  
•	Family Game Nite (pre-register), 5–6:30p | Silverdale Library, free  
•	Bainbridge Fire Station Open House, 5:30–7:30p | Station 21, Bainbridge, free

Thursday 6/4

•	Kids Bowl Two Free Games, 9a | Hi Joy Bowl, Port Orchard, shoe rental $5.25  
•	$1 Movies at Regal Cinemas Poulsbo, 11a | $1/person  
•	Model Train Display, 12–4p | Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, free  
•	Teen Space, 1–4p | Silverdale Library, free  
•	Puzzle Club for Teens & Adults, 2–4p | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Kids Market Bucks Club at Bremerton Farmers Market, 4–7p | Evergreen Park, free

Friday 6/5

•	Here Then, Here Now: History of Latino Resilience in WA State, 5:30–7:30p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton, free  
•	Launch into Summer Kickoff Party, 5:30–7:30p | Downtown Bremerton Library, free  
•	Teen Summer Kick-off Party (pre-register), 6–8p | free

Saturday 6/6

•	Free Home Depot Kids Workshop (pre-register), 9a–12p | Poulsbo, Silverdale & Gig Harbor locations, free  
•	Suquamish Museum Free Admission: 43rd Anniversary, 9a–4p | free  
•	Imagination Exploration: Bugs & Blooms, 9a–3p | Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Bremerton, free (suggested $10/family)  
•	Heronswoof: Dog Day at Heronswood Garden, 10a–2p | Kingston, free  
•	Poulsbo Farmers Market Kids Club, 10a–2p | Poulsbo Farmers Market, free  
•	FREE Kitsap Kids’ Day, 10a–2:30p | Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Bremerton, free  
•	Bainbridge Art Fest, 10a–7p | Bainbridge Island Waterfront Park, free  
•	Free Computer Coding Class (pre-register), 10:30a–12:30p | Silverdale Library, free  
•	Storytime at Barnes & Noble, 11a | Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, free

Sunday 6/7

•	Kidz Korner at Kingston Public Market, 10a–3p | Mike Wallace Waterfront Park, Kingston, free  
•	Bainbridge Art Fest, 11a–5p | Bainbridge Island Waterfront Park, free  
•	Point No Point Lighthouse Tours, 12–4p | Hansville, free  
•	Afternoon on the Trails at IslandWood (pre-register), 1–5p | Bainbridge, free  
•	Free Kids Day & Open House, 1–4p | Little Ducklings Childcare & Preschool, Poulsbo, free  
•	Poulsbo Community Orchestra Season Finale, 3p | Poulsbo First Lutheran Church, free

FARMERS MARKETS

•	Port Townsend — Wed afternoons (June kicks off Wednesday markets!)  
•	Bremerton — Thu 4–7p | Evergreen Park  
•	Poulsbo — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Bainbridge Island — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Port Orchard — Sat 9a–2p  
•	Kingston — Sat 10a–3p  
•	Silverdale — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Chimacum — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Seabeck — Sun Jun 7, 12–4p (first market of the season!)

OPEN MICS

Weekly: Brother Don’s Jam (Sun 5p, Bremerton), Bainbridge Brewing Alehouse (Tue 6–8p), Ruby Slipper (Tue 7p, 21+, Port Orchard), Tammy Frost Trio (Thu 7p, Brother Don’s), Bushel & Barrel (Thu 6p, Poulsbo), Downpour Brewing (Thu 6–9p, Kingston), Brass Kraken (Sun 6:30p, 21+, Poulsbo), Remedy Speakeasy Comedy (Wed 9p, Bremerton, all ages)

1st Friday: Deep Draft Brewing Open Mic — Fri Jun 5, 6:30p | Bremerton
1st Friday: Dog Days Brewery Comedy — Fri Jun 5, 7p | Bremerton

LIVE MUSIC

Tuesday 6/2

•	Susan Pascal (Jazz Vibraphonist) — 5:30–7:30p, 21+, $25 adv/$30 door | Cellar Cat, Kingston

Wednesday 6/3

•	Sarah Brunner (Singer/Songwriter) — 5–7p, all ages | Eleven Winery Manette Wine Bar, Bremerton

Thursday 6/4

•	Peace Theives (Poulsbo Alt Rock) w/ Considering Mellow & Hollow Daze — 8p, all ages, cover TBD | The Charleston, Bremerton  
•	Mickey Avalon (LA Rapper) w/ Knothead, Folletto Manitou, Frankie Flawless, Jordan Dudzic, KNO.1 & DJ Backhand — doors 8p, 21+, $25+ | Tracyton Movie House (tracytonmoviehouse.com)

Friday 6/5

•	The Rising Sons (Acoustic Folk Rock Duo) — 6–8p, all ages | Bushel & Barrel, Poulsbo  
•	The Dreamboats (50s/60s Rock Revival) — doors 6:30p, all ages, $26+ | The Admiral, Bremerton (admiraltheatre.org)  
•	Verota (Tacoma Metal) w/ Riot Orgy, Blessid Doom & Fantastic Flying Foelschs — 8p, all ages, $15 | The Charleston, Bremerton  
•	Spike & The Impalers (Classic Rock Tribute) — 8:30p, 21+, $15 | Beach Rock Lounge, Clearwater Casino, Suquamish

Saturday 6/6

•	Russian Blue (Eclectic Indie Rock) w/ The Marrying Type & monica — doors 6p, all ages, $12 adv/$20 door | Quilcene Lantern (quilcenelantern.com)  
•	The Litch Brothers (Progressive Bluegrass) — doors 7p, all ages, $25+ | Rainshadow Recording, Port Townsend (rainshadowrecording.com)  
•	Sirsy (Buffalo, NY Pop Duo) — 7p, 21+, $30+ | Treehouse Cafe, Bainbridge (treehousebainbridge.com)  
•	Conjuring Up Monsterz (Bremerton Feral Orphancore) w/ Kitsa, Capala & Invicta — 8p, all ages, $10 | The Charleston, Bremerton  
•	Second Sting (Scorpions Tribute) — doors 8p, all ages, $20+ | Tracyton Movie House (tracytonmoviehouse.com)

Sunday 6/7

•	The Boosters (Bainbridge Country/Rock/Folk Trio) — 2–5p, all ages | Eleven Winery, Bainbridge  
•	Messer Chups (Spooky Russian Surf Rock) w/ 38 Coffin & Batangas — doors 7p, all ages, $20+ | Tracyton Movie House (tracytonmoviehouse.com)  
•	Caroline Aiken (Georgia Folk/Blues/Rock) — doors 7p, all ages, $25+ | Rainshadow Recording, Port Townsend (rainshadowrecording.com)

Full calendar at kitsapsmokestack.org/stuff-calendar

The Mosquito Fleet Had a Corporate War. Here’s How It Ended.

Before there were roads through the Kitsap Peninsula, and for a long time there really weren’t because the forests were essentially a wall, everything moved by water. Mail, livestock, passengers, freight. If your town had a dock, a steamer would stop. Some boats would just beach themselves to load passengers. That was the system.

By the turn of the century, Puget Sound had the largest Mosquito Fleet in the world. Around 2,500 vessels at its peak. The name, by the way, did not come from a Seattle newspaper man looking out at the water and thinking poetic thoughts about insects. That’s the version everyone tells. The word shows up in a British dictionary citation from 1804. The charming local origin story is wrong.

Anyway.

Kitsap County was more dependent on the Fleet than almost anywhere else. The county has over 200 miles of saltwater coastline. Every small community, Suquamish, Indianola, Olalla, Poulsbo, had a direct line to Seattle. Not a road. A boat.

By the early 1900s two companies had clawed their way to the top. The Black Ball Line, run by Joshua Green, had money and size. Big vessels, including retired Great Lakes steamers. The White Collar Line, officially the Kitsap County Transportation Company, was run by Warren Gazzam, whom everyone apparently called Colonel. Gazzam ran smaller, faster boats and bet on new technology. In 1914 he launched the Suquamish, a 92-foot vessel and the first diesel-powered passenger ferry on Puget Sound. Aimed directly at his rival.

Between 1903 and 1923 they went at each other. Gazzam spent those years acquiring or just eliminating smaller operators one by one. The Moe Brothers. The Hanson Transportation Company. The Liberty Bay Company. The Poulsbo Transportation Company. By the 1930s the two of them were basically the whole show.

Then 1935 happened.

The Depression had made union organizing inevitable. Ferry workers wanted wages like San Francisco Bay workers were getting. In November, unions struck the White Collar Line. Captain Peabody, who was running Black Ball by then, actually tried to stop it. He knew a strike that killed his rival was going to hurt him too, and he offered to share any windfall revenue he got during the work stoppage. The White Collar Line’s response was to offer to sell out entirely. Then the strike hit Black Ball anyway. Thirty-three days. The whole Sound, stopped.

Black Ball survived. The White Collar Line didn’t. Peabody picked up Gazzam’s entire operation for $140,000 in assumed liabilities. Twenty years of fighting, done.

He ran a monopoly through World War II. Reduced fares for wartime workers, thousands of them crossing to the shipyards in Bremerton every day. When the war ended he wanted those fares back. First a 10 percent increase. Then 30 percent. The state said no both times. Peabody shut down service for nine days in protest, which is a bold move when you’re the only ferry company left.

The state still said no.

In 1951 the state bought the whole operation for $5 million. The plan, stated out loud by actual officials, was to run ferries temporarily until bridges could be built across the Sound. Most people figured ferries had maybe ten years left.

No bridges were ever built.

Peabody took his money to British Columbia, built a new fleet, and eventually sold it to BC Ferries in 1965. He retired happy, apparently. The Washington State Ferry System, the temporary fix, is now the largest ferry system in the United States.

The old Mosquito Fleet pilings are still out there along the Kitsap shoreline if you know where to look. Rotting in the water. Marking places that used to matter.

Sources:

•	Kitsap History Museum — “History of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet” (kitsapmuseum.org)  
•	HistoryLink.org — “Puget Sound Navigation Company, 1900–1951” (historylink.org/file/22662)  
•	KUOW — “Washington State Ferries: Born From a Rates War”  
•	Wikipedia — “Washington State Ferries”

Neighborhood Spotlight: Driftwood Key — Hansville, WA

Here's a fun fact most people don't know: Hansville wasn't connected to the rest of the Kitsap Peninsula until 1924. Before that, you got in and out by boat or on foot. I don't know who those people were, but they were clearly built different.

Driftwood Key is a covenant community (a neighborhood with shared rules and shared amenities) founded in 1963 — 700+ properties at the literal tip of the peninsula. It sits in a rain shadow, which in western Washington is kind of a flex. Some of the lowest rainfall totals in the region. You notice it.

What else you notice: Hood Canal views. Olympic Mountain views. A marina, boat launch, private beach, and pool. 100 acres of conservancy land next door and 250 acres of Greenway trails out the back. Whales show up. The National Audubon Society is paying attention. There's a fishing club that meets monthly at the clubhouse and a community Facebook page that people actually use.

You're 30 minutes from the Kingston ferry. You're also genuinely at the end of the road. For the right person, that's not a bug. That's the whole idea.

Sorry I’m late, all! This gal took a bad spill this last weekend, and BOY am I hurting! 😬

Stuff to Do in Kitsap County: May 25–31

Liberty Bay Festival and Kitsap Fest headline a packed week — plus live music every night across the county.

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Liberty Bay Festival — May 29–31 | Muriel Iverson Waterfront Park, Poulsbo. Multi-day waterfront celebration of Poulsbo’s maritime heritage, local arts, and community spirit. Free (optional purchases vary). Thursday hours 2–10p.

Kitsap Fest — May 31, 11a–3p | Silverdale Waterfront Park. Free.

KIDS & FAMILY

Monday 5/26

•	Preschool Storytime and Playgroup — 10:30–11a | Poulsbo Library, free  
•	Baby Storytime and Playgroup — 1–1:30p | Poulsbo Library, free

Tuesday 5/27

•	LEGO Club — 2–3p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton, free  
•	Free Ice Skating — 2–5p | Bremerton Ice Center, $5 skate rental (pick up passes at Bremerton Parks & Rec first)  
•	Teen Space — 3–4:30p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton, free

Wednesday 5/28

•	Family Storytime — 10:30–11a | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Dinosaur Storytime and Fossil Exploration — 10:30–11:30a | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Storytime at Barnes & Noble — 11a | Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, free  
•	Puzzle Club for Teens and Adults — 2–4p | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Read to a Dog — 3:30–4:30p | Sylvan Way Library, Bremerton, free  
•	Read to a Dog — 3:30–4:30p | Bainbridge Library, free

Thursday 5/29

•	Teen Space — 2:30–4:30p | Port Orchard Library, free

Friday 5/30

•	Saturday Free Play — 10:30a–12p | Little Boston Library, Kingston, free  
•	Storytime at Barnes & Noble — 11a | Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, free  
•	Model Train Display — 12–4p | Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, free  
•	Movie Night Fundraiser — 2p | Port Gamble Theater, by donation  
•	Astronomy: Star Party! — 9–11p | Battle Point Observatory, Bainbridge Island, free (donations welcome)

Saturday 5/31

•	Point No Point Lighthouse Tours — 12–4p | 9009 Point No Point Rd NE, Hansville, free

FARMERS MARKETS

•	Poulsbo — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Bainbridge Island — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Port Orchard — Sat 9a–2p  
•	Port Townsend — Sat 9a–2p  
•	Kingston — Sat 10a–3p  
•	Silverdale — Sat 10a–2p  
•	Bremerton — Thu 4–7p

LIVE MUSIC

Monday 5/26

•	Jonas Myers (Jazz Piano) — 5:30–7:30p, 21+, $25 adv/$30 door | Cellar Cat, Kingston  
•	Noah Delos Reyes (Singer/Songwriter) — 6:30–8:30p, 21+ | Ty’s Wine & Brew, Poulsbo

Tuesday 5/27

•	Noah Delos Reyes (Singer/Songwriter) — 6–8:30p, all ages | The Sip, Poulsbo  
•	The Grey Ponytails (Classic Rock Duo) — 6:30–8:30p, 21+ | Ty’s Wine & Brew, Poulsbo

Wednesday 5/28

•	Bob Log III (Slide Guitar Mayhem) w/ The Edison Cabinet — doors 7p, all ages, $20+ | Tracyton Movie House, Bremerton (tracytonmoviehouse.com)

Friday 5/29

•	Meghanne Storey (Singer/Songwriter) — 6–8p, all ages | Valholl Brewing, Poulsbo  
•	Liquidhorse (PNW Country) w/ Noah Delos Reyes in the round — 6–8p, all ages | Bushel & Barrel, Poulsbo  
•	Jack Dwyer & The Rodeo Dendrons (Honky Tonk/Country) — 6–8p, all ages, $5 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum  
•	Bill&HisSixString (Ska/Punk Singer/Songwriter) — 6–8p, all ages | Cafe Corvo, Bremerton  
•	Chris Switzer (Acoustic Rock Covers) — 6p, all ages | Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst  
•	No Slack Jack (Classic Rock) — 6–9p, 21+ | The Garage, Bremerton (live DJ follows)  
•	Kelsey Mines (Stand Up Bass Jazz) w/ Chris Icasiano on drums — doors 6p, all ages, $12 adv/$20 door | Quilcene Lantern (quilcenelantern.com)

Saturday 5/30

•	Wyrdoz (All Original Party Rock) w/ Jack Parker — 5p, all ages | Deep Draft Brewing, Gorst  
•	Silver City Six (Classic Rock) — 6–9p, 21+ | The Garage, Bremerton (live DJ follows)  
•	Annie Eastwood All Star Band (Jazz/Soul/R&B) — 6:30–8:30p, 21+ | Cellar Cat, Kingston  
•	XLR8 (Classic Rock Covers) — 7p, all ages | Brother Don’s, Bremerton  
•	McBlues (Blues/Soft Rock Duo) — 7p, all ages | Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston  
•	Russian Blue (Eclectic Indie Rock) w/ Combobox & Llaredda — 7p, all ages, $10 adv/$15 door | The Charleston, Bremerton (thecharleston333.com)  
•	Kingsryche (Queensrÿche Tribute) w/ Judas Rising NW Chapter (Judas Priest Tribute) — doors 8p, all ages, $20+ | Tracyton Movie House, Bremerton  
•	Angelic Noises (Original Roots/Pop Duo) — 8p, 21+ | The Bethel Saloon, Port Orchard  
•	The Devil in High Def (Olalla Hard Rock) w/ Nova Motor, The Passed & Tremor Cats — 8p, 21+, $10 | The Manette, Bremerton  
•	Bread & Gravy Trio (Homecooked Comfort Music) — 8–11p, 21+ | Tracyton Public House, Bremerton  
•	Hella Good (Gwen Stefani/No Doubt Tribute) — 8:30p, 21+, $15 | Beach Rock Lounge, Clearwater Casino, Suquamish  
•	The Jet City Players (Dance Hit Covers) — 9:30p, 21+ | Boom Boom Room, Point Casino, Kingston

Sunday 5/31

•	Kareem Kandi (PNW Jazz/Blues/Classical/Funk Sax) — 2–5p, all ages | Eleven Winery, Bainbridge  
•	Susan Pascal (Jazz Vibraphonist) — 5:30–7:30p, 21+, $25 adv/$30 door | Cellar Cat, Kingston  
•	Sarah Brunner (Singer/Songwriter) — 5–7p, all ages | Eleven Winery Manette Wine Bar, Bremerton

Full calendar at kitsapsmokestack.org/stuff-calendar