NEWS BRIEFS: Wonderland ball tickets now on sale … and other items

PORT TOWNSEND — Tickets are on sale now for this Saturday’s second annual Wonderland Masquerade Ball, presented by Key City Public Theatre.

Dinner will be at 6 p.m., with the ball beginning at 7 p.m. at the Fort Worden Commons. Tickets are on sale for the ball or the dinner and the ball. Seating for the dinner is limited, so visitors are asked to order tickets in advance online at www.keycitypublictheatre.org, at the KCPT box office at 419 Washington St., or by phone at 360-385-5278 (KCPT).

Seattle-based rock and soul band Freddy Pink will return to the North Olympic Peninsula with its eclectic mix of a rock and roll drummer, funk bassist, fusion guitarist, a jazz horn section, a gospel keyboarder and three R&B singers, led by Port Townsend’s Gordon Yancey.

Hearts in Bloom

PORT TOWNSEND — Reservations are being taken for the Hearts in Bloom dinner this Saturday.

The dinner will benefit Jumping Mouse Children’s Center.

Sponsored by Jefferson Healthcare and Pane d’Amore, it will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.

Local chef Arran Stark will prepare a seasonal dinner.

Seats are $85 per person. Proceeds will go toward mental health therapy services for low‐income children in the community.

Due to limited seating, event coordinators encourage those interested to reserve their seating.

To make a reservation, visit www.jumpingmouse.org, phone 360‐379‐5109 or email candy@jumpingmouse.org.

Medical scholarships, grants go to area grads, agencies

The Clallam County Physicians Community Benefit Fund has awarded $39,171.49 in medically related scholarships and community grants to several Peninsula graduates and agencies for 2017.

Scholarships were awarded to:

• Port Angeles: Adam Raemer, $5,000; Beth Volk, $5,000; Kelsey Schidler, $5,000; and Richard Putman, $3,000.

• Sequim: Michael Lee, $5,000.

Franklin Elementary received a community grant totaling $1,976.55 to purchase an automated external defibrillator and training.

Olympic Peninsula YMCA received a community grant totaling $18,194.94 to purchase three recumbent cross-trainers for the Exercise and Thrive program in Sequim.

The benefit fund was formed in 1995 by Regence BlueShield and Clallam County Physicians Service Inc. to provide health care coverage to Clallam County citizens.

Committee receives $7,570 grant

PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee has received a $7,570 grant from the Northwest Straits Foundation to hire a part-time program assistant to engage community members in three new projects.

The grant will support the committee to work with Port Townsend School District’s Maritime Discovery Program to integrate rain garden installations into the curriculum, allowing students to participate in design, installation, evaluation and maintenance of the rain gardens.

Committee volunteer teams will also be at key boat ramps during this year’s opening weekend of crab season to offer information about best practices to avoid losing crab pots and catch more crab.

Additionally, this grant will allow the committee to offer at least one more Digging for Dinner event this year in a new area of East Jefferson County.

The award is made possible through the foundation’s new Opportunity Fund, providing a 1:1 match to each contribution from individuals and businesses around the region.

For more information, phone Caroline Gibson, Northwest Straits Foundation executive director, at 360-733-1725 or Cheryl Lowe at 360-370-5610, ext. 230.

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