PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Family Portrait will coincide with the inaugural voyage of the MV Chetzemoka between Whidbey Island and Port Townsend, and take place at 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at the ferry dock on Water Street.
The community photograph originally was set for this Sunday, just before a Halloween parade through Port Townsend, but it was postponed to allow time for modifications of the 65-car ferry’s “rub rails, which are needed during docking.
The new date for the photograph, announced Tuesday, will be part of the celebrations of the first sailing of the $76.5 million Chetzemoka.
The ferry will begin regular service on its route the next day, Monday, Nov. 15.
On Nov. 13, the Chetzemoka is scheduled to pull into Keystone Harbor at about 10:30 a.m. to be christened by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
The ceremony will be open to the public and will be accessible to Port Townsend residents, who are advised to board the 9:30 a.m. sailing of the Steilacoom II to travel to the Coupeville terminal on Whidbey Island.
The inaugural sailing will be for invited guests only, including Gregorie, and is expected to last one hour, about twice as long as the regular sailing.
A second ceremony in Port Townsend will take place when the boat docks, at approximately 12:30 p.m.
State ferries system spokeswoman Marta Coursey said the schedule was “all very tentative at this point.”
After the boat docks, it will be open to the public for tours before the community photograph is taken, Coursey said.
Those who want to be in the portrait are asked to gather in the ferry’s holding area after the Steilacoom’s 2:45 p.m. sailing.
The picture will be taken by Port Townsend photographer David Conklin from a ladder truck borrowed from East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
The picture will be turned into a poster that will be available the next day for $10 at the Printery/Star Copy 631 Tyler St.
Mari Mullen, Port Townsend Main Street executive director, said that plans for the portrait are still under discussion, but she expects it to be “something fun and festive.”
While the portrait is intended to reflect the population of Port Townsend, anyone who is in town is invited to participate, said Mullen, who added that she expects about 500 people.
The Chetzemoka — which cost $76.5 million for construction, contingency and construction management — is named for the well-respected Klallam chief Chetzemoka, who was buried in Port Townsend.
The Chetzemoka will be the first permanent ferry on the Port Townsend-Coupeville (Keystone) route in nearly three years.
The 50-car Steilacoom II, which the state leases from Pierce County, has been the solo ferry between the two Admiralty Inlet docks since state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond pulled the four 80-year-old Steel Electric ferries from service because their hulls were pitted and corroded.
The family portraits have been taken about every three years since 1985, and are often planned in conjunction with a civic improvement or event.
The last portrait, in 2007, coincided with the opening of the revitalized City Hall.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
