NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Jan. 17.
PORT TOWNSEND — Wine- and cider-makers will offer tastes of their libations in a fundraiser for Fort Worden State Park from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
The tasting, hosted by the Friends of Fort Worden State Park, will be in the USO Building at the park.
Admission is $15 per person. It will be half off — $7.50 — for Friends of Fort Worden members or free with a purchase of a $25 Friends of Fort Worden membership.
Tickets will be available at the door.
Wines and ciders will be provided by Eaglemount Wine & Cider, FairWinds Winery and Alpenfire Cider of Port Townsend; Lullaby Winery of Walla Walla; Finnriver Farm & Cidery of Chimacum; and Marrowstone Vineyards.
Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Bon Appetit, courtesy of the Friends of Fort Worden.
“We invite you to enjoy our local wines, ciders and foods with friends, all while supporting Fort Worden State Park,” said Rick Sepler, board president, who also is director of the Port Townsend Development Services Department.
This is the third such fundraiser organizer by the group. It is expected to raise a couple of thousand dollars, Sepler said.
The Friends of Fort Worden was established to support Fort Worden State Park.
Since State Parks and the Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority signed a lease agreement in November, the group’s focus is to raise funds for both organizations, responding to requests from the manager of the state park and from the Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority.
In May, the PDA is due to take over management of the “campus” portion of the 434-acre park, which includes most of the buildings, for educational purposes while State Parks continues to manage the camping, beach and recreation areas.
The Friends group primarily funds physical improvements, Sepler said.
For instance, it helped buy historic furniture for Alexander’s Castle and return the original dining room set to the historic property that is used for rentals.
The group also gave money for officers’ row houses restoration and window treatments in the USO building.
“We help fund the niceties that the state doesn’t fund any longer” and are concerned with helping the PDA implement its master plan, Sepler said.
For more information, contact the Friends of Fort Worden at 360-344-4459 or infocenter@fwfriends.org.
