Radio Connects Us All

Coming up this Friday 8/26 through Sunday 8/28, KPTZ and the newly formed Fort Worden Creative Alliance will be featured in the THING Market on the Parade Grounds. Station DJs and volunteers will be there to welcome you throughout the 3-day THING event, under the large Living Room tent where everyone is invited to stop by and say hi, while checking out all the festivities.

Northwind Art, in partnership with THING Northwest, offers a fun Lantern Making Project during the music festival at Fort Worden Building 306. Everyone is invited to take part in the two special Lantern Walks, both Saturday and Sunday nights from 10-11 pm on the Fort Worden Parade Grounds, accompanied by the Unexpected Brass Band. 

In August, KPTZ celebrates Seattle Theatre Group (STG), a non-profit arts organization with a vision to be “The people’s theatre.” STG’s own Adam Zacks, the producer of Sasquatch! Musical Festival, created THING, a unique music and arts event at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend.  “Everyone is welcome at THING,” Adam Zacks says. “It’s important to impact culture and be thoughtful with our choices around who we program. We want everyone to be able to see a version of themselves onstage.”

Attendees can enjoy presentations by tribal storytellers Elaine Grinnell and Delbert Miller in partnership with SAMA: Sacred Music & Art. They can also dance to the music of Jungle, Modest Mouse, Father John Misty, Goose, Sparks, Freddie Gibbs, José González, Reignwolf, and more. Performances will also include comedian Jerrod Carmichael, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and artists from STG’s Education & Community Engagement programs. Scott Freiman will deconstruct the Beatles Revolver in a multimedia presentation and journalist/author Marcus J. Moore will interview Jazz is Dead. The Future is 0, a satirical, live game show will put artist-contestants through a variety of mental, physical, and psychological challenges.

THING is designed to have something for everyone. There is no admission fee for children under 12 and the festival is prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity. Half the artists identify as Black, Indigenous, or as People of Color. One will find ASL interpretation, sensory areas, and dance classes – including for people of different mobility levels.  STG thanks Fort Worden Hospitality, the Port Townsend community, the artists, volunteers and of course, THING attendees for their support. For more information, go to thingnw.org.

For the seven days leading up to THING festival on August 26, KPTZ joins in welcoming Soundcheck, when Port Townsend will be bursting with performances, art and interactive events celebrating our local artists and cultural ecosystem. From Friday, August 19 to Thursday, August 25, Soundcheck lets you choose your own adventure from an incredible array of locally-focused events!  Happenings include outdoor movie nights, a community dance, filmmaker’s showcase, poetry reading, burlesque show, tons of concerts, gallery walk and more. A Soundcheck bus will be available to all takers on Thursday afternoon for a craft beverage tour.