KPTZ and the Jefferson County Farmers Markets announce the 30th season opening of the Port Townsend Farmers Market on Saturday, April 2 from 9am to 2pm on Tyler Street in Uptown Port Townsend. This event includes a 9am red ribbon cutting with Mayor David Faber and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and group photo. Following the opening ceremony, there will be a goat parade with Ground Control Goats. Live Music throughout the day by  Unexpected Brass Band, Kristin and Otto Smith, and Harmonica Pocket.  Don’t miss story time with the Port Townsend Library at 10:30am, held on the Community Center grass, plus over 75 farm, food, and art vendors. 

To celebrate KPTZ’s first 10 years, local videographer Dennis Daneau created a video to document our first decade. We Are KPTZ  features interviews with many of KPTZ’s volunteers and staff, telling the station’s story in clips that illustrate all of the hours and work that have gone into making 91.9 FM your community radio station. This 30-minute production centers around the first steps toward our move to the new station in Fort Worden Building 305. The video reflects Dennis’s dedication to our community, and KPTZ is honored that he chose the station as the topic of his massive project. 

Anniversaries can be very exciting events, and it’s no surprise that — as KPTZ moves into its second decade — we’re excited about not only where we’ve been, but where we’re going. We Are KPTZ — now available for streaming right here — tells our story, from the very beginning until now. We invite you to view We Are KPTZ (part one), and we thank Dennis for making our radio story into this film.

KPTZ gleefully announces a new music program. Wednesdays from 8 to 10pm, beginning on March 30, it’s the Retro Cocktail Hour! Tune in and you’ll find vintage recordings from the dawn of the Hi-Fi Era. Imaginative, light-hearted (and sometimes light-headed) pop stylings designed to underscore everything from the backyard barbecue to the high-tech bachelor pad. Host Darrell Brogdon serves up two hours of incredibly strange music. The Retro Cocktail Hour comes to KPTZ from Kansas Public Radio and Public Radio Exchange.

Please note: There’s a new time and day for Blues Journey! The journey continues, with host Taylor Clark, now moving to Thursdays from 1 to 3pm. 

Jefferson County is seeing a significant decline in COVID-19 infections after the omicron peak of 1,108 cases in January. We had just 129 cases in March, about a tenth of what we had in January. As of March 31, we’ve recorded 3,195 cases. That means about one in 10 Jefferson County residents has been infected. The actual number is higher, but some people didn’t get tested because they had no symptoms, and others had a positive home test but didn’t report it. With the decline in cases, masks are no longer required in Jefferson County except for medical facilities, congregate care housing, public transit, incarceration centers, etc.

For the most current estimate of infection risk, check the Health Department’s online calculator at https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1429/COVID-19. As of April 1, our risk was “moderate” based on the current rate of new infections. Although the BA2 variant is more contagious, it is less likely to cause serious infections. However, Jefferson Healthcare Hospital is continuing to operate at 100% capacity, so people are urged to get tested if they think they have symptoms so we can minimize any resurgence.

A fourth dose of vaccine is now available for people 50 years and older via pharmacies and medical facilities. More than 400,000 “breakthrough” infections have occurred in vaccinated residents of Washington, but only 18% resulted in symptoms, 2% required hospitalization, and just 0.5% were fatal. According to state data, most vaccinated Washingtonians who died from a breakthrough infection had underlying health conditions, and their average age was 78.

For a compendium of upcoming featured programs, check out Spotlight for April 1-15. Many of our program hosts provide specifics about what’s planned for the first half of April. If you’re not already a Spotlight subscriber, you’re invited to join our Mailing List. See KPTZ’s current Weekly On-Air Schedule and Daily Program Schedule.