Our Town

(Airdate: December 14, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Steve King, PT’s Public Work Director. Steve literally started his job on pandemic lockdown day – March 20, 2020. The office was pretty empty and the town was a ghost town. But, as an essential worker, Steve jumped right in. He has a long background in government work. Most of his career, he worked for the city of Wenatchee. He rose through the ranks there for 18 years. But then he got an itch. He took off some banked vacation time and set out to walk the world-famous Camino de Santiago – a 500 mile trek across the Pyrenees through France and Spain. When he returned he decided he needed a career change. Port Townsend seemed like the perfect fit. Starting during the pandemic hasn’t been easy. Now he’s involved in almost every infrastructure project around town – including the new water contract with the mill, upgrading our roads, and overseeing several new housing projects. Did you know there’s a 100-unit project called Madrona Ridge that’s coming down the pipeline? That’s the tip of the iceberg.

(Airdate: November 30, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Haden Starbuck, a local artist specializing in jewelry and fiber art through Mystic Beach Studio. The pandemic wiped out her business. Like most of our creative class, Haden is self-employed. As such, she didn’t even qualify for unemployment when the pandemic first hit. The rules changed and self-employed people ultimately did qualify for government assistance. But those programs have now largely ended. After spending through her savings for the past 18 months, Haden’s looking at how she can continue as an artist. She’s launched a new venture called “creatrix compass.” ([email protected]) She’s producing podcasts featuring creative people and hopes to both consult and run classes on creativity. So far there’s no revenue stream, but Haden’s optimistic. She’s also returning to various shows and venues to directly sell her work. But some shows require an $800 or $1,000 upfront fee for the booth and perhaps a cut of sales. It’s a stiff price for anyone post pandemic. But Haden’s sure she can and will make it!

(Airdate: November 2, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Gina Landon, the owner of the Farm & Sea Grill in Port Hadlock. Gina signed the lease on her restaurant-to-be in February 2020 – not realizing that her timing was disastrous. She vowed that COVID-19 was not going to count her out even before she started. The restaurant opened in July 2020. Her not-so-secret weapon was hiring staff who helped create the remarkable community feel of the late, lamented Don’s Pharmacy Lunch Counter. Their friendly chatter is now helping create a warm glow at the Farm & Sea. Summer business was great but now we are in the dark days of winter. Gina’s facing the same problems as all restaurateurs — including staff shortages and supply chain woes. As a new restaurant, every little thing matters. But if pickles are hard to find, she will find them somewhere. She’s determined to succeed!

(Airdate: October 19, 2021) SAM REZENDES: ONE SHARP YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Sam Rezendes, the owner of Uptown Cutlery, a knife sharpening business that’s upstairs at Aldrich’s uptown. When he was just a kid, Sam’s  parents moved to Port Townsend to open Crossroads Music. Like many small-town kids, Sam dreamed of making it big in the big city. After high school, he went off to chase his dreams – mainly in San Francisco. But the birth of a son and the global pandemic made Sam & his partner reexamine priorities. They moved to Port Townsend and Sam opened his tiny knife sharpening business. It’s a rarity – a business segment that got a big boost from the pandemic. People who never before had the time or interest to become a great cook were suddenly blossoming into impressive chefs. Think about it: your old knives need sharpening and what could make a better gift to your favorite nouveau chef than finely honed new knives?

(Airdate: October 5, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Rocky Friedman, the owner of the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend. Rocky fell in love with movies at a young age. After graduating from USC’s famed Film School, he decided that his future was not as a star but as a great screenwriter. Rocky and his wife ultimately moved to Port Townsend – a great place to write. But Rocky soon realized that the town was ripe for a special kind of movie theater. He spent seven long years researching and scheming. Oddly enough, he never even realized that the glory of the original 1907 Rose Theatre was lurking behind cheap remodels. The old tin ceiling and murals were carefully restored before opening in 1992. The Rosebud followed in 1995 and the adult venue Starlight Room opened in 2013. Then came the pandemic and Rocky – like all business owners – faced the trauma of shutdown. A “go-fund-me” campaign helped him hold on through the 499 days of closure. But the Rose is now back and Rocky is loving returning with the movies he loves. (Did you know he personally picks which movies run at the Rose?)

(Airdate: September 21, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Derrell Tidwell, president of the Jefferson County Healthcare Hospice Foundation. With a basic philosophy that ‘no one dies alone,’ Hospice is a small but important part of Jefferson Healthcare’s basket of services. Hospice aims to provide dignity and comfort during the final days. It can include everything from pain medication to services such as bathing, massages, or just having someone read to you. The Hospice Foundation is a non-profit that essentially raises funds for the Hospice program. Derrell and his colleagues on the Board serve a vital role ensuring there’s enough money for these vital services. The COVID-19 crisis meant Hospice workers couldn’t go into the homes of patients for quite a while. But, as Derrell notes, they are now back in action.

(Airdate: September 7, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Scott Walker, a passionate advocate for non-motorized transportation. Scott’s day job is as an electrical contractor. He’s owned and run Current Electric since the early 1990s. But for the past 35 years most of his energy has been devoted to trying to wean Jefferson County from the car. Back in the 1980s he was part of the group that instigated our system of trails. Over the years he’s been on every committee and advisory board that could possibly influence transit. According to Scott, 66% of the greenhouse gas in Port Townsend comes from auto emissions. That’s deplorable in his book! He dreams of a “walkable, bike-able town” and has mapped out how to achieve it.

(Airdate: August 24, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews CHRIS DAHLL, owner of Town & County Tree Experts. Chris grew up on the Olympic Peninsula. He was one of those kids who didn’t exactly have a plan for what he was going to be when he “grew up.” At first he thought he’d be a fireman. But when he was in high school he got a part-time job at Town & Country Tree. He was just a grunt laborer at first. But he found he loved working outside, dealing with nature. He learned on the job until there wasn’t a tree species around that could stump him. In time he was able to purchase the 30-year-old local company. Now Chris has his brother Matt onboard as part of the team. Interestingly, this is one company that positively thrived during the pandemic.

(Airdate: August 10, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews John Barlow, a Port Townsend guy who went to L.A. to follow his dream of becoming a big success in the film industry. After more than a decade of dead-end jobs in L.A., he found himself battling addiction. He struggled through “about 50” attempts at sobriety (cold turkey, therapy, rehab). Nothing seemed to work. But John relocated to a farm in North Carolina where friendship, nature, and a rare breed of dogs called Bell Griffin helped get him clean. Next came a move to Malaysia – a move that included flying 16 dogs to Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, that flight happened in January 2020. The country soon went into lockdown and Malaysia ultimately decided to cancel most visas. John was on a plane back to the USA and ended up at his Mother’s place in Port Townsend. Now he’s more determined than ever to make it in the film business. The question is — how?

(Airdate: July 27, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Jan Pierson, owner of Nor’West Custodial. He’s commonly called “Jan the window man.” He’s spent several decades building up a custodial business that services hundreds of businesses in Jefferson County. There are also several hundred residential clients who rely on his teams for cleaning gutters, mold, and windows. But then there’s the other Jan – the one who left Minneapolis and ended up as part of the Haight Ashbury scene in the late 1960s & early 1970s. He became obsessed with the Grateful Dead and literally followed the band around the country for more than 20 years. Somehow he made his way to Port Townsend with half a tank of gas and 22 cents in his pocket. It’s quite a tale.