(Airdate: January 23, 2024) Maryanne McNellis interviews James Schultz, owner of Quimper Sound, PT’s record & guitar store. James was into music from a young age and moved to Seattle at the peak of the grunge music scene. He played and toured with a variety of bands. But none of them achieved star status. He was working at a guitar shop between road trips and almost by accident ended up with full time employment when he began to crave some stability. That snowballed into owning a guitar shop in Seattle. Next came ownership of Quimper Sound, one of the country’s most venerable independent record stores. It’s celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. Online sales of both records and guitars are leading the shop into the future. Custom work such as inlays by Native American artists are now giving Quimper Sound’s guitars a competitive edge.

(Airdate: January 9, 2024) Maryanne interviews Rita Beebe, a 7th generation Port Townsend native. As one of nine kids, Rita realized she’d have to figure out how to pay for college largely by herself. So she joined the military with an eye on the GI bill. The University of Washington came next.  Both Rita and her husband ended up at the Dept. of Defense. Their first foreign posting was Korea and they arrived with three toddlers in tow and one on the way. Interestingly, child care was  excellent — allowing Rita to run all of the base’s youth programs. Later their posting took them to Germany and they soon they added two more kids to their brood. Once again, Rita was in charge of a complex web of youth programs and sports teams. Childcare in Germany exceeded all childcare options back home! Rotation back to the USA came as the kids were nearing high school age. They opted to move back home to PT but money was tight. So the hometown girl got a hometown job — at the mill. She was soon one of the exceedingly rare women — a 5’3” woman working alongside the guys on the floor of the mill. No office job for Rita!

(Airdate: December 26, 2023) Maryanne interviews Steve Shively, an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church. This is Part #2— covering the 150-year history of the Church and simultaneously examining the history of Port Townsend itself. The venerable church became an elegant 600-seat gathering place just before the vaporization of the dream of PT becoming the NYC of the West. Each decade it echoed the ups and downs of the local economy. According to Steve, it has been ahead of the curve on some social trends —including ordaining women in the 1950s. “We want to be an incubator for social change,” he says. ECHHO, the group that loans or gives medical equipment such as wheelchairs or walkers is actually housed in “the manse,” which was built as housing for the pastor of First Presbyterian. In addition, it is currently partnering with groups on issues as diverse as immigration rights, affordable housing, LGBTQIA rights and more. On a very practical local note, there’s a free charging station for electric vehicles in its parking lot.

(Airdate: December 12, 2023) Maryanne interviews Steve Shively, an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church, which is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary. Steve’s well-known in the community as former GM of Fort Worden and for his marketing company, working closely with civic and private groups largely in the tourism industry. First Presbyterian was founded by a group of seven determined Victorian women. This was long before women had the right to vote. In 1873 females couldn’t even be members of a church, much less have bank accounts or buy property. Yes, their spouses were the frontmen. But everyone knew what was happening behind the scenes. The church’s history mirrors the ups and downs of PT over the past 150 years. The elegant edifice uptown was built anticipating the boom that never happened towards the end of the 1800’s. This is Part #1 of a special 2-part Our Town, tracking the history of both church and town.

(Airdate: November 28, 2023) Maryanne interviews Tim Caldwell of the Friends of Port Townsend Golf Park. The issue of what to do with the acres of land under the Port Townsend Golf Course has rippled through the community for months. There are passionate supporters for a number of different scenarios. Some want nothing but a traditional golf course; others want multiple parks and mini-golf; and still others want housing on the land. There are other ideas floating around as well. The citizens’ group of “friends” is working towards a compromise that will hopefully include elements of most of the proposed ideas. Tim ran the PT Chamber of Commerce for years and knows most of the players well. He thinks this non-profit group can steer a course which will offer a blend of the best suggestions.

(Airdate: November 14, 2023) Maryanne interviews Josh Thompson, owner of Josh’s Window Cleaning Services. Josh is following the iconic American dream – young man starts his own business rather than working for someone else. It takes a lot of courage and hard work to succeed with a dream like that. He’s only been in business since last March but right now is booking clients for about six weeks out. This owner-operator works for both residential and commercial clients. He does both windows and gutters. The rainy season is upon us and most gutters are overflowing. It’s dirty work but Josh sees a path to a successful and profitable career.

(Airdate: October 17, 2023) Maryanne interviews Laura Lewis, co-owner & distiller for the Olfactory House. Separately, she’s also co-owner of the Antique Mall in downtown Port Townsend. Laura has dreamed about creating new scents ever since she was a kid, fooling around with her grandmother’s makeup and perfumes. She soon discovered that creating a new scent actually comes down to chemistry. Her multiple degrees — including a doctorate — are all science-based. Laura had a flourishing career in academia and ran WSU’s Jefferson County operations for years. But she finally decided to chase her dream. The Olfactory House is now just over a year old. Clients can visit the elegant little shop near the rear of the Antique Mall. A variety of scented products are on sale. But the heart (and soul?) of the business is creating personalized new scents — or “bespoke” scents. The current price is $500 for consultations that refine a scent that captures your singular essence.

(Airdate: October 3, 2022) Maryanne interviews Emma Bolin, PT’s Director of Planning and Community Development. As a kid, Emma dreamed about becoming a professional rock climber. She turned her love of the outdoors and mountains into something more practical. Her love of both brought her to the Pacific Northwest. Now she’s in charge of planning for Port Townsend – a Pacific Northwest gem. Affordable housing; what to do about the golf course; removing the poplar trees on Sims Way and trying to find a solution for our broken streets – these are just some of the issues Emma and her team are studying. Zoning changes lurk at the heart of most issues. Did you know that since April virtually every residential property can legally add two ADUs? And all that bother about off street parking? Nope, that’s gone now! And if you want an ADU that really sets you free, well, tiny houses on wheels are licensed like your car. Forget about most permitting, etc.

(Airdate: September 19, 2023) Maryanne interviews Port Townsend Police Chief Thomas Olson. This is the Chief’s second year on the job and basically his first non-pandemic summer. Crowds of tourists and locals jammed our summertime events. But despite the numbers, everyone was basically well-behaved. Chief Olson views his officers as community partners. He’s a firm believer in using a “navigator” – a mental health professional – on calls involving someone in crisis. Crime and drugs are a problem here too, but perhaps not on the scale as many other cities. In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd (and others), police departments everywhere are rethinking their role. Olson is determined that somehow the Port Townsend police team will embrace successful strategies that are both non-violent and progressive.

(Airdate: September 5, 2023) Maryanne interviews Danielle McClelland, Executive Director of the Port Townsend Film Festival. Dani’s family moved to Bellevue when she was a teen. After graduation from Lewis & Clark she became a chef who was also a passionate political activist. She wanted to “blend political activism with artistic expression.”  She managed that — largely by running a historic theater in Indiana for close to 20 years. She left that just before the pandemic hit. She knew and loved Port Townsend and always wanted to move here. Her parents had retired here in the 1990s. In fact, after their deaths Dani and her brother inherited their house in PT. When she spotted an ad for the PT Film Fest she was thrilled to apply and ultimately land the position. Dani was here for the 2022 season but it was not running at full speed. This year’s festival should hopefully usher in full houses and fabulous films.