Keith Thorpe

Hot dog eating contestants, from left, Jericho Stuntz of Port Angeles, Lincoln Forrest of Port Angeles, Sebastian Gagnon of Port Angeles, Leo Chouinard of Waupaca, Wisc., Ian Bravender of Port Angeles and Rickie Sanchez of Portland, Ore., chow down on hot dogs during Thursday’s Independence Day contest at Port Angeles City Pier. Stantz won the contest by eating 8 1/2 hot dogs in 10 minutes, earning him a $10 cash card from Swain’s General Store. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Peninsula festivities on the Fourth

Hot dog eating contestants, from left, Jericho Stuntz of Port Angeles, Lincoln Forrest of Port Angeles, Sebastian Gagnon of Port Angeles, Leo Chouinard of Waupaca,… Continue reading

Hot dog eating contestants, from left, Jericho Stuntz of Port Angeles, Lincoln Forrest of Port Angeles, Sebastian Gagnon of Port Angeles, Leo Chouinard of Waupaca, Wisc., Ian Bravender of Port Angeles and Rickie Sanchez of Portland, Ore., chow down on hot dogs during Thursday’s Independence Day contest at Port Angeles City Pier. Stantz won the contest by eating 8 1/2 hot dogs in 10 minutes, earning him a $10 cash card from Swain’s General Store. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Marie Moran of Port Angeles looks over a selection of fireworks available at the TNT Fireworks stand operated by the Seattle International Christian Church in the parking lot of the Safeway store at 2709 E. Highway 101 near Port Angeles on Tuesday. In Clallam County, the discharge of consumer fireworks are allowed between 9 a.m. and midnight on Thursday for areas east of the Elwha River and at all times west of the Elwha. They are banned in the cities of Port Angeles and Sequim. In Jefferson county, fireworks are banned in the city of Port Townsend and allowed in most other areas with hours limited to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to midnight on Independence Day. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Celebration preparation

Marie Moran of Port Angeles looks over a selection of fireworks available at the TNT Fireworks stand operated by the Seattle International Christian Church in… Continue reading

Marie Moran of Port Angeles looks over a selection of fireworks available at the TNT Fireworks stand operated by the Seattle International Christian Church in the parking lot of the Safeway store at 2709 E. Highway 101 near Port Angeles on Tuesday. In Clallam County, the discharge of consumer fireworks are allowed between 9 a.m. and midnight on Thursday for areas east of the Elwha River and at all times west of the Elwha. They are banned in the cities of Port Angeles and Sequim. In Jefferson county, fireworks are banned in the city of Port Townsend and allowed in most other areas with hours limited to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to midnight on Independence Day. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
The cruise ship Crystal Serenity sits moored at Terminal 1 during a visit to Port Angeles on Saturday. Crystal Serenity is the first large cruise ship to visit Port Angeles since 2016. The 820-foot-long luxury vessel has a capacity of 740 passengers. The vessel continued to a port of call in Victoria on Sunday on its way to Vancouver, B.C.

Cruising through

The cruise ship Crystal Serenity sits moored at Terminal 1 during a visit to Port Angeles on Saturday. Crystal Serenity is the first large cruise… Continue reading

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
The cruise ship Crystal Serenity sits moored at Terminal 1 during a visit to Port Angeles on Saturday. Crystal Serenity is the first large cruise ship to visit Port Angeles since 2016. The 820-foot-long luxury vessel has a capacity of 740 passengers. The vessel continued to a port of call in Victoria on Sunday on its way to Vancouver, B.C.
David Cox of Port Angeles gives a plot of mixed plants a good dose of water on Friday at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles. The garden, part of the Washington State University Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden program, includes more than 50, 9-foot by 12-foot plots. The garden was developed on city property in 2011 with the goal of connecting people to the earth and their community through growing food. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Community garden

David Cox of Port Angeles gives a plot of mixed plants a good dose of water on Friday at the Fifth Street Community Garden in… Continue reading

David Cox of Port Angeles gives a plot of mixed plants a good dose of water on Friday at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles. The garden, part of the Washington State University Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden program, includes more than 50, 9-foot by 12-foot plots. The garden was developed on city property in 2011 with the goal of connecting people to the earth and their community through growing food. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
The Rite Aid store at 1940 E. First Street in Port Angeles Plaza will soon close due to corporate downsizing. The Rite Aid on South Lincoln Street in Port Angeles and the Sequim store at Fifth and Washington streets will remain open. Rite Aid declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October and has closed more than 500 stores nationwide, citing a need to “further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance.” (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Port Angeles Rite Aid closing

The Rite Aid store at 1940 E. First Street in Port Angeles Plaza will soon close due to corporate downsizing. The Rite Aid on South… Continue reading

The Rite Aid store at 1940 E. First Street in Port Angeles Plaza will soon close due to corporate downsizing. The Rite Aid on South Lincoln Street in Port Angeles and the Sequim store at Fifth and Washington streets will remain open. Rite Aid declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October and has closed more than 500 stores nationwide, citing a need to “further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance.” (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Lydia Madruga, left, and Judy Perry, both of Port Angeles, examine plants and flowers in the backyard garden of Lorenzo Portelli and Darlenme Sabo, a stop on Saturday’s Petals and Pathways garden tour. The event, hosted by the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County, showcased a collection of private and public gardens in Port Angeles and served as a fundraiser for the Woodcock Demonstration Garden near Agnew and Master Gardener plots at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles, as well as community outreach and education programs. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Garden tour

Lydia Madruga, left, and Judy Perry, both of Port Angeles, examine plants and flowers in the backyard garden of Lorenzo Portelli and Darlenme Sabo, a… Continue reading

Lydia Madruga, left, and Judy Perry, both of Port Angeles, examine plants and flowers in the backyard garden of Lorenzo Portelli and Darlenme Sabo, a stop on Saturday’s Petals and Pathways garden tour. The event, hosted by the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County, showcased a collection of private and public gardens in Port Angeles and served as a fundraiser for the Woodcock Demonstration Garden near Agnew and Master Gardener plots at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles, as well as community outreach and education programs. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Joshua Percival of the Washington State Emergency Management Agency at Camp Murray installs a communications antenna on the recently replaced tsunami alert siren near Port Angeles Boat Haven on Friday in preparation for bringing a second siren into the downtown area online. The original siren at the same location was destroyed when an automobile struck the pole in April 2023, sending the siren crashing to the ground. The unit supplements a siren at First and Lincoln streets, covering the central Port Angeles area. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Siren replaced

Joshua Percival of the Washington State Emergency Management Agency at Camp Murray installs a communications antenna on the recently replaced tsunami alert siren near Port… Continue reading

Joshua Percival of the Washington State Emergency Management Agency at Camp Murray installs a communications antenna on the recently replaced tsunami alert siren near Port Angeles Boat Haven on Friday in preparation for bringing a second siren into the downtown area online. The original siren at the same location was destroyed when an automobile struck the pole in April 2023, sending the siren crashing to the ground. The unit supplements a siren at First and Lincoln streets, covering the central Port Angeles area. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Abby Counts, 8, with assistance from her father, Taylor Counts, an EMT with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, gives a newly acquired tender truck a ceremonial wash down during a push-in ceremony on Saturday at the district’s Station 22. The truck, tender 22, cost $459,439 and was paid for by the fire district’s 2020 levy lid lift. Saturday’s ceremony also included a blessing by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and a “push-in” of the truck into its berth. The tender replaces a 31-year-old truck that had reached the end of its useful life. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

New tender

Abby Counts, 8, with assistance from her father, Taylor Counts, an EMT with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, gives a newly acquired tender truck a ceremonial wash… Continue reading

Abby Counts, 8, with assistance from her father, Taylor Counts, an EMT with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, gives a newly acquired tender truck a ceremonial wash down during a push-in ceremony on Saturday at the district’s Station 22. The truck, tender 22, cost $459,439 and was paid for by the fire district’s 2020 levy lid lift. Saturday’s ceremony also included a blessing by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and a “push-in” of the truck into its berth. The tender replaces a 31-year-old truck that had reached the end of its useful life. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Matt Larson of Sequim, who uses the radio call sign KC7EQO, tunes into a ham radio satellite during Saturday’s Radio Field Day at the Clallam County Fairgrounds in Port Angeles. The annual event, hosted by the Clallam County Amateur Radio Club, brought together amateur radio operators from around the world in a contest to make as many radio contacts as possible in a 24-hour period as a test of emergency preparedness from remote locations. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Testing the system

Matt Larson of Sequim, who uses the radio call sign KC7EQO, tunes into a ham radio satellite during Saturday’s Radio Field Day at the Clallam… Continue reading

Matt Larson of Sequim, who uses the radio call sign KC7EQO, tunes into a ham radio satellite during Saturday’s Radio Field Day at the Clallam County Fairgrounds in Port Angeles. The annual event, hosted by the Clallam County Amateur Radio Club, brought together amateur radio operators from around the world in a contest to make as many radio contacts as possible in a 24-hour period as a test of emergency preparedness from remote locations. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Clallam County Sheriff Brian King, right, carries a ceremonial torch with Special Olympian William Sirguy, center, accompanied by his mother, Katie Sirguy, during Friday’s Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run along the Waterfront Trail in Port Angeles. The event, designed to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement, brought together law enforcement officers from Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties for a march across the North Olympic Peninsula. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Torch run

Clallam County Sheriff Brian King, right, carries a ceremonial torch with Special Olympian William Sirguy, center, accompanied by his mother, Katie Sirguy, during Friday’s Special… Continue reading

Clallam County Sheriff Brian King, right, carries a ceremonial torch with Special Olympian William Sirguy, center, accompanied by his mother, Katie Sirguy, during Friday’s Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run along the Waterfront Trail in Port Angeles. The event, designed to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement, brought together law enforcement officers from Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties for a march across the North Olympic Peninsula. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Elora Wilson, 10, and her mother, Eria Wilson of Sequim, create solstice crowns to wear on their heads at a craft table in Webster’s Woods Sculpture Park at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center during Saturday’s Summertide Solstice Art Festival. The event featured music entertainment, poetry reading, crafts, food and games as a celebration of the upcoming beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Summertide festival

Elora Wilson, 10, and her mother, Eria Wilson of Sequim, create solstice crowns to wear on their heads at a craft table in Webster’s Woods… Continue reading

Elora Wilson, 10, and her mother, Eria Wilson of Sequim, create solstice crowns to wear on their heads at a craft table in Webster’s Woods Sculpture Park at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center during Saturday’s Summertide Solstice Art Festival. The event featured music entertainment, poetry reading, crafts, food and games as a celebration of the upcoming beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Three-year-old Archie Hanson takes a spin on a merry-go-round pushed by his mother, Justine Hanson of Port Angeles, with sister Arlene Hanson 7 months, during Sunday's grand reopening of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles. The playground was rebuilt earlier this month by volunteers after an arson fire destroyed much of the playground equipment in December. Although there are still details to attend to and minor adjustments to be made, the facility will be open daily from dawn until dusk.

Grand reopening at Dream Playground

Three-year-old Archie Hanson takes a spin on a merry-go-round pushed by his mother, Justine Hanson of Port Angeles, with sister Arlene Hanson 7 months, during… Continue reading

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Three-year-old Archie Hanson takes a spin on a merry-go-round pushed by his mother, Justine Hanson of Port Angeles, with sister Arlene Hanson 7 months, during Sunday's grand reopening of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles. The playground was rebuilt earlier this month by volunteers after an arson fire destroyed much of the playground equipment in December. Although there are still details to attend to and minor adjustments to be made, the facility will be open daily from dawn until dusk.
Jason Minnoch, left, and Jim deBord move a set of musical chimes as Al Oman and Jo Johnston look on during preparations on Wednesday for Sunday’s playground opening of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles. The playground, rebuilt by volunteers in May after much of it was destroyed by arson in December, will host an official reopening and dedication ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Reopening ceremony Sunday

Jason Minnoch, left, and Jim deBord move a set of musical chimes as Al Oman and Jo Johnston look on during preparations on Wednesday for… Continue reading

Jason Minnoch, left, and Jim deBord move a set of musical chimes as Al Oman and Jo Johnston look on during preparations on Wednesday for Sunday’s playground opening of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles. The playground, rebuilt by volunteers in May after much of it was destroyed by arson in December, will host an official reopening and dedication ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Spectators watch a U.S. Coast Guard rescue drill in Port Angeles Harbor during Saturday’s Maritime Festival along the Port Angeles waterfront. The two-day event, hosted by the Port of Port Angeles, served as a showcase for boating and the maritime trades. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Rescue drill at Maritime Festival

Spectators watch a U.S. Coast Guard rescue drill in Port Angeles Harbor during Saturday’s Maritime Festival along the Port Angeles waterfront. The two-day event, hosted… Continue reading

Spectators watch a U.S. Coast Guard rescue drill in Port Angeles Harbor during Saturday’s Maritime Festival along the Port Angeles waterfront. The two-day event, hosted by the Port of Port Angeles, served as a showcase for boating and the maritime trades. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Artist Christopher Keywood of San Diego creates a mermaid mural on the north side of HarborTowne Mall in downtown Port Angeles on Thursday. Keywood, along with the mall's owner, decided that the blank wall deserved a decoration visible from The Gateway transit center and nearby North Lincoln Street. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

A mermaid’s touch

Artist Christopher Keywood of San Diego creates a mermaid mural on the north side of HarborTowne Mall in downtown Port Angeles on Thursday. Keywood, along… Continue reading

Artist Christopher Keywood of San Diego creates a mermaid mural on the north side of HarborTowne Mall in downtown Port Angeles on Thursday. Keywood, along with the mall's owner, decided that the blank wall deserved a decoration visible from The Gateway transit center and nearby North Lincoln Street. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
A work crew from the Texas-based ForeverLawn rolls up a piece of cut playground surface in the parking lot of Erickson Playfield in preparation for installation at the nearby Dream Playground in Port Angeles. The crew was contracted to install the padded play area after a five-day community build last week to replace portions of the playground that were destroyed by arson in December. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

New play surface

A work crew from the Texas-based ForeverLawn rolls up a piece of cut playground surface in the parking lot of Erickson Playfield in preparation for… Continue reading

A work crew from the Texas-based ForeverLawn rolls up a piece of cut playground surface in the parking lot of Erickson Playfield in preparation for installation at the nearby Dream Playground in Port Angeles. The crew was contracted to install the padded play area after a five-day community build last week to replace portions of the playground that were destroyed by arson in December. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Rebecca Roudman, right, and Colin Williams of the San Francisco Bay area-based Renegade Orchestra take the stage at Field Arts & Events Hall, a Saturday venue of the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Hitting the right notes

Rebecca Roudman, right, and Colin Williams of the San Francisco Bay area-based Renegade Orchestra take the stage at Field Arts & Events Hall, a Saturday… Continue reading

Rebecca Roudman, right, and Colin Williams of the San Francisco Bay area-based Renegade Orchestra take the stage at Field Arts & Events Hall, a Saturday venue of the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Volunteers work to construct the main play structure of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles on Sunday, the last day of a five-day community build to replace play equipment destroyed by arson in December. The playground, built entirely with donated labor, will be substantially complete with primarily detail work and play surface installation still to come. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Finishing touches

Volunteers work to construct the main play structure of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles on Sunday, the last day of a… Continue reading

Volunteers work to construct the main play structure of the Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield in Port Angeles on Sunday, the last day of a five-day community build to replace play equipment destroyed by arson in December. The playground, built entirely with donated labor, will be substantially complete with primarily detail work and play surface installation still to come. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Port Angeles Fire Department community paramedic Brian Gerdes flips pancakes during Saturday’s annual breakfast on Saturday at the fire hall. The event, hosted by the fire department and auxiliary, was a fundraiser for department scholarships and relief baskets. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Pancake fundraiser in Port Angeles

Port Angeles Fire Department community paramedic Brian Gerdes flips pancakes during Saturday’s annual breakfast on Saturday at the fire hall. The event, hosted by the… Continue reading

Port Angeles Fire Department community paramedic Brian Gerdes flips pancakes during Saturday’s annual breakfast on Saturday at the fire hall. The event, hosted by the fire department and auxiliary, was a fundraiser for department scholarships and relief baskets. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Katie Lee of Port Angeles examines a table of perennial plants during Saturday’s annual plant sale and raffle at the floral barn at the Clallam County Fairgrounds in Port Angeles. The sale, hosted by the Port Angeles Garden Club, was a fundraiser for club projects and scholarships, and it featured a wide variety of plants for the upcoming growing season and beyond. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

Plant sale at Clallam County Fairgrounds

Katie Lee of Port Angeles examines a table of perennial plants during Saturday’s annual plant sale and raffle at the floral barn at the Clallam… Continue reading

Katie Lee of Port Angeles examines a table of perennial plants during Saturday’s annual plant sale and raffle at the floral barn at the Clallam County Fairgrounds in Port Angeles. The sale, hosted by the Port Angeles Garden Club, was a fundraiser for club projects and scholarships, and it featured a wide variety of plants for the upcoming growing season and beyond. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)