NEWS BRIEFS: Port Angeles School Board to eye contracts in special meeting today . . . and other items

PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles School Board will be asked to approve new teaching and staff contracts, and to approve items for surplus, at a special meeting at 7 p.m. today at the Central Services Building, 216 E. Fourth St.

Several new teachers and staff member contracts will be considered, along with extra duty contracts for teachers who coach teams or are club advisors, or for teachers’ new national board certifications.

The board also will be asked to approve a list of items to be declared as surplus, primarily outdated or broken computers, printers and other technology.

Musical showcase

SEQUIM — The musical theater performers of the near future will dance, sing and sashay onto two stages this Friday.

Fourteen youngsters from Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles, all students in the summer Teen Musical Theater Intensive at the Dungeness Schoolhouse, will appear in a musical showcase, said intensive instructor Linda Dowdell of Sequim.

The first performance will start at 11 a.m. Friday at the Dungeness Schoolhouse, 2761 Towne Road; another performance is set for 3 p.m. at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave. Both are free to the public.

The teenagers have devoted the past two weeks to studying music, dance, acting and stage skills with Dowdell, a pianist, arranger and composer; Broadway actress and singer Elinore O’Connell; and dancer Annuel Preston of Seattle.

Assisting the staff are Elizabeth Helwick of Port Angeles and Jessica Reid of Port Townsend.

For more about the program, see www.teenintensive.com.

Winter veggies

SEQUIM — The Master Gardeners will offer tips on growing winter vegetables on the Olympic Peninsula at the Master Gardeners’ Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The workshop begins with information to prepare gardens for winter crops.

Topics such as optimizing drainage and adding soil amendments will be discussed to increase the health and vigor of plants.

The next part of the workshop includes a seeding, planting and harvesting schedule for winter vegetables that thrive in Olympic Peninsula winters.

The workshop concludes with tips on optimizing temperatures within garden beds, managing pests and diseases, and the benefits of cover cropping.

The cost of the workshop is $10 per person.

Attendees will be provided with several handouts to take home to reference during the winter growing season.

To register, contact the WSU Extension office at 360-565-2679.

Class size is limited.

Book discussion

SEQUIM — The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin will be discussed at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8.

From an Amazon.com review: “A bizarre chain of events begins when 16 unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will.

“And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger — and a possible murderer — to inherit his vast fortune, one thing’s for sure: Sam Westing may be dead, but that won’t stop him from playing one last game.”

Copies of The Westing Game are available at the library in various formats, including regular print and audiobook on CD.

They can be requested online by visiting the library catalog at www.nols.org.

All are welcome to drop in and participate.

Salmon bake set

SEQUIM — The Sequim Noon Rotary’s 47th annual Salmon Bake & BBQ will take place at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.

“Rotarian Vicky Blakesley is in charge of the event this year,” Rotary Club President Joe Irvin said.

“Vicky and her helpers have done a wonderful job planning an afternoon of fun with good food, live music, exciting raffles and interesting exhibits.

“Adults will have the choice of either a succulent alder-fired wild salmon or a juicy pulled pork plate for just $16 with purchase of a presale ticket and $18 at the door,” Irvin added.

Adult meals include baked beans, cole slaw, a roll and an ice-cream cup and drink.

A jumbo all-beef hot dog and a drink will be available for children younger than 12 for $5.

Tickets are available from Noon Rotary Club members, at ticket booths or at the door.

Live music will be performed:

■ Noon to 2:15 p.m.: Porto Alegre, a Latin and Swing band

■ 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Dukes of Dabob, a combo that features Dixieland jazz and swing

All proceeds benefit Sequim children, local charities and Sequim Rotary projects.

The public is invited.

For more information, visit www.sequimrotary.org.

PA club gives Ruby Award to volunteer

PORT ANGELES — The Soroptimist International of Port Angeles Noon Club recently selected Reath Ellefson as its Ruby Award winner for 2015.

The award honors women who through their professional and personal efforts are making extraordinary differences in the lives of women and girls.

Ellefson is a longtime member of the Port Angeles community, and she has volunteered her services in many different areas.

She is the founder of the Queen of Angels community Thanksgiving dinner, which began in 2007 and has grown substantially over the past seven years.

Ellefson also received a Clallam County Community Service Award for 2015 from the Peninsula Daily News.

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