BUSINESS MEETINGS this week (all these meetings are open to the public):
■ Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon in the second-floor meeting room of the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St.
This Monday’s featured speaker will be Jeff Robb, executive director of the Port of Port Angeles.
Business of the Month and Beautification Award honors also will be announced.
Luncheon tickets are $13 and can be purchased at the front door.
■ Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce— Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
This Monday’s featured speaker will be Sam Gibboney, Port Townsend Food Co-op board president.
The meeting sponsor will be Connie Segal Natural Skin Care.
Lunch will be served by Jordini’s.
■ Forks Chamber of Commerce — Luncheon meetings are Wednesdays at noon at JT’s Sweet Stuffs, 80 N. Forks Ave.
This Wednesday’s program includes a business meeting for chamber members.
Lunch costs $8; a bowl of soup, $4.75; and a cup of soup, $4. The entree will be steelhead nibbles.
■ Port Angeles Business Association — Breakfast meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive, Port Angeles.
The three Clallam County commissioners — Mike Chapman, Mike Doherty and Jim McEntire — will be the featured speakers this Tuesday.
There is a $2.16 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those who do not order breakfast.
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Cake-maker wins top-three finish in KING5 contest
SEQUIM — That Takes the Cake, which makes wedding cakes and cupcakes and offers cake-making courses, recently finished third in KING5-TV’s “Evening Magazine” Best of Western Washington contest for best wedding cakes.
Owners Sue and Paul Boucher have had several top 10 finishes in the past decade, but this is the first time That Takes the Cake finished in the top five.
A total of 91 professional bakers were nominated.
That Takes the Cake will celebrate its first anniversary of the opening of its Sequim storefront, 171 W. Washington St., on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
A community celebration is planned for early March to coincide with its 2012 ribbon-cutting ceremony date.
Winter hours for That Takes the Cake are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
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First Fed thank-you
PORT ANGELES — Customer Appreciation Day is set for Friday at all First Federal branches.
Each branch will have home-baked refreshments and prizes throughout the day.
First Federal operates branches in Port Angeles, Forks, Sequim and Port Townsend, with lending centers in Poulsbo and Bellingham.
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Small-farms expo
BREMERTON — Farming, rural living, local food and sustainable lifestyles will be the focus at the annual West Sound Small Farms Expo at Olympic College’s Bremerton campus, 1600 Chester Ave., this coming Saturday.
Workshop topics for this year focus on sustainable and rural living skills, and include building a successful farming business, pasture management, growing flowers for profit, selecting hay and forage, seasonal eating and basic veterinary care.
The keynote address will be given by Linda Neunzig, owner of Ninety Farms and Snohomish County agricultural coordinator.
Neunzig also coordinates the annual Focus on Farming Conference.
Cost is $45 per person, $80 per couple, $15 for students or interns and free for Future Farmers of America and 4-H members.
Registration includes lunch. To register, visit tinyurl.com/SmallFarmsExpo.
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HeartMath training
PORT ANGELES — Kristin Halberg, life coach and owner of KIC Coaching and co-founder of “Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula,” successfully completed her HeartMath 1:1 provider training and is now a licensed HeartMath provider.
“The HeartMath system teaches simple tools and techniques that give my clients — and me — greater ability to minimize stress, anxiety and frustration, and expand intuition and higher cortical functioning,” Halberg said.
For more information, visit www.kiccoaching.com, join her at Bella Rosa Coffee House every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. for Seeds of Vitality, email kristin@kiccoaching.com or phone 425-343-2374.
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Serenity House board
PORT ANGELES — The Serenity House of Clallam County board of directors has elected Christopher Melly as vice president, the Rev. J. Scott Schaefer as treasurer and Jennifer Parker as recording secretary.
Brando Blore continues as president, with Patsy Feeley as secretary.
Carolyn McGinty of Sequim was honored at the board’s annual meeting for outstanding volunteer support of the agency’s drive to end homelessness in Clallam County.
Samantha Conlin and Makenzie Dills were recognized as “exemplary peer volunteers” at Serenity House’s Dream Center.
Receiving 2012 Sally Garnero Memorial Awards for volunteer work at Serenity House thrift stores:
■ Jack Rockwell, the Port Angeles Serenity Store’s “Mr. Fix-it” who “keeps things working and makes donated items saleable, always with a positive attitude.”
■ Aleta Smith, who “willingly does whatever needs doing at the Sequim Serenity Store, receiving donations, sorting, displaying, selling and cleaning, with a smile.”
For more information on Serenity House, phone 360-452-7224 or email serenity@olypen.com.
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New staffer, site
PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Culinary Loop has hired Steve Shively as its new membership services director and launched a new website at olympicculinaryloop.com “designed for passionate foodies from the ground up.”
Shively is transitioning from a founding board member with the Olympic Culinary Loop to a contracted staff position.
He brings more than 25 years of commitment to offering authentic recreational opportunities, including a passion for local food.
The OCL was created in 2009 and exists to define, promote and celebrate the Olympic Peninsula’s unique culinary experience.
Its membership includes restaurants and related businesses in Clallam, Jefferson, Mason and Grays Harbor counties.
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Recertification for McFarland
PORT TOWNSEND — Forensic handwriting and document examiner Hannah McFarland has been recertified by the National Association of Document Examiners.
She works on cases, mostly for litigation, in which there is an issue regarding who wrote something, often focusing on signatures.
McFarland, a sole proprietor, is located in Port Townsend but works on cases throughout the Pacific Northwest.
She has testified in court as an expert witness more than 50 times
McFarland was first certified by NADE in 2002 and was recertified in 2007 and 2012.
She serves on the executive board of NADE as secretary. For more information, visit McFarland’s website at www.writeexam.com.
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Wine deliveries
SEQUIM — Sofie’s Florist Inc., 359 W. Washington St., has obtained a state liquor license and is now offering delivery of North Olympic Peninsula wine, with plans to add locally produced beer.
Wines from Port Angeles’ Harbinger Winery and Sequim’s Wind Rose Cellars currently are available.
Orders can be made in person, by phone at 360-683-7949 or 800-477-7949, or online at www.sofiesfloral.com.
The local delivery area ranges from Sequim to Joyce, but delivery services can be provided across the North Olympic Peninsula.
Those receiving alcoholic orders must provide proof they are older than 21.
Sofie’s is owned by Kory Hitt.
For more information, phone the shop or email sofiesfloral@msn.com.
