The Latest in PT
Spring into fun, fresh & fantastic events in Port Townsend this April
Spring is beckoning hibernating homebodies to come out and play, to breathe the warmer, fragrant air, and relish longer days. So pack your bags and come to Port Townsend for a springtime stay!
The 24th season of the Port Townsend Farmers Market opens April 2, 2016 at 9 am for a ribbon cutting by Port Townsend Mayor, Deborah Stinson, and Washington State Department of Agriculture Director, Derek Sandison.
Mr. Sandison will offer opening remarks followed by the annual goat parade through the market with adult and baby goats from Harmony’s Way Farm. The parade will include kids (both four-legged and two-legged) with their parents, and of course shoppers, all strolling through the market. Enjoy live music by Kristen and Otto Smith. Arran Stark from Jefferson Healthcare will provide a lively chef demo from 11 am to noon and the Port Townsend Public Library will host story time for kids of all ages starting at 10:30 am at the market.
The Port Townsend Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 9am to 2pm, located Uptown on Tyler St. between Lawrence and Clay. For more info, go to www.jcfmarkets.org.
Port Townsend has been nominated in USA TODAY’s latest 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest! Their expert panel selected Port Townsend as a contender for Best Coastal Small Town 2016, which launched earlier this week. The contest gives voters four weeks to vote for the candidate/town of their choice athttp://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-coastal-small-town-2016/port-townsend-wash/. You can vote once a day for the run of the contest.
Voting ends Monday, April 25, 2016 at 11:59 am EDT and the winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 12:00 pm EDT, then later on USA TODAY. So, if you love Port Townsend–and we certainly hope you do!–please vote for us every day! Thank you.
Key City Public Theatre presents PT Shorts Goes to China, Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 3 at 5:30 pm at Northwind Arts Center, 701 Water St. Stories by Yiyun Li take the armchair traveler and historian to China as Key City Public Theatre’s next PT Shorts program presents readings from Li’s books A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and Gold Boy, Emerald Girl.
Thelma and Louise meets The First Wives Club in Women In Jeopardy!, Wendy MacLeod’s fun and flirtatious new comedy opening at Key City Public Theatre on Friday, April 8, 2016 at 7:30 pm and running through May 1. Divorcees Mary and Jo are suspicious of their friend Liz’s new dentist boyfriend. He’s not just a weirdo; he may be a serial killer! After all, his hygienist just disappeared. Trading their wine glasses for spyglasses, imaginations run wild as the ladies try to discover the truth and save their friend in a hilarious off-road adventure.
Fresh off its 2015 World Premiere at the Geva Theater in Rochester, NY, Women In Jeopardy! “could be titled ‘Audience in Stitches’,” said Jack Garner of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, who added, “It’s one of the funniest nights of theatre I can recall.” Playwright Wendy MacLeod is known for her sidesplitting punch lines and comedic depth, and Women In Jeopardy! pokes fun at charity runs and outdoor enthusiasts, including a slacker snowboarder who wants to catch a “cougar.”
Visit www.keycitypublictheatre.org for more information and to book tickets.
The Port Townsend Film Festival presents Women & Film, Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10, 2016. Pass holders choose two feature films a day that will screen at the Rose and Rosebud Theatres. Passholders also attend a special screening of acclaimed cinematographer Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson.” Her screening is followed by a roundtable discussion of filmmaking, moderated by human rights poet Susan Rich.
Attending filmmakers include: Doria Bramante with her six-year-project, “The Refugees of Shangri-La” and Varda Bar-Kar with her funny documentary about a perfectionist high school choir director, “Big Voice.” Michelle Steffes will attend with her narrative film, “Driftwood,” about the search for love. Sara Hirsch Bordo attends with her film, “A Brave Heart, the Lizzie Velasquez Story.” Joining the panel is up-and-coming actress, Diana Elizabeth Torres, with her film “East Side Sushi.”
For a full list of films, schedule and to buy passes, see www.ptfilmfest.com or call 360-379-1333.
Centrum brings master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser with cellist Natalie Haas to Port Townsend on April 17, 2016 at 3:30 pm in the Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden. Fraser is known as a consummate performer. His dynamic fiddling, engaging stage presence, and deep understanding of Scotland’s music have created a constant and international demand for his solo appearances and concerts with a variety of ensembles. Haas is a graduate of the Julliard School and has toured and recorded extensively with Fraser. She has appeared on more than 50 albums.
Concert goers can expect to be transported across a broad musical spectrum, ranging from haunting laments from the Gaelic tradition to classically-styled airs, raucous dance tunes and improvisations based on traditional themes.
For more information, and to purchase tickets (which will go fast!), go towww.centrum.org or call 800.746.1982.
The American Association of University Women and University Women’s Foundation (AAUW/UWF) sponsors the 19th Annual Kitchen Tour, Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 10 am to 4 pm, showcasing eight kitchens that range from ultra-contemporary to cottage cozy. The kitchens’ quality reflects extensive collaboration with area architects, designers and craftspeople.
The self-guided tour begins at the Hospitality Center at 1111 Franklin St. where tickets can be purchased for $20. This is a great opportunity to explore Victorian Port Townsend and support AAUW’s funding of scholarships and education programs. For more information, go to www.aauwpt.org or access “Port Townsend Kitchen Tour” on Facebook.
Save the date for upcoming events in May:
May 8, 2016
- Mother’s Day Brunch at Fort Worden, www.fortworden.org
May 16-21, 2016
- 81st Annual Rhododendron Festival, www.rhodyfestival.org
May 22, 2016
- 38th Annual Jefferson Healthcare Rhody Run, www.rhodyrun.com
May 28, 2016
- 3rd Annual Artisan Food Festival, www.jcfmarkets.org
We look forward to seeing you in Port Townsend in April!
2016 Women & Film Festival: April 9-10
Five outstanding directors and a leading actress are attending, and will be on stage for Q&A.
“Women & Film,” the Port Townsend Film Festival’s annual Focus event, will be held Sat. and Sun., April 9-10. Eight feature films will screen during the day at the Rose and Rosebud Theatres, with a special event for all pass holders on Saturday night. Passes are on sale now.
“Until Hollywood recognizes the significant work of women film professionals, we’ll be showcasing their work in this festival,” said Janette Force, PTFF executive director. She spent three months curating films to select the final roster of films, two of the directly from Sundance 2016.
The Saturday night special event is a screening of lauded cinematographer Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson.” Johnson, whose work has taken her to Bosnia, Nigeria and Iraq, has made “a bold documentary that is both a transcendent overview of her professional life and a probing look into her own personal experiences….The way individuals, and societies, grapple with memories both buried and lost, stands at the heart of “Cameraperson”…(Johnson’s) ultimate role is not only that of the silent witness, but also the engaged participant and empathetic autobiographer,” says Variety.
A filmmakers’ roundtable follows moderated by human rights poet and film scholar, Susan Rich. Saturday night’s event will take place at the Wheeler Theatre, Fort Worden. Doors open at 6 p.m., screening begins at 7 p.m.
Avril Speaks, with over 18 years as a filmmaker, producer, director, writer and editor, joins us for the roundtable. After receiving her Masters degree in film directing from Columbia University, she was a full time professor at Howard University, Washington DC. She currently teaches film at California’s Azusa Pacific University and at Greenway Arts Alliance. She is the director of two award-winning feature films and has worked in development for Focus Features.
Other attending filmmakers who will be available for Q&A after their screenings and part of the roundtable discussion are Doria Bramante with her six-year-project, “The Refugees of Shangri-La” and Varda Bar-Kar with her funny documentary about a perfectionist high school choir director, “Big Voice.” Michelle Steffes will attend with her narrative film, “Driftwood,” about the search for love. Sara Hirsch Bordo attends with her film, “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story.” Joining the panel is up-and-coming actress, Diana Elizabeth Torres, with her film “East Side Sushi.” Torres was recipient of Mexico’s Celebrity Centre International Award for improving the arts in Latin American culture.
Passes are $75 each, include concierge service and give you the choice of four films. Several films include shorts. All passes include Saturday night’s special event at the Wheeler Theatre. For a schedule, film synopsis, filmmakers’ bios, and to buy passes, see www.ptfilmfest.com or call 360-379-1333.
2016 Port Townsend Farmers Market Now Open
Don’t miss the goat parade!
The opening day of the Port Townsend Saturday Farmers Market is only three Saturdays away on April 2nd, 2016. This year marks the 24th season on the Port Townsend Saturday Farmers Market. Washington State Department of Agriculture Director, Derek Sandison, and Port Townsend Mayor, Deborah Stinson, will officially open the market with a red ribbon cutting at 9 am.
The market’s annual goat parade will follow the ribbon cutting with baby and adult goats from Harmony’s Way Farm and live music by Otto and Kristen Smith. Chef Arran Stark of Jefferson Healthcare will provide a chef demo at the event featuring local, seasonal produce.
The Port Townsend Saturday Farmers Market will have about 70 vendors this year; over 20 produce, meat and dairy farms; three artisan cheese makers; four craft alcohol producers; and a wide selection of prepared artisan food and art and craft vendors. Some of the new farm and food businesses at the market this year include: PT Pops serving up popsicles with local fruit, Bainbridge Vineyard, Chimacum Valley Dairy, One Straw Ranch and E + M Seeds. New art and craft vendors include: Ivy Glass, Sol Food, the Chain Maker and Salt Creek Studios.
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