THE ISLAND WANDERER | Exploring Bainbridge Island and Beyond

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Local Pickle-ballers Mull Creative Ways to Add to Courts to the Mix December 3, 2022 by Kevin Dwyer Posted in: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island, DestinationBainbridgeIsland, Living on B.I., Parks & Recreation, Visit Bainbridge, Visiting B.I. - Talk about an ironic twist of fate. Bainbridge Island pickle-ballers find themselves in - well - a bit of a pickle. They have too many active players and not enough courts for them all to play on. The game that was invented on the island by three dads and their families one summer in 1965, is now an international phenomenon, with more than 4 million people playing it internationally, including celebrities and mom's in tennis shoes. Pickleball didn't really take off on its home turf until around 2016 when a handful of locals began to play. Since then it has grown exponentially to the point where there are more than 450 to 500 active islanders regularly playing, and not always enough time and space for them to play. If you followed the arch of the game's evolution on the island, you know that Bainbridge pickleball supporters raised a bunch of private money a few years back to help the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District (BIMPRD) build the Founders Courts in 2021 at Battle Point Park. The six courts, plus the nearby grand entry… Continue Reading

Bainbridge Ballet – Teaching the Creative Passion of Dance – 2022 Nutcracker Performance November 30, 2022 by Margaret Millmore Posted in: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island, DestinationBainbridgeIsland, Events, Living on B.I., People, Arts, Culture, Music, Food and Wine, Visit Bainbridge, Visiting B.I. - BAINBRIDGE BALLET'S 18TH ANNUAL “THE NUTCRACKER” Where: Bainbridge High School - 9330 High School Rd NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 When: December 16th through December 20th Bainbridge Ballet's 18th Annual The Nutcracker Tickets in Bainbridge Island, WA, United States (ticketleap.com) For long-time islander Sara Cramer, learning to dance as a very young girl spurred a lifelong love of ballet. Her first ballet teacher had trained with Russian Ballet dancers who had defected to the United States; one was Mikhail Mordkin, a former dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, and a forerunner of the American Ballet Theatre. While taking ballet classes in Portland, Oregon where she grew up, she frequently attended performances by New York City and American Ballet Theater groups. Although she pursued a professional career in dance, it didn’t last long, as she noted, “I grew up in an era when there were not many mixed-race dancers in American ballet companies.” She recalls her teacher telling her mother that if she wanted to pursue a professional career, she would need to go to Europe or Asia. Instead, her parents encouraged her to go to college,… Continue Reading

First Friday Art Walk – December 2, 2022 November 29, 2022 by Margaret Millmore and Kevin Dwyer Posted in: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island, DestinationBainbridgeIsland, Events, Living on B.I., People, Arts, Culture, Music, Food and Wine, Visit Bainbridge, Visiting B.I. - Winslow Way and surrounding area, Downtown Bainbridge Island First Friday of every month, 6 to 8 PM Spend an evening experiencing all that downtown Bainbridge has to offer. Many galleries, shops and businesses will be participating this month showcasing the art of our talented creative community. Afterwards, stop by one of our many restaurants for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, or dinner. Enjoy an evening with a stroll through downtown visiting your favorite businesses and restaurants, shopping for gifts or items for yourself and your home. The walk begins on Winslow Way (near the ferry terminal) from 6PM to 8PM, see below for a taste of what some of our local businesses are doing: Jeffrey Moose Gallery is proud to announce an exhibition of work by two women, Jennifer Angaiak Wood and Lea Basile-Lazarus, for the month December. Wood, part Yup’ik Native from Alaska’s Central Coast, will show a combination of paintings and carvings reflecting her indigenous heritage. Leah Basile-Lazarus, originally from Illinois where she received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will show a combination of mono prints and paper pulp… Continue Reading

Join the Bainbridge Public Library for the December 2022 First Friday Art Walk, featuring artist CR Rousseau. November 28, 2022 by Margaret Millmore Posted in: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island, DestinationBainbridgeIsland, Events, Living on B.I., People, Arts, Culture, Music, Food and Wine, Visit Bainbridge, Visiting B.I. - The Bainbridge Public Library is dedicated to spreading the joy of reading and the discovery of ideas with not just our local community, but with visitors from near and afar. In addition, the library is fortunate to house beautiful local works of art both inside and outside the building. Each month the library celebrates a local artist (or artists) with an exhibit, which opens monthly on the Island’s First Friday Art Walk tour, and includes a reception hosted by the featured artist. The Bainbridge Public Library is proud to present an exhibit by artist Caroline “CR” Rousseau Caroline “CR” Rousseau will host a “meet and greet” from 5pm-7pm on Friday, December 2nd to open her new exhibit, "Reading Between the Lines: A Collection of Random Works” for First Friday Art Walk Caroline “CR” Rousseau has always been a painter. She remembers receiving her first paint brushes at age four from her grandmother, her first collector. While largely self-taught, Caroline studied art in various different forums with other artists in the US and Europe and at university. She attributes most of her training to observing light,… Continue Reading

Are you a Aspiring Author? Learn more about it at OfficeXpats’ Writers Night This Thursday November 27, 2022 by Kevin Dwyer Posted in: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island, Businesses and Community Resources, Events, Living on B.I., People, Arts, Culture, Music, Food and Wine - Bainbridge Island is something of a writers and authors enclave. By some estimates there are more than 100 published authors who call 98110 their home zip code. Among the more famous are David Guterson (“Snow Falling on Cedars”), Kristin Hannah (“The Four Winds”), Rebecca Wells (“Ya Ya Sisterhood” series), and Susan Wiggs (“The Lakeshore Chronicles” and many others). Go to any coffee shop on the island and you just might be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brian Herbert, who’s penned more than 40-plus titles, including follow-ups to his Dad’s “Dune” series. And, yes, Frank Herbert, once lived on the island, too. And now, OfficeXpats (https://www.officexpats.com/events/), the co-working center located on the second floor of The Pavilion on Madison Avenue, is offering an opportunity for writers, would-be writers, and readers to learn more about the publishing biz and meet some lesser known, but no less hard working Bainbridge authors at its first-ever Books and Authors Holiday Event, from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 1. Enjoy cookies, snacks, and hot drinks, along with a few short presentations as well as time to browse and chat.… Continue Reading

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