Features & Stories

by Evie Maxwell Here is a conversation about the future of Port Ludlow’s cascading waterfalls, the ownership of the land around the Falls, and how development plans for that land might impact the community. The Falls, as most of you know, refers to the waterfalls found on the western side of the Resort at Port Ludlow. As anyone who has visited the area will tell you, this is a spot of incredible natural beauty. A short loop trail, dotted with interpretive signs explaining the

by Donna Geer, Staff Writer Change is in the air. Can’t you feel it? Fall’s just around the corner, and while I’m sad to see the summer fade away, there’s excitement, too, of what the new season might bring. With every colorful leaf fluttering gently to the ground, another one drifts behind it, and another one after that. In fact, the trails around our neighborhoods are carpeted with those fragile leaves. Just like the seasons change, so does my time writing the Porch Talk se

by Kate Marshall, Artistic Director, Ludlow Village Player For 20 years, Ludlow Village Players, our local community theater, has been a welcoming environment – a place where shy kids found their voices, neighbors became castmates, and strangers became family under the comforting glare of stage lights. Now, as we approach our 20th season, we find ourselves in a moment of real transition, one that feels uncertain but full of possibility. When our theater first opened its doors

by Milt Lum On May 17, 1999, eight Makah men successfully completed a whale hunt from the Hummingbird, a traditional canoe built for this purpose. Twelve hours later, the whale was brought to the village of Neah Bay, where hundreds had gathered to assist in beaching the whale and celebrating the first successful hunt by the Makah nation in 70 years. Although it was a momentous occasion for the Makah, the hunt was opposed and decried by many who viewed the hunt as unnecessary

Looking for a farmers’ market close to your home? Hoping for fresh foods, fabulous art, specialty goods, and more in the Port Ludlow area? Look no further. Friday, June 5 will mark the opening of the all new Port Ludlow Farmers’ Market. With 20 vendors already signed up, the market will be open every Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m from June 5 through September 25. The location is the green space next to our small commercial area, and the vendors will be offering fresh fruit and

by Milt Lum, staff writer Once upon a time almost two centuries ago, there was a mansion in the woods. For a bright shining moment it heralded the period when Port Ludlow was the queen of the lumber ports. Back then there was a virgin forest of first growth Douglas Fir trees to be harvested, Yankee entrepreneurs with savvy and money to harvest the trees, and a period of global prosperity to market those trees. For its short existence, the mansion brought the world to the litt

By Nelson Rivers Those heroic words were the dying command and rallying cry of Captain James Lawrence, United States Navy, issued to Lt. Augustus Crommelin Ludlow on June 1, 1813. Lawrence was commanding officer during the USS Chesapeake’s fateful battle against HMS Shannon near Boston during the War of 1812. Now under the command of Lt. Ludlow, the Chesapeake fought on. But Ludlow’s command was short-lived. He was mortally wounded, succumbing to his injuries 12 days later at

The Beginning of a Lasting Partnership The roots of Chimacum’s long-standing connection to the Northwest Maritime Discovery Program (MDP) stretch back more than 20 years, beginning with a simple question: What if students could learn by doing, together, on the water? During the 2004–05 school year, Chimacum Middle School (CMS) teacher Robin Mills was exploring ways to bring more experiential learning into the seventh-grade curriculum. As part of fall teacher training, she too

by Milt Lum, staff writer He awoke to a cloudless sky and sunshine bathing his front lawn with a golden glow. The smell of fresh mown grass wafted through the open window on a soft breeze. It was May 30th, traditionally when the nearby lakes had thawed completely and the summer season began. Those halcyon days when he would get out his fishing gear and canoe and go looking for walleye and northerns were long gone. They disappeared fifteen years ago when a rocket-propelled gre

by Milt Lum, staff writer The constancy of the planetary movements during the earth’s daily rotation on its axis and its annual journey around the sun was codified by the observations of Copernicus and Galileo in the 16th century. Centuries earlier societies inhabiting the islands of the Pacific Ocean had developed a celestial navigational guide using these observations. This tradition became extinct due to technological advances until a part-Hawaiian expat, Herb Kawainui Kan

It’s becoming harder to ignore a quiet shift happening across Jefferson County: many of the people who grow our food, care for our seniors, and keep local businesses running can no longer afford to live where they work. Long commutes, seasonal housing, and constant uncertainty have become normal for workers who are essential to the fabric of this peninsula. One needs only to look at the stream of cars entering from Kitsap and Clallam counties every day to understand this grow