(Airdate: 10/6/2020) Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Mike Howell, owner of Howell’s Sandwich Shop in downtown Port Townsend. Mike opened his eatery only two years ago. Business took off rapidly – his first two years were stellar. Sure, a major winter storm blew out his windows the first year. But that was nothing compared to coping with Covid. With limited seating and hours he’s struggling to stay afloat. Howell’s only has about 1,000 square feet. Mike’s fortunate that he has a deck with a dynamite view. But now that winter is coming on, that asset might not help that much. His first two years were heaven and now he’s facing hell. He calls it “purgatory” and hopes to climb out soon. Here’s another small home town businessman that we all need to help support. The show is scheduled to air on Tuesday, October 6, and Sunday, October 11.

(Airdate: 9/22/2020) LOIS VENARCHICK: ARTISTIC DREAMS WOBBLING. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Lois Venarchick, owner of the Wynwoods Gallery and Bead Studio on Water Street. Lois is a jeweler and an artist. She has also owned her own shop since the early 1980s. Business has had its ups and downs over the years. But nothing like this. The gallery and shop were closed from early March until June. That meant zero revenue. But she still had bills to pay, like everyone else. She’s open now. But, of course, on only 30% of her previous hours with restricted numbers of customers allowed in at any one time.. Will her business survive? She sure hopes so and she’s a fighter. We are all rooting for her and for all of the other small businesses in Port Townsend. They are the life blood of this town. The show is scheduled to run on Tuesday, September 22, and Sunday, September 27.

(Airdate: September 8, 2020) HOME ALONE FOR PTHS CLASS OF 2021. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Melanie Bakin & Soso (Sorina) Johnston, members of the Port Townsend class of 2021. This year will be an unusual, if not surreal, experience. Due to the coronavirus, there will be no in-classroom learning first semester. Melanie will be returning full-time to PTHS. She loves the teachers and she loves the school. Upon reflection, Soso is taking a different path. Even though she was student body president during her junior year and was elected senior class president this year, she’s decided not to return full-time. She is going to be taking advantage of Running Start, which is a joint program between Peninsula College and the high school. Both students have their reasons. It is a daunting prospect to be learning entirely at a distance. High school will definitely not be as much fun! It will take real grit to buckle down in front of your computer day after day.

(Airdate: July 28, 2020) FROM DISTILLED SPIRITS TO SANITIZER. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Jake Soule, owner of Admiralty Distillers. Jake grew up in Calgary, Canada, which is better known for cowboys than sailors. But he fell in love with sailing and ended up on the crew of a tall ship. To help pay the bills he became a skilled carpenter and all-round construction guy. That led to Port Townsend’s own Wooden Boat School. Jake also loves spirits and he soon realized that the town lacked its own craft distillery. After considerable study and a pass through the regulatory maze, he opened Admiralty Distillers. But that business, like every business around, was slammed by the COVID virus. However, Jake realized he could help the community. He turned his still into a hand sanitizer production facility. Admiralty’s sanitizer is playing a crucial role in community safety.

(Airdate: July 14, 2020) GARDENING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Jose Borrayo, owner of the Port Townsend Garden Center. Jose has never been afraid of getting his hands dirty. He literally worked his way up from the bottom: maintenance man, cashier, manager and ultimately owner of the garden center. This determined young entrepreneur decided to create a bright and secure future for his family – wife Jillian and three small children. Along the way he’s mastered the names and properties of thousands of plants, fertilizers and insect sprays. If you have a gardening question, Jose’s your man. Gardening has become even more of a passion during the COVID lockdown. Novice gardeners are joining the ranks of our passionate gardeners. Jose and his team are helping with this green revolution.

(Airdate: June 30, 2020) NO HANDS ON IN THE TIME OF COVID. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews massage therapist, Kelly Barlow, owner of one of the many local businesses that was forced to shut down during the COVID-19 crisis. Kelly had zero income for almost three months. She spent down her savings and tried (mostly without success) to find her way through the thicket of regulations to get federal or state aid. She’s now back with a very limited and thoroughly sanitized operation. By definition, massage is a hands-on profession. So Kelly’s also begun studying to expand her skill set. She was once in the catering business. Now she’s taking courses in nutrition, planning perhaps for a career expansion into nutritional consulting.

(First airdate: March 24, 2020) JEFFERSON HEALTHCARE’S FUTURE. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Mike Glenn, CEO of Jefferson Healthcare, Port Townsend’s dynamic health hub. We may be a small rural community, but healthcare standards in Jefferson County are quite high. Over the past decade Jefferson Healthcare has added (or expanded) departments in oncology, cardiology, orthopedics surgery, dermatology and several other specialties. A dental clinic opened last June, filling a huge need in the area. By closely monitoring shifting demographics Glenn & his team read the pulse of community needs. One success story is the rapidly expanding “Wellness Center” which offers innovative programs such as “Dancing with Parkinson’s.”

(First airdate: March 10, 2020) MARCHING TO A DIFFERENT DRUMMER. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Wes Eng, long-time Port Townsend entrepreneur and free spirit. Wes dropped out of college to join VISTA (Volunteers to Service in America) and ended up in a primitive, remote village in Alaska. When he returned a year later, his campus in Pullman was a full-throttle hippie outpost. He decided that he could and would live outside the system – no white picket fence, no climbing the corporate ladder. He’s stayed true to that vision for about 50 years. He works for as brief a period as possible, then uses those funds to travel or just live life on his own terms. Over the years he’s had a staggering assortment of jobs – school janitor, landscaper, bookstore clerk, waiter, potter, even driving wheat trucks in Eastern Washington.