(First airdate: January 2, 2018) CAPTAIN PETE TALKS WHALES & THE VIBRANT PORT BUSINESS. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Pete Hanke, owner of Puget Sound Express and a Commissioner for the Port of Port Townsend. PSE will add another high-speed boat to its fleet this spring as the public’s appetite for whale watching continues to grow. Meanwhile, the Port is grappling with multiple issues including a failing breakwater at Port Hudson. Marine trades are an economic underpinning for the region, with jobs at the Boat Haven rivaling the number of jobs at the Mill. Port Commissioners want to make sure there will be a steady flow of educated young tradesmen for this seafaring town.

(First airdate: December 5, 2017) PILAR CLARK: TWIRLING THROUGH THE “BEAUTIFUL VORTEX”. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Pilar Clark, a server at the Old Whiskey Mill in downtown Port Townsend. This single mom has two kids under the age of five. She also has a boundless optimism for the future. She adores Port Townsend, which she calls a ‘beautiful vortex.’ Her bubbly, sunny nature warms the damp darkness of our Northwest winter. Friends, customers and even strangers turn toward her like flowers to the sun.

(First airdate: November 21, 2017) THE JOHNSON ROOTS RUN DEEP ON MARROWSTONE ISLAND. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Lawrence Johnson, the owner of Carl’s Building Supply in Port Hadlock. The Johnson family pioneered the Olympic Peninsula, settling here back in the 1880s. Lawrence is the fourth generation Johnson on Marrowstone Island. His great-great grandfather (Karl with a “K”) started what would ultimately become Carl’s (Carl with a “C”) under Lawrence’s father. Lawrence has turned Carl’s into a thriving company that serves both contractors and home improvement mavens. It’s a company that stands for quality products.

(First airdate: October 24, 2017) HYPERLOCAL FOODIE ALERT: FROM YOUR GARDEN TO MY TABLE. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Sam Lillie, the founder of Vinder, a company that takes the ‘farm to table’ movement right down to the basics. Type your zip code into the web site (vinder.com – sadly, no longer working in 2022) to find out who is growing what in your neighborhood. Cherries, tomatoes, kale – it’s all there. You can pay via Paypal. Then you can either get things delivered or pick them up right in the backyard. Sometimes you can watch the owner/grower pick the produce right in front of you. And, of course, she/he could share some gardening tips. This is really fresh and really, really local.

(First airdate: October 10, 2017) TAPS & FOLDED FLAGS: HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Bob Saring, the Captain of the Honor Guard for Port Townsend’s American Legion Post. The Legion’s contributions to the community are many: scholarships, the homeless shelter, and a veterans assistance program that covers everything from filling out paperwork to providing funds for an operation for a disabled vet’s service dog. Then there’s the Honor Guard. It will come to any vet’s memorial service to play taps and deliver a folded American flag to the grieving family. Not many people realize that you don’t have to be a member of the Legion for this free memorial. It’s for all honorably discharged vets.

(First airdate: September 26, 2017) LANCE BAILEY: THE CZAR OF BUILDING PERMITS. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Port Townsend Planning Director Lance Bailey. From the Howard Street expansion to Water Street construction to your neighbor’s renovation, he’s the man on the ground when it comes to building permits. And, as ever in Port Townsend, the real question is “to grow, or not to grow?” There are some very differing opinions out there on that one. Lance must listen and carefully weigh all options and all opinions.

(First airdate: September 12, 2017) Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Teresa Hoffman, owner of the Port Townsend Athletic Club. She didn’t set out to own a fitness club. But thanks to hard work, determination and a couple of angel investors, she’s built the Athletic Club into a healthy and growing business. This mother of five spends part of her “off” time tending to eleven horses with her youngest daughter.

(First airdate: August 29, 2017) Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews the popular Port Townsend artist Michael Hale. Michael’s paintings have served as posters for several Wooden Boat Festivals and the Uptown Street Fair. He has also published a fantasy book. But he’s perhaps best known for his Port Townsend Portfolio, a series of paintings that captures the soft colors of early morning light on the street of Port Townsend. Michael has given KPTZ permission to use one image – “Rainy Morning on Water Street” – to represent Our Town on our web site.