Community Briefs

Writer talks about BC land co-op

Laura Busheikin, co-founder of a land cooperative on Denman Island in British Columbia, reads from works in progress from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Shelton Timberland Library.

Busheikin, a writer in residence at Hypatia-in-the-Woods, will read a personal essay about the land-share community she’s part of and how the community deals with conflict. Afterward, she’ll take questions and open the event to discussion.

“Many people are curious about life in a contemporary intentional community and there’s lots we can talk about,” she said in a news release.

Busheikin will conclude the program with a feminist essay she said “explores the links between a personal experience from decades ago and some specific events. Along the way it considers the perils and powers of storytelling as an act of personal healing and political resistance.”

Veterans, others invited to join choir

The Great Bend Chorale is collaborating with the nonprofit Quixote Communities and the residents of its Shelton and Orting Veterans Villages, and other local veterans, on a program that uses the healing power of music.

The choir is open to veterans and nonveteran residents and will alternate music from Eric Whitacre, Eriks Esenvalds, Eric William Barnum, Frank Tichelli and Sean Kirchner with spoken anecdotes and stories from participating veterans about their healing journeys.

Rehearsals begin from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Lutheran Church in Shelton. There is no audition to join, and no fee for participating veterans. The fee for nonveteran singers is $140 for the term — Feb. 27 to May 12 — and is charged on a sliding scale.

Northwest rock talk at Harstine lecture

The Harstine Island Community Club and Humanities Washington’s Inquiring Minds series continues with Peter Blecha and “Stomp and Shout: The Untold Story of Northwest Rock & Roll” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N.

Blecha, the director of the Northwest Music Archives and an author, talks about the musicians who laid the foundation of the regional music scene before grunge, including Ray Charles, Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix.

Special February book sale at library

The Friends of the Shelton Library have launched a Valentine event through February to encourage book sales dubbed “Blind Date with a Book.”

Selected books are wrapped up in paper concealing the title and the author with descriptive hints on the front. The books are $2 for hardbacks and $1 for soft covers. All sales support the Shelton Library’s services and programs for adults and children.

The nonprofit organization Friends of the Shelton Library, a group of community volunteers, encourages use and support of the library. Gently used books are always available at the library and book donations are welcome. For more information or to volunteer, call Kathy Abernathy-Robinson at 360-426-5003.

Pioneer Kiwanis seafood fundraiser

The Pioneer Kiwanis Foundation hosts its annual seafood dinner and auction March 23 to benefit youths of the Pioneer School District and Mason County.

The auction is the group’s largest fundraiser of the year. The group is seeking donors and sponsors, who will receive recognition in the auction materials and will be named in a “thank you” ad in the Journal. Sponsors will also receive recognition during the auction and in the live auction catalog.

Money raised at the auction will be used for scholarships for Pioneer School eighth-graders to be used for post-high school education; scholarships for high school graduates from the Pioneer School District attending Cedar, CHOICE, North Mason and Shelton high schools; scholarships for Pioneer staff to further their educational goals; support for the music program at Pioneer; support for the STEM garden; to sponsor two eighth-grade girls for a week at Tech Trek Program at Pacific Lutheran University; and to sponsor assemblies for the elementary school to encourage reading and writing by providing pizzas.

At the event March 23 at Pioneer Elementary School, the doors open at 4 p.m., with the silent auction items ready for bidding. The dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. and the live auction begins at 6 p.m. The meal includes clams, shrimp, spaghetti and coleslaw. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children ages 3 to 12; children 2 and younger are admitted for free. For tickets, call Sherry at 360-229-0673. For more information, call Pamela Harrell at 360-490-0954.

Scholarships available from Harstine group

The Harstine Island Women’s Club through its Charles and Judy Chase Scholarship Fund is offering scholarships to full-time residents of Harstine Island who are entering or continuing a post-high school education, including adult continuing education or technical training.

Applicants must have obtained a diploma from an accredited high school program or earned a GED. Applications will be accepted through May 15, and the winners will be announced by May 31.

The number and amount of the scholarships will be determined at the time the scholarship recipients are selected.

Applications and scholarship details are available at Shelton, Cedar, CHOICE and North Mason high schools, Olympic College Shelton, South Puget Sound Community College and Gravity Learning Center in Shelton.

Applications are also available at http://www.harstinecc.org/hiwc-scholarship or by contacting the Harstine Island Women’s Club Scholarship Committee at HIWC Scholarships, P.O. Box 62, Shelton, WA 98584