Featured Story

As a boy, Erik Lindbergh had a vivid recurring dream. “If I flapped my arms hard enough, I could fly,” he recalled. “It was a lot of work because I didn’t have wings, just these stupid arms, but I got good at it. I flew from my house in Manzanita around Big […]

Great Abaco Island, located in the northern Bahamas, lies just under 3,000 miles southeast of Bainbridge. Its largest town, Marsh Harbour, boasts the island’s lone traffic light. In nearby Hope Town, transportation options are limited to golf carts and bicycles, and tourists pose for photos in front of the candy-striped Elbow Reef […]

Cassie G. likes to meet life head-on. Nicknamed “Granola Girl” by her brother Kip for her healthy habits, the longtime Bainbridge resident has always taken full advantage of the island’s natural resources, maintaining a packed schedule of biking, hiking and swimming in addition to working as a hematology nurse at Bloodworks Northwest […]

Like The Slow Food Movement, The Book Club is a quiet revolution against an ever faster-paced world. It seems to reflect a universal longing for human connection. For substantive conversation. And for the sharing of ideas, beliefs and values—if not a glass or two of merlot. Catherine Purves, a book club overachiever […]

Anne Tilly has been meditating for a long time. For a really long time. On a sunny Thursday morning, Tilly, at 102 years old, is the senior member of a group of seven residents gathering for their weekly meditation session on the fourth floor of Madrona House. The participants, some in wheelchairs, […]

Four young teens have just finished sawing through large sheets of plywood at Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network and things are about to get messy. It’s the second day of a two-week boat building class, one of two dozen youth classes BARN offered over the summer on everything from around-the-world cooking to welding. […]

From where Jonathan Garfunkel stands, feet planted on the Suyematsu/Bentryn Farm at the heart of Bainbridge Island, there is an unobstructed view over farmland and forest all the way to the Olympics. “This is the same view the Suyematsu family had 90 years ago,” he says with reverence. The reverence is called […]

This is a love story A love of community. A love of the outdoors. A love of island history. A love of tranquility. It is the story of Moritani Preserve and the people who gave this gift to all Bainbridge Islanders. The 8.5 acres at the western end of Winslow Way sat […]

A Terrible Thing Happened 75 Years Ago. People of Japanese heritage—first from Bainbridge Island, then from all along the West Coast—were forced into prison camps during World War II. Fear drove that act. But on Bainbridge Island, the experience was unusual. Many classmates and neighbors went to the dock to bid friends […]

Ask any number of locals why they live on Bainbridge Island and you will likely receive a wide variety of responses. But among the answers—from the schools and caring community, to the arts and gardening, to the island’s natural beauty, to boating and recreation of all kinds—there is almost always a common […]

You may have Bainbridge pegged as a community lacking in diversity. But step into Woodward Middle School’s annual Culture Fair and the notion will quickly evaporate. As you walk through throngs of people nearly 800 last year—and past a vast array of colorful poster boards, you see America. A melting pot represented […]

Look down, look up, look around. You—yes, you—own more than 20 pieces of beautiful, sometimes breathtaking, sometimes whimsical art. Together they make up Bainbridge Island’s public art collection, supported by a special city fund. The pieces range from Rain bringer, a painted woodcarving installed in 1990 near the High School Road traffic […]

Get top grades! Excel at advanced courses! Aim for an elite university! Under that kind of pressure, being a kid can be tough. And a big source of the angst might be the very people who love them the most, their parents. In a quest to help children succeed, parents sometimes unwittingly […]

Pacific Northwesterners’ penchant for wearing socks with sandals may seem on the surface contradictory, but in this neck of the woods it makes perfect sense. Although it might not meet standards of haute couture, it’s an open-minded solution for comfort and flexibility. So it should come as no surprise that when islanders search for good […]

On the north end  of Bainbridge Island, tucked under the cool shade of tall Douglas firs on Dolphin Road, stands a small hospital ready to handle the next emergency. With a congregation of dedicated volunteers and staff, West Sound Wildlife Shelter (WSWS) provides lifesaving support to some of the island’s oft-overlooked animal […]

There was a time when you could head down to the hardware store on Winslow Way and buy a refrigerator. And while you were downtown you could go to the department store, get your car fixed and pay your power bill in person. That was back when all the streets outside of […]

It’s The Summer Of 1956. Bainbridge Island is a tiny, tight-knit community where most of the 4,500 residents all know each other. The hottest ticket in town is for the Grange Hall where Louise Mills, Corrine Berg, Beverly Law and other musically inclined friends dress up in countrified farm clothes to perform […]

The leaves are changing color, the air has cooled, and yellow school buses are once again chugging up and down our island roads. It’s that notoriously sentimental, exciting and slightly nerve wracking time when kids return to school. But unlike in most small communities, the opportunities for learning on Bainbridge Island are […]

Ferries are the warp and woof of life on Bainbridge. Their bossy horns punctuate our days and nights. Ferries determine the flights we take and the ones we miss. They tell us whether we can order the chocolate torte and that second glass of wine, or whether we need to grab the […]

Being a teenager is a notoriously epic challenge. Innumerable books line the shelves of libraries and bookstores about the emotional roller coaster kids ride as they transition to adulthood. We talked to five Bainbridge high schoolers who are harnessing their creativity, courage and sense of adventure to make the most of the […]

A Community rich with art, artists and art galleries, Bainbridge Island boasts a calendar full of public art installations, community art programs, art workshops and school art programs. There are regular performing arts programs for adults and youth alike. We even socialize artistically, joining together for art walks, studio tours and gallery […]

From pork to parsnips, Bainbridge grows it all. Daikon, duck eggs, sunchokes or strawberries—it’s easier than ever to eat locally grown meats and poultry, fruit, vegetables, and even dairy products. In this story and the accompanying field guide, we’ll introduce you to some of the island’s farmers, and round up where to […]

Imagine cruising along highway 305 through Bainbridge trees going by in a lush parade, thick forest every so often giving way to rolling farmland and green open spaces. Now imagine that instead of the farmland, you see an enormous fence soaring toward the sky and high-intensity lights ringing that fence, which encloses […]

By Erin Jennings Packed in a quarter-mile stretch in downtown Winslow lies Bainbridge Island’s own Museum Row four museums all within a stone’s throw of each other. These fab four wow visitors with their vast collection of memorabilia, interactive exhibits, jaw-dropping art and fine assortment of two-wheelers. Whether you’re a regular or a museum newbie, […]

For many Bainbridge seniors, their retirements are hardly retiring. From helping schools in Ometepe, Nicaragua, establish libraries to spending hours in hands-on combat against noxious weeds all over the island, older (not old) folks on Bainbridge are making the most of their golden years. There’s no dearth of ways to stay mentally […]

It’s no surprise that a “teachable moment” in the Pacific Northwest would involve salmon. But it is notable that what began as an innocent salmon release project at Sakai Intermediate School has turned students into full fledged scientists. “The [spring] salmon release is very much at the heart of Sakai school life,” […]

There is a soft buzz of conversation and rustling of paper as the 38-member cast of the latest Ovation! production prepares to sing their parts “off book” for the first time, just three weeks into rehearsals. The spacious basement studio on Erickson Avenue is lined with posters from the 21 previous productions […]

Perched in a cozy alcove beneath the stairs, Caroline Flohr taps away at her laptop, her feet gently resting on her steadfast companion, Brooke, a Labrador retriever. Two walls of windows and French doors surrounding the kitchen and family room offer Flohr a spectacular view of Puget Sound in those thoughtful moments […]

No matter how you celebrate the holidays, one thing’s for sure: everyone will be hungry! But if you’ve ever experienced gloppy gravy, gluey potatoes, or—gasp!—a dried-out turkey, you know that the season’s eatings can be served with a healthy side of stress. Wouldn’t it be the greatest if you could just hire […]

When you live on an idyllic island in the Pacific Northwest, you can expect lots of visitors. Even the ferry ride is a tourist attraction, given the stunning view of Mount Rainier from the port side of the boat. Still, the beautiful crossing is just the start. Whether your out of town […]

With a remarkable collection of people, deep and informative history, wooded retreats, admired public schools, a variety of shops and restaurants, a farming community, artistic culture, and a unique location, Bainbridge Island has much to offer. With this in mind, we at Bainbridge Island Magazine wanted to compile a list of […]