Nearly 50 Boy Scouts from as far as Port Angeles and Camano Island came to the Chimacum Stake Center, Enclume Design Products and the Port Townsend Paper Mill recently for an activity-packed merit badge clinic.
Scouts sharpened skills such as welding, electronics and pulp and paper making while earning awards and the American Heritage Merit Badge.
“One of the joys of Scouting is that it gives young men a chance to explore career paths or hobbies that they might not otherwise get to experience in schools,” said Lonnie Reynolds, event organizer.
Scouts in the Plumbing Merit Badge class, for example, practiced threading and soldering pipes, and those in the welding course used equipment and space provided by Enclume in Port Hadlock to tack and weld several plates into joints.
The Boy Scouts of Port Townsend Troops 1477 and 1479 will be hosting a rocket academy at the Port Townsend Scout Cabin at LeRoy Carroll Park on the corner of Mill and Discovery roads from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29.
All boys age 7 to 10 are invited, not just those currently registered as Cub Scouts.
For more information about the programs available through the BSA in local communities, email Sean Mobley at smobley@seattlebsa.org or visit www.seattlebsa.org.
Area consumers urged to recycle used electronics
Since E-Cycle Washington started five years ago, more than 212 million pounds of electronics — equal to the weight of 383 fully loaded 787 Dreamliner jets — were recycled, according to the state Department of Ecology.
E-waste, or electronic waste, is consumer electronics that no longer work or are outdated and unwanted. It includes computers, other office equipment, TVs, mobile phones, entertainment devices and more.
But these devices are full of materials such as copper, aluminum, glass and plastics that can be recycled.
Washington’s free statewide E-Cycle program provides collection sites for computers including tablets, monitors, e-readers, portable DVD players and TVs.
By state law, the E-Cycle program is paid for by the manufacturers of these devices.
There are 335 free E-Cycle drop-off sites spread throughout the state, with at least one in every county.
In Clallam County, the following businesses are E-Cycle drop-off sites:
■ Port Angeles: Goodwill, 603 S. Lincoln St.
■ Sequim: Goodwill, 680 W. Washington St., Suite C
■ East of Sequim: EcycleNW, 272693 U.S. Highway 101.
For more information about E-Cycle Washington, contact Miles Kuntz at Miles.Kuntz@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-7157, or contact Christine Haun at Christine.Haun@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6107 at Ecology.
Sequim Rotary Club to hold penny drive for polio fight
SEQUIM — The Rotary Club of Sequim is holding a penny drive throughout this month to help in the effort to eradicate polio.
Rotary International has joined forces with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to end polio.
As of Jan. 13, India was declared “polio-free,” which means India had gone three years without a single case of wild polio virus.
It costs 60 cents to immunize a child.
All funds collected will be donated to the Rotary Polio Plus fund.
In addition, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match community contributions twofold.
The Rotary Club has partnered with local banks as collection sites for pennies: Kitsap Bank, Union Bank, Columbia Bank, Washington Federal, Sound Community Bank and KeyBank.
KSQM 91.5 FM has agreed to be “Penny Central,” and people can drop off donations there as well.
For more information, phone Christine Paulsen at 360-461-1866 and visit www.endpolionow.org.
Olympic orchid society to host guest speaker Thursday in Sequim
SEQUIM — The Olympic Peninsula’s Orchid Society will host Alan Mathews of Seattle Orchid at 170 Flying Cloud St. at 1 p.m. Thursday.
Mathews will discuss care for various orchid varieties and answer questions to help any level of a hobby orchid enthusiast.
Guests are welcome to the meeting.
For more information, phone 360-385-3723.
Jefferson GOP Women set to meet Thursday in Port Ludlow
PORT LUDLOW — The Republican Women of Jefferson County will meet at the Inn at Port Ludlow, 1 Heron Road, at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Gift boxes will be packed for the military.
For more information, phone Peggy Reep at 360-385-4953.
Nia intro class coming Thursday to Port Angeles Library
PORT ANGELES — White belt Nia instructor Suzie Bliven will lead an introduction to nia at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts. The movements are designed to allow people of all fitness levels to participate.
The free class is taken barefoot and is open to children and adults. No equipment or experience is necessary. Participants may wish to bring a water bottle and wear loose clothing.
This workout is the third in the library’s “Get Moving!” series.
For more information on this and other upcoming events, visit www.nols.org and click on “Events” and “Port Angeles” or phone 360-417-8500.
Vocal jazz concert scheduled in Port Angeles on Thursday
PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College Vocal Jazz Ensemble will perform at its winter-quarter concert in the Little Theater at the college, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., at
7 p.m. Thursday.
The free concert will feature two vocal jazz ensembles, combos and solos, all in a cappella style.
The ensemble is back from performing at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho, where close to 5,000 students participate in everything from performance clinics to afternoon Young Artists Concerts, workshops, evening concerts and more.
For more information on becoming a part of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, email Elaine Gardner-Morales at egardner@pencol.edu.