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Ebey Bowl reborn!!

Posted in Big Time Secrets, Bowling on October 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Get your scorecards back out. (Brian Wilson photo)

The “ladies” prepare to high-five each other over the news. (Shannon Parnell photo)

The doors are reopening.

Weeks after owners Mimi Johnson and Matt Iverson announced they would have to shutter Ebey Bowl — which resurfaced three years ago after sitting empty for more than a decade — so they could concentrate on their insurance business and family life, the brother/sister combo have found a new working partner.

Things are still in flux, but the sports ‘n food establishment would like to be back open in the next two weeks, possibly by Oct. 16, Johnson said.

Word first broke through Ebey Bowl’s Facebook page Thursday night, when the following was posted:

Who is ready for some pizza, bowling, and what we call social media with all your friends and family at Ebey Bowl. Watch for updates on when our doors will be opening yet again! Thanks for all your support!

The posting has already received almost 100 “likes” and been re-shared numerous times.

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Thirsty Town issues last call!!

Posted in Big Time Secrets on July 10, 2013| 3 Comments »

Thirsty Town (Jennifer Dohner photos)

The only liquor store to be occasionally staffed by baby goats.

One by one, the state is killing them all off.

When voters decided to take booze in Washington state out of liquor stores and let every grocery store, Wal-Mart and Costco start stocking hard alcohol, most of the independently owned small stores went under on the spot.

The Coupeville Liquor Store survived a bit longer, but hammered by ridiculous new laws which stole away all the restaurant business and drove prices higher (after promising the opposite), the local watering hole is shutting down.

“I’m not thrilled about it, but not making money either, so time to call it a day,” said owner Pam Smith.

Smith and employees Heidi Castaneda and Jennifer Dohner will be around for a bit more, but just a bit. Then the days of petting baby goats while you picked up a bottle will go by the way side.

Some mark downs and specials will start immediately, but a full close-out won’t happen until September.

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This man wants to give money to your kids!!

Posted in Big Time Secrets, Scholarships, Support local photographers on April 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

John Fisken and son.

Did Aimee Bishop pay this kid?!?!

John Fisken is a near-constant presence at Coupeville High School games.

Bouncing between the Wolves and his hometown Oak Harbor Wildcats, the photographer is always on the scene, clicking away in rain and shine.

Now he’d like to give something back, but he needs your help. Fisken already has a scholarship program set up at OHHS and he’d like to create a similar one for athletes at CHS.

The scholarship, which would start next school year, would be funded by half of any photo sales he makes at cascadeathletics.com, which includes photos bought by Coupeville parents and fans or opponents.

This year, sales of photos at Wolf events have also come from South Whidbey, Archbishop Thomas Murphy and King’s supporters, and those dollars would count towards Coupeville’s total.

The scholarship will kick in if Coupeville sales total $500 or more, with half of any money raised going to the scholarship.

Fisken is aiming his award at the athlete who puts out a strong effort, year-in and year-out, with an emphasis on the role players, not the stars.

The criteria for the scholarship:

Must have competed in at least two sports, per year, for all four years of high school.

Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 with no grade below a C.

Submit a 1-page essay, “Why Sports Have Made Me A Better Person.”

If enough photos are sold and the scholarship triggers, finalists will also have a personal interview.

So now, all that needs to happen is for enough parents to stop poaching photos off of Facebook and pay the man for the professional photographs he takes.

Do that, and you’ll be giving back to your own athletes.

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So, I sold out to the Canucks…

Posted in Big Time Secrets, Poking the Canucks on April 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We knew it was going to happen in the end.

If other, more reputable journalists than myself, couldn’t resist the sweet siren call of the filthy lucre being thrown around by the Canadian interlopers from Black Press/Sound Publishing, who have bought up all three of Whidbey Island’s newspapers, who am I to resist?

I mean, I could have continued to protest that independent, local journalism still had a place in Coupeville, even when the carpetbaggers sold The Examiner to the robber barons. I could have held fast to my ideals.

But when all that sweet, sweet money gets bandied about, who doesn’t want to watch it rain — especially on their head and all over their face?

And going to the dark side, giving in to the Evil Empire, being part of the Canuck collective, with the other 300+ papers they own, doesn’t entail too much pain.

It’s rather simple, from what I understand. A quick procedure to pluck out your soul, a wad of cash stuffed in your back pocket to pad any resulting soreness in your nether regions, and you’re gold, Jerry, gold!

You may seem a little like a zombie, afterwards, but you make a few concessions. It’s all good in the end.

At least that’s what the corporate memo tells me.

You thought I would hold out longer? Have a little more fight in me? Stick it to The Man just cause someone’s got to give ’em a wedgie?

Guess you were wrong.

So now, all that’s left to do is sign my contract, write my name on the dotted line in blood and surrender my soul. Though, I guess I need to date the document, too.

Wait, what’s today’s date again?

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Guess Who? Don’t Sue!!: College Edition

Posted in Big Time Secrets, Football on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let’s play a game.

I’m going to tell you a secret, and you’re going to keep it to yourself.

I can’t print the name of the player or school involved, because NCAA rules are sticky and the last thing we need to do is cause recruiting problems for the player, or scare the school away.

But, on the down-low, on the hush-hush, on the QT, guess away. Just keep it to yourself and don’t give Coupeville High School football coach Tony Maggio any angina.

Which current Wolf football star has been approached by a major Division 1 football power and invited to a spring practice on their campus, with a chance to meet the staff?

The contact came from one of the greatest players in that school’s history, who now works for his alma mater as an assistant coach and recruiter, and the mysterious school is extremely interested in having the mysterious Wolf attend their camp this summer for players at his position(s).

Ooh, intrigue in Wolf Nation.

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