Tygart Media

Tag: Pacific Northwest

  • Glacier Peak Books State, Jackson and Lake Stevens Fight at Funko Field: Wesco 4A Baseball Comes Home

    Glacier Peak Books State, Jackson and Lake Stevens Fight at Funko Field: Wesco 4A Baseball Comes Home

    **The quick read:** Wesco 4A baseball regular-season champion Glacier Peak punched its WIAA State Tournament ticket Saturday at Bannerwood Park with an 8-2 quarterfinal win over Bothell. Jackson and Lake Stevens dropped their quarterfinals and head to the Consolation Bracket — both of which are being played at Funko Field in Everett on Thursday, May 14. Then on May 29-30, the WIAA 3A and 4A State Baseball Championships return to Funko Field for the third straight year. This is a great time to be a local high-school baseball fan.

    If you grew up around Everett, you already know: high school spring sports get every bit of the love that the pro and junior teams in this town do. And right now, the Wesco postseason is putting all of it within a five-mile drive of downtown Everett.

    Here’s where Wesco baseball stands heading into the back half of May — and why all roads lead to Funko Field.

    Glacier Peak Locks the State Bid

    Glacier Peak entered the District 1/2 4A Baseball Tournament as the No. 2 seed on the back of the Wesco 4A regular-season league title. Saturday at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, the Grizzlies took care of business in their quarterfinal, beating No. 10 Bothell 8-2 to clinch a state berth.

    In a District tournament where five of the 12 teams advance to State, a quarterfinal win is the magic number. Glacier Peak is in. From here it’s playing for seeding and a potential District 1/2 championship.

    Their next game is the semifinal Thursday, May 14, at 4:00 p.m. at Bannerwood Park against No. 3 Eastlake (out of KingCo 4A). That game will be streamed on the Eli Sports Network. If Glacier Peak wins, they’re in the District championship Saturday, May 16 at 6:00 p.m., also at Bannerwood Park.

    Jackson and Lake Stevens Aren’t Done — and They’re Playing in Our Backyard

    This is the part that matters for an Everett high-school baseball fan with no easy way to get to Bellevue on a school night: the Consolation Bracket is being played at Funko Field.

    Two Wesco programs are still alive in that bracket:

    • **No. 8 Jackson** (which beat No. 9 Issaquah 3-0 in the first round before falling 3-2 to top-seeded Woodinville in the quarterfinal Saturday)
    • **No. 4 Lake Stevens** (which dropped a 5-1 quarterfinal to No. 12 Skyline)

    Both teams play their Consolation games at Funko Field on Thursday, May 14:

    • **Bothell vs. Lake Washington — 4:00 p.m. at Funko Field**
    • **Jackson vs. Lake Stevens — 7:00 p.m. at Funko Field**

    That’s a Wesco-vs-Wesco showdown between Jackson and Lake Stevens in a loser-out game on AquaSox dirt. The winner survives to play on Saturday May 16 for the final State Tournament bid out of this District. It’s exactly the kind of high-school baseball game that makes a Thursday night worth showing up for.

    Kamiak’s Run Ended Early

    The other Wesco team in the field, Kamiak (No. 11 seed), drew No. 6 Lake Washington in the first round Thursday May 7 and dropped that game 6-0. Tough draw, tough result, but the Knights’ regular season — and the fact that they made the District field at all — speaks to the depth of Wesco 4A baseball in 2026.

    And Then State Returns to Everett

    Once the District 1/2 dust settles, the bigger picture: the 2026 WIAA 3A and 4A State Baseball Championships return to Funko Field on Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, for the third consecutive year. Four 3A teams and four 4A teams will play for state titles on the same field where the AquaSox host Northwest League games all summer.

    This is one of the cooler quirks of the Everett sports calendar. The same outfield grass where Felnin Celesten will be standing in June was, three weekends earlier, where a Washington high-school senior took an at-bat for a state championship. That’s a sneaky-great asset for the city, and the Snohomish County Sports Commission has done well to bring it back year after year.

    What About the Wesco South 2A-3A Race?

    In the Wesco South 2A-3A baseball league, Edmonds-Woodway won its fourth straight league title with a clincher against Shorewood on May 1. That’s a remarkable run of program-level dominance — four-peat at the league level is the kind of thing that puts a coaching staff in the local baseball hall of memory.

    Edmonds-Woodway will represent Wesco South in its respective District 1 3A tournament. Specific bracket information for that race is still developing on the WIAA schedule page; we’ll track it as the playoffs unfold.

    Things to Watch This Week

    Wesco 4A loyalty test: Both Jackson and Lake Stevens are alive at Funko Field Thursday night. If Wesco fans want a clear preference, it’s “let one of ours grab the last State bid.” Showing up in person is the easiest way to be loud about that.

    Glacier Peak’s semifinal: Eastlake is a serious draw on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Wolves were a state semifinalist a year ago out of this same tournament. If Glacier Peak gets through, the Grizzlies are in the District championship Saturday with a real shot at the No. 1 District 1/2 4A seed at State.

    The state weekend: Mark May 29-30. Two days of high-school state-championship baseball at Funko Field, before the AquaSox come back home for their summer push. If you’ve never gone to a state championship game in person, this is a good year to start.

    Fan-Voice Take

    There’s a thing this town does well that doesn’t always get praised the way it deserves: we show up for the kids. The Silvertips and AquaSox get the headlines, but the Wesco 4A district tournament has been a real local event for as long as the four-school Everett School District plus Glacier Peak, Jackson, Lake Stevens, and Kamiak have all been playing in the same league pyramid.

    A Thursday-night doubleheader at Funko Field where one Wesco team has to send another Wesco team home with one swing? That’s why we love it. Bring a hat. Bring some money for the concession line. Bring your kid. Sit behind the dugout and pay attention, because two years from now one of those guys might be in pro spring training and you’ll get to say you saw the first big swing.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Who won the Wesco 4A baseball regular-season title in 2026?

    Glacier Peak. The Grizzlies entered the District 1/2 4A Tournament as the No. 2 seed.

    Where is the District 1/2 4A Baseball Tournament being played?

    The main bracket games are at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue. The Consolation Bracket games are being played at Funko Field in Everett.

    When is the Wesco vs Wesco Consolation game at Funko Field?

    Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., when No. 8 Jackson plays No. 4 Lake Stevens in a loser-out game.

    How many teams from the District 1/2 4A Tournament advance to State?

    Five teams. Quarterfinal winners are guaranteed State bids; Consolation Bracket survivors play for the remaining spots.

    When and where is the WIAA State Baseball Tournament?

    The 2026 WIAA 3A and 4A State Baseball Championships are at Funko Field in Everett on Friday and Saturday, May 29-30. Four 3A and four 4A teams will compete.

    Who won the Wesco South 2A-3A baseball title in 2026?

    Edmonds-Woodway, defeating Shorewood on May 1 for the Warriors’ fourth straight league title.

    Where can I watch the District 1/2 games online?

    Eli Sports Network is streaming all seven games at Bannerwood Park. The Consolation games at Funko Field have been historically streamed by local outlets — check the WIAA and Wesco Athletics schedule pages.

  • Anders Miller’s Road Test: Silvertips’ Backbone Heads to Art Hauser Centre With a Historic Save Percentage

    Anders Miller’s Road Test: Silvertips’ Backbone Heads to Art Hauser Centre With a Historic Save Percentage

    **The quick read:** Everett Silvertips goaltender Anders Miller takes a 12-0-1 playoff record, a 1.79 goals-against average, and a .936 save percentage into Game 3 of the WHL Championship Final on Tuesday, May 12, at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert (6:30 p.m. PT). Through two rounds he sat at .948 — no WHL goalie with nine-plus playoff games has ever posted better. With the series tied 1-1 and the next three games on the road, the Silvertips’ chances of winning their first Ed Chynoweth Cup since 2007 depend on whether Miller can carry that work in front of someone else’s crowd.

    Hockey playoff series get decided by goaltending. We say that every spring like it’s a fortune-cookie cliché, but in the 2026 WHL Final it’s also literally what’s happening. The Everett Silvertips are tied 1-1 with the Prince Albert Raiders heading into a three-game road swing, and the player most responsible for keeping this dream season alive is wearing pads.

    Here’s why Anders Miller’s Game 3 might be the single most important shift of his career, and why Silvertips fans should feel both nervous and weirdly calm.

    The Number That Makes the Rest of the WHL Stop Talking

    Through two rounds of the 2026 WHL Playoffs, Miller put up a .948 save percentage. That is, per QuantHockey, the highest save percentage ever recorded in WHL playoff history by a goalie with nine or more games played. Not the highest of the year. Not the highest in the conference. The highest, full stop, going back through every postseason the league has ever played.

    Through 13 playoff games this spring, Miller now sits at:

    • **Record: 12-0-1**
    • **Goals-against average: 1.79** (2nd in the WHL playoffs)
    • **Save percentage: .936** (2nd in the WHL playoffs)
    • **Shutouts: 1** (T-2nd)
    • **Wins: 12** (1st)

    He’s the Mary Brown’s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Month for April. He was Goaltender of the Week earlier in the run. He came over from Calgary in a midseason trade and proceeded to author the most efficient playoff goaltending stretch any 16-team WHL has seen.

    For fans who weren’t paying attention until the Penticton series: this isn’t a hot streak. This is the structural reason this franchise is two wins from each side of a championship.

    What Game 2 Told Us — and What Game 1 Didn’t

    In Game 2 of the Final at Angel of the Winds Arena, Miller stopped 37 of the shots he saw and the Silvertips ran away with it 6-2. That’s the version that has the Penticton series fresh in your head: Anders deletes a six-game series with goaltending, the team scores enough, off we go.

    Game 1 wasn’t that. The Raiders broke through with three second-period goals and won 4-2 — Mason Sivertson, Lukas Cootes on the power play, and Owen Christensen with the game-winner. Miller wasn’t bad; the second period got away from the entire team. But the gap between his Game 1 line and his Game 2 line is the entire reason this series shifted in 48 hours.

    Translation: the Silvertips don’t need Miller to be perfect. They need him to be the version of himself that the 2026 playoff numbers describe, and they need the team in front of him to give him a second period he can actually defend.

    Why Art Hauser Centre Changes Everything

    The Raiders take a 26-6-2 home regular-season record into Game 3. That is one of the best home environments in the entire CHL. The Art Hauser Centre is older, smaller (roughly 2,800 capacity), and louder than what Everett’s faced in this run — the building is structurally close to the ice in a way that newer arenas have engineered away.

    Three games in a row in that environment is the test. Game 3 Tuesday, Game 4 Wednesday, Game 5 Friday if needed. Then back to Angel of the Winds. The Silvertips have been 8-0 on the road through these playoffs — the best road playoff team in the WHL this spring — but that record was built against Wenatchee, Spokane, Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre. The Art Hauser Centre is a different room.

    What Miller controls on the road is the same thing he controls at home: angle, depth, rebound control. What he doesn’t control: the second-period crowd surge after a Raiders push, the visiting bench getting last change, or the in-between TV stoppages that hand a hostile building its momentum back. Those are the moments where playoff goaltending stops being numbers and becomes character.

    What to Watch in Game 3

    Three things to track Tuesday night:

    Volume on the first 15 shots. Miller has been excellent on the early-game shot volume across the playoffs. If Prince Albert generates 12-15 shots in the first period and Miller is at full credit, expect the Silvertips to find their offensive feet by the second.

    The second-period scoreboard. It’s been the franchise’s bête noire of this series — three goals against in the second of Game 1, then the team fixed it in Game 2. If Game 3 features a clean middle 20 minutes, the road games are winnable. If Prince Albert finds another second-period gear with their crowd behind them, the math gets harder.

    Power-play goaltending. Lukas Cootes scored on the power play in Game 1. Killing penalties on the road in a 2,800-seat building is one of the most uncomfortable jobs in hockey. Miller’s .948-through-two-rounds work included serious short-handed minutes against Penticton; the road PK in Saskatchewan is the next level of that test.

    The 19-Year Drought Context

    The Silvertips have not won the Ed Chynoweth Cup since 2007. That’s the entire framing for this stretch. There have been good Everett teams. There have been deep Everett playoff runs. There has not been a championship.

    Anders Miller wasn’t on any of those rosters, obviously. He was traded in from Calgary mid-season for exactly the moment Everett is in right now: a deep run in late spring where the path is mostly carved out by goaltending. If the Silvertips lift the cup, the franchise will print Miller’s stat line on a banner.

    If they don’t — well, the .948 was still the best save percentage in WHL playoff history at the cutoff, and that doesn’t go away.

    Schedule

    • **Game 3:** Tuesday, May 12 — at Prince Albert (Art Hauser Centre), 6:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. CT
    • **Game 4:** Wednesday, May 13 — at Prince Albert
    • **Game 5 (if needed):** Friday, May 15 — at Prince Albert
    • **Game 6 (if needed):** Sunday, May 17 — at Angel of the Winds Arena
    • **Game 7 (if needed):** Monday, May 18 — at Angel of the Winds Arena

    TV: TSN in Canada. Streaming: Victory+ in the United States.

    The Silvertips are eight wins from their first championship since 2007. Three of them, maybe more, have to come 1,200 miles from home. The goalie carrying the franchise’s first banner in 19 years is on the bus.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When is Game 3 of the 2026 WHL Final?

    Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. CT) at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

    What are Anders Miller’s 2026 WHL playoff stats?

    Through 13 games: 12-0-1 record, 1.79 GAA, .936 save percentage, 1 shutout. His .948 SV% through two rounds was the highest in WHL playoff history for a goalie with nine or more games played.

    Who has home-ice advantage in the WHL Final?

    The series follows a 2-3-2 format. Games 1-2 were at Angel of the Winds Arena (split 1-1). Games 3, 4, and 5 (if needed) are at the Art Hauser Centre. Games 6 and 7 (if needed) return to Everett.

    Where is the Art Hauser Centre?

    Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Capacity is approximately 2,800. The Raiders went 26-6-2 there in the regular season.

    How can I watch the WHL Final from the U.S.?

    Victory+ streaming service is the U.S. broadcast partner. TSN carries the games in Canada.

    When was the Silvertips’ last WHL championship?

    2007. The franchise has not won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 19 years.

    Who is starting in goal for the Raiders?

    Michal Orsulak started Game 1 and stopped 39 of 41. He is expected to be the starter for the home games at Art Hauser Centre.

  • AquaSox Drop Mother’s Day Finale 8-5 But Steal Five of Six From Hillsboro; Vancouver Up Next

    AquaSox Drop Mother’s Day Finale 8-5 But Steal Five of Six From Hillsboro; Vancouver Up Next

    **The quick read:** The Everett AquaSox lost the Mother’s Day finale 8-5 to the Hillsboro Hops on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Funko Field (Everett Memorial Stadium) in front of 2,261 fans — but they won the series five games to one, sit at 18-15, and are now tied with Tri-City for second place in the Northwest League. Next up: a six-game road trip to Vancouver starting Tuesday, May 12.

    You don’t usually want your homestand to end with a loss. But if you have to give one back, give it back the day after you put up 15 runs on Star Wars Night and after you’ve already locked up five of six against your division opponent. The AquaSox can live with that math.

    Here’s how the Mother’s Day finale at Funko Field went, what the full Hillsboro homestand told us, and what to watch when the Frogs cross into Canada on Tuesday.

    How the Finale Got Away

    Hillsboro came out of the dugout like they were trying to salvage something — and they did. The Hops put up a four-spot in the top half of the first two innings on the strength of a Kenny Castillo two-run single with the bases loaded, a Wallace Clark RBI single, and a Trent Youngblood RBI single in the second.

    To Everett’s credit, the Frogs answered immediately. Josh Caron took the first pitch he liked deep for a solo home run to put Everett on the board. Then the AquaSox loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Jonny Farmelo drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in run number two, and a passed ball plated the third. Just like that, 4-3 game, and Funko Field had its Mother’s Day energy back.

    That was as close as it got. Alberto Barriga’s two-run blast to left-center in the fifth — his fifth homer of the year — made it 6-3. Then in the top of the eighth, Wallace Clark and Brady Counsell hit back-to-back solo home runs to push it to 8-3.

    The Frogs had one more swing left. Luis Suisbel led off the bottom of the eighth with a 386-foot solo shot, and Anthony Donofrio followed two batters later with a 395-foot blast to the Paine Field Home Run Porch — his first long ball of 2026 in his Everett Memorial Stadium debut. Beautiful piece of theater for Mother’s Day. Not enough to flip the result.

    Final: Hillsboro 8, Everett 5. Loss to Walter Ford (0-2). Hops righty Joangel Gonzalez (W). Game time: 2:32.

    The Homestand: Five-and-One

    This is the part that matters. Across six games against Hillsboro, the AquaSox took five. They opened the series winning four straight, blew the doors off the Hops 15-1 on Star Wars Night Saturday in front of a season-high 3,254, and then dropped the Mother’s Day matinée. Net result: the AquaSox climbed to 18-15, tied with the Tri-City Dust Devils for second place in the Northwest League, and they did it while running their best hitters through their first true rhythm of the season.

    Star Wars Night Saturday was the showcase — four home runs from Luke Stevenson (a three-run shot in the first that put Everett on the board), Luis Suisbel, Felnin Celesten, and Carlos Jimenez. Evan Truitt pitched 5.1 innings of one-run baseball, walked one, struck out four. The bullpen — Will Armbruester and Adam Smith — closed it without surrendering another run. 15-1. That game alone tells you why this prospect group is starting to feel real.

    Friday’s 8-1 win on Colton Shaw’s seven-strikeout start. Bryce Miller’s rehab gem on Silver Sluggers Night. Stevenson, Celesten, Jimenez, Caron, Donofrio, Suisbel — six different bats putting up tape-measure swings on a single homestand. That’s not noise. That’s a roster catching fire at the right time.

    Players to Watch Heading Into Vancouver

    A few names you want on your radar before the Frogs roll into B.C.:

    Felnin Celesten. Back-to-back Northwest League Player of the Week earlier this stretch, the Mariners’ top-tier middle infield prospect kept it going on Star Wars Night with a two-run home run plus an RBI single. He’s the engine.

    Luke Stevenson. Mariners’ Hitter of the Month for April, ranked the organization’s No. 8 prospect, and the Star Wars Night three-run homer was a reminder why the rankings exist.

    Anthony Donofrio. The Sunday solo homer is his first of the season, but the swing path on a 395-foot ball to the Home Run Porch is the kind of contact you remember. Watch this one.

    Luis Suisbel. Two homers across the homestand including the Mother’s Day shot. He’s quietly building a power profile.

    Brandon Eike. Six homers on the season heading into Vancouver. Still the longball pillar in this lineup.

    Brock Moore out of the bullpen — April Bullpen Award winner, 8.1 IP / 20 K / 4 SV / 2.16 ERA across the early season. Whenever this lineup gives him a lead, you trust the result.

    Next Up: Six in Vancouver, Then Home Against Tri-City

    The Frogs head north and cross the border for six games against the Vancouver Canadians at Nat Bailey Stadium — the legendary “Nat” — starting Tuesday, May 12, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. The Canadians are the Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate and play in arguably the most charming ballpark in the Northwest League: 6,500 capacity, opened 1951, dual-purpose for baseball and the occasional concert.

    Vancouver is a road test for a roster that’s been thriving at home. Funko Field is friendly. The Nat has its own personality — the right field porch, the wind off False Creek, the sushi-and-Pacific-Dip concessions — and the Canadians have been playing well in their own building. This is the homestand-momentum-meets-road-reality matchup.

    After the six in Vancouver, the AquaSox return to Funko Field for a six-game homestand against the Tri-City Dust Devils — currently tied with Everett for second place. That’s a series with second-place implications baked in. Promotions confirmed for the Tri-City series include a ZOOperstars appearance, an AquaSox beanie hat giveaway presented by IBEW/NECA, and Sunday Fun Day.

    What This Homestand Told Us About 2026

    Three things came out of these six games against Hillsboro that matter for the rest of the season.

    First, this lineup can score in bunches. Fifteen runs on Saturday. Eight on Friday. Ten or more in multiple games across the prior road trips. The power is there, the patience is there, and the prospect-driven energy is there.

    Second, the bullpen depth is real. Moore, Smith, Armbruester, the back-end pieces — Everett has been winning the late innings even on nights where the offense doesn’t blow it open.

    Third, 18-15 with a five-of-six series win over a division opponent in May is the kind of position you want to be in heading into a road swing. The Frogs are not chasing anymore. They’re being chased.

    The Mother’s Day loss stings. The homestand was a statement.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What was the final score of the AquaSox-Hops game on May 10, 2026?

    The Hillsboro Hops beat the Everett AquaSox 8-5 in the Mother’s Day finale at Funko Field (Everett Memorial Stadium). Attendance was 2,261.

    Who won the AquaSox-Hops series?

    The Everett AquaSox took five of the six games against Hillsboro on the May 5–10 homestand.

    What is the AquaSox record after the homestand?

    The AquaSox are 18-15 on the season, tied with the Tri-City Dust Devils for second place in the Northwest League.

    When does the AquaSox next series start?

    The Frogs play a six-game road series at the Vancouver Canadians starting Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at Nat Bailey Stadium. First pitch is 7:05 p.m.

    Who hit home runs for the AquaSox on Mother’s Day?

    Josh Caron hit a solo home run in the second inning. Luis Suisbel hit a 386-foot solo shot in the eighth, and Anthony Donofrio hit a 395-foot solo shot in the same inning — his first long ball of the season.

    What happened on Star Wars Night?

    The AquaSox demolished the Hops 15-1 on Saturday, May 9, in front of a season-high 3,254 fans. Luke Stevenson, Luis Suisbel, Felnin Celesten, and Carlos Jimenez all homered.

    When do the AquaSox return to Funko Field?

    After the Vancouver series, the AquaSox return home for six games against the Tri-City Dust Devils. The Tri-City series includes a ZOOperstars appearance, a beanie hat giveaway, and Sunday Fun Day.

  • Armed Forces Day Is May 16 — The Bremerton Parade Is the Puget Sound’s Flagship Tribute, and Here’s What NAVSTA Everett Families Should Know

    Armed Forces Day Is May 16 — The Bremerton Parade Is the Puget Sound’s Flagship Tribute, and Here’s What NAVSTA Everett Families Should Know

    What is Armed Forces Day 2026 and where is the Puget Sound’s flagship event? Armed Forces Day 2026 falls on Saturday, May 16. Established by Defense Secretary Louis Johnson in 1949 to honor all U.S. military branches under one banner after the Department of Defense unified the services, it lands annually on the third Saturday in May. In the Puget Sound region, the Bremerton Armed Forces Day Parade — the longest-running such parade in the country — steps off at 10 a.m. along Pacific Avenue in Downtown Bremerton, followed by a Heroes’ BBQ free to anyone with a military ID at Quincy Square. For NAVSTA Everett’s Navy families, it’s an hour’s drive (or a ferry ride) to the regional center of the day.

    For the roughly 6,000 sailors who call Naval Station Everett their duty station and the families who PCS in alongside them, Armed Forces Day is the one calendar day each year that recognizes active service across all branches at the same time. It is distinct from Memorial Day — May 25 in 2026, honoring those who died in service — and from Veterans Day in November, which honors those who have served honorably. Armed Forces Day, as the Department of Defense puts it, is the day for the people currently wearing the uniform.

    A Holiday Built for Uniformed Service

    On August 31, 1949, Defense Secretary Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day to replace the separate Army Day, Navy Day, and Air Force Day observances. The unified holiday followed the 1947 National Security Act, which had folded the services under a single Secretary of Defense. The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950, with a parade in Washington, D.C. that drew 10,000 troops from all branches past the president and his party. The inaugural theme — “Teamed for Defense” — survives as the holiday’s core idea seventy-six years later.

    The Puget Sound’s Flagship Event: The Bremerton Parade

    Across the water from Everett, Bremerton has run an Armed Forces Day Parade every year since 1948 — the local procession predates the federal holiday itself. The first march was organized by the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce to honor Master Sergeant John “Bud” Hawk, a Bremertonian who received the Medal of Honor from President Truman for his actions in the Falaise pocket during World War II. The parade absorbed the Armed Forces Day designation when the holiday formalized in 1950 and has run continuously since.

    By scale, the Bremerton parade is now the longest-running and largest Armed Forces Day parade in the nation, per the City of Bremerton and the Greater Kitsap Chamber, which organizes it. It draws 20,000+ from across Western Washington, with entries from Oregon and Spokane.

    Parade Specifics for 2026

    • Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
    • Step-off: 10:00 a.m.
    • Route: Pacific Avenue, Downtown Bremerton
    • Reviewing stand: Pacific & 5th Street (units perform a one-minute slot in front of the stand)
    • Cost to spectate: Free
    • Runtime: About two hours

    Expect military marching units, color guards, classic vehicles, school bands, civic groups, and floats. The U.S. Navy Brass Band, Naval Base Kitsap’s resident ensemble, typically anchors the parade’s music slot.

    The Festival, the BBQ, and the Resource Fair

    After the parade clears Pacific Avenue, festivities continue at Quincy Square in downtown Bremerton. The Heroes’ BBQ is free to active-duty, reserve, retired, and veteran service members with a valid military ID — a nontrivial perk for NAVSTA Everett sailors and their families willing to make the trip across Puget Sound. The day also includes a Resource Fair, where veteran service organizations, family-support providers, and benefit administrators staff tables and field questions.

    For a Navy family new to the region — the May-through-August window is the peak Permanent Change of Station arrival period — the Bremerton resource fair functions as a one-day overview of what’s available across Puget Sound for service members and their dependents.

    How NAVSTA Everett Families Get There

    NAVSTA Everett to Downtown Bremerton is roughly an hour by car (I-5 south to WA-16 west to WA-3) or, often faster on a Saturday, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry plus a 30-minute drive south down the Kitsap Peninsula. Vehicle wait times on Washington State Ferries grow on Armed Forces Day weekend; check the morning sailing schedule before leaving.

    Closer-to-Everett options exist on a smaller scale. USO Northwest serves NAVSTA Everett and other regional installations with Armed Forces Day recognition activities. The American Legion Post 6 in Everett and the Snohomish County Veterans Assistance Program at the Drewel Building (425-388-7255) historically mark the day locally.

    For confirming whether NAVSTA Everett itself runs a base-specific Armed Forces Day program in any given year, the Fleet & Family Support Center at 425-304-3735 is the right clearing-house.

    What Civilian Everett Neighbors Can Do

    Armed Forces Day is one of the few non-controversial holidays on the American calendar specifically asking civilians to show up for the people in uniform. Practical, low-key ways to do that this year, ranked by effort:

    • Lowest effort: Pick up a check at a local restaurant for a uniformed sailor sitting two tables over, without making a scene. That one gesture lands.
    • Modest effort: Drive south, or take the ferry. Bremerton’s parade was built by a chamber of commerce in 1948 because a small Navy town wanted to thank one of its own.
    • Higher effort: Plug into the resource fair as a civilian volunteer. The Greater Kitsap Chamber takes parade-entry and volunteer applications through Eventeny each spring.

    Why the Day Still Matters for Everett

    Naval Station Everett is the destroyer pier for the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Northwest grouping, with Arleigh Burke-class ships homeported here per the most recent Navy Region Northwest public listing. The community footprint of those crews — the families in Mukilteo, Marysville, north Everett, Lake Stevens, and Mill Creek schools — is the part of “Navy in Everett” that is visible 364 days a year, in classrooms and grocery aisles and youth-soccer sidelines. Armed Forces Day is the one day that makes that footprint visible to everyone else, all branches at once, under one roof.

    It also sits at the center of the longest stretch of military observances on the U.S. calendar — Military Spouse Appreciation Day (May 8), then Armed Forces Day, then Memorial Day (May 25), with Navy Gold Star Remembrance Month and Mental Health Awareness Month running underneath. Armed Forces Day is the active-duty thank-you in the middle.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When exactly is Armed Forces Day 2026?

    Saturday, May 16, 2026. By federal designation since 1949, Armed Forces Day always falls on the third Saturday in May (afd.defense.gov).

    Is Armed Forces Day a federal holiday?

    No. It is a federally recognized observance but not a federal holiday. Federal offices, banks, and post offices remain open. Active-duty personnel are typically scheduled normally, though units often participate in parades, ceremonies, and community events.

    What’s the difference between Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day?

    Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May) honors currently serving active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel across all branches. Memorial Day (last Monday in May, falling on May 25 in 2026) honors those who died in service. Veterans Day (November 11) honors all who have served honorably, living or deceased.

    Will NAVSTA Everett be open to the public on Armed Forces Day?

    Naval Station Everett does not run an annual public open-house tied to Armed Forces Day. The base hosts its separate public-access events on different dates each year, and operational tempo influences which years feature broader community access. Call the NAVSTA Everett Fleet & Family Support Center at 425-304-3735 for current-year guidance.

    What’s free for military ID holders on May 16, 2026?

    At the Bremerton festival at Quincy Square, the Heroes’ BBQ is free to active-duty, reserve, retired, and veteran service members with a valid military ID. Many Snohomish County restaurants and businesses also run independent discount or free-meal programs for Armed Forces Day; those vary year to year and are not centrally listed.

    How long has the Bremerton parade been running?

    Since 1948. It started a year before Armed Forces Day was federally established, originally as a hometown tribute to Master Sergeant John “Bud” Hawk, the Bremertonian Medal of Honor recipient. The parade absorbed the federal designation in 1950 and has run continuously every year since.

    Can civilians march in the Bremerton parade?

    Yes. The Greater Kitsap Chamber accepts parade-entry applications from civic groups, school bands, businesses, and veterans organizations through its annual Eventeny portal. There is also a “Veterans Walk with Pride” participant track for individual veterans.

    What’s the fastest way for an Everett family to get to the Bremerton parade?

    The Edmonds-Kingston ferry plus a 30-minute drive south is often the faster door-to-door option than I-5 to WA-16 on a Saturday morning, and it’s the more pleasant trip. Check the Washington State Ferries schedule and vehicle wait times before leaving — wait times grow on Armed Forces Day weekend.

  • Geoff Tate Is Bringing Operation: Mindcrime — The Final Chapter to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 23 — The Last Time the 1988 Album Will Be Performed in Full

    Geoff Tate Is Bringing Operation: Mindcrime — The Final Chapter to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 23 — The Last Time the 1988 Album Will Be Performed in Full

    Geoff Tate Is Bringing Operation: Mindcrime — The Final Chapter to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 23 — The Last Time the 1988 Album Will Be Performed in Full

    Where can I see Geoff Tate perform Operation: Mindcrime in 2026? Geoff Tate brings the Operation: Mindcrime — The Final Chapter tour to the Historic Downtown Everett Theatre at 2911 Colby Avenue on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Doors open at 7:30 PM and the show starts at 8 PM. It is the only Pacific Northwest stop on the U.S. spring leg and the last time Tate will perform the full 1988 album live in the region. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite via the Historic Everett Theatre.

    Verdict: GO. A rare cluster of three yeses lines up here — a once-in-a-career performance window (the album is being retired from the live set after this tour), the right-sized 800-seat theater for a focused legacy act, and Eventbrite pricing well below the secondary-market resale benchmarks for the earlier 2026 dates. If you cared about Queensrÿche the first time, this is the one to clear the calendar for.

    The 1988 album that defined progressive metal is going away

    For thirty-eight years, Operation: Mindcrime has been the album people pull off the shelf when they want to argue that progressive metal could carry a full novel inside one record. Released in May 1988 by Queensrÿche, it told the story of Nikki — a heroin-addicted assassin programmed by a shadowy figure called Dr. X — across fifteen interlocking tracks built on Chris DeGarmo’s guitar architecture and Geoff Tate’s four-octave command. It is Queensrÿche’s only platinum studio record, the reason the band headlined arenas in 1990–91, and the album the original lineup captured live on the legendary Operation: LIVEcrime document.

    After this 2026 U.S. spring leg of Operation: Mindcrime — The Final Chapter, Geoff Tate will not perform it in full again.

    The Saturday, May 23 stop at the Historic Downtown Everett Theatre is the only Pacific Northwest date on the spring run. Doors open at 7:30 PM. The show runs 8 PM to 11 PM per the Eventbrite listing the venue links to from its official events page. Tate performs the original Mindcrime front-to-back with an enhanced production that adds strings and a laser show to the staging, then returns for an encore drawing on additional Queensrÿche-era material and selections from the brand-new Operation: Mindcrime III, which dropped on May 3, 2026.

    Why this is the show, and why this is the room

    Geoff Tate is sixty-six. He has been touring this album cycle in some configuration for nearly four decades — first with Queensrÿche, then under his own name after the 2012 split that ended his run as the band’s frontman. Blabbermouth and BraveWords both reported, when the U.S. leg was announced, that the spring 2026 dates would close out the “Final Chapter” framing. The last performances Tate will give of the full Mindcrime sequence happen on this run. Then the album, as a live entity, retires.

    The Historic Everett Theatre is the right room for it. Built in 1901, the venue seats roughly 800 — proscenium-arch sightlines and acoustic warmth that fit a guitar-and-keys progressive metal performance far better than an arena ever did. The original LIVEcrime recording was captured at Hammersmith Odeon, a 3,600-seat London theater; the Everett room is smaller, denser, more intimate, and that is the point. Tate’s spring routing has deliberately favored 800–2,000 seat theaters — Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Everett fits that pattern exactly.

    It also lands in a remarkable spring at the 1901 building. The Historic Everett Theatre has been carrying a near-weekly slate — comedy from Dana Gould on May 16, the original Woodstock-era double bill of Canned Heat and Big Brother and the Holding Company on May 29, and the Latin Grammy–winning Grupo Niche on May 31. Geoff Tate slots in as the heaviest rock show of the month and the only progressive metal date the venue has booked all spring.

    What the new album means for the Everett setlist

    Operation: Mindcrime III arrived three weeks before the Everett show and changes how the encore should be read. Tate has been clear in interviews that III is structured as a parallel companion to the original — the same timeline told from the perspective of Dr. X, the puppet master who programs Nikki in the first record. Producer John Moyer (Disturbed bassist; long-time Tate collaborator since 2015) built the album heavier and more aggressive than I or II, with denser riffing and a modern metal sound Tate himself has called “super heavy.” Maximum Volume Music called it “an admirable attempt to give the trilogy a proper end.” MyGlobalMind framed it as the conclusion of “a metal masterpiece.”

    The encore, in other words, is no longer a victory lap of Queensrÿche radio singles. It is a contemporary statement about the same characters from a new vantage point, with strings and lasers built to support the heavier delivery.

    Tickets, VIPs, and the value question

    General admission and reserved seating are on Eventbrite through the Historic Everett Theatre’s official listing — the canonical ticket path, ahead of any third-party reseller. A separate VIP Meet and Greet package is sold directly through GeoffTate.com and includes a pre-show meet, a posed photo with Tate and the band, an autograph session, and early entry. Standard tickets are positioned at face value, before resale margins start chasing the earlier Pabst, Taft, and Rose Music Center dates upward — fair-market pricing for a once-in-a-career performance window in an 800-seat room.

    What to know before you go

    The Historic Downtown Everett Theatre sits at 2911 Colby Avenue, between Hewitt and Wall in the heart of downtown Everett. Street parking on Colby and Wetmore is metered through 6 PM, then free; the Everpark Garage at 2925 Wetmore is a block north. Pre-show dinner options cluster within a three-block walk on Hewitt and Colby. The 1901 venue is fully ADA-accessible from the main Colby entrance, with the box office at the corner of Colby and Wall.

    If you are tracking the broader legacy-act calendar in town, the Apex’s Kings Hall closes June with Petty Thief and Pretenders UK on June 27. The two rooms together are giving Everett a two-month run of bookings the city has not had in this density in years.

    The bottom line

    If Operation: Mindcrime shaped how you think about what a metal album can do, this is the one to clear the calendar for. The Final Chapter is the last living performance of the full 1988 sequence by the voice that originally sang it. The Historic Everett Theatre is the right-sized room. The album that closes the trilogy just hit the streets. Saturday, May 23, 2026. Doors at 7:30 PM. Show at 8 PM. 2911 Colby Avenue. Verdict: GO.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Who is Geoff Tate?

    Geoff Tate is the original lead vocalist of progressive metal band Queensrÿche, best known for the platinum-selling 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime and hits including “Silent Lucidity,” “Empire,” and “Eyes of a Stranger.” He fronted Queensrÿche from 1982 until 2012 and has performed as a solo artist since.

    What is the Operation: Mindcrime – The Final Chapter tour?

    It is Geoff Tate’s farewell touring cycle for the original 1988 Operation: Mindcrime album. On The Final Chapter tour Tate performs Mindcrime in full one last time, with an enhanced production featuring strings and a laser show. The U.S. spring leg in 2026 is the last time the full album will be performed live.

    When and where is the Everett show?

    Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Historic Downtown Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Avenue, Everett, WA 98201. Doors open at 7:30 PM with the show at 8 PM.

    How do I buy tickets?

    General admission and reserved seating tickets are sold through Eventbrite via the Historic Everett Theatre’s official event listing. A separate VIP Meet and Greet package is sold through GeoffTate.com and includes a pre-show meet, photo, and autograph session with Geoff Tate and the band.

    What songs will Geoff Tate play in Everett?

    The set centers on the full 1988 Operation: Mindcrime album performed front-to-back, with Queensrÿche-era hits and selections from the new Operation: Mindcrime III, released May 3, 2026, expected in the encore segment.

    How long is the show?

    Eventbrite lists the run time at three hours from 8 PM to 11 PM, including the album performance, additional Queensrÿche material, and an encore.

    Is the Historic Everett Theatre the right size for this show?

    Yes. The 1901 venue seats roughly 800 in its main hall — exactly the right room for a legacy progressive metal act on a focused theater tour. The Final Chapter run is deliberately routed to mid-size theaters rather than arenas.

    Where should I park and eat before the show?

    Street parking and the Everpark Garage at 2925 Wetmore Avenue are within a block of the theater. Pre-show dinner options on Hewitt Avenue and Colby Avenue cluster within a three-block walk.



  • Dana Gould Is Coming to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 16 — Here’s Why You Should Be There

    Dana Gould Is Coming to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 16 — Here’s Why You Should Be There

    What time does Dana Gould perform at the Historic Everett Theatre on May 16?
    Dana Gould performs Saturday, May 16, 2026 at the Historic Everett Theatre (2911 Colby Ave, Everett, WA). Doors open at 7:00 PM, show starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $23 and available at the door. The show is presented by Everett Comedy Night.

    Verdict: GO. The headliner is unique to this market, the room is the right size, and $23 is a fair price for what you’re getting. All three boxes checked.

    The Short Version

    Dana Gould wrote and produced for The Simpsons for seven years. He’s been doing stand-up since he was seventeen. On Saturday, May 16, he’s performing at the Historic Everett Theatre as part of Everett Comedy Night’s Premier Stand-Up Comedy series. Doors at 7:00 PM. Show at 8:00 PM. Twenty-three dollars at the door. This is a real headliner playing a real room, and it doesn’t come around often in a market this size.

    Who Is Dana Gould

    Dana Gould was born in 1964 in Hopedale, Massachusetts and started doing stand-up comedy onstage at age seventeen. After studying briefly, he relocated to San Francisco to work full-time in the craft — years of sets, years of developing the perspective that eventually landed him a seat in the most competitive television writers’ room in the country.

    His run on The Simpsons lasted from 2001 through 2007. He worked as a writer and served as co-executive producer on seasons 14 through 18 — meaning he was in the room during one of the most widely distributed television eras in American history. In a 2005 episode he provided voice work as Don Knotts playing Barney Fife, an impression he’d been doing in his live act for years before it reached the show. If you’ve watched The Simpsons in the 2000s — and you have — some of those episodes have Gould’s fingerprints on them.

    The Simpsons credit is the one that puts his name in front of a general audience, but the rest of his career runs a different direction. In 2016 he created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in IFC’s Stan Against Evil — a horror-comedy series about a former small-town New Hampshire sheriff (played by John C. McGinley) who discovers the town is overrun by demonic entities tied to a seventeenth-century witch-burning event. Gould appeared as Kevin, a gravedigger and recurring presence throughout the show. Stan Against Evil ran for three seasons and 24 episodes across 2016–2018 before IFC cancelled it in January 2019. It’s exactly the kind of show that gets a cult following, and it has one.

    Since 2012, Gould has hosted The Dana Gould Hour podcast, which covers classic horror, pop culture, and comedy history with guests drawn from the community of people who care about the same strange corners of American entertainment that he does. Since 2021 he’s also hosted Hanging with Doctor Z on YouTube — a talk show recorded entirely with Gould in full Dr. Zaius makeup from Planet of the Apes, interviewing comedian and musician friends. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

    The thread running through all of it — the Simpsons years, the IFC series, the podcast, the Planet of the Apes talk show — is a very specific kind of intelligence about American popular culture. Fond, precise, and a little dark at the edges. That’s what you’re seeing on Saturday.

    Everett Comedy Night: The Series

    The show’s promoter is Everett Comedy Night, which runs the Premier Stand-Up Comedy series at the Historic Everett Theatre. Saturday is the 14th/4th Anniversary show — marking the series’ longevity and the established relationship between the promoter and the venue that makes events like this possible in a market this size.

    Getting a headliner of Gould’s caliber to play Everett requires the kind of track record that only comes from doing it consistently and not messing it up. Everett Comedy Night has that track record. When a real national touring comedian agrees to play a mid-sized Pacific Northwest city, it’s not by accident — it’s because someone has put in the work to make it worth doing.

    The Room

    The Historic Everett Theatre opened on November 4, 1901, as the Everett Opera House. A fire in 1923 required a full rebuild; the new building reopened in 1924. A restoration effort from 2000 through 2004 brought it back to working condition, and it operates today at approximately 800-seat capacity. Early performers in the building’s history include Lillian Russell, Al Jolson, and George M. Cohan — names that tell you what kind of room this was built to be.

    That capacity matters for comedy in a specific way. Stand-up at arena scale tends to lose something — the pauses, the timing, the audience relationship that makes the form work. At around 800 seats, a comedian of Gould’s caliber can do actual stand-up, not a version of it scaled up to fill a space too large for the act. The room fits the performer.

    Walking into a 125-year-old opera house to watch a comedian talk about writing for a cartoon and making a demon-hunting show is a particular kind of experience that doesn’t exist everywhere. The building adds something that a casino ballroom or a club with a low ceiling doesn’t.

    Three Reasons to Go

    The headliner doesn’t play Everett often. Dana Gould has credits that most touring comedians don’t — seven years on The Simpsons, a three-season IFC series, a podcast with a real following. When someone with that resume agrees to play Everett’s premier comedy series, you go.

    The price is right. Twenty-three dollars at the door for a comedian with this resume is a genuine deal. Compare what you’d pay for a comparable show at a Seattle venue, add parking and driving time, and the math isn’t close.

    The Historic Everett Theatre in May is worth your time. The building has had a strong spring — multiple well-produced shows, a room that feels alive. Saturday, May 16 is a good night to be in it.

    What You Need to Know

    Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
    Doors: 7:00 PM
    Show: 8:00 PM
    Venue: Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA 98201
    Tickets: $23 — available at the door. Also via Eventbrite: Dana Gould in Everett! Premier Stand-Up Comedy! 14th/4th Anniversary!
    Note: This show is presented by Everett Comedy Night, not the Historic Everett Theatre. House gift certificates and theatre coupons are not valid for this event.

    May 16 Has Two Everett Options

    Saturday, May 16 is becoming a real night for downtown Everett events. On the same evening, All City Fight Night: Worlds Collide is running its six-hour amateur kickboxing card at Kings Hall at APEX Everett on 1611 Everett Ave. If you’re choosing: comedy at HET and kickboxing at APEX serve completely different audiences, and neither is a bad call for a Saturday night in May.

    If you’re already planning to be out that weekend, the rest of May at the HET is strong too. Canned Heat and Big Brother and the Holding Company — two of the original Woodstock bands — play the 29th, and Grupo Niche, the Latin Grammy-winning Colombian salsa orchestra, closes out May on the 31st. The building is having a moment this spring. May 16 is a good night to start.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time does Dana Gould perform at the Historic Everett Theatre on May 16?

    Doors open at 7:00 PM. The show starts at 8:00 PM on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The venue is at 2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA 98201.

    How much are tickets for Dana Gould at the Historic Everett Theatre?

    Tickets are $23 and available at the door. They are also available in advance via Eventbrite. This show is presented by Everett Comedy Night — house gift certificates and theatre coupons are not valid for this event.

    Is the Dana Gould show all ages?

    Age policy was not listed in the official event materials from the Historic Everett Theatre or Eventbrite listing. Check with the venue at events.theatreconcertconsulting.com or the Eventbrite listing before attending if age policy matters to your plans.

    What is Dana Gould famous for?

    Dana Gould is best known as a writer and co-executive producer on The Simpsons, where he worked from 2001 to 2007 across seasons 14 through 18. He also created, wrote, and starred in IFC’s horror-comedy series Stan Against Evil (2016–2018), which ran for three seasons and 24 episodes. He hosts The Dana Gould Hour podcast and has been a touring stand-up comedian since age seventeen.

    What is Everett Comedy Night?

    Everett Comedy Night is the promoter behind the Premier Stand-Up Comedy series at the Historic Everett Theatre. Saturday’s event is the series’ 14th/4th Anniversary show, reflecting the series’ history at the venue.

    Where is the Historic Everett Theatre?

    The Historic Everett Theatre is at 2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA 98201. The building opened on November 4, 1901 as the Everett Opera House. It operates today at approximately 800-seat capacity and has been hosting performances continuously since its restoration in the early 2000s.

    Are there other shows at the Historic Everett Theatre in May?

    Yes. Canned Heat and Big Brother and the Holding Company — two of the original Woodstock bands — perform May 29. Grupo Niche, a Latin Grammy-winning Colombian salsa orchestra, performs May 31. Both shows are ticketed through the HET box office at events.theatreconcertconsulting.com.

  • Petty Thief and Pretenders UK Hit Kings Hall on June 27 — A Double-Bill That Gets Classic Rock Right

    Petty Thief and Pretenders UK Hit Kings Hall on June 27 — A Double-Bill That Gets Classic Rock Right

    What is playing at APEX Everett on June 27, 2026?
    Petty Thief, Seattle’s tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, headlines Kings Hall at APEX on Saturday June 27, 2026. Opening the night is Pretenders UK, a Seattle-based four-piece recreating the early 1980s Pretenders. Show time is 8:00 PM. Tickets from $41 via Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809). Kings Hall is located at 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201.

    Verdict: GO. Petty Thief is the most authentic Tom Petty tribute in the Pacific Northwest — nineteen years running, a current lineup that has been working together since 2017, and a philosophy that treats the catalog as worth getting right. Pretenders UK brings the early Chrissie Hynde era specifically, which is where the Pretenders’ best work lives. Together on the Kings Hall stage for one Saturday night, this is the kind of double-bill where the opening act is not a throwaway.

    Three conditions met for GO: the lineup does not exist anywhere else in this market window, Kings Hall is the right room for this material, and tickets from $41 for two bands is fair-market or below.

    Everett’s newest dedicated concert stage has spent its first year building a habit of landing acts that could be playing larger rooms in Seattle but show up here instead. The Crystal Method and Rabbit in the Moon in June. All City Fight Night in May. Petty Thief and Pretenders UK on June 27 continues that calendar. The value of a room like Kings Hall is that it does not require an act to be an arena act. The material Tom Petty recorded was designed to be played live in a room where you can hear every guitar part, where the room fills with the sound of the band, and where the person next to you is as locked in as you are. That is what you get here.

    Petty Thief: Nineteen Years of Not Being a Novelty Act

    Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017. He was 66. He left behind 40 years of recordings with the Heartbreakers that defined what American rock looked like when it was running correctly — inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, five number-one albums, and a catalog that still sounds like it was written yesterday when played in a room where the speakers are pointed at you.

    Petty Thief did not form in response to that loss. Andy Volmer started the band in 2007 as a Halloween spoof — he and some friends dressed as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and called themselves “Refugees” for one party. That was supposed to be the end of it.

    It wasn’t. By 2026, Petty Thief is in its nineteenth year, and the current lineup — Volmer, Steve Crabtree, Mark Mosholder, John Paredes, and Rick Bourgoin — has been performing together since the fall of 2017. The five of them locked in right after Petty’s death and set a standard for themselves that Volmer has described explicitly: “We wanted to approach the tribute genre as a true live rock and roll band, not a novelty act.”

    That matters because the Tom Petty tribute circuit has a lot of novelty acts. Costume shows. Medley bands. Revues built around three songs everyone knows and a lot of filler. Petty Thief plays the full catalog — “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “The Waiting,” “Breakdown,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Learning to Fly” — and treats the material the way Petty would have wanted it treated: as rock songs, not museum exhibits.

    The current lineup is the most stable the band has ever been. When five musicians have been playing the same catalog together for almost a decade, what you hear is not a band approximating the sound — it’s a band that has internalised it. There is a difference, and you can hear it live.

    Pretenders UK: The Opening Act That Is Also a Reason to Show Up Early

    Pretenders UK opens the bill. They are a Seattle-based four-piece, and their specific commitment is to the early 1980s Pretenders — the Chrissie Hynde era that produced the records most people associate with the band’s peak.

    That era produced “Brass in Pocket” in 1979. “Talk of the Town” in 1981. “Back on the Chain Gang” in 1982. “Middle of the Road” in 1984. It is the decade when the Pretenders were defining what new wave sounded like when it had real guitar work behind it — harder than the synth acts of the period, more melodic than punk, built around Hynde’s rhythm guitar and voice in a way that no one else in that window matched.

    Pretenders UK focuses on that era specifically. That is a curatorial choice, and it’s the right one. The original Pretenders went through significant lineup changes across the decade — the early 1980s period is musically coherent in a way the later catalog is not. A tribute band that picks an era and commits to it is a different proposition than one trying to cover everything. Show up before 8:00 PM. Pretenders UK is not a warm-up.

    Why This Double-Bill Works

    Tom Petty and Chrissie Hynde were not the same kind of artist, and that is the reason this bill lands well. Petty was American heartland rock — guitars, road imagery, working-class romanticism delivered with a Gainesville, Florida drawl that managed to sound both regional and universal. The Pretenders were a British-American hybrid, new wave by genre classification but louder and more guitar-forward than that label implies, anchored by a frontwoman who wrote differently than her contemporaries.

    The two catalogs share a refusal to be precious. Petty’s music worked at stadium scale and on a car radio simultaneously. The Pretenders played arenas and sounded like they had something to prove every night. Both bands earned their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by making records that did not age out.

    A double-bill built around this pair of catalogs has internal logic. If you are the kind of person who stayed through the Heartbreakers set at any festival you attended in the last three decades, you are also the kind of person who already knows every word to “Brass in Pocket.” One night. One room. Same ticket. And if you need one more reason: Everett has proven this summer that it can host legacy classic rock acts done right — Canned Heat and Big Brother showed that in May.

    The Logistics

    Where: Kings Hall at APEX Art and Culture Center, 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201.
    When: Saturday June 27, 2026. Show time 8:00 PM.
    Tickets: From $41 at Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809). Also available via SeatGeek. Purchase in advance — tribute shows at Kings Hall have sold ahead of date.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time does Petty Thief start at Kings Hall APEX Everett?

    Show time is 8:00 PM on Saturday June 27, 2026. Pretenders UK opens the night before Petty Thief headlines. Kings Hall at APEX Art and Culture Center is at 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201. Tickets from $41 via Ticketmaster event 0F00647F843C4809.

    Who is opening for Petty Thief at APEX Everett on June 27?

    Pretenders UK opens the show — a Seattle-based four-piece dedicated to the early 1980s Pretenders catalog, including “Brass in Pocket,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” “Talk of the Town,” and “Middle of the Road.” This is not a warm-up act; they are the second reason to buy a ticket.

    Who is Petty Thief and are they from Seattle?

    Petty Thief is Seattle’s tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Founded in 2007 by Andy Volmer, the current five-piece lineup has been together since 2017. Volmer describes their approach as “a true live rock and roll band, not a novelty act.” They are the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running Tom Petty tribute.

    How much are tickets for Petty Thief at APEX Everett?

    Tickets start from $41 via Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809) and SeatGeek. For a two-band tribute night in a mid-size room, that is competitive pricing — single-act cover shows at seated venues in the greater Seattle area typically run $60–$90.

    What songs will Petty Thief play at APEX Everett?

    Petty Thief plays the full Heartbreakers catalog — expect “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “The Waiting,” “Breakdown,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Learning to Fly,” and more. They play the hits and the catalog, not a three-song medley.

  • Grupo Niche Is Coming to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 31 — A Latin Grammy-Winning Salsa Orchestra in an 1901 Opera House

    Grupo Niche Is Coming to the Historic Everett Theatre on May 31 — A Latin Grammy-Winning Salsa Orchestra in an 1901 Opera House

    Is Grupo Niche playing in Everett, WA in 2026?
    Yes. Grupo Niche — the Latin Grammy-winning Colombian salsa orchestra founded in Cali in 1978 — performs at the Historic Everett Theatre (2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA) on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available through events.theatreconcertconsulting.com and secondary markets.

    Verdict: GO. Unique-to-market touring act. Right-size room for a brass-forward Latin orchestra. The Historic Everett Theatre’s most ambitious Latin booking since reopening under new ownership. If you have any connection to salsa music, clear Sunday, May 31.

    The Setup

    A Sunday night in a 125-year-old opera house. A Colombian salsa orchestra with 47 years of catalog and a Latin Grammy on the shelf. Eight hundred seats on Colby Avenue.

    That is what May 31 looks like at the Historic Everett Theatre.

    Grupo Niche — not a tribute act, not a cover band, but the actual Cali orchestra founded in 1978 by Jairo Varela — is coming to Everett. If you have any connection to Latin music, to salsa, to the specific joy of hearing a full brass section tear through “Cali Pachanguero” in a room this intimate, this is the show. It is not a show you will find again at this scale in the Pacific Northwest any time soon.

    Who Grupo Niche Is

    Grupo Niche was born in Cali, Colombia in 1978. Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano built the orchestra with the conviction that Colombian salsa deserved to stand beside — and ahead of — the New York and Puerto Rican traditions that dominated the genre at the time.

    Their 1984 album No Hay Quinto Malo contained a single called “Cali Pachanguero,” a tribute to the city’s carnival spirit. It became one of the defining songs of the salsa genre. It still plays at every Grupo Niche concert, and when it does, rooms of 800 people tend to become one organism.

    The catalog extends well beyond that song. “Cali Ají,” “Sin Sentimiento,” “Una Aventura,” “Buenaventura y Caney,” “Debiera Olvidarla” — these are songs that defined Latin dancefloors across the Americas, Spain, and wherever the Colombian diaspora settled. In 1986, Grupo Niche became the first Colombian orchestra to perform at Madison Square Garden, part of the World Salsa Festival. In 1989, they played to one million fans at Lima’s Campo de Marte park in Peru.

    Maestro Jairo Varela died on August 8, 2012. The group continued under the direction of longtime members, and in 2020 won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album with 40, a fortieth-anniversary record. The group is still recording, still winning hardware, and still performing at the level that earned those credentials. Forty-seven years in, this is not a nostalgia act — it is a working orchestra with an active catalog and a live show that has filled venues across two continents this decade.

    None of that usually arrives at a venue that seats 800 people in Snohomish County. May 31 is the exception.

    Why the Room Is Right

    The Historic Everett Theatre opened in 1901 as the Everett Opera House. The building survived a 1923 fire, was rebuilt in 1924, and operated for decades as one of the Pacific Northwest’s working music venues. By 2025, Bellevue real estate investor Johnny Phan had purchased it for $1.5 million and put hundreds of thousands more into renovations before reopening in September 2025 — the latest chapter for a room that has hosted everything from vaudeville performers to grunge-era tribute acts.

    For salsa, the room size is an asset. Salsa at 800 seats means the brass section hits differently than it does at a 5,000-seat amphitheater. You can hear the rhythm section individually. The coro — the call-and-response vocal hook that defines salsa’s live energy — echoes in a room this size instead of evaporating into a sound system the size of a building.

    If you have seen Grupo Niche in a large theater or arena context, the Historic Everett Theatre is a different kind of show. If you have never seen them live, this room is an argument for starting here rather than waiting for a bigger venue.

    What to Expect at the Show

    A typical Grupo Niche concert runs 90 minutes to two hours. The set draws from a catalog spanning four decades, and the group sequences it to build toward the signature moments. Recent setlists have included “Un Alto en el Camino,” “Buenaventura y Caney,” “Sin Sentimiento,” and “Cali Ají” alongside material from the 2020 Latin Grammy-winning 40 album. “Cali Pachanguero” is always in the set, and it always closes a chapter of the show at high volume.

    The touring lineup includes featured vocalists, a full horn section, piano, bass, percussion, and a coro that fills whatever space it occupies. There will be dancing. If you know how to salsa, you will find floor space near the stage. If you do not, watching the people who do from 20 feet away is its own kind of entertainment.

    Dress for dancing if you plan on it. The venue does not have a dress code, but you will not be the first person there in something worth moving in.

    The Full Last Weekend of May

    If you are building a cultural calendar around this show, the timing works unusually well. Three days of the same weekend offer three different reasons to be downtown.

    On Friday, May 29, Canned Heat and Big Brother and the Holding Company play the same stage — two bands that performed at the original Woodstock on one Historic Everett Theatre bill. The request is that you wear something that looks like it came out of 1969. This is a co-headliner at $65 general admission, and it is one of the stronger live-music bookings in Everett in years.

    On Saturday, May 30, the Schack Art Center’s Artists’ Garage Sale runs 9 AM to 3 PM on Hoyt Avenue — 140+ artists, work priced for actual purchase, free to browse. That same Saturday evening, EMO Prom lands at Tony V’s Garage on Hewitt — a tribute night for the era’s music, with the room dressed accordingly.

    Grupo Niche closes the weekend on Sunday. Three consecutive days, three completely different rooms, three different reasons to stay in Everett instead of driving to Seattle.

    Show Details

    • Artist: Grupo Niche
    • Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026
    • Show time: 7:00 PM
    • Venue: Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA 98201
    • Capacity: ~800
    • Tickets: events.theatreconcertconsulting.com (official); also available on SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and Bandsintown
    • Parking: Street parking on Colby Ave; Everpark Garage (2919 Oakes Ave) nearby

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time does Grupo Niche play at the Historic Everett Theatre?

    The show starts at 7:00 PM on Sunday, May 31, 2026. The Historic Everett Theatre is located at 2911 Colby Ave, Everett WA 98201. Arrive by 6:30 PM to find parking and get settled before the show.

    Where can I buy Grupo Niche tickets for the Everett show?

    Tickets are available through the Historic Everett Theatre’s official ticketing platform at events.theatreconcertconsulting.com, and through secondary markets including SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and Bandsintown.

    What songs does Grupo Niche play in concert?

    Grupo Niche setlists draw from 47 years of catalog. Expect “Cali Pachanguero,” “Cali Ají,” “Sin Sentimiento,” “Buenaventura y Caney,” “Un Alto en el Camino,” and material from the 2020 Latin Grammy-winning album 40. “Cali Pachanguero” is performed at every concert without exception.

    How big is the Historic Everett Theatre?

    The Historic Everett Theatre holds approximately 800 people. It opened in 1901 as the Everett Opera House, survived a 1923 fire, and was renovated and reopened under new ownership in September 2025. For salsa, the room size is an advantage — you can hear the full orchestra clearly from anywhere in the hall.

    Who is Grupo Niche?

    Grupo Niche is a Colombian salsa orchestra founded in 1978 in Cali, Colombia by Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano. They won the Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album in 2020. They were the first Colombian orchestra to perform at Madison Square Garden (1986) and played before one million fans in Lima, Peru in 1989. Critics and audiences across Latin America consistently cite them as the continent’s most successful salsa orchestra of the past forty years.

    Is the Grupo Niche Everett show all ages?

    Age policy details should be confirmed at point of ticket purchase through the official ticketing page. Most Historic Everett Theatre shows are all ages unless otherwise noted. Check events.theatreconcertconsulting.com for the current listing.

  • Hood Canal North in May: What’s Biting, What’s Blooming, and Where to Go

    Hood Canal North in May: What’s Biting, What’s Blooming, and Where to Go

    May on Hood Canal’s north shore has its own particular rhythm. The water is still cold enough to see your breath off the kayak in the morning, the rhododendrons are peaking in the forest clearings, and everyone with a shrimp pot has one question on their mind: is the season open? This week I’ve got answers on all of it — plus one of the most underrated state parks on the entire Olympic Peninsula that deserves a lot more foot traffic than it gets.

    Let’s start with the news every Hood Canal angler is watching, then I’ll walk you through a spring park visit that’ll remind you why you moved to (or keep driving back to) this corner of Washington.

    Hood Canal Spot Shrimp 2026: What You Need to Know Before You Launch

    Here’s the hard truth first: Hood Canal is closed for spot shrimp harvest in 2026 due to low abundance. WDFW made the call based on population surveys, and while it’s disappointing for the many anglers who make this an annual tradition, it’s the right move for the long-term health of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved shellfish species.

    Spot shrimp are a Hood Canal icon. They’re larger, sweeter, and more delicate than anything you’ll find at a grocery store counter, and the Hood Canal fishery draws pot-setters from across the region every spring. When WDFW closes an area, it’s because the stock genuinely needs the rest. The same conservation ethic that makes the Quilcene Bay oyster harvest sustainable year after year applies here — restraint now means abundance later.

    So what are your options for 2026? The broader Puget Sound shrimp season opens May 24 in several marine areas (check wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/shrimp/areas for area-by-area status). Rules across Puget Sound management areas include a daily limit of 10 pounds of all shrimp species combined, a maximum of 80 spot shrimp per person if open for spot shrimp, daylight-hours-only harvesting, and no more than two shrimp pots per person (four per boat). Before you trailer the boat anywhere, verify the current status for your specific target area on the WDFW site — additional dates can be added or removed as quota situations change through the season.

    For Hood Canal North regulars, this is a good year to explore the non-shrimping highlights of the canal — of which there are plenty. The Brinnon ShrimpFest on Memorial Day weekend (May 23–25) is still happening and still celebrates the culture and community around Hood Canal spot shrimp even in a conservation year. Mark your calendar.

    Scenic Beach State Park, Seabeck — May Is the Sweet Spot

    If you’ve never made the turn off Newberry Hill Road toward Seabeck, add it to your list right now. Scenic Beach State Park sits on a quiet cove on Hood Canal’s west shore, and in May, it’s genuinely one of the most beautiful spots on the peninsula.

    The park’s signature view is what draws people back: stand on the pebble beach at low tide and you’re looking straight across Hood Canal at the full Olympic Mountain ridgeline. On a clear May morning — and we get more of those than people expect — that panorama is jaw-dropping. The peaks are still carrying significant snow at elevation, which makes the contrast with the blooming rhododendrons in the park’s forest trails particularly dramatic this time of year.

    The trail network here is well-groomed and manageable for most fitness levels. You’ll move through second-growth forest with a mix of Douglas fir, big-leaf maple, and those native rhododendrons that are in full flush right now. The trails eventually loop back to the beach, where the rocky shoreline rewards anyone who takes their time — look for sea stars, anemones, and the occasional harbor seal cruising the shallows.

    One detail I always point out to first-timers: the historic Emel House sits right on the beach. It’s a beautifully preserved early-20th-century home that’s become a popular wedding venue, and even if there’s no event happening, it adds a real sense of place and history to a walk along the waterline. The park address is 9596 Scenic Beach Rd NW, Seabeck, WA 98380.

    One practical note: clamming and oyster harvesting at Scenic Beach is currently closed due to a decline in shellfish populations in this specific area. Come for the views, the trails, and the forest — not the harvest.

    Plan Your Visit

    Scenic Beach State Park is open year-round. To reach it from Bremerton, head northwest on WY-3, turn left onto Newberry Hill Road, then follow Seabeck Highway NW until it transitions to Scenic Beach Road. The drive takes about 30 minutes from Bremerton and 90 minutes from Tacoma via the Narrows Bridge. Parking is available in the main day-use lot. Bring layers — even on a sunny May afternoon the breeze off Hood Canal can be brisk. Reservations for camping can be made through Washington State Parks at parks.wa.gov.

    If you’re combining this with a shrimp research trip, WDFW’s area-by-area shrimp status page is the authoritative source: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/shrimp/areas. Check it the morning you plan to go — conditions and quota statuses can change mid-season.

    Hood Canal North rewards the curious traveler who takes the less-obvious road. Seabeck is that road. Go find it.

  • Two South Coast Gems Worth the Drive This May: Quinault Rain Forest and Grays Harbor Lighthouse

    Two South Coast Gems Worth the Drive This May: Quinault Rain Forest and Grays Harbor Lighthouse

    The South Coast of the Olympic Peninsula doesn’t always get top billing — that usually goes to Hurricane Ridge or the Hoh. But if you point your rig southwest this May, you’ll find two destinations that deliver everything the peninsula is famous for, without the weekend crowds. I’m talking about the Quinault Rain Forest and the Grays Harbor Lighthouse at Westport. Both are open now. Both are spectacular in spring. And they make a natural pair for a full South Coast day trip.

    Quinault Rain Forest: The Quiet Corner of Olympic National Park

    Most people driving to the Olympic Peninsula from the south pass right by the Quinault Valley turnoff without realizing what they’re missing. That’s a mistake worth correcting.

    The Quinault Valley sits in the southwestern corner of Olympic National Park, roughly an hour west of Forks and about three hours from Port Angeles. It’s a wilderness gateway in the truest sense — alpine meadows and ice-carved peaks at the high end, and at the valley floor, one of the finest stretches of temperate old-growth rainforest on the continent. Bigleaf maples draped in club moss, the Quinault River running clear and cold, Roosevelt elk moving through the undergrowth at dawn.

    The best starting point for a day visit is the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station, where the NPS staff can orient you to current trail and road conditions. From there, the Kestner Homestead Loop is the move: a 1.3-mile flat walk through groves of bigleaf maples to the remains of the Kestner family homestead, one of the first pioneer families to settle the valley. It’s short enough for anyone to manage and beautiful enough to slow even the most restless hiker down. In May, the maples are leafing out in that electric spring-green that photographers chase all season.

    If you want to stay overnight — and you should — the valley has two campgrounds inside the national park. North Fork Campground (9 sites) and Graves Creek Campground (approximately 30 sites) are both first-come, first-served and sit in the kind of quiet that city people don’t entirely believe exists anymore. No reservations, no generators humming, just rain on old-growth canopy.

    For those wanting more ambitious hiking, the East Fork Quinault River Trail pushes deep into the Olympic Wilderness toward the historic Enchanted Chalet, and the North Fork Quinault River Trail climbs toward the Low Divide. Both are multi-day wilderness routes for fit, prepared hikers — bring a permit and solid navigation skills.

    Before you head out, note that Kalaloch Beach is approximately 35 miles west of Quinault — easily added to the itinerary for a sunset finish on the open Pacific. For current road and trail conditions, call the NPS at 360-565-3130.

    Grays Harbor Lighthouse: Washington’s Oldest Standing Lighthouse

    Drive another hour north and west from Quinault and you’ll reach Westport, the fishing town that anchors the southern end of the South Coast. Most visitors come for the marina, the charter fishing, or the razor clam beaches. But the destination that deserves more attention is hiding right at the edge of town: the Grays Harbor Lighthouse inside Westport Light State Park.

    Built in 1898, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse stands 107 feet tall — making it the tallest lighthouse still standing on the Washington coast. It’s an imposing structure, white against the gray Pacific sky, positioned right where the Grays Harbor jetty meets the open ocean. The lighthouse has been guiding ships into Grays Harbor for over 125 years, and it remains an active aid to navigation today.

    Access is easy and free. Park at the Westport Light State Park lot off W Ocean Ave and pick up the Dunes Trail, a 1.3-mile loop that winds through a forest of shore pines and coastal scrub before delivering you to the lighthouse tower. The trail is paved in stretches and suitable for most visitors. Along the way, keep your eyes on the water — May is the tail end of gray whale northward migration, and the jetty area is a reliable shorebird corridor.

    The lighthouse itself is managed by the Westport-South Beach Historical Society, which typically runs public tours on weekends during the spring and summer season. Check their schedule before you go if climbing the tower is your goal — but even without a tour, the walk and the views make the trip worthwhile.

    Plan Your Visit

    A full South Coast day combining Quinault and Westport requires an early start from the north end of the peninsula, but it’s very doable from Aberdeen or Olympia as a day trip. From Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station, head west on US-101 to Kalaloch if time allows, then north on 101 to Westport — roughly 1.5 hours between the two stops. Gas up in Aberdeen; services are limited along the route.

    For Quinault, there’s no fee to hike the Kestner Homestead Loop if you’re walking in from the Ranger Station area, though the standard America the Beautiful / National Parks Pass covers any applicable entry fees. Camping at North Fork and Graves Creek is first-come, first-served with standard NPS camping fees. Bring rain gear regardless of the forecast — this is the rainiest corner of the rainiest national park in the continental United States, and that’s part of what makes it so alive in May.

    For Westport Light State Park, parking and trail access are free. The lighthouse tour schedule varies — contact the Westport-South Beach Historical Society for current weekend hours before making the drive specifically for the tower climb.

    NPS Olympic road and trail info: 360-565-3130