Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 respond to a home explosion and fire on the 100 block of June Place on July 18 that took the life of a Sequim man.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Scott Dickson, longtime firefighting partner of Capt. Charles “Chad” Cate, removes straps securing Cate’s casket at a memorial on Jan. 21 for the firefighter who was found deceased while on shift on Jan. 12.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 extinguish a fire after a home exploded on the 100 block of June Place in July.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen

Josiah Powless, 7-years-old, holds the bow of a canoe as a member of the canoe family requests permission to land on Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s shoreline in July.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Twenty-two-month old Alice Adams enjoys a visit to Meli’s Lavender with her great-grandma Barb Butcher on July 21.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Ember Johnson, 16-months-old, enjoys the bubbles at Sequim’s Independence Day celebration.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen

Observers of Western Tiger Swallowtails will see the butterflies interacting in a kind of spiral dance.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ At the Dungeness River Festival in September, volunteer Connie Barron speaks to school children about the different salmon species and how to keep the river healthy.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Fourth-graders, from left, Wade McCarthey, Willem Van de Weghe, Theodore Wood and Jude Reno check out the inside of Fin, a giant interactive salmon with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition during the Dungeness River Festival on Sept. 22.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Shavine Mills offers fellow seniors congrats as he accepts his diploma at Sequim High School’s graduation ceremony on June 16.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Right: Hi’ilei Robinson offers a parting wave as she and fellow Sequim High seniors accept diplomas at the school’s graduation ceremony on June 16.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen

Sequim’s second annual Pride march and celebration took place in June. Grand Marshal Lorie Fazio and Pride committee volunteer David Ham lead the march up and down Washington Street with a happy crowd behind them.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen

Tomas Gonzales puts on a light show for an appreciative audience Greywolf Elementary School’s talent show in June.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen

Keylee Disinski, training at Sequim Acrobatics since 2016, prepares to perform several roles, including mermaid, at the academy’s “Neverland” show at the Sequim High School Auditorium in June.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell/ Sequim High School Homecoming Queen Taryn Johnson, left, receives a sash at Friday night’s football game while king Sage Younger looks on. Sequim shut out North Mason 36-0.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Local driftwood artist Molly Omann puts some of the finishing touches on “Fisher King” — a 57-inch-tall bald eagle that she calls her most challenging piece.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Third-grade geologists Atreus Parker and Zische Sylvester at Olympic Peninsula Academy go onto Mars in Michele Canepa’s class to uncover rock specimens during an interactive lesson in March.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Kamden Owens, 3, greets Stephen Rosales during a ceremony renaming a field the Kayla Owens Field at the James Standard Park to honor Kamden’s mom in March.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim High senior Mirek Skov clears an early height on his way to a second place finish at the Class 2A state track and field championships in Tacoma on May 26.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Vanessa Fuller, left, and, Raelynn Dickinson, 7, enjoy their illuminated costumes at Sequim’s Railroad Bridge following the lighting ceremony on Nov. 16.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam County Fire District 2 / Firefighters from Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and the Port Angeles Fire Department tend to a fire at the Olympic National Park Day Lodge on May 7.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Six-year-old Lyla Huffman of Sequim plays in the foam during the Irrigation Festival’s Family Fun Days in May. Her mom said she was “having a blast.” Local business Strait Up Foam Fun came to Carrie Blake Community Park to offer children and adults the chance to play in the eco-friendly, biodegradable foam for hours.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam County Fire District 2 / Firefighters from Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and the Port Angeles Fire Department respond Sunday, May 7, to a fire at the Olympic National Park Day Lodge. The building was a total loss.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam County Fire District 2 / Firefighters from Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and the Port Angeles Fire Department remove a door from the remains of the Olympic National Park Day Lodge on May 7.

Photo by Jay Cline/Clallam County Fire District 2 / Firefighters from Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and the Port Angeles Fire Department on May 7 help quell the remains of a fire that destroyed the Olympic National Park Day Lodge.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Pastor Desi Larson blesses Abby the dog as owner Joel Swenning and church member JoAnn Sahs-Cavin, in middle, look on during a Blessing of the Animals ceremony on Oct. 8 at Trinity United Methodist Church.