Carlsborg church offers ‘Living Nativity’

Carlsborg Family Church, 481 Carlsborg Road, hosts Living Nativity tours Friday-Sunday, Dec. 1-3.

The free event features actors staging the Christmas story of Jesus Christ’s birth on six different sets through hourly tours starting at 4 p.m., and the last show at 7 p.m.

Organizers said they’ve been working on the event since the spring, and if there’s rain, umbrellas are available and the stages will be covered.

Visitors are asked to park at Greywolf Elementary, 171 Carlsborg Road, and arrive at least 15 minutes early before each tour. Transport will be available to and from the church.

For more information, visit carlsborgchurch.org.

City of Sequim’s tree lighting set for Friday

The City of Sequim and the Sequim Arts Commission hosts the annual Sequim Civic Center Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Open House from 5-6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, at 152 W. Cedar St.

The tree will be decorated with ornaments created by local fourth grade/9-year-old students. The theme for this year’s ornaments was “What Brings You Joy?” The student artists and their families are invited to attend the celebration.

Following the lighting of the tree, attendees are encouraged to enjoy a reception of the “Elemental: Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, Air” exhibition in the Karen Kuznek-Reese Gallery.

For more information, contact Arts Coordinator Sarah Hurt at 360-582-2477 or shurt@sequimwa.gov.

Hospital guild’s thrift shop to be open

The Sequim Dungeness Hospital Guild Thrift Shop, 204 W. Bell St., will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Find gift ideas and decorations; all yellow tag items are half-off.

Donations are accepted from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, and during shop open hours.

Community members are also invited to volunteer at the shop.

Holiday market at county fairgrounds

The Kindred Holiday Market is set for 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Clallam County Fairgrounds, 1608 W. 16th St., Port Angeles.

Cost is $5 entry on Dec. 8, or bring a non-perishable food item for $2 off entry fee.

The event includes festive food and drinks, photos with Santa by Lexi Jordan Photography, local makers with vintage and handcrafted goods, and a wreath workshop with Grove Floral.

County offers new portal for sheriff’s office compliments, complaints

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office recently purchased a public portal to provide citizens with the opportunity to have an online option to compliment or complain about a sheriff employee’s performance.

Access the portal at clallamcountywa.gov/1744/Commendations-and-Complaints.

Compliments are sent to the employee and their supervisor and retained for their employee evaluations, sheriff’s office representatives said.

Complaints are sent to the employee’s supervisor and complainants are kept up to date with email and text notifications upon receipt of their complaint, as it’s investigated and when an outcome has been determined, they said.

VHOCC orientation scheduled for Dec. 6, 12

Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County (VHOCC) is hosting in-person volunteer orientations for those interested in learning more about or volunteering with the organization.

The first session is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. at VHOCC offices, 829 E. 8th St. in Port Angeles.

A second orientation will be held Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. at a location in Sequim to be revealed at the time of registration.

Registration for both sessions is required by calling 360-452-1511 or emailing to reception@vhocc.org.

Volunteers serve in a variety of roles such as front desk receptionist, in the organization’s lending closet or delivering medical equipment to patients’ homes. They can also serve at the bedside of hospice patients or offer grief support and spiritual care or handle various tasks in the office or at fundraising events.

VHOCC is a nonprofit serving Clallam County from Joyce to Diamond Point, and all its services are free. It provides end-of-life nursing care, loans medical equipment and supplies and offers education programs, grief support groups, one-on-one bereavement services and practical workshops on life after loss.

For more information, call 360-452-1511 or visit volunteerhospice.org.

World AIDS Day events scheduled at library

The North Olympic Library System (NOLS) invites community members to enjoy live performances and view artwork during the “World AIDS Day: Art in the Library” exhibition opening event from 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.

The exhibition celebrates work made by regional artists living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, those impacted by the journey or loss of a loved one, and others who are contributing to the conversation.

Performances begin in the Port Angeles Library at 7 p.m., and will be livestreamed on Zoom; get the Zoom link at nols.org/AIDS-day-art.

The Peninsula Queer Xhoir will perform alongside other live pieces curated for Art in the Library. This includes a reading that gives the history of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and audio excerpts from interviews by area residents impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Clallam County Poet Laureate Jaiden Dokken will read two poems submitted to the exhibition by Pacific Northwest poets. Resource information will be available for HIV/AIDS healthcare and services in Clallam County, provided by Kitsap Public Health.

The opening reception coincides with the annual observation of World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness, working to remove the stigma of HIV, and remembering lives lost due to AIDS. The exhibition will remain on view in the library through Thursday, Feb. 29.

City proposes $47.1M budget for 2024

Sequim city council was anticipated to approve the City of Sequim’s 2024 operating budget on Nov. 27 after a public hearing. The proposed balanced budget of about $47.1 million includes a 3-percent increase to sewer and water rates, about $12.7 million in capital projects, and $11 million for staffing and benefits. Councilors already approved a 1-percent increase in property taxes, and updated rate and fees at their Nov. 13 meeting.

Some of the proposed capital projects include construction of a new deep well on West Silberhorn Road ($3.8 million), West Sequim Bay corridor improvements ($1.9 million), a staff parking lot next to the Civic Center ($400,000), Carrie Blake Community Park bridge replacement ($350,000), and pavement rehabilitation ($618,000).

Staffing will increase by 1.44 full-time net hours to 95.71, including a fleet and asset manager, parks and facilities specialist, assistant clerk, accounting assistant, and two temporary positions for accounting and for planned retirement.

Staff said anticipated wages and benefits will increase about 2%, or by about $234,000.

For more information on the city’s budget, visit sequimwa.gov/1105/2024-Requested-Budget.