The Week Ahead
March 2, 2026
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Bainbridge Island does many things well. This week, it does three of them at once: storytelling, sustainability, and serious music.
In the span of a few days, you can sit in a darkened theater and watch a beloved Pacific Northwest novel come to life on stage. You can bring a broken lamp or stubborn vacuum back from the brink with the help of a neighbor who knows exactly how to open it up and make it work again. And you can hear an award-winning jazz artist share the stage with local high school musicians who are clearly on their way somewhere.
That range is not accidental. It’s the result of a community that values craft—whether that craft is writing, repairing, or improvising.
At Bainbridge Performing Arts, The Highest Tide anchors the week with a story rooted in our own shoreline. Adapted from Jim Lynch’s novel and staged in partnership with Book-It Repertory Theatre, the production is more than a coming-of-age tale. It’s a reminder that the waters around us shape who we are. The play follows a marine-obsessed 13-year-old who discovers a giant squid at low tide and suddenly finds his small town thrust into the national spotlight. It’s funny, thoughtful, and deeply local. In a place defined by ferries, beaches, and tidal rhythms, that resonance lands differently. This isn’t just theater—it’s reflection.
A different kind of care shows up at the Fix-it Fair, where sustainability becomes hands-on. Instead of tossing out a malfunctioning appliance or a torn jacket, residents bring their items to volunteer fixers who attempt repairs and share their know-how along the way. It’s practical and refreshingly straightforward: register, show up, stay present, learn something. Whether the repair succeeds or not, the larger point holds. Extending the life of what we already own saves money, reduces waste, and strengthens the skills that make communities resilient. Repair, in this context, is both an environmental act and a social one.
Then there’s the Puget Sounds Jazz Festival, where the focus shifts to performance and mentorship. With Marina Albero—winner of the 2025 Earshot Jazz Festival Album of the Year Award—headlining the weekend, the island gets a direct line to high-caliber professional musicianship. Just as important, local student ensembles share the spotlight. The format is intentional. Students open concerts, perform alongside peers, and close the festival with an awards ceremony that recognizes the work behind the music. It’s a reminder that arts education thrives when young musicians are treated as contributors, not just learners.
Taken together, these events paint a clear picture. Bainbridge Island is not just consuming culture; it’s actively making it. It’s staging stories rooted in place. It’s choosing repair over disposal. It’s investing in young artists while welcoming established talent.
You could attend all three events this week and experience three distinct versions of the same underlying value: a commitment to care—of the environment, of each other, and of the creative work that binds a community together.
Featured Events:
The Highest Tide
From March 6–22, 2026, Bainbridge Performing Arts presents The Highest Tide, directed by Kate Meyers and adapted for the stage by Jane Jones. Produced in partnership with Book-It Repertory Theatre, the show brings Jim Lynch’s celebrated novel to life with Book-It’s distinctive narrative-forward style—where language and action move together on stage in a way that feels intimate and immediate.
If you’ve read the book, you know it’s not just a coming-of-age story. Set along the shores of Puget Sound, it follows 13-year-old Miles O’Malley, a marine-obsessed kid who stumbles across a massive squid during a midnight low tide. That single discovery pulls his small coastal town into the national spotlight—and pushes Miles into deeper waters of curiosity, identity, and responsibility. It’s funny without being cute, thoughtful without being heavy, and grounded in the rhythms of life by the water.
On stage, that sense of place matters. The play leans into our regional DNA—the tides, the shoreline, the strange magic of marine life—and asks what it means to care for the natural world when you’re just beginning to understand your own. For a Bainbridge audience, the themes hit close to home.
A highlight of the run comes Sunday, March 15. After the matinee, author Jim Lynch will join a special Q&A moderated by Garth Stein, best known for The Art of Racing in the Rain. Expect a thoughtful conversation about the story’s origins, its characters, and how a novel rooted in Pacific Northwest ecology translates to the stage. Liberty Bay Books will be on hand with copies available for purchase and signing. Tickets are not required for the post-Q&A signing, though seating priority goes to those attending the performance.
If you’re curious but budget-conscious, take note: March 5 is a Pay-What-You-Can preview night—a smart, accessible way to experience what’s shaping up to be one of the island’s standout productions this season.
Cost, tickets and logistics:
March 6-22, 2026
Bainbridge Performing Arts 200 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Full details here
Get tickets here
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Fix-It Fair
If you’ve got a lamp that flickers, a vacuum that’s lost its will to live, or a favorite jacket waiting for a second chance, the Fix-it Fair is your moment. This free community repair event pairs skilled volunteer fixers with residents who want to extend the life of everyday household items—and learn a thing or two in the process.
Hosted through a collaboration between Sustainable Bainbridge and Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN), with support from the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, the event is grounded in a simple idea: repair is practical, empowering, and better for the planet.
Here’s how it works. Register in advance, then bring up to two clean items—small appliances, clothing, jewelry, lamps, vacuums, or small electronics are all fair game. If you have manuals or replacement parts, bring those along. Fixers work one item at a time on a first-come, first-served basis. If there’s time after your first repair attempt, you can hop back in line with your second item.
This isn’t a drop-off service. Participants must check in at the welcome table and stay during the repair. That’s by design. The goal isn’t just to fix things; it’s to share knowledge. You’ll see how a switch gets replaced, how a seam is reinforced, or how a loose connection gets tracked down. Even when a repair isn’t successful—and there are no guarantees—you’ll walk away better informed about how your belongings work and what might be possible next time.
To help organizers prepare, you’re asked to email jennh@bainbridgebarn.org
with a note about what you plan to bring. That heads-up ensures the right tools and expertise are on hand.
Events like this quietly shift culture. They reduce waste headed to the landfill, save money, and build practical skills. They also create something less tangible but just as valuable: a room full of neighbors solving problems together.
If you have repair skills yourself, consider volunteering as a fixer or apprentice. The Fair is always looking to grow its bench of talent. Bring a friend, spread the word, and show up with something that deserves another shot. Repair, after all, is a community act.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10am-1pm
Bainbridge BARN 8890 Three Tree Ln NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Full details here
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Puget Sounds Jazz Festival
Bainbridge’s young jazz musicians aren’t just studying the tradition—they’re stepping onto the stage with it.
The Puget Sounds Jazz Festival brings the 2025 Earshot Jazz Festival Album of the Year Award winner, Marina Albero, to the island for a focused weekend of performances that blend professional artistry with student talent. It’s a smart format: part concert, part showcase, part celebration of the next generation of players.
Friday, March 6 kicks things off with the Community Concert. The evening features two 45-minute sets from Marina Albero’s professional quintet—expect inventive arrangements, tight interplay, and the kind of rhythmic elasticity that keeps jazz feeling alive rather than archival. Opening the night is a 15-minute set from the award-winning Bainbridge High School Jazz 9, giving local students the chance to set the tone before sharing the bill with a nationally recognized artist. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the downbeat at 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 shifts into full festival mode. Albero’s quintet returns for another 45-minute set, anchoring a program that also includes an hour of performances by several top school jazz ensembles. The event closes with a short awards ceremony—an important nod to the work these student musicians have put in, from rehearsals to sectionals to solo practice that most audiences never see.
Albero’s presence matters. A dynamic pianist and composer with deep roots in both classical training and modern jazz vocabulary, she brings credibility and creative range to the weekend. For students, that proximity to a working, award-winning artist is invaluable. For audiences, it means hearing high-level musicianship in an intimate, community-centered setting.
What makes this festival stand out is the cross-generational exchange. You’ll hear polished, professional improvisation alongside ambitious student solos. You’ll see mentorship happening in real time—whether formally or simply through shared stage space. And you’ll feel the momentum of a local music scene that’s investing in its future.
If you care about live music, arts education, or simply want to spend an evening with sharp players and strong energy, this weekend delivers. It’s not just a concert—it’s a snapshot of where Puget Sound jazz is right now, and where it’s headed next.
Cost, ticket, and logistics:
March 6-7, 2026
Bainbridge High School 9330 High School Rd NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Full details here
Get tickets here
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