In the Ukrainian folk tale Forest Song, a forest nymph falls in love with a human boy, and an intriguing clash of the human and spirit world ensues, with some surprisingly contemporary messages about environmental stewardship.

In this podcast, which is opened and closed by flute music written for the play by musician Jon Brenner, we learn about the Lesser Known Players' upcoming production of Forest Song, a verse play written by Ukrainian playwright Lesya Ukrainka.

Though one of the most beloved works of Ukrainian literature, Forest Song is virtually unknown in the West -- which makes it a perfect candidate for the cleverly crafted staging of Bainbridge Island's Lesser Known Players. Who better to artfully orchestrate curious stage directions that invite actors to dive into a river, fly in from the sky, appear out of tree trunks, and adorn themselves with fireflies like jewels?

In this podcast you'll meet the play's director, Jennifer Hodges, and hear about her own Ukrainian connections, plus we'll hear from actors George Shannon, Mike Loudon, and the play's young romantic leads, Citori Luecht and Lucien Caro.

The play and its themes are so appealing that both a video game and an animated film are in the works and scheduled for release in the next year or so, but you'll have your chance to see it first at Rolling Bay Hall this December 14th - 17th. Shows start at 7:30 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday. Get your tickets now by visiting the Lesser Known Players’ website at http://lesserknownplayers.org.

Credits: BCB audio tech, Chris Walker; BCB host, audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.

A flying car, a dastardly baron, a secret grotto, a lovable toymaker and a brave brother and sister who surmount all obstacles -- can you name that fantastical adventure?

Yes! It's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which opens at Bainbridge Performing Arts on Friday December 1st and runs through Sunday, December 17th.

Listen here as actors Ryan Patrick O’Donnell, Evelyn Cantwell, and Gracie Payne take time out of their busy rehearsal schedule to tell us about their adventures with this fabulous production, the friendships they're forming, and the lessons they're learning as they embark on this incredibly ambitious new show.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will open at BPA on Friday December 1st and run through December 17th, with a pay-what-you-can preview on Thursday November 30th at 7:30. Tickets are on sale now at Bainbridge Performing Arts.org, but they’re going fast, so get yours soon so you, too, can experience the magic of the holidays at Bainbridge Performing Arts!

Credits: BCB host, audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.

If you love cheese and ice cream, you're guaranteed to love Kurt Timmermeister's new book, Farm Food.

In this podcast Kurt talks with BCB host Jo Jenkins about life on a small farm -- the challenges, the daily routine, the pleasures of making cheese and ice cream, the childhood foods he left behind and the omelet pan he bought with money from his first job.

Filled with essays, recipes, and glorious photographs, Farm Food invites you to follow Kurt through six months of life on his Vashon Island dairy farm. Most of the meals set on Kurt's table are the truest sort of local, harvested from his thirteen acres of pasture, orchards, and greenhouses. As fall shades into winter, share the satisfaction and hard work of putting up the harvest, the joys of cider parties and cooking celebratory meals for friends, and the setbacks and sadness that are inevitably part of farming and life.

To learn more about Kurt and Farm Food, be sure to stop by Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor Books at 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 30th and meet this delightful author: you won't regret it!

Credits: BCB host: Jo Jenkins; audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.

From Brussels Sprouts, garlic and green beans to squash, mushrooms and citrus, this is the time of year when we really count on particular varieties of fruits and vegetables to make our holiday meals a feast.

With this podcast, BCB's Bob Ross is back from Italy to talk with T&C's Joe Pulicicchio, director of produce and floral, about what's in store for everyone's favorite November meal. The two discuss the produce that typically finds its way to the Thanksgiving table with some interesting observations and suggestions, and Joe shares his philosophy about the uniqueness of this very American holiday.

Best of all, you'll get the inside scoop on some unusual squash, some different approaches to mushrooms, the best way to prepare a quintessential batch of holiday mashed potatoes, and a new fig that's guaranteed to knock your socks off!

Credits: BCB host, Bob Ross; audio tech and editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher, Diane Walker.

Susan Wiersema and Lynnette Sandbloom will present an art show in the meeting room of the Bainbridge branch of the Kitsap Regional Library. Their show, entitled Aesop’s Fables, will open as part of the community’s First Friday Art Walk on Friday, December 1st.

Knowing the two artists were preparing for a show, a friend suggested they pursue a theme of animals with stories. Because Susan’s husband had given her a copy of Aesop’s Fables for Christmas a few years earlier, she suggested that as a theme for the library show, and Lynette agreed to the challenge.

Susan and Lynnette, who met while working at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, are both interested in illustrating children’s books, and have shown together at the library before. But their styles and approaches to their work are surprisingly different: listen here to learn more about their respective processes and this exciting upcoming exhibit.

Aesop’s Fables, by Susan Wiersema and Lynnette Sandbloom, opens Friday, Dec 1st @ 5 PM and will continue throughout the month.

Credits: BCB host: John Fossett; audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.

Did you know that half our carbon emissions in Washington State come from the transportation sector?

Half of that amount comes from our own personal cars, but the rest of those emissions come from trucks, trains and ferries. So what kinds of changes COULD we make to reduce our carbon footprint?

In this podcast, Steve Johnson and Randal Samstag, board members of Bainbridge Island’s Climate & Energy Forum, talk about the work of five local environmental organizations -- Climate Action Bainbridge, EcoAdapt, Sustainable Bainbridge, Friends of Island Power and Citizens Climate Lobby -- that are exploring this very question.

Their Forum hosts a monthly series featuring speakers and discussion topics to increase our community’s awareness and response. This month, the topic is on the electrification of our transportation system.

Steve and Randal talk about what we can do to cut these emissions. For example, they highlight the benefits of buying an electric car and getting our local power from a cleaner, renewable source. They also note work already underway to have more electric buses and ferries.

Joining this podcast via Skype to talk about the opportunities to improve our rail system, Bill Moyer, co-author of “Solutionary Rail: A Campaign to Electrify America’s Rails While Creating Clean Energy Corridors," offers a vision for what can be done in the United States (see link here).

To learn more, you can attend the next Climate & Energy Forum event, the Electrification of Transportation and the Path to a Carbon Free Washington, on Saturday, November 18, from 10:00am-11:30am at Eagle Harbor Congregational Church. Speakers will include Bill Moyer of Solutionary Rail, John Clausen of Kitsap Transit and Matt Von Ruden of the Washington State Ferries.

 For more information on the Climate and Energy Forum, please visit: www.bainbridgeislandforum.org.

Credits: BCB host: Christina Hulet; audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.