Julie Warrick Ammann

Julie Ammann is a freelance writer, photographer, and producer. Following her degree in architecture from the University of Washington, Julie discovered the power of storytelling. Her early career in national TV news (The Christian Science Monitor’s World Monitor TV, PBS NewsHour) and documentaries (PBS Frontline) would inform the journalist and creative storyteller she is today. Julie lives in Gig Harbor with her family, in a house of filmmakers and photographers. She doesn’t like scary movies, and she’s named after Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music). Her favorite film director and inspiration is Jane Campion.

Patterson’s Market back for another Christmas at a new location

Dec 04, 2023

The location is new but the iconic holiday displays are not. Patterson’s Market is back. Christmas in Gig Harbor has now arrived and one of its most beloved local businesses is here to help you bring on the cheer. Giant inflatable toy soldiers stand at attention as they bobble in the breeze above a grassy

Business spotlight: Telling your story with R Storie

Nov 27, 2023

You are your story. R Storie believes who you are can be expressed through fashion and style. Rachel Peirce, owner of R Storie, a women’s boutique clothing store in Gig Harbor North, has been a fashion storyteller since her early days stocking shelves at Tacoma’s Nordstrom at age 14. Her boutique connects women with the

Photo gallery: 2023 Turkey Trot

Nov 27, 2023

Photos by Julie Warrick Ammann from the 2023 Turkey Trot 5K race in Gig Harbor. Click on any image below to view the gallery.

Annual Turkey Trot fights hunger

Nov 25, 2023

Dinosaurs, turkeys and tutus were among the colorfully styled ensembles runners sported as they gobbled up the road competing in the Gig Harbor Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Now an annual tradition, the Turkey Trot began in 2002 with just 15 friends, family and patients of Dr. Tim Holmes, an area chiropractor. Today, more than

Photo gallery: 2023 ChumFest

Nov 24, 2023

Click on any photo below to see a gallery of images from the 2023 ChumFest along Donkey Creek in Gig Harbor.

Chum Fest brings lots of families (but no salmon) to Donkey Creek

Nov 20, 2023

The salmon didn’t show up, but hundreds of festival goers did. The 2023 Chum Festival, hosted by Harbor WildWatch, was a family-friendly walk this year, with hands-on learning activities along txʷaalqəł Estuary from Austin Park, behind Harbor History Museum, and to Donkey Creek Park. To keep it fun, participants received a small passport book to

Books in a Bus a perfect pairing of owner’s love of reading and Volkswagons

Nov 02, 2023

A fidgety, exuberant buzz runs through the classroom as the afternoon kicks off at Gig Harbor Co-operative Preschool. There’s a special visitor today. She’s tan, wears four wheels and lots of colorful stickers, and she’s too big to fit inside the classroom. It’s Connie’s Books in a Bus. Accompanied by GHCP teacher Nadine Mart, small

Business Spotlight: Community and creativity at the heart of Local Whimsy

Oct 30, 2023

A passion for community and craft is the inspiration behind Gig Harbor’s latest retail store to open on Harborview Drive, Local Whimsy. Local Makers founder Caasi Dickens and Salena Ausburn, plant stylist and owner of  Whimsy Plant Co, have joined forces to offer more than just a marketplace for locally crafted products and plants. They’ve

Photo gallery: 2023 ChuSeok Festival

Oct 02, 2023

Click on any photo below to view a gallery of images from the 2023 ChuSeok Festival:

Korean ChuSeok Festival honors ancestors and celebrates harvest

Oct 02, 2023

Editor’s note: Patsy Surh O’Connell organizes the local ChuSeok Festival. An earlier version of this story misstated that fact. Hundreds gathered in Skansie Park on Sept. 30 for Gig Harbor’s third annual Korean ChuSeok Festival, a free and family-friendly event sponsored by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center. Often referred to as the “Korean Thanksgiving”, ChuSeok