Amber Anderson from South Mason Fire & Rescue joins Jeff Slakey to preview a Mother's Day weekend full of community events on Arcadia Road in Shelton, Washington.

First up: a FREE car seat checkup event Friday, May 8, from 11 AM to 2 PM at the South Mason Fire station on Arcadia. Certified car seat installers — being trained across multiple counties — will check your car seat is installed correctly, walk you through which seats fit your vehicle, and answer the question every parent eventually asks: when does my kid graduate to a booster, and when can they age out? No appointment needed.

Then Saturday, May 9, from 9:30 AM to noon — the third-annual Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast. Pancakes, sausage and bacon courtesy of Taylor Station, served by your South Mason firefighters. Every mom gets a rose and a walk to her seat from a firefighter. Donations welcome (cash or check).

Both events at South Mason Fire & Rescue, 2970 SE Arcadia Road, Shelton, WA 98584.

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In this conversation, host Jeff Slakey sits down with Katie Arnold, treasurer of the Karen Hilburn Cancer Fund, to talk about the second annual Mother's Day Dash — a 4-mile run/walk that supports cancer screenings and treatment for uninsured and underinsured women right here in Mason County.

For more than two decades, the Karen Hilburn Cancer Fund has helped over 600 Mason County residents access the screenings and care they need through partnerships with Mason Health. The Mother's Day Dash, alongside the fund's Denim and Diamonds auction, is one of the ways the all-volunteer board keeps that work going.

Katie shares the race details — start time, route, parking, day-of registration — plus what brought her into the fund a decade ago, and why this work matters for women across our community.
https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/Shelton/TheMothersDayDash

Event details:
• Sunday morning · 8:00 AM start
• Huff & Puff Park (across from Shelton High School)

• 4-mile run or walk · medals at the finish

• Registration open now; day-of registration available at the check-in table

Conversations air on KMAS Radio and is available as a podcast and on YouTube. Follow KMAS for more conversations with the people, businesses, and organizations that make Mason County what it is.

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In a national climate where political divides feel impossible to bridge, something different is happening in Shelton. The Mason County Peacemakers — six women from the Mason County Republican Women's Club and six from the Mason County Democrat Women — have been meeting since last fall to do one thing: get community work done together.

In this conversation, Jeff Slakey sits down with four of them at The Alibi Room at Wild Irish for a wide-ranging conversation about the group's origins, the blood drive that drew 33 pints on its first run, their partnership with the local Veterans Stand Down, a current food drive for Choice and CEDAR High Schools, and a joint picnic planned for August 16.

You'll also hear the line that may stick with you longer than any of it — Jane's reminder, by way of a Native American chief, that "the right wing and the left wing are attached to the same bird, and it takes both for the eagle to soar."

This is what grassroots, across-the-aisle community looks like. Quiet. Practical. And — in 2026 — quietly radical.

Recorded at: The Alibi Room at Wild Irish, Shelton, WA

Mentioned in this episode: Mason County Republican Women • Mason County Democrat Women • Faith Lutheran Church • Veterans Stand Down • Choice High School • CEDAR High School • League of Women Voters of Mason County • T's Cafe

Upcoming events: Blood Drive — June 16 at Faith Lutheran Church • Joint Picnic — August 16

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Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling joined Jeff Slakey at The Fjord Oyster Bank in Hoodsport for the monthly sit-down just before he met with the community for the monthly luncheon.

Spurling walks through the Sheriff's Office's Neighborhood Watch revival under Deputy Matt Colbenson, why Mason County is again Washington's lowest-staffed sheriff's office per 1,000 residents (a point he traces back through department records to 1980), and what that means for rural communities like Hoodsport, Lake Cushman, Spencer Lake, and Allyn.

He discusses the internal audit his office conducted in the wake of last month's double homicide, what they found, what they're changing, and the conversations he had with family members of the victims at the new evening community meeting at PUD 3. He addresses the 25 cases the district court had to dismiss without prejudice for lack of a public defender, and what concerned residents can actually do about it.

And he gives his clearest public response yet to this week's Thurston County preliminary injunction blocking parts of SB 5974, the new state law that would have allowed an appointed panel to revoke a sheriff's certification and effectively remove them from office. "The sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in the world," Spurling says. "It's controlled by voters, not by an appointment."

Conversations with Sheriff Spurling are brought to you by OURCU.

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📺 Watch on YouTube: KMAS Radio channel.

📻 KMAS — Mason County's radio station, since 1962.

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Shelton School District Superintendent Wyeth Jesse joins Jeff Slakey for a wide-ranging conversation about what's happening in Mason County classrooms — and what's coming next.

On this episode: a look back at the latest school board meeting and the marimba performance from Mountain View Elementary; the federal funding cuts threatening multilingual education programs; the departures of two longtime Shelton High School administrators, Ed Stewart and Bruce Kipper; how today's seniors — who started high school during COVID — are finishing strong; and the district's bold goal of having more than 50% of third graders meeting state reading standards.

Plus, Wyeth announces a brand-new K–5 homeschool resource center launching for the 2026–27 school year, talks honestly about why district enrollment is shrinking, and explains why staff members — including the head of HR — are choosing to send their own kids to Shelton schools.

And in the most candid stretch of the conversation: the superintendent's case for putting books — not devices — in students' hands, what national assessment data really shows about screens and learning, and why writing might be the single most powerful tool in education.

Got a question for the superintendent? Email Jeff@kmas.com for the next visit.

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In this conversation, Jeff Slakey is on the line with Amber Anderson of South Mason Fire as the department prepares for a rare double push-in ceremony on Arcadia Road. Two new pieces of apparatus — a new fire engine and a new water tender — are heading into service tonight, and the community is invited to literally help push them into the bay.

Amber walks us through the origin of the push-in tradition (it goes all the way back to the horse-and-buggy days), the moment in the ceremony when the new rigs are officially called into service, and the backstory most people don't know: South Mason Fire lost their previous engine in a 4th of July rollover, and the replacement process led to an unexpected second piece of equipment.

If you live in Shelton, on Hood Canal, or anywhere in Mason County, this is a 5-minute reason to get the family in the car tonight: dinner at 6, remarks from the chiefs, then the push-in. Plus — Amber previews South Mason Fire's annual Mother's Day breakfast.

📍 Double Push-In Ceremony — Tonight 4/30/26, 6:00 PM — South Mason Fire, 2970 SE Arcadia Road, Shelton, WA

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The Shelton Farmers Market is back in downtown Shelton for the 2026 season, opening Saturday, May 2 in the Civic Center parking lot and running every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October. Market manager Tammy Ramsey joined Jeff Slakey on Focus on Shelton to preview what's new this year, including an expanded push to bring small farms and backyard growers to market, a returning partnership with anchor vendor Skokomish Farms, and the market's SNAP and Market Match program that helps families stretch their food dollars on fresh, local produce.

In this conversation, Tammy talks about why the Civic Center location on Cota Street has worked so well for the market, how the Shelton community has shown up week after week, and the barriers that keep smaller growers out of traditional markets — and what the Shelton Farmers Market is doing to change that. She also shares the single best argument for shopping local: the tomato on your plate might have been on the plant yesterday instead of shipped hundreds of miles to your grocery store.

If you're a farmer, a crafter, a musician, or a volunteer looking to get involved, visit SheltonFarmersMarket.org or find the Shelton Farmers Market on Facebook.

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Downtown Shelton is about to get loud, full, and fired-up for a good cause. On Saturday at 2 p.m., the Mason Hotel parking lot at 111 East Railroad Avenue becomes home to a food truck rodeo, a silent auction that runs all afternoon, and a live auction starting at 6 p.m. — all benefiting the Shelton High School Class of 2026 Safe & Sober Graduation Party.

In this interview, Jeff Slakey talks with Jessica and Allyson from the parent committee about everything on the books: the food truck lineup (Radio Fryer, Sweet Lila's, the Filipino Food Truck, Hood Cow Eats, Sweet Lila's Snow Cones, and Tack Box), the beer garden, the lawn games for kids, the silent auction baskets, and the big-ticket items on the live auction block — a quarter cord of firewood, a Hawaii vacation, and yes, half a cow. Kelly Frazier returns to call the live auction.

The money raised goes toward Casino Night on June 2nd — a free, chaperoned, alcohol-free party for the Shelton High Class of 2026 featuring food, a photo booth, and prizes. It's the kind of event that gives parents peace of mind on one of the most meaningful — and most risky — nights of a graduating senior's year. The event is presented in partnership with the Martha Reed Foundation.

Admission to Saturday's event is by donation.

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