IN THE NEWS

The Olympic Peninsula city of Port Angeles has always taken pride in its dramatic views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

But at the Oct. 18 groundbreaking for the Field Arts & Events Hall, local officials showed that they, too, have a flair for the dramatic.

Foregoing the usual daytime ceremonial dirt shoveling, officials and local residents marked the pivotal moment with a nighttime groundbreaking — complete with Hollywood spotlights, a champagne toast and an excavator.

In Port Angeles, whose city motto is “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea,” the new Field Arts & Events Hall will showcase the arts and host conference goers in a facility created to highlight the area's natural beauty.