Welcome to the official Boston Harbor Association (BHA) home page!
BHA is a non-profit entity with a board of nine volunteers elected annually that organizes our July 3rd Fireworks Show, the September potluck, the neighborhood garage sale, the annual meeting and neighborhood projects as needed. During 2015 the Boston Harbor sign at shipwreck corner was replaced and several “historic signs” were erected. BHA is also our advocate voice to protect our peaceful rural lifestyle rich in local history, natural history and wildlife that we value. The Boston Harbor Association actively contributes to making our neighborhood a vibrant place to call home. BHA membership is the biggest “bang for your buck” available anywhere!
You are invited to share your opinions about our neighborhood and some of the organized activities. The Boston Harbor Association Board of Directors will use this information to help plan future events. We will share the results of the survey once all of the data is collected.
We estimate this survey will take ~5 minutes or less to complete.
Please feel free to use the link below to participate in this study.
We truly hope to hear from you! Participation is voluntary and all participants will remain anonymous.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
The Boston Harbor Association Board of Directors
GET EMAILS CONCERNING BOSTON HARBOR WATER & SEWER SYSTEMS
See October 2025 Newsletter for details
Yet again, the weather cooperated for our Annual BBQ and Potluck We’re guessing about 80 neighbors and guests attended. Judging from the smiles in the photos, people had a great time. Joe the Awesome Grill Guy worked his magic with the burgers and dogs again – thanks Joe! We raised $220 through the 50/50 raffle, which was won by Craig Ellingston. He generously donated his winnings to the Association. Thanks to everyone who brought food to share, and to the Marina for hosting.
We had a busy garage sale weekend August 9-10. Nineteen homes were on the official map, and others joined informally. If you didn’t get a chance to get rid of your stuff this year, save it and join in next year, August 8-9.
National Night Out, held from 5:30 PM -7:30 PM on Tuesday, August 5th, was attended by approximately 25 Boston Harbor residents. The Sheriff Dept and Fire Departments apologized for not being able to show up because of high call volumes. The event was nevertheless a success, based on feedback from those who showed up. BHA Board members Larissa James, Jackie Ashley, Mindy Atkinson, Nancy Brown, and Ed Steinweg provided refreshments. Larissa’s brownies were a big hit. Special thanks to Pam Trautman for letting us meet on her property, and Larissa and Jackie for bringing Larissa’s popup tent and tables and Jackie’s chairs.
National Night Out was started in 1984 and is celebrated on the first Tuesday in August, which is August 5th in 2025. This event has since grown to seventeen thousand communities celebrated by almost forty million people.
National Night Out is focused on enhancing the relationships between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a sense of community. It is an opportunity to bring law enforcement and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
The long-standing annual July 3rd bike parade was once again a fun event for the more than 85 kids who participated. Thanks to the Boston Harbor residents who manned the registration desk, helped the kids decorate their bikes, and monitored the traffic at the route intersections.
Huge THANK YOU to Eric Foley for once again bringing his beautiful antique fire truck to lead the parade. Southbay Fire Chief Brian VanCamp gave the kiddos a quick safety chat and then followed the parade in the South Bay Fire Department’s antique truck. Thank you to all the firefighters who showed up to support the parade.
Finally, thanks to the Boston Harbor Marina for providing popsicles to the kids at the conclusion of the parade.
The first ever Boston Harbor Association July 3rd Party at the Park at Burfoot Park was a resounding success, with more than 125 Boston Harbor residents and their family and friends participating. The Bouncy House and face painting were very popular with the kids, and many of the over 21 crowd enjoyed the Beer Garden. Sturgeon Moon provided live music and prevailed despite intermittent issues with the power supply.
The Association provided hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and lemonade and soft drinks in addition to the adult beverages and many neighbors brought salads and desserts.
Creative Ink made eye-catching sponsor signs for the local businesses who helped to fund the event – Jackie Ashley, Port Blakely, Reliable Electric, Holistic Home Group, and Allwest Moving & Storage.
Guest speakers included Commissioner Carolina Mejia, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, Fire Chief Brian VanCamp, Public Works Director Karen Weiss, and Water Resources Engineer Joe Plahuta.
Cancellation of July 3 Fireworks show announced. An alternate Independence Day celebration is under consideration. The July 3 bike parade is still on!
One continuing and two new board members were elected: Jackie Ashley will serve a second term; Ed Steinweg and Mindy Atkinson are new to the board – welcome!
See the Documents page for the minutes and slides from the annual meeting, and other pertinent documents, including the by-laws and articles of incorporation, monthly Board meeting minutes, and the treasurer’s reports for the past several years.
The Association and Marina teamed up to present Harbor Stories at the Marina on 11/23. At least 80 neighbors attended! We heard funny, surprising, and heartwarming stories from neighbors whose families lived in Boston Harbor full-time as early as 1914. The storytellers were so good you’d think they’d been rehearsing together for weeks! See Brooklyn Hooper’s fabulous short video on our Facebook page. We’ll let you know when and where the full program video is posted.
This was so much fun we’re going to do it again with some other old-time families. Stay tuned!
We had a good response to our survey, with 102 participants answering 14 questions about community activities. Thank you to all who took the time to participate!
See the key takeaways in the October newsletter and the full results here.
Upcoming events are on the flip side of the postcard. If you didn’t receive one and want these quarterly postcards, please email us.
As the name implies, National Night Out is held nationally, always on the first Tuesday in August and has been since 1984.
The event is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention and neighborhood watch.
The events are typically organized by block watches, nonprofit organizations, companies, and police departments. These events can be as simple as backyard cookouts or as complex as full-blown festivals that includes live music, food, and entertainment.
Spearheaded by Board Members Jackie Ashley and Larissa James, it was held for the first time this year in Boston Harbor and while low key was very successful. August 6th was a beautiful evening and many neighbors congregated at the table set up at the corner of Boston Harbor Rd and 73rd Ave from 6 pm – 8 pm to enjoy the homemade cookies and converse with Board members, their neighbors, and members of the South Bay fire department who parked their truck close by and spoke with folks about safety issues.
Be thinking about how you would like to celebrate it next year!
Connect with us on Social Media! We have active accounts on both Facebook and Next Door, connecting all of our neighbors and active members with current events or anything happening in our community.
BHA is a WA non-profit organization and we strive for community connectivity, engaging activities and neighborhood maintenance for our public access areas. This is all possible due to our active memberships and donations from the community. Your money goes a long way and we appreciate every dollar that comes through. Please consider donating or becoming a member of the BHA to help us continue the wonderful work that we’ve been able to accomplish.
While we encourage everyone in the Boston Harbor community to become members ($25/year for the entire household) anyone can join! If you are interested, please select the link below, or if you have any questions Contact Us anytime for a prompt response.
The Documents Page will have everything listed for you to review and will provide you with answers to most of your questions. This page will also give you a view of what the BHA Board hopes to accomplish for the year and what our goals are for the long-term future.
We are excited to share with everyone our Event Calendar. This is a public Google Calendar that can be accessed either here, or through the link below:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=YmhhLndhLmJvYXJkQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ
