The Harbormaster shack where Christa first met Tony Jackett, the father of her child

Don’t be surprised if you walk around town and hear shouts of “Action,” “Cut,” and “Scene!” Starting this month, Hollywood-like film crews are coming to Seabrook and the Pacific Beach area to shoot an intriguing film inspired by the 2002 case of Christa Worthington.

“Denton Harbor”, a feature drama produced by Tusk Films of Los Angeles, will be partly spearheaded by Seabrook homeowner and resident Arthur Egeli. Already a producer of several past films, Arthur also signs off as the original story-writer of the Denton Harbor plot.

The original Christa Worthington case is an interesting one. Born in 1956, Christa was a fashion writer on the East Coast and had written for publishing icons like Elle, Cosmopolitan, New York Times, etc. She had also co-written several books on fashion during her journalist career.

In January of 2002, she was suddenly found dead in her Cape Cod home. Her case was certainly not an easy one for the police to crack given that there were no initial suspects or substantial evidence. Finally, after a lengthy 3-year investigation, the police found their suspect through a DNA match. The man was later convicted to a life sentence in prison without parole.

Arthur Egeli interviewing Tony Jackett in Cape Cod

Instead of focusing on the murder case, Denton Harbor aims to portray the family drama and suffering that Christa’s murder had caused her family. Reminiscent of Cape Cod in architecture and terrain, Seabrook and Pacific Beach provide the perfect backdrop for the film. The producers from Tusk Films, Mohamed Mohsen and Nadim George, fell in love with the Washington coast views the minute they first laid eyes on them. It quickly made sense for Seabrook to be the location where the filming of the movie would take place.

If you’re at Seabrook in the months of October and November, be on the lookout for camera lights and movie sets. Who knows, you may be able to sneak in as a passer-by or an extra!

Here’s the official press release announcing the Denton Harbor movie picture:

PRESS RELEASE

September 30th, 2011

FEATURE FILM BASED ON THE CHRISTA WORTHINGTON CASE TO BE SHOT IN PACIFIC BEACH, WASHINGTON

Denton Harbor, a feature film inspired by the 2002 murder of Christa Worthington, will shoot in and around Pacific Beach during the month of November. The film is being produced by Tusk Films of Los Angeles. Pacific Beach resident Arthur Egeli is producing with Mohamed Mohsen and Nadim George of Tusk Films. Arthur Egeli wrote the original story and Ian Bowater wrote the screenplay. James Hyde, “Passions”, will play Rikki Olsen, a character reminiscent of Tony Jacket, the fisherman who was first suspected of the crime.

Arthur Egeli who spent summers painting in Provincetown, Massachusetts, met Tony Jackett in 1993 while filming Unconditional Love, a feature that was later bought by Miramax. When Worthington was murdered in 2002, all eyes turned on Jackett. Jackett, who was married with four kids, had fathered Worthington’s child. Jackett was later cleared, but was denied custody of the child.

The Christa Worthington case generated several books and countless television stories and coverage in Vanity Fair among others. “Invisible Eden” by Maria Flook become a New York Times bestseller two years after the crime and “Reasonable Doubt” just came out by Pulitzer prize winner Peter Manso. Though the producers hope for the best distribution for the project, “Denton Harbor” in the end is likely headed to television in the end, with several cable networks already showing strong interest in the project.

Driving through Copalis Crossing on the way to the Washington coast recently, you’ve surely noticed a charming little produce market luring tourists and locals in for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Voss Acres, North Beach’s newest local market, has quickly become a household name for fresh, quality produce and warm, friendly conversations. Since opening on Mother’s Day weekend, Voss Acres has been a delightful new addition for residents and tourists on the way to the beach.

You don’t just encounter a small produce market upon entering Voss Acres;  you immediately embark on a journey into the last century sprinkled with neat stories and traditions told by the pictures on the wall and casual conversations. Passionate owners, Steve and Sharon Voss, are always eager to share any of the fascinating history while shoppers pick fresh fruits and veggies.

For example, the house in which they both live right next to the market was built in 1898 and is one of the oldest houses in the North Beach area. What has been a renovating project for Steve over the past few years, was once a “mobile” home for the workers along the railroad – the house would move along with every section of railroad that was completed.

As you walk through the market, you’ll also notice many old souvenirs and artifacts. Steve and Sharon found most of these on the site of the house when they acquired the landmark, with some items dating back almost a 100 years. The most recent find being a spark plug piece from a Model T Ford (1909-1927).

If you circle the market building to the back, you’ll immediately spot a drove of pigs surrounded by little chicken and turkeys, ducks, etc. Fresh eggs are collected all week and sold on Saturdays.  In addition to the farm animals, adjacent is an organic farm that Steve has been passionately gardening for almost 10 years now. Local, organic carrots, beans, Swiss chard, and other vegetables are a big hit at Voss Acres. Regulars ask for them all the time as they are picked fresh and cleaned as you wait.

Otherwise, Voss Acres gets most of its produce from Charlie’s Produce in Seattle, who has an excellent network of local and national farmers delivering fresh food a couple times a week to Copalis Crossing.

Seabrook’s local grocery store has also started featuring Voss Acres’ products as of late. If you stop by the Lil’s Pantry on Front Street, greeting you is Sharon’s fresh produce that is sure to complete any meal or provide for grocery shopping during your stay at Seabrook.

Whichever way you decide to try Voss Acre’s fresh fruits and vegetables, you certainly won’t regret it. Furthermore, if you can learn a thing or two about the history of the area while you’re doing your grocery shopping, all the better. It is usually the context to a place and the people in it that make it a unique experience. Voss Acre has both, and a little bit extra.

In the meantime, check out the market’s website and add Sharon on Facebook for the latest information, news, and pictures out of Voss Acres.

About a month ago, we asked some of you for your feedback as guests of Seabrook Cottage Rentals. While we all know surveys aren’t a ton of fun, the sheer number of guests who took the time to respond was tremendous and made us all extremely proud!

Your feedback is invaluable to us. It not only points out the positive aspects of our beach town, but it also helps us ensure that each of your visit to Seabrook is better than the rest.

The memories you shared made us smile, made us laugh, and also made us aware of great ways to improve the Seabrook experience for everyone. For this, we are sincerely grateful and hope to see you all at the beach again soon.

Of the 700+ surveys filled out, two questions in particular mean a lot to us and make us think we are continuing to meet and exceed your expectations.

Over 95% of you enjoyed your stay at Seabrook, while more than 92% will come back and vacation at Seabrook again!

But enough with the numbers. As you all know, your survey submission entered you in the drawing for a free weekend in one of our beach vacation rentals.

Without further ado, the winner of the free weekend is …drum roll please…
A. Rosenthal of Seattle, WA!

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to tell us how much you enjoyed staying at Seabrook’s beach cottages.

Stay tuned to the Seabrook Blog, Facebook and Twitter for more ways to win weekend giveaways in the future!

Rob Paylor is the new face in town here at Seabrook and also the newest addition to the Mill 109 Restaurant and Pub!  Joining us here at the beach as the Mill 109’s General Manager, Rob has already begun making a real impact at Seabrook. Chances are, the next time you walk into the restaurant, Rob’s smiling face will be there to greet you!

As the epitome of a “people person,” Rob is the kind of guy who will know your usual order before you realize that you’ve become a regular!  He has a talent for relationship-building a long and well-honed career managing local favorites such as Galway Bay in Ocean Shores and The 8^th Street Ale House in Hoquiam. Rob understands that there is always an element of celebration that goes along with dining out and is not only excited to be a part of those celebrations, but creates unique personal touches for his customers to really make it a night to remember!

This Grays Harbor native studied at the Western Culinary Institute (now Le Cordon Bleu College) in Portland. While he had the opportunity to live anywhere, he and his wife Sara (and two children Robbie and Audrey) decided to make their home in Aloha, WA where Rob’s great grandfather worked as a “shingle weaver” back in 1915.  In fact, he’ll joke with you that in four generations and in 96 years, the Paylor family has only made it about one mile from where they started!

Nonetheless, because of Rob’s local community connections and the relationships he’s created in Grays Harbor County, the Mill 109 will be enjoying  many more events and musical talents on a regular basis!  He’s getting the word about what’s happening through the Mill 109 Restaurant & Pub’s Website, as well Mill 109’s Facebook page. Look out for many creative ideas and events at Seabrook’s favorite restaurant and pub.

Rob is already working hard on a brand new fall menu and rumor has it that by October you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor!  In the meantime, try the Mill 109 Beach Burger or Fish Tacos with one of Alameda Brewing’s craft beers (likely one of the Mill 109’s best kept secrets) which are on tap right now!

Rob has watched Seabrook grow quite a bit over the past eight years and is excited to be a part of its future.  Stop by the Mill 109 Restaurant and Pub and meet the newest addition to the team!

Over the last two months, Seabrook’s Town Founder & President Casey Roloff hosted multiple webinars in which he previewed various Seabrook neighborhoods in more detail.

As our beach town grows, new parts of Seabrook emerge and become popular with our guests and buyers. In an attempt to further depict the image around these neighborhoods, as well as share their progress, everyone had the chance to attend 6 live webinars and find out about Seabrook’s progress firsthand. In addition, all webinar attendees had the exclusive chance to ask Casey any questions about the neighborhoods or Seabrook in general. Thank you to all who attended our webinars!

Starting with the general Seabrook overview of the neighborhoods, the webinars went into more depth on 5 different types of beach cottages:

• Madison Lane Cottages
• Front Street Townhomes
• East Main Cottages
• Alderwood Cottages
• NW Glen Oceanfront Homes

If you missed these webinars or just want to watch any of them again, you can now visit our Seabrook Webinars page and watch all of them on demand.

These live, short web-presentations have proven to be a great communication tool with our guests and followers. Stay tuned for more of these types of webinars in the near future! If you have any ideas of webinars you’d like to see about Seabrook, let us know in the comments below and we’ll be sure to consider them!