WAYZGOOSE. NOW THERE’S A WORD for you. Some of you may already know this from the annual Bremerton festival that began in 2018, but—as a lover of words, a hopeless fanatic of print and a big fan of partying—I feel obliged to reiterate the meaning of this goofy proper noun. It has nothing to do with geese. Oxford University Press notes the term as being recorded from the mid-18th century as a name for an annual gathering which print houses would throw for their employees. The late-summer occasion marked the end of the busy season and the coming transition of working by candlelight for printers. Oxford says there’s no evidence of the word’s etymology, no indication that maybe goose was served at the party. I’m imagining some drunk pressman—who’s been working sun-up to sun-down for days on end all summer—covered in ink, having too much fun at the company party and shouting ‘this is one hell of a WAYZGOOSE!’ Nowadays, without too many drunk pressmen around anymore, mostly fine art and niche print-focused organizations host Wayzgoose Festivals around the country. Tacoma has one May 4-5. Bremerton has one June 1. Artists and individuals from the community etch relief images into 3×3-foot panels of linoleum which are then covered in ink and printed onto giant pieces of paper by steamrollers during the all day festival. I wonder if there will be an open bar? // BILL MAN
Wayzgoose Kitsap, a printmakers festival, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1, free, all ages at the Marvin Williams Center, Bremerton. More at wayzgoosekitsap.com
