Beloved 100-year-old waterfront building in Pierce County open after renovations
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- Gig Harbor celebrates Skansie Brothers Netshed reopening with Croatian music and food.
- The event offers free tours of the netshed, net mending demos and free kids' activities.
- Cultural performances highlight Croatian heritage through dance, costumes and song.
“Sve hrvatsko!”
“Everything Croatian” is coming to downtown Gig Harbor this Saturday, May 31, as the city celebrates the grand reopening of the Skansie Brothers Netshed, which is more than 100 years old. There will be food, dance performances and music tied to the city’s Croatian and commercial fishing heritage.
“Everybody’s working hard to make the day fun and interactive,” Dawn Ancich told The News Tribune. Ancich, whose father was friends with the Skansies, is a board member of the Skansie Netshed Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2015 to preserve the netshed and its history.
The Croatia Day event will begin at noon at Skansie Brothers Park, and will feature several performances from Croatian dance and music groups as well as opportunities for audience participation, according to a program she shared with The News Tribune. The event will conclude at 6 p.m.
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“We expect a big turnout,” Ancich said. Though she didn’t have an estimate on the number of attendees, she said they expect over 50 performers.
Skansie Brothers Park has street parking only, according to the city of Gig Harbor website. Public parking lots nearby are listed online, and Pierce Transit Route 100 provides bus service to downtown.
“As for parking/traffic impacts, we don’t expect any more impacts than a busy farmers market day or concert in the park,” city Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm said in an email. “Busy, but not overwhelming.”
Croatian food booths will be selling pastries and other bites to eat, according to a media release about the event. Facebook indicates one vendor will be Seattle caterer Baked in Bosnia, which will serve sarma: stuffed cabbage rolls eaten in Croatia and other countries in the Balkans. Other booths will have Croatian gifts, the media release says.
Inside the netshed, which Ancich said has a new roof, stabilized interior and a fresh coat of paint, Skansie Netshed Foundation volunteers will provide guided tours of the structure and answer questions. Visitors can also watch net mending demonstrations from commercial fishermen, and two authors will be available to talk about their books “The Fleet” and “Just for the Halibut,” according to Ancich. Book signings will also be available.
The Skansie Brothers Netshed was built in 1910, according to Ancich. The netshed, which is typically open to visitors in the summer months, was closed for about a year during renovations. The netshed is one of 17 remaining wooden structures and docks in Gig Harbor that Croatian fishermen and boat crews historically used to mend nets and prepare their boats for sea, The News Tribune reported.
The city of Gig Harbor identified the need to repaint, re-roof and make structural repairs to the netshed and awarded a $315,000 contract to American West Construction in March 2024.
The city’s Historic Preservation Commission was also involved in the project to ensure it maintained the building’s historic integrity. City staff replaced the front steps and deck structure of the netshed after the contracted work was completed earlier this year, according to a written statement by city Parks Manager Jennifer Haro.
Following the grand re-opening May 31, the Skansie Brothers Netshed will be open to visitors from June to September at the same time as the Gig Harbor Waterfront Farmers Market on Thursdays, 1-6 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., according to the Skansie Netshed Foundation website. The farmers market runs through August 28.
Free activities for families at Croatia Day celebration in Gig Harbor
Coming on a budget? Not to worry: the guided tours of the netshed are free to the public. Other free perks include a coloring booth for kids where they can choose from 18 different fishing or marine-related prints from artwork donated by local artist Linda Foster; and face painting where you can choose from designs like a Croatian flag, salmon or a fishing boat, Ancich said.
Performers coming to Croatia Day include the Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble, a group based in Anacortes. Ancich said the last time Vela Luka came to perform in Gig Harbor was over 10 years ago.
Vela Luka artistic director Maria Plancich Kesovija has been with the ensemble since it was founded in 1975, and performs in it along with her mother and daughter, she told The News Tribune. Croatian dance encompasses a range of styles, varying by region and influenced by a number of neighboring countries that inspired different costumes and movements, according to Kesovija.
“We just really want to honor that huge transition that families made” emigrating from Croatia, whether that was a century ago or more recently, Kesovija said, adding that the group plans to perform songs that audience members will remember their families singing.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated the artist who donated her work for kids’ coloring activities at Croatia Day. Her name is Linda Foster.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 10:14 AM.
