Click below to see more images from the San Juan County Fair. These are all from Day Two Read More »

Emily Anton – Contributed photo

This Fall, Dance Workshop 2 welcomes Emily Anton as artistic director and ballet teacher. Owner and current director Lina Downes is so excited to be entrusting Emily with the future of the ballet program that she has run continuously since 2006.

Following a successful performing career as a professional ballet dancer in New York City and around the country, Emily Anton taught as a guest teacher at a number of dance schools up and down the west coast. After being at home amongst the craziness of NYC for years, Emily is quite ready to settle down in Friday Harbor to mentor, dance and teach the art form of ballet. She is thrilled to inherit the ballet program.

“I feel blessed by this opportunity to mold young minds, promote health and wellness in all ages, and celebrate the beautiful artistry of classical ballet. I love ballet with all my heart and soul and am deeply passionate about its continuing performance.” Emily is eager to share her knowledge of dance and movement with the next generation of dancers, boys and girls, to help them discover the joy, love, discipline, hard work and focus of ballet. Read More »

First Ever Sale of Leo Lambiel’s Personal Art Collection to Benefit Orcas Center

Leo Lambiel may be the greatest San Juan Islands art collector of all time. After almost 50 years of collecting, the Leo Lambiel Art Sale on 25 & 26 August 2018, held at Lambiel’s waterfront home on the east shore of Eastsound, will be the first ever, one-time sale to the public of his personal, unique collection of fine and decorative, original art.

Featuring over 260 artists, most of whom presently or at one point lived in the San Juan Islands over the last 100 years, the sale boasts thousands of pieces including rugs, paintings, cartoons, quilts, blown glass, etchings, sculptures, antique clocks and books, furniture and ceramics. Hours on Saturday are 10am to 5pm and Sunday are 11am to 3pm.  

The personal collection of Leo Lambiel

Lambiel began his collection in the late 1960’s and has lived with some of San Juan Island artists’ greatest masterpieces, including 179 works by Helen Loggie whom the Library of Congress, National Academy of Design & Seattle MET named “San Juan’s most famous artist.” Loggie came to Orcas from Bellingham in the 1930s. She made etchings of natural surroundings, including her most famous “The King Goblin,” a drawing of an iconic juniper tree on the island which hangs in Lambiel’s bedroom. Read More »

ATF Offers $10,000 Reward for Information on Explosives Placed on Orcas Island

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for placing explosives near a trail in the San Juan County Land Bank Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands.

ATF and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the discovery of the explosives by an island resident on Monday, Aug. 6.

It is not known when the device was placed, nor is it known if other devices have been placed.

ATF and the SJCO are requesting that residents and visitors pay close attention to their surroundings and report any suspicious objects they find. If a suspicious object is found, people are requested to stay as far away from it as possible when calling 911. It is also requested that individuals keep others from entering the area.

Anyone with information on the person or persons who placed the device; hears or has heard loud explosions, either in the recent past or in the future; or finds a site that appears to have had an explosion there, are asked to call ATF at our toll free hotline, 888-ATF-TIPS (283-8477). All calls to ATF can remain anonymous.

People can also submit a tip through ATF’s new “report it” app available at www.reportit.com and at Google Play and the Apple App Store. All tips are confidential and can be anonymous.

More information about ATF and its programs are available at www.atf.gov.

Did you make it to the Fair on Wednesday? Click below to see some images from the afternoon on Day One. Read More »

Randy Hansen’s tribute to Jimi Hendrix – Tim Dustrud photo

Randy Hansen’s tribute to Jimi Hendrix was a great way to end Day One of the 2018 SJC Fair. Here are some photo highlights of the event: Read More »

Notice any smoke in the air this summer? Yeah, how about last summer? Has it always been wildfire season in the summer or is this something new?

Check out the video below for some answers…

Resting Harbor Seal – Kevin Holmes photo

Kevin Holmes shares this photo of a big male Harbor Seal resting on the dock at Friday Harbor (being watched over by animal folks from Animal Stranding Network) after he had been in a fight…

Thanks Kevin!