L-R: Lauren Cohen, Mayor Farhad Ghatan and Derek Steere

San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce Featured Member of the Month – San Juan Canvas

On April 8^th the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce helped San Juan Canvas celebrate 40 years in business. Lauren Cohen and Derek Steere, who have been the owners for the last 10 years, invited Chamber Members to come celebrate. Van Go’s was the caterer and all were treated to pizzas, salads, cookies and beverages. Mayor Farhad Ghatan presented a special gift to the owners, a Town Proclamation honoring their 40 years in business.

Peter and Susan Risser were the original owners along with their partners Tom and Mary Blevins. The company started their high quality work by making sails and canvas. They built a solid reputation over the years and passed the scissors to Patrick and Andra Pillsbury who continued on with the tradition of high quality workmanship. Read More »

In our continuing April is Poetry Month series, the San Juan Update is sharing poems from local poets every Friday this month. Today is the 3rd Friday and today we have “High Wind Warning”, by Wiliam Weissinger, and “Song Sparrow” by Susie Foster Hale: Read More »

Want to make a difference? San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 (SJCPHD#1) has four of its five commissioner seats open for election this fall. This is almost unprecedented. Prospective candidates must file between May 13-17 and community leaders are needed to provide a new generation of strong leadership. SJCPHD#1 provides oversight for San Juan Island EMS and pays a subsidy to (but does not operate) Peace Island Medical Center (PIMC).

In order to assist those who are interested, the District is holding the following events (held at the EMS Business Offices, 1079 Spring Street):

• Meet and Greet: April 24^th at 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. the Board will set aside an hour before its regular board meeting to talk to prospective commissioners and members of the public.
• Open House: May 9^th at 5:00 p.m. for members of the public to visit the EMS offices and learn more about EMS operations
• Prospective Candidate Forum: May 9^th at 5:45 p.m. for candidates to learn more about the position by hearing from current commissioners and senior management. This is not a debate or campaign event.

Read More »

Dennis Willows mentoring youngest grandson Sam, age 8

The Port of Friday Harbor and the San Juan Pilots Association are pleased to recognize our 2019 aviation honoree. This joint effort features a different pilot every year.

The Honor Wall at the Port of Friday Harbor Airport commemorates the history of aviation in the San Juan Islands since the early post World War II years when Roy Franklin first established scheduled air service linking San Juan Island with the mainland.

The selection committee this year has chosen Arthur “Dennis” Willows, recognizing his long service to our Friday Harbor aviation community. In addition to his serving as Director of the University of Washington’s marine laboratory, Dennis has been a tireless ambassador for general aviation in the San Juan Islands. He has inspired and mentored many aviation enthusiasts, taught high school students how to build an airplane, championed STEM education at our schools, and supported scholarship programs for aspiring young aerospace professionals.

Please join us at the Friday Harbor Airport Terminal Building on Saturday April 27th at 2:00 PM for the presentation ceremony and light refreshments.

Click here to see part of the Honor Wall Display prepared by Dr. John Geyman: Dennis Willows Honor Wall (PDF)

Spring Street International School Presents:

The Field Project
Directed by Krista Strutz

The Field Project consists of a play and a comedy sketch: The Wolves and Who’s on First?

The Wolves, by Sarah Delappe: Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

Who’s on First? is a comedy routine made famous by Abbott and Costello. The premise of the sketch is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team for Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello’s questions. For example, the first baseman is named “Who”; thus, the utterance “Who’s on first” is ambiguous between the question (“Which person is the first baseman?”) and the answer (“The name of the first baseman is ‘Who’ “).

San Juan Community Theatre, Thursday through Saturday, April 18-20, 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 21, 2:00 pm

Tickets: $10 Adults $5 Students

Cast:

Click here to buy your tickets now

Hill of Thrills starting gate – Contributed photo

Island Rec is very excited to announce the fourth running of the now famous Hill of Thrills Soap Box Race on Sunday, May 19. 

This is a classic old-fashioned ‘gravity’ race where people run their homemade, non-motorized contraptions down Grover Street by the elementary school.

The racing categories are ages 5-8, 9-12, 13-15, 16-adult. There are as many adult contestants as youth! This popular event is quickly becoming a local classic not to be missed.

Races go from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Race packets and applications can be found online or at the office. Register by May 9^th for $10.00, price increases by $5.00 thereafter.

For more information or registration visit our website, www.IslandRec.org, call 360-378-4953, or drop by our office, 580 Guard St. Monday – Friday 11:00-5pm.

Merri Ann Simonson checks in again with another in her San Juan Island Lifestyle video series. Here’s what she has to say about this one…

This lifetsyle video is about how much humor is involved in real estate sales. Our profession can be very interesting and challenging.

Health Insurance Coverage for Emergency Care and Air-Ambulance Transfer in San Juan County

Due to the critical threat arising from recent insurance company denials of medical transport coverage, the San Juan County Public Hospital District #1 is sponsoring this community forum. Learn about:

• Air Ambulance Insurance Denials – Status of the Problem
• Know your Right to Obtain Emergency Care Under the Law
• Understand when Air-Ambulance transfer is medically necessary
• Understand our local health insurance marketplace
• Learn the appeal process for challenging insurance denials and utilizing patient advocates

Program Chair:

• Loren Johnson, MD – Emergency Physician

Speakers:

• Michael Sullivan, MD, EMS Medical Policy Director, San Juan County
• Warren Appleton, MD – Emergency Physician
• Chris Martin, Executive Director, Airlift Northwest
• Will Hamilton, Island Air Ambulance

Thursday April 25, from 6:30-8:00 pm at Mullis Senior Center – 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250