Business briefs….

What’s happening around the island’s businesses, and other events:

• Joint Washington State Ferries – Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting – Thursday, May 6, 11:35 am until 3:00 pm on Washington State Ferry (interisland) departs from Friday Harbor at 11:35 am. You may want to be prepared to talk about how critical the summer schedule is to your seasonal business, ask questions or share comments.

• Saturday, May 8th, 2pm, Walking Tour of Historic Roche Harbor Village.
Join Roche Harbor Lodging Director Sam Jacobson, on a free guided tour through historic Roche Harbor village, formerly the site of a substantial lime quarry and kiln operation that lead to the creation of a company town, known today as Roche Harbor Resort. The resort is home to the Hotel de Haro, the chapel and former school house, Our Lady of Good Voyage, and other historic buildings, and lime industry sites. Roche Harbor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sign up for the tour in the lobby of the De Haro. Free to the public. Contact: Sam Jacobson Email: [email protected] Phone: 360.370.7743 More Info: http://www.rocheharbor.com.

• Discovery Sea Kayaks is offering a Mother’s Day special May 9th – Search for Orca, Eagle and Seal and give Mom a great adventure on her day with a half day kayak trip to the West Side of San Juan Island. Mothers receive 50% off our West Side Half Day trip price on her special day. Departure at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Space is limited to the first 8 paddlers on each departure. Book early to reserve your space. Age limit 12 and above. 1-866-461-2559 or www.discoveryseakayak.com

• Give Mom a day away from the Kitchen. She will surely appreciate Coho Restaurant’s special Mother’s Day brunch. We’ll serve up a lavish 3-course meal: breakfast, brunch, or lunch, her choice AND she’ll get an extra special treat, just for her. Only $30 per person, Sunday May 9th 11 am – 2 pm. Open for dinner 5:00pm – 9:00 pm, Wednesday through Saturday. Coho Restaurant, 120 Nichols St., 378-6330, CohoRestaurant.com

• Naknek Charters and Diving has been awarded the designation of REEF Field Station and we want you to celebrate with us. Join us for a fun filled weekend in the beautiful San Juan Islands and learn how to identify over 40 basic Pacific NW fish. Kurt Long of Naknek Charters and Diving will be our instructor. He will be teaching how to identify some of the more common San Juan Islands fish and invertebrates. The weekend event will be held in beautiful Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, and will also include two days of two tank boat dives with Naknek Charters and Diving. This three day event will be held May 14-16, 2010. This event will help divers identify and correctly track sea life. However, fish counts are not required to take part in this weekend, you can just come to have fun and learn.

The weekend includes:
– Two days diving (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, two dives each day)
– Saturday afternoon barbeque on the boat
– Two nights at the Earthbox Motel
– REEF Fish ID Class Saturday Morning
The price for the weekend is $290.00 based on double occupancy. (The REEF ID Class is also available for non-divers for a cost of $20.00) Call today to book your spot for this exciting weekend, please contact Kurt or Peggy Long at Naknek Charters, 360-378-9297.

• The first annual San Juan Islands Farm & Feast will be held on San Juan Island on May 14-16, and will include more than 15 farms and island restaurants serving locally-grown foods. Visitors can experience everything from the farmers’ market and farm tours, to cooking classes and wine releases, to educational farming workshops. Contact the listed farms and restaurants directly to book classes and to make dinner reservations. This event offers a chance for locals and visitors to learn more about our farms, and offers income for the participating farms and farm related businesses.For a detailed list of activities, dates and times, visit www.sjcarc.org.

• Live the Dream- Learn to Fly Day, Saturday May 15.
Westwind Aviation will be participating in this international event to increase awareness of flying. There will be a free presentation at 10:30 am “All you need to know about learning to fly” plus special prices on Introductory Flight Lessons, Scenic Flights, drawings for flight training prizes, aircraft on display, and more. Open house 10 am – 3 pm at Westwind Aviation at the Friday Harbor Airport.
http://www.westwindav.com/FLIGHTTRAINING.html or 360.378.6991 for more info. Everyone is welcome.

• Pablito’s Taqueria is now open at 140A First St, where Steps used to be. We are currently serving lunch Monday through Friday, from 11 to 3, and at the Farmer’s Market every Saturday. In mid-May we will start weekend nights, expanding our hours with the season.

Pablito’s serves “Gringo Loco” style Mexican Street Food, traditional fare with a Northwestern twist. All of our tacos, tamales, and empanadas are made by hand using the freshest seasonal ingredients, favoring as much local produce as possible. Some current examples of our offerings are Cashew Chicken, Corn and Mint Empanads, Lamb, Fresh Oregano and Roasted Eggplant Tamales, and our Famous Coffee Braised Pork Tacos. Pablito’s has built a local following over the last year and a half at the Farmer’s Market, and is excited to expand into a full time restaurant. We strive to provide an affordable, quick and high quality meal in a fun and funky atmosphere. We love what we do, and we think it shows.

• Cotton Cotton Cotton is back from their Florida family reunion and the store will be open 7 days a week starting this Wednesday May 5th at 10:00 AM -4:00 PM Sunday-Friday and 10:00-5:00 PM on Saturdays. Come on in and check out the new merchandise!

• Island Studios. Call for Artists for Open Studio Tour! Claudia Fullerton, owner of Island Studios and “Artstock” event coordinator, is putting out the final call for artists interested in participating in the open studio tour segment of this fall festival. “Artstock” is an annual two day festival, October 2 & 3, celebrating the diverse artistic culture of San Juan Island with open art studios and art gallery events.

Contact Claudia at 378-6550 or [email protected].

• Images of the San Juans – A picture is worth a thousand words. Need a great photo to promote your business, include in a newsletter, or add to your website? Well there’s a site for that. Mark Gardner has launched a self-service stock image site for the San Juan Islands – www.imagesofthesanjuans.com. You can instantly purchase and download high-quality images in four file sizes depending on your needs, ranging from low-res files for use on the web to full-sized, high-res files for large print applications like posters. This saves you lots of time and hassle in getting good photographs. And it saves you money; for a limited time, Mark is offering a 25% discount on all files. For more information, please visit the site or contact Mark at 378-1371.

• Winners at the Opening Day Boat Parade sponsored by the San Juan Island Yacht Club and Port of Friday Harbor.

Best Overall:
Pintail 1st

Traditional:
Rebozo 1st
Fragile Habitat 2nd

Rock –n- Roll:
Josephine 1st
Spirit 2nd
Sea Chariot 3rd

Classic:
Seadog 1st

Commercial:
Coast Guard 1st
Confidence 2nd

Small Commercial:
Study Craft 1st

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.