By Peace Island Volunteers In March, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peace Island Volunteers organized a mask-making project that would eventually include over 50 individuals making more than 4,400 masks.  The sewers were dubbed the Masketeers. Like the Musketeers, their efforts were helping to protect their community from the COVID saboteur. For the  Continue Reading

By EDC San Juan County software and web professionals, including retired or aspiring, are invited to a virtual meetup hosted by the Economic Development Council on Thursday, Dec. 17. Our archipelago is home to many people in information-focused professions who work remotely or in local businesses. The goal of this event is to help people  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Library The next Open Mic Night will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, on Zoom. Held on the second Saturday of the month, Open Mic Night is for anyone interested in writing. Don’t be shy, come read your work or just listen. You will be inspired to write more!  Continue Reading

By Friends of the San Juans You are invited to a virtual town hall at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16. The town hall meeting will be led by Brent Lyles, Friends of the San Juans’ new executive director. Lyles will introduce himself, share some highlights of Friends of the San Juans’ activities, and open it  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Library Join the Mullis Center Book Club at 1:15 p.m., Dec. 14, online. This month, the club is reading “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman Print, large print, audio CD, and downloadable ebook and e-audiobook copies are available through the San Juan Island Library. Email [email protected], for the Zoom meeting invitation  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Prevention Coalition We want to extend an invitation to add your voice to prevention! Your input help’s the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition and the state to continue funding wellness promotion in our community, which includes: Youth Leadership Development, the Student Assistance Professional in the San Juan Island School District, LifeSkills  Continue Reading

This year’s 22ndAnnual Community Thanksgiving adapted to our covid circumstance and was appreciated by many islanders in the form of a free “take-out” Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. The event was sponsored by King’s Market, Printonyx, Islanders Insurance and the Mullis Center and organized by Diana and Kevin Porter. Diana says a hearty “Thank  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island EMS San Juan Island EMS Community Paramedic Lainey Volk spent a portion of her day on Thanksgiving delivering dinners to 15 of her patients/clients who are vulnerable and shut-in. Several of these people have no other family on the island. The meals, including turkey with all the trimmings, were procured from  Continue Reading

By Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor thanks the community for supporting the local food bank with their generous contributions to the Harbor Life Ring program this November. Town utility customer donations of $3,010 were matched with a $2,000 grant from the town for a total donation of $5,010 to the Friday  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Nov. 25, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 63 to 66. Two of these new cases are on San Juan Island, the other is on Lopez Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case count page.  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Library Receive “tech help” thanks to the San Juan Island Library, at 3 p.m., Mondays, Dec. 7, 14, 21, and 28. Get help with computers, tablets and smartphones via Zoom. After determining your needs, you will work one-on-one with a volunteer. This class is designed to help you learn to use  Continue Reading

Santa’s Mailbox, Holiday Decorating Contest By Becki Day, Executive Director, San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce On behalf of the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and myself, we hope you all had a nice, although different, Thanksgiving weekend. We also hope you got to enjoy a little bit of the holiday  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Pretty sure Merle Haggard was not thinking about a spiking global pandemic when he penned the lyrics to his classic country song, If We Make It Through December, yet I can’t think of a more fitting song for wrapping  Continue Reading

By Cynthia Burke, Owner, Cynthia’s Bistro I am celebrating my daughter Claire Mira Burke’s upcoming birthday on Dec. 3 by giving back to our community! Receive a free, kitchen sink dinner from 4:30-6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3, at Cynthia’s Bistro at 65 Nichols St. in Friday Harbor. We are offering free takeaway meals to anyone  Continue Reading

For more than four decades, the San Juan Lions have displayed a Noel sign in Friday Harbor to ring in the holidays. The sign was lit again this year on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Lion Brian Brown spoke with the Update about the sign’s creation, history and meaning. Q: Tell me a little about the sign.  Continue Reading

By Town of Friday Harbor Traffic will be disrupted from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1 while the Town of Friday Harbor crew and contractor install water and sewer mains across Mullis Street near Bakery San Juan and the Friday Harbor Food Co-op. “Local access on Mullis Street from Market Street to 775 Mullis Street  Continue Reading