In the SJ Update mailbag we find this letter from Rich Meenan… The San Juan Public Schools Foundation wants to thank everyone who helped make Monday night’s silver anniversary Knowledge Bowl a smashing success: The teams from Friday Harbor 8th through 12th grade, Spring Street International School, Kiwanians (congratulations, winners!), Lions, Soroptimists, and Rotarians for  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Library now offers free access to lynda.com. At lynda.com you can find thousands of online classes about using technology and business. Popular classes include Photoshop and Quickbooks. All you need to do is visit https://www.sjlib.org/investment-research/a-z-list-of-online-resources/. Have your library card handy. Your pin is usually the last four digits of your telephone  Continue Reading

This weekend – Sunday, March 10th at 2:00 AM – Daylight Saving Time begins. Spring is almost here and the days are getting longer. Don’t forget to set your clock forward one hour – (Probably when you go to bed Saturday) so at 2:00 AM it will really be 3:00 AM. This may also be  Continue Reading

In Eastsound on February 26th nearly 30 people from a range of backgrounds and skillsets gathered for the second monthly meeting of the 2019 Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) Action Team. This group of interested volunteers has been working tirelessly since the beginning of the year in an effort to revitalize IOSA’s ability to respond  Continue Reading

The FHHS Seniors vs Staff basketball game is on! Tip off for the annual GRAD NIGHT fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, March 8th at 6pm. Doors open at 5pm at Turnbull Gym for pre-game dinner and silent dessert auction. Throughout the evening, this entertaining event affords many fun opportunities for community members to support the  Continue Reading

Environmental attorney Lynn Bahrych of Shaw Island has joined the board of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor. Impressed by how SJIMA’s exhibitions have reflected sensitivity to the issues and values of conservation in the Pacific Northwest, Bahrych was motivated to work with the art museum. She works in maritime,  Continue Reading

Tickets are on sale now for Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor’s 21st annual St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza to be held on Saturday, March 16 at the Mullis Center. Enjoy a cash bar, appetizers, and musical entertainment starting at 5 p.m, while you preview the exciting silent auction items donated by generous area patrons. Dinner will  Continue Reading

There is a parent meeting coming up for folks interested in scouting. Eric Stone says to contact him (at the address below) for more information on the meeting to be held on March 20th at 6:30 pm Boy Scouts of America, has made several radical changes. Scouting (BSA) as it is now called, has changed from  Continue Reading

Cynthia’s Bistro is offering free take-away meals to anyone who needs a meal or wishes to have a home cooked meal. No questions asked, just free food. Stop by Cynthia’s this Thursday – February 21st from 4:30 to 6:00 to pick up your meal. You may pick up 2 meals per person. When we run  Continue Reading

I was staying at Sakya Kachod Choling, the Buddhist Center on Mt Dallas, when I learned that my friend Ben’s cancer had spread into parts of his body that changed his situation from fighting for his life to acceptance of his death. A Buddhist Center is a good place to be at a time like  Continue Reading

Baked Potato Bar dinner, Friday, March 1, 2019 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church. Potatoes and fixins (chili, cheese, onions, etc.) with pies and brownies for dessert. Cost is donation only. We are raising funds for our kitchen remodel. We already have $4,000+ in our fund and are hoping to raise  Continue Reading

We hear from Maria Michaelson at Alchemy Art Center… Thank you such very much to everyone who made it out to our 2-D Grand Opening, what a wonderful success!  We inaugurated our new studios with about 150 friends and supporters who got to see Mary Anne Rock’s prints and Virginia Van Camp’s paintings, and experience Malcolm  Continue Reading

Carnevale, a Venetian-themed masquerade ball will be held at the San Juan County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 2 at 8pm.  Join us for a night of “dance, decadence, and debauchery.”  This event is sponsored by On Sacred Ground Land Trust, 501c3, and Bastion Brewing of Anacortes.  Dance the night away, enjoy scrumptious appetizers & revel in  Continue Reading

February welcomes both Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and World Spay Day.  To celebrate The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor will host two annual events to educate on the importance of altering and to encourage pet parents to have their pets sterilized.  The first, Pet Pantry Community Pet Food Drive February 1 through 26.  Then on Tuesday,  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) will offer free training in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning basics this March, sponsored by the Washington State Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund and by the Washington State Department of Commerce. The course will be taught at Friday Harbor High School by Kevin McCullough of San Juan Heating.   Continue Reading

It’s time for this month’s history column from The San Juan Historical Society and Museum… Click on photos for larger image… Could it already be ten years since islanders, present and past, came together to celebrate Friday Harbor’s 100th birthday? Although Friday Harbor had been a well-established town since named as the County Seat in 1873,  Continue Reading

Have you or your business ever considered participating in the San Juan County Fair? Reach residents from all over San Juan County and tourists at the largest event in the County—become a vendor! If you are interested in becoming a vendor, please consider applying today. The 2019 Application is ONLINE! Please visit the Vendor Page  Continue Reading

The Orcas Island Lit Fest today announced its 2019 featured artists. Highlights include best-selling memoirist Therese Marie Mailhot, Nebula Award winner Nicola Griffith, National Book Award winner Judith Thurman and American Book Award winner Mat Johnson. Other celebrated artists headlining this spring’s festival include critically acclaimed authors Eric Puchner and Tom Barbash, Pushcart-winning poet Rick Barot, and award-winning screenwriter and  Continue Reading

The County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available on the County’s website at: http://sanjuanco.com/641/Board-Committee-Vacancies. Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an Advisory Committee Application or Contact the Council  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… Last Thursday’s Senior Lunch at the Mullis Center was especially festive if also bittersweet. It was Wendy Stevens, our County Senior Services Manager’s Farewell Retirement Lunch. Things got off to a rousing start as Garth Shebek led a chorus of  Continue Reading

Boyd Pratt, Designing Hawaii: From Little Grass Shacks to Luxury Hotels Take a virtual tour of the architecture of Hawaii with Boyd Pratt.  Let’s explore how climate, native and imported materials, and the rich mix of cultures shaped building at the “Crossroads of the Pacific.”   Monday, February 4th at 7:00 pm at the San  Continue Reading

Announcing – Kitchen Sink Dinners – Feed the Island Cynthia’s Bistro is offering free take-away meals to anyone who needs a meal or wishes to have a home cooked meal. No questions asked, just free food. Stop by Cynthia’s this Thursday – January 31 – from 4:30 to 6:00 to pick up your meal. You  Continue Reading