Dauciunas And Madsen Win Opalco Election; 269 Attend 80th Annual Meeting On The Ferry OPALCO members boarded the ferry on Saturday, May 6th to participate in the 2017 Annual Meeting and learn the results of the Board of Directors’ election. Voter participation was lower than 2016 with 1,992 total ballots (1,114 online, 878 by mail)  Continue Reading

This summer the San Juan County Health & Community Services Department in collaboration with the Family Resource Centers on Lopez, Orcas, and the San Juan Islands and the Opportunity Council will launch a three-year AmeriCorps VISTA poverty alleviation project specifically aimed at increasing economic opportunities for Island residents through housing and financial stability efforts. The  Continue Reading

Ribbon Cutting for Breezeway Park Well done, Everyone! The Town of Friday Harbor is pleased to announce that downtown’s Breezeway Park on Spring Street will be complete May 9th, 2017. The park includes extensive landscaping, three rock sculptures, a decorative curved wall and generous seating options. The transformation provides both a resting place and new  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor, WA – The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the Grand Marshal and Honored Citizens for the 2017 Independence Day Parade in Friday Harbor. In keeping with the theme “America…All That We Share”, the Grand Marshal will be Carolyn Haugen, a writer, educator, art enthusiast, community activist and volunteer.  Continue Reading

A fundraising effort by the Town of Friday Harbor and its customers resulted in a $2550 donation to Hospice of San Juan. Town utility customers were encouraged to support this local charity through the Town’s Harbor Life Ring program which collects charitable donations included with customer’s utility payments. Hospice of San Juan received all donations  Continue Reading

Kelli Ashcraft’s graveside service will be this coming Sunday at Valley Cemetery at 11:00 am with a celebration of her life following at Brickworks at 12:30 pm. Kelli died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. In her memory, Kelli’s family is running a campaign to make the island a safer place for all residents –  They  Continue Reading

Island Rec is pleased to announce that the 27th Annual Children’s Festival is this Saturday May 6, 2017! Dozens of community organizations will be providing all kinds of hands-on activities: Create your own passport with Rotary Paper airplanes with Island Air Ambulance African necklaces with St. David’s and many more. Island Rec is providing a  Continue Reading

The Women’s Fund is a Pooled-Donor Advised Fund held at the San Juan Island Community Foundation. Together, they were able to award five grants to local nonprofit organizations. In April, the proposals were made available for a vote of the full Women’s Fund membership. 76 members voted via Survey Monkey to fund the following projects:  Continue Reading

Island Senior is written by Peggy Sue McRae… Last week I stopped by the Village at the Harbour to participate in a Memory Café. Memory Cafe programs originated in England about 15 years ago and have since become popular throughout Europe and the United States. The goal of the Memory Café is to provide a  Continue Reading

Co-organizers of the 7th annual Great Islands Clean-Up on San Juan Island — Lori Stokes, Jana Marks, and David Dehlendorf — would like to thank our island’s approximately 260 volunteers who participated this year, helping to make San Juan Island “litter-free by the sea.” Over 100 of these litter-picker-uppers cleaned our beaches and the rest  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag today we have this letter from Nancy Ballmann… I am pleased to announce that the work will start on the barn again. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jennifer Allen at the fairgrounds. We will soon be looking for volunteers to help with this project again  Continue Reading

Congratulations to the 19 community members who competed 60 hours of classroom and online training to become WSU San Juan County Master Gardeners.  As Master Gardener Interns, these volunteers will contribute 50 hours of service in their community, helping to identify plant problems, insects, and diseases, and provide research-based gardening information at Farmers Markets, Information Booths  Continue Reading

This is the last Community Dinner of the 2016-17 school year – Don’t miss out! Wednesday May 3rd, from 5:30 to 7:30 in the FHHS Commons There will be a Cinco de Mayo Celebration and a Dancing Performance by the talented Ballet Folkloriko Monarca! On the Menu: Pork Carnitas – braised until tender and then roasted until crispy  Continue Reading

A little wind and rain didn’t deter around 75 people from attending the historic ground-breaking ceremony for the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor’s New Home-New Hope Shelter Project on Saturday afternoon. The event took place under festival tents, featuring display boards outlining the 35-year history of the animal shelter, as well as information about  Continue Reading

Call for Artists: Design a License Plate for the San Juan Islands! The Terrestrial Managers Group and the Madrona Institute are kicking off their San Juan Islands Specialty License Plate Design Initiative with a contest! The initiative encourages the public to help create and select a specialty license plate that will generate funds for the  Continue Reading

Litter-Free by the Sea: The Great Islands Clean-Up on Saturday, April 22 Don’t forget – it is time for the 2017 Great Islands Clean-Up, the annual county-wide spring-cleaning event, during which volunteers collect litter from public beaches and roadways. This year, the clean-up will be held on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to  Continue Reading