By Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is well-known known for its educational awards and scholarships available to local women and girls. They also supply ferry tickets to cancer patients and their caretakers traveling to the mainland for treatment, as well as a women’s emergency fund. These and other Soroptimist programs  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Fire and Rescue According to sources close to Santa Claus, Santa really missed seeing the wonderful and always well-behaved children of San Juan Island. Some clever elves contacted San Juan Island Fire and Rescue requesting help while allowing the reindeer to rest before their annual trip around the globe to deliver  Continue Reading

Jeanine Earnhart is one of the masterminds behind Nana’s Holiday House in Friday Harbor. With the ongoing pandemic, Earnhart, along with her daughter Laura Earnhart Holden and friend Debbie Cutting, opted not to open the longstanding holiday store this year. Earnhart spoke with the Update about Nana’s Holiday House’s current socially distanced options; how the  Continue Reading

By Meat Machine Cycles Meat Machine Cycles — Friday Harbor’s only full-service bike repair and rental shop — is offering a new bicycle tour for photography enthusiasts. Meat Machine’s professional photographer will guide guests on a mild bike ride to the most scenic and also lesser-known San Juan Island locations to learn the basic tenets  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

Vehicle drivers may not be aware of a recent law that allows bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign in some instances – and may be cynically assuming that the cyclists they see are breaking the law. The so-called “Idaho stop” (also known as the “safety stop”) became law in Washington State  Continue Reading

By Friends of the Libray It’s that time of year! However, Friends of the San Juan Island Library will be hosting an online auction in place of their annual holiday fundraiser. The online auction “Seasons’ Readings” will be available from Dec. 5-12. There is a wide variety of items and experiences waiting for your bid.  Continue Reading

By Kevin Porter, Community Thanksgiving Dinner It is time for the 22nd San Juan Island Community Thanksgiving Dinner, on Thursday, Nov. 26.  One would think that after 21 years of having a community dinner there would be no more surprises. At least until 2020 and COVID-19.   Unfortunately, we will not be able to spend Thanksgiving Day  Continue Reading

Islanders collect them every year. Most years from artist Jennifer Rigg’s booth at the San Juan County Fair. This year with our Fair going virtual you may not have got yours yet. Not to worry. Jenn’s great designs for San Juan County’s Virtual Fair 2020, Moon Jumper, Major Tom, and Starman are still available from  Continue Reading

In those days parking was right there on the Fair Grounds.  The Ferris Wheel was a main attraction in 1954.

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a new regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… Nearly every molecule of water that now covers 70% of our planet was spewed in awesome volcanic eruptions or carried frozen in asteroids or comets that pummeled a lifeless earth for eons.   Any given water  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Island Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… Its been a few months now of staying home and staying healthy, of wearing masks and gloves to the grocery store, of staying six feet apart from friends we’d really like to hug, of meetings on Zoom. How  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… With community lunches on hold due to COVID-19 it may seem like not much is happening these days at the Mullis Center. However, since the lockdown, the number of meals delivered to local seniors by our Meals on Wheels  Continue Reading

San Juan County has over 70 WSU Master Gardener volunteers who are trained as horticulture educators. Due to COVID-19 and related Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, we will not be in the community this spring as usual, but are available to answer questions about food gardening, fruit tree care, landscape plants, pollinators and more.  To  Continue Reading

Link to printable list: March 2020 Hours Restaurant Hours

In the SJ Update mailbag today we find this letter from Louise Dustrude… I worked on the 2010 U.S. Census, as did more than half a dozen other island residents, and I found it interesting and rewarding. I’m retired, and the paycheck was welcome. Some of my colleagues were unemployed or just “between jobs,” and  Continue Reading