By The Friday Harbor Atelier  The studio artists at The Friday Harbor Atelier are hosting a creative way to share art during the unique challenges of the 2020 holiday season with a Holiday Art Sale and Exhibit from Friday, Nov. 27 through Jan. 1, 2021, at the Friday Harbor Atelier, 313 Spring Street.  Friday Harbor  Continue Reading

By EDC San Juan County, the Washington State Department of Commerce, and the Economic Development Council have awarded over $300,000 in COVID-19 relief grant funds directly to locally-owned and -operated small businesses, community nonprofit organizations and childcare facilities in San Juan County. These funds will help business owners pay expenses such as rent, utilities, safety  Continue Reading

By San Juan County From the beginning of the COVD-19 crisis, an effective and safe vaccine has been seen as the ultimate solution for ending the disruption and impacts of the pandemic. As we head into our ninth month, numerous vaccine development efforts are underway, with many giving us reason for optimism. The intent of  Continue Reading

Local Holiday Decorating Contest By Becki Day, Executive Director, San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce The holidays are just around the corner. What better way to brighten things up than to have a “Let’s Light up Friday Harbor” campaign, beginning Friday, Nov. 27 to start off the shop local holiday? This is a Christmas decorating  Continue Reading

By Laura Norris, Owner, Griffin Bay Bookstore To all of our loyal friends and customers, a huge thank you for making it possible for the bookstore to survive these difficult times.  It is our main objective at Griffin Bay Bookstore to bring joy to our friends and customers, to provide a respite and escape from  Continue Reading

Cask & Schooner staff sent the Update a taste of their Thanksgiving options. The staff is offering take out Thanksgiving dinner this year, and pre-ordering is required. Check out the menu below. 

By Francie Hansen, San Juan Island Have you been to the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park lately? It’s had a make-over, thanks to the park’s president David Jenkins and a small group of committed islanders. It’s the perfect place — winter, spring, summer, or fall — to walk (the park is both dog-friendly and child-friendly),  Continue Reading

By Island Rec Celebrate community and the spirit of giving with a free pilates mat class via Zoom on Thanksgiving morning. The class is for beginner to advanced students and will run from 9-10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 26. Register in advance by emailing Morgan Johnston at morgan@islandrec.org. The link will be sent out 30 minutes  Continue Reading

By Rep. Rick Larsen’s Office Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Garret Graves (LA-06), the Subcommittee’s Ranking Member, and Sharice Davids (KS-03), the Subcommittee’s Vice Chair, introduced a bipartisan resolution designating the week of Nov. 16 – 22, 2020, as National Drone Safety Awareness Week. Founded by the Federal Aviation Administration  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Islanders are creative resourceful people. For everyone’s health and to see our way through this pandemic, holidays will be a little different this year. That does not mean we cannot celebrate, enjoy good food, share with our loved ones  Continue Reading

Seven New Cases On Orcas, No New Hospitalization in County By San Juan County Orcas Island Since the last update, seven new cases have been identified on Orcas Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 56. All of these new cases are tied to a nine-case cluster on Orcas  Continue Reading

By SJI Farmers Market The San Juan Island Farmers Market is hosting three holiday craft markets this year. Support local vendors and stock up for the holidays. The markets will take place from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturdays, Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and Dec. 19.  Join farmers, crafters, makers and artisans for a safe and socially  Continue Reading

By Cynthia Burke, Owner, Cynthia’s Bistro Cynthia’s Bistro is offering free takeaway 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, Nov. 19, from 4:30-6 p.m. to pick up your meal. When we run out of food, we will  Continue Reading

Most Restrictions Start Nov. 16; For Restaurants, Nov. 18 By Washington’s Governor’s Office On Sunday, Nov. 15, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a four-week statewide set of restrictions in response to the recent rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus in Washington and across the country. The new restrictions come as Washington sees consistent increasing daily case  Continue Reading

By SJIMA Remember a time on a summer night when you laid on your back and stared at the night sky and felt insignificant in that vastness of space?  In “SPACE, MUSES, ETC.” at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Sam Stubblefield intends to deepen that same sense of awe in us. The fog  Continue Reading

As cases spike dramatically in San Juan County, Washington, and the United States, we would like to urge islanders to scale back their holiday plans. Over recent months, we’ve been able to enjoy a slow reopening of our islands. Restaurants, gatherings, shops, gyms, and most recently schools have all made slow progress towards returning to  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Prevention Coalition The 2020 Washington State Prevention Summit’s Award of Excellence for Lifetime Achievement goes to San Juan Island Prevention Coalition’s own dedicated and caring Executive Coordinator Cynthia Stark-Wickman. Cynthia has cultivated an uplifting and inclusive environment so our community can grow in hope, science, and positive outcomes.

By Carrie Unpingco, Executive Director, San Juan Island Community Foundation As many families in our community have been adversely impacted by COVID-19, these impacts are magnified when children don’t have a safe and supportive place to go to while their parents are at work. Please consider a gift to the Head Start building expansion project,  Continue Reading

By San Juan County As we head into what may be the most challenging time yet in the COVID crisis, we want to share information about at-home testing options. To begin, a few key points: 1. If you are symptomatic, contact a local health care provider and talk about getting tested. Stay home until you  Continue Reading

Film Features Carter’s Bond with Musicians Dylan, Nelson, Simon By SJIFF “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” will screen on-demand from Sunday, Nov. 15 through Monday, Nov. 30. It opens the “Best of the Fest” series, offering films during each of the coming months.  Read full details and purchase tickets ($8.50) at www.fhff.org. This remarkable  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Two new positive COVID-19 test results have been reported for San Juan County. One each was found on Orcas and San Juan. The total case count for the islands is now 49. Both cases are close contacts of previous cases. If we change our behavior, we can stop this recent surge  Continue Reading

By SJI Chamber of Commerce On Nov. 12, the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce and Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan hosted a socially distanced ribbon cutting for local artist Alisha Merrick. Merrick, an active chamber member for many years, opened her shop, FERN, in June. The shop features local art, jewelry, pottery, toys, stickers,  Continue Reading