Way to go, you guys! They announced them yesterday, and there were a couple more island businesses named: Peggy & Kurt Long of Naknek Charters and Diving won for Best Scuba Diving, and Amelia Powell at Pelindaba wrote in:

We are pleased to announce that Pelindaba Lavender Farm has been voted as “Best Public Garden in Western Washington” in local NBC affiliate King 5/Evening Magazine’s “Best of the Northwest Escapes 2009” contest.

Here’s the complete list of winners.

Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.
Ronald Reagan

Conor Lanphere (right) wrestles the ball away from Lynden Christian

When Lynden Christian swept past the Friday Harbor Wolverines 7-0, they won themselves a matchup with defending state champions King’s later this week. The Wolverines put the wraps on a hard, sometimes frustrating season.

Friday Harbor started strong, holding the Lyncs to a 0-0 draw for the first 16 minutes, but LC was able to score four before the half. With the game starting in a torrential downpour, the Wolverines nearly scored on several wet-ball chances, but the post kept getting in the way. The second half was more balanced with much of the play in the midfield, but Lynden Christian tallied two more before scoring its last goal with only 30 seconds left.

“It was a long season, but we learned a lot,” commented Coach Any Duke afterwards. “It was a season that we asked our seniors (captains Pablo Lopez and Cam Byington) to not only be teammates but also mentors to a group of young players. I’m proud of the job they did.”

Friday Harbor ended the season 1-9-2.

(Photo by Lauren Paulsen)

I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.
Carl Sandburg

Kate (behind) and Julie have put together an awesome show....

You know, I’ve already run into three people who saw the “Always… Patsy Cline” show last weekend at the Community Theatre, and all three say it’s a wonderful experience. Then I got this nice note from John Maya that reminds you why a) you gotta go see the show and b) why Kate Schman & Julie Greene are island treasures. Here’s more, from John:

Not being “Country and Western” fans or familiar with the musical “Always… Patsy Cline,”  my wife and I were a little apprehensive when we attended preview night at the San Juan Community Theater on May 2.

To say we enjoyed the show is an understatement. We attend the theater frequently and often leave in awe of the effort involved in and quality of our small community theater’s local productions.  Of the many local productions we have seen, this one definitely has a place high on the list of our favorites.

Kate Schuman’s vocal talent, Julie Greene’s acting and “The Bodacious Bobcats Band” are all superb. Director Merritt Olsen and the production team (too seldom recognized) have good reason to be proud of their effort.

For anyone feeling “Country and Western” is not their genre and are hesitant to attend, don’t be. This is a charming and funny show and Kate Schuman’s voice and interpretation of Patsy Cline is marvelous. In addition, several of the songs are familiar standards and were crossover pop hits of the early 60’s.  You will certainly be hearing rave reviews about this fabulous production as more islanders attend.

Don’t miss it.

John Maya
San Juan Island

(Opening: Thursday, May 7   7:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9   7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 10   5:00 p.m.
Thurs.-Saturday, May 14-16)

The band: Keith Busha, Steve Keys, Denny Holm, Tom Doenges, and Hanneke Klein Robbenhaar

Kate (behind) and Julie have put together an awesome show....

You know, I’ve already run into three people who saw the “Always… Patsy Cline” show last weekend at the Community Theatre, and all three say it’s a wonderful experience. Then I got this nice note from John Maya that reminds you why a) you gotta go see the show and b) why Kate Schman & Julie Greene are island treasures. Here’s more, from John:

Not being “Country and Western” fans or familiar with the musical “Always… Patsy Cline,”  my wife and I were a little apprehensive when we attended preview night at the San Juan Community Theater on May 2.

To say we enjoyed the show is an understatement. We attend the theater frequently and often leave in awe of the effort involved in and quality of our small community theater’s local productions.  Of the many local productions we have seen, this one definitely has a place high on the list of our favorites.

Kate Schuman’s vocal talent, Julie Greene’s acting and “The Bodacious Bobcats Band” are all superb. Director Merritt Olsen and the production team (too seldom recognized) have good reason to be proud of their effort.

For anyone feeling “Country and Western” is not their genre and are hesitant to attend, don’t be. This is a charming and funny show and Kate Schuman’s voice and interpretation of Patsy Cline is marvelous. In addition, several of the songs are familiar standards and were crossover pop hits of the early 60’s.  You will certainly be hearing rave reviews about this fabulous production as more islanders attend.

Don’t miss it.

John Maya
San Juan Island

(Opening: Thursday, May 7   7:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9   7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 10   5:00 p.m.
Thurs.-Saturday, May 14-16)

The band: Keith Busha, Steve Keys, Denny Holm, Tom Doenges, and Hanneke Klein Robbenhaar

It’s getting near wedding season here on the island, and there are so many things to get ready, including how you’re gonna do the First Dance. Check out this video & you’ll wanna try it, too… you’re gonna love it.

(And yes, my son Shay’s & my little dj business – Shamrock Sound – is available for your special day!
Call now…we’re getting booked up!)

It was a great day to dress up....

It was great to see the kids on Saturday at the Children’s Festival – and thanks for all the nice comments about the 80-photo gallery of pictures, which is now posted under “Galleries” in the column to the right.

Carrie's running...

We sure get good candidates for offices around here…Library bookkeeper & Town Council member Carrie Lacher wrote to tell me (and you) that she’s running for David Jones’ seat when he retires later this year. Here’s more from Carrie’s press release, announcing she’s in:

Carrie Lacher, Town Councilmember, announced today her bid for the Mayorship of Friday Harbor in the upcoming election. “Over the past year and a half that I have been a member of the Town Council, I believe I have clearly demonstrated my commitment to a sustainable future for our community,” noted Carrie. “Community, commitment, and cooperation, that’s what it’s about.”

Carrie, an Island resident since 1994, is currently the Chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and serves as the town representative to the Housing Bank Commission and the Joint Town-County Planning Policy Committee.
“We have some unique opportunities ahead to work in cooperation with the County to achieve important goals for our Town and our Island.” Carrie pointed to the recent decision by the County Council to reopen negotiations with the Town on the siting of the new Transfer Station and the recent decision by the Town Council to annex a portion of the Urban Growth Area. “These are key examples of critical issues that present us with an opportunity to rebuild a mutually beneficial relationship between the Town and the County.”

“My current passion is effective government,” Carrie said. “I have attended several sessions offered by the Association of Washington Cities and will be attending their annual conference in June.” Taking advantage of such events has provided essential municipal leadership training and important networking opportunities. Carrie also has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Master’s of Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Washington.

Carrie currently works at the San Juan Island Library as bookkeeper and general library staff. She continues to keep the books for St. Francis Catholic Church where she had been the business administrator for about 5 years after selling her clothing boutique, Ten Cannery Landing. Carrie was also Assistant Director of San Juan Community Home Trust during the period it was developing the Salal Neighborhood on Carter Avenue.

“I’ve worked with boards, parents, customers, tourists, and kids. I’m creative but detail oriented. I enjoy change and visioning while keeping a close eye on the bottom line and being respectful of our Island history and traditions,” Carrie explained. “You need that kind of adaptability and commitment to consensus building to lead a Council and a community into a solid and vibrant future.”

“Over the 15 years that I have lived and worked on San Juan Island, I have interacted regularly with those workers and families who help to keep our Town functioning but who, because of our island economy, are struggling to establish deep roots like our pioneer families were able to do,” Carrie said. “Through my work at the Home Trust and at St. Francis, I came to know many families who are working hard to make a stable life for themselves and their children. As a former island preschool teacher, I know of the challenges facing our young families and the challenges facing our young residents as well. As a past Town merchant I am personally aware of the unique financial and staffing concerns of our many small business owners, particularly in these uniquely challenging economic times.”

A Salal homeowner since 2004, Carrie has come to appreciate the importance of affordable housing in creating and sustaining a viable, diverse community. “I have learned first hand how empowering and transformative the stability of homeownership is for people, especially young families.” Carrie also noted the Town’s history of working closely with affordable housing groups and Town staff’s current hard work regarding the Buck annexation as important indicators of flexible and creative thinking when it comes to challenging issues. “Infrastructure – streets, sewer and water – these are big topics now and even more so in the years ahead. A Council and a staff that are prepared to bring all their skills to the table and work hard together is key.”

“I’m not afraid of hard work. In fact I’m very good at it,” Carrie said. “I like rolling up my sleeves and diving in. I am committed to doing what it takes to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for all of our residents, now and for generations to come.”

You can reach Carrie at 378-2785, at [email protected] or visit www.carrielacher.blogspot.com.

This spring KING5 (that’s a TV station in Seattle, in case all you do is look at YouTube) held a “Best of” contest. The winners were announced last night, and included some nice surprises: The Whale Museum was selected Best Museum, Pete & Erin’s San Juan Excursions (here’s the website) took top honors in the Outdoor Adventures/Whale Watching division, while Tim Thomsen’s celebrating his 29th year with San Juan Kayak Expeditions with the most votes in the Eco-Adventure section. The Best Place to Kiss was the Washington State Ferries.

The awards for Tiny Town and Best Tourist Town went to other folks besides Friday Harbor, and Lakedale was not selected as the best Place To Skinny Dip. Here’s the complete list of winners – click through it & see if I missed anybody local.

Dinner...

Andy reports on a great fishing day – here’s more. -oo-

The Experience Food Project

It’s gonna be great – the Cinco de Mayo EFP Community Dinner with a performance by Ballet Folklorico, at 5:30pm-7:00pm at the FHHS Dining Hall (the former Commons).
Proceeds go to the EFP Every Child Eats Fund, administered by the SJI Family Resource Center. If you haven’t been by the previous EFP (Experience Food Project) dinners, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Claudia at Island Studios has the perfect answer to your uncertainty about the perfect gift:

Island Studios is starting a new service for residents and visitors alike.  I call it the Wish List Registry.  The way it works is that anyone can come in to Island Studios and register in our database items that are for sale here that they would personally love to own so that anyone who is looking for a gift for them can find out exactly what they would love to have!

I found a number of local islanders who were wondering and wandering in the gallery around Valentine’s Day in search of that perfect gift but were in the end mostly guessing and hoping to select the right piece of art for that special someone.

The Wish Registry will erase this uncertainty for those who want to get exactly the right thing!

All dressed up with somewhere to go...

Bet you didn’t know that a bunch of the FHHS kids in the prom pictures you saw yesterday were dolled up in clothes they rented from the Community Theatre’s costume shop…didja? I didn’t, till Dodie mentioned that you can arrange anytime to borrow their stuff – for a price, which goes back into the Theatre’s support.

You probably saw the kids at the Children’s Festival dressing up – you get the idea. Minimal fees, maximum dressup. Check it out!

David tells me trail volunteers are needed, and here’s a training that will get you ready…read on:

Aspiring island volunteers have a chance to learn basic hands-on trail planning, construction and maintenance skills at a free workshop offered by the San Juan Island Trials Committee on May 29 and 30.

The workshop will consist of a three-hour classroom session from 6 to 9 pm on Friday, May 29 and a field session from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, May 30.  The interactive classroom session on May 29 will be held at the County fire station at 1011 Mullis St.  Location of the field project on May 30 is to be determined.

Attendees will learn about sustainable trail design, planning, layout and flagging, working safe, tool use, construction, maintenance, crew management, and accessibility.  The focus is on how to create non-motorized trails which are appropriate to our unique island environment.  The workshop is an entry-level course designed for newcomers to trail building.

Instructors, who are volunteering their time, bring decades of experience in resource management to this program:

•    Nick Teague’s professional work includes service with the Bureau of Land Management, including development of BLM’s National Trail Design training program and extensive volunteer work.

•    Doug McCutchen is a 12-year resident of San Juan Island and works as preserve steward for the Land Bank.  His responsibilities include trail planning, design and construction on Land Bank properties.  He holds a B.A. in Recreation from Western Washington University.

•    Steve Ulvi is a veteran of a 25-year career with the National Park Service in Alaska.  Steve has been responsible for park and resource management in several parks and worked with the NPS’ Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program facilitating five new greenspace/trail projects.  He holds a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Alaska.

There will be many opportunities for volunteers to apply the skills they will learn by working to expand and maintain the island’s network of trails.  As the Trails Committee continues to identify and develop new trails, skilled volunteers will be in great demand to lead work parties and serve as trail stewards.

Register for the workshop by e-mail at [email protected].  To learn more about the Trails Committee and the work it is doing, visit www.sanjuanislandtrails.org.  To talk to a Trails Committee volunteer, call David Dehlendorf at 378-1082.

The San Juan Island Trails Committee is a committee of the San Juan Island Park and Recreation District (“Island Rec”).

Michele Mayer tells me her Relay for Life team from Southeby’s has a Cinco de Mayo event at Haley’s tonight – they have “Amateur Server Night”…no telling how you’ll be served, but the tips go to Relay. Continue Reading