Brian Brown lighting the Noel sign on Nov. 25, 2020. Contributed Photo

For more than four decades, the San Juan Lions have displayed a Noel sign in Friday Harbor to ring in the holidays. The sign was lit again this year on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Lion Brian Brown spoke with the Update about the sign’s creation, history and meaning.

The back of the Noel sign. Contributed Photo.

Q: Tell me a little about the sign.

A: Our sign has 90 feet of rope lights and 46 light bulbs. Our sign stays on top of the Cask & Schooner year-round. The San Juan Lions light the sign when the Town of Friday Harbor turns on the Christmas lights in [Memorial Park] and turns it off when the town turns their lights off. Continue Reading

Contributed Photo/Chris Montgomery

By SJIL

The San Juan Island Library will host a virtual class called “Intro to Online Zoom Meetings,” at 3 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4.

Learn the Zoom video conference application features in a low-pressure environment.

During COVID-19, many of us have had to learn Zooming on the fly, or never had an opportunity to learn at all.

This class will address basic Zoom features at a pace where you can learn, and give you the confidence to attend or even lead a Zoom meeting on your own.

We’ll cover using the microphone and video camera, reactions, screen views, and more.

To register, email [email protected].

Contributed Image

By SJCT

As part of San Juan Community Theatre’s 2020-21 Snapshot Season, we have a beautiful concert for harp and flute by Mary WillAllen and Ginni Keith.

View the concert at https://sjctheatre.org/2020-21-snapshot-season-videos/mary-willallen-ginni-keith-concert.

Desolation Sound. Contributed Photo

By SJCT

Darvis Taylor, bass and vocals; Scott Sluis, drums and vocals; Tom Henry, lead guitar; and Daniel Day, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, are Friday Harbor local musicians who have created an original alternative rock band called Desolation Sound.

The band says that the island way of life manifests itself in the music.

“I’m fascinated with that beautiful place where the Salish Sea meets the shore of our island. It’s a mysterious, shifting boundary and I often draw deeper meanings from my experiences there” says Daniel, the band’s primary lyricist.

The band has completed their debut album with the help of Adam Kasper producing and mixing, and Jon Auer of the Posies and Big Star lending his talents as well.

Three of the songs from those sessions (“Evanesce,” “Deepest Garden” and “Arms Around You”) are available for you to hear now on your favorite platform, as well as videos on YouTube, with more songs dropping soon.

The band will feature these songs and more live for their performance in San Juan Community Theatre’s 2020-21 Snapshot Season at https://sjctheatre.org/2020-21-snapshot-season-videos/desolation-sound-concert.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Snapshot Season. Thank you for inviting us to share our music!” said the band.

By Town of Friday Harbor

Traffic will be disrupted from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1 while the Town of Friday Harbor crew and contractor install water and sewer mains across Mullis Street near Bakery San Juan and the Friday Harbor Food Co-op.

“Local access on Mullis Street from Market Street to 775 Mullis Street (Bakery San Juan) will be impacted while town crew and contractor install water and sewer mains,” said Friday Harbor Town Administrator Duncan Wilson. “We ask the local businesses and their patrons for patience as we work through this necessary disruption.”

Traffic will detour at Market Street and Argyle Avenue. Local access may be delayed.

Questions can be directed to the town public works at 360-378-2154.

Dan Burke to Lead Association as New General Manager

By Eastsound Water Association

On Nov. 25, Eastsound Water User Association announced that General Manager Paul Kamin will be retiring from service on Dec. 31.

Dan Burke, a longtime islander and former Rock Island Senior Vice President, is taking his place.

“Paul’s written communications always include the words ‘In the Spirit of Service’ in his signature line. His tenure as general manager positively reflects that attitude in every dimension. Of his many noteworthy accomplishments, EWUA produces and distributes less water to its members (about 50M gallons in 2019) than it did 15 years ago (about 70M gallons), while the number of members with connections to EWUA increased by about 50 percent,” said Joe Cohen, current president of EWUA’s Board of Directors. 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. Art, jewelry, clothing, accessories, firewood, gravel, dirt, health and wellness, holiday items, outdoor pieces, animal activities and musical offerings are some of the auction items.

Also, you can help the Friends of the Library by donating funds to support the costs of children and adult programing and the library’s building fund project.

Continue Reading

By the EDC

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee announced an additional $70 million for business grants, and $50 million of that is for a new round of Working Washington business grants.

The remainder will go toward funding all qualified businesses that applied in earlier rounds of our resiliency grant program. Businesses who applied for the resiliency grant program will not need to take any action.

The application portal and additional information will be posted at www.commerce.wa.gov/bizgrants.

Who can apply?

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By the San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee

The San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee was able to respond to the challenges of 2020 with creativity, resilience and collaboration.

The coordinator and volunteers on this committee worked hard to address the ongoing policy and outreach work of the ARC, the emergent challenge of COVID-19, and the cultural dialogue about equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted island farmers, our local food system, and the work of each organization that supports agriculture in the county.

Many people were stretched and then rose to meet the needs and opportunities this year presented. New systems, collaborations and programs sprang into existence to address issues of food access. As people saw empty shelves in the local stores and listened to news reports about the fragility of the national food system, we saw a surge in interest in local food and agriculture.

When our world is unstable people turn to their primary sources of nourishment: food, the land, and community. We saw this with the pandemic: the interest in gardening, in local food, and in the strong spirit of our community reaching out to one another.

The pandemic has shown us that the strength of our local food system and agricultural base are key to our resilience in the face of crisis; the pandemic has also shown us where our system has weaknesses and what we can do to make it stronger.

Issues of storage, distribution, and the general need to scale up have been highlighted. We must take these hard-won insights and use them to invest wisely so we have the infrastructure, regulatory environment and program support needed for a thriving, resilient food system able to weather future crises.

Policy

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‘Treat Yo Elf’ This Holiday Season

Contributed Photo/JESHOOTS.com

By San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau

“I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Christmas is all around [us], and so the feeling grows…”

If that feeling is finding the perfect gift for family near and far, there’s something from the San Juan Islands for everyone on your list.

Giving a gift from the San Juan Islands is the next best thing to being there. During these holidays like none other, islanders encourage you to shop online and bring the Islands right to your doorstep.

The new Holiday Gift Guide at www.visitsanjuans.com/gift-guide features gifts for the foodie, nature lover, art lover and more. Find soothing island-made skincare and wellness products, as well as gift certificates to your favorite lodgings and restaurants for future travel.

You can even adopt a whale!

For the Foodie

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Store-Provided Bags Will Cost 8 Cents

By Mark Ingman, San Juan County Solid Waste Program Coordinator

On March 25, Governor Inslee signed Bill ESSB 5323, also known as the Washington Plastic Bag Ban into law.

This means that starting Jan. 1, 2021, retailers and restaurants throughout the state will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic carryout bags.

As Washington prepares for the statewide plastic bag ban to take effect this January, San Juan County continues to be a regional leader in promoting sustainable alternatives.

In 2016 the county passed its own plastic bag ordinance, one of over 37 Washington cities, towns, and counties have passed their own plastic bag bans since 2009.

Despite these measures, every year Washingtonians use over 2 billion single-use plastic bags and the average American uses about 500 bags per year. Continue Reading

Community Solar Project Coming to San Juan Island

By OPALCO

The OPALCO Board of Directors passed the 2021 Co-op budget at their Nov. 24 meeting and approved a 0 percent rate increase – that’s no rate increase – in consideration of the ongoing pandemic and its economic hardships.

The approved budget also includes a second, self-funded community solar project, an aggressive Right-of-Way clearing for fire prevention and a public awareness campaign to help prepare members for the transition to renewable power.

The board also approved capital credit distribution checks to people who were members in 1995-96.

Staff has delayed hiring and capital projects and cut as many expenses as possible to get there. Due to the uncertainties of the year, the board issued a warning that it may require a rate increase later in the year depending on the COVID-19 situation and weather dependent kilowatt-hours sales. Continue Reading

Wild turkeys near the Orcas Ferry Landing on Nov. 21, 2020 / San Juan Island Preservation Trust staff photo

By San Juan Preservation Trust

Q: Why did the turkeys cross the road?

A: Because they could.

Okay, the punch line isn’t especially funny, but it’s kind of amazing: We live in a place where flocks of (semi-) wild turkeys have enough intact habitat to roam free.

This photo was taken near the Orcas ferry landing on Nov. 21, 2020 — the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

This week is when we in the United States think about the things we are thankful for, and to spend time with family and friends. It’s been a rough year, and this will be like no other Thanksgiving in living memory.

It’s as if the Grinch came a month early and stole another cherished holiday, just when we need it the most.

And yet, despite the difficulties of the past year — and even, in part, because of them — we at the San Juan Preservation Trust are so very grateful for you. Continue Reading

Contributed Image

By San Juan Community Theatre

“Super Happy Awesome News” is a musical written to be rehearsed and performed remotely.

The show was performed live from Nov. 19-22, but you can still view the show online for free. 

The show is about two siblings who launch rival good news networks and find themselves competing for the title of happiest news show.

Soon, their correspondents are in a whirlwind of ecstatic musical reporting – from joyful weather forecasts to cheerful cooking segments and blissful political updates.

But, when vulnerability starts peeking through the euphoric facade, they’re left wondering: is there room for raw honesty on a super happy broadcast?
Continue Reading

San Juan County Courthouse

By San Juan County Courts

On Friday, Nov. 20, San Juan County Superior and District Courts entered emergency orders postponing all jury trials until after Jan. 15, 2021, due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

San Juan County has experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases since late October when COVID transmission rates began dramatically increasing across the state of Washington.

The positive COVID test results in our county between Oct. 26 and Nov. 23 make up over 46 percent of all reported cases to date – and that number is increasing.

The rising case count means that COVID infections in November are on track to double the number of cases from the previous eight months combined.

On Nov. 15, Governor Inslee ordered new restrictions on indoor social gatherings and other activities to help combat rising COVID-19 transmission rates statewide. The order does not apply to court operations, which are essential functions, and a jury trial is not a “social gathering.”

Although other counties may choose to go forward with jury trials, the San Juan County Courts have determined that it is not currently safe to assemble potential jurors indoors under local conditions. Therefore, the Superior Court and District Court have both entered emergency orders postponing jury trials. Continue Reading

Contributed Image/CDC

By San Juan County

Since the last update on Friday, Nov. 20, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 59 to 63.

Two of these new cases are on San Juan Island, the other two are on Orcas Island.

Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case Count page.

As indicated on that page, these numbers are only updated after case confirmation is complete, usually daily. It is possible that other information sources in the community may be quicker to report on new cases, but ensuring privacy and accuracy is critical for this official information source.

Orcas Island

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