Dear Patrons,

We want to express our gratitude for your support and patience during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In response to Governor Inslee’s announcement today that all Washington State schools were to close, the San Juan Island Library has made the difficult decision to also close the Library, effective Sunday, March 15th.

This closure is in accordance with our Epidemic and Pandemic Response policy and will remain in effect until at least April 24th, following Governor Inslee’s mandate for schools. This includes all library programs and all meeting room reservations, too. 

For those of you with items checked out, please hold on to them until we re-open. The drop boxes will be closed. Remember, we have no overdue fines, and there will be no billing of long overdue items during this time.

If you have a hold to collect, or wish to grab a last minute library item, please come to the Library today or tomorrow. Continue Reading

Dear San Juan Island Market Shoppers,

Fresh Radishes – Margaret Thorson photo

As a small island community, there is a growing concern here in San Juan County regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has all of us thinking about the precautions we need to take to stay healthy.

As an organization rooted in community connections and health, we have an important role to play and we are asking for your cooperation. The San Juan Island Farmers Market will remain open at this time. We are classified as a grocery store and retail (not an event) so it is important to serve our community while at the same time putting health and wellness of market managers, vendors and customers as a top priority. We continue to assess and are ready to cancel future farmer’s markets if necessary, for public health. Continue Reading

Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey – Contributed photo

Dear SJCT Community,

Continue Reading

The San Juan County Council will be meting Friday, March 13 to declare an emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

By declaring an emergency, San Juan County can fully employ all emergency response plans, utilize county resources and authorize emergency expenditures for the response throughout San Juan County. There will be no restrictions or closures included in the declaration.

“An emergency declaration is another step in our efforts towards ensuring all County resources are available as needed,” said Rick Hughes, Chair of the San Juan County Council.

As of March 12, 2020, here have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases in San Juan County, however, rapid spread throughout Washington State has increased the County’s aggressive planning and preparation work. Continue Reading

Basic precautions encouraged at this time include; wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and if you are sick stay home. Our county health officials have put together some good information. See the links below. If you are cancelling or postponing an event let us know and we will post it here. Stay safe. Be well.

Information:
These links and more can also be found on the San Juan County web page:
Link to: SJC Webpage

Link to: San Juan County COVID-19 SJC Case Count
Link to: San Juan County Health & Human Services Facebook Page
Link to: A Common Sense Local Perspective on Coronavirus from San Juan County Health Officials
Link to: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Fact Sheet
Link to: (Español) Lo que necesita saber sobre la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019 
Link to: What to Do If You Suspect You Are Sick With Coronavirus Disease 2019
Link to: (Español) Qué hacer si se contrae la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019
Link to: nCoV2019.live Updated global information

Cancellations and Postponements: Local events cancelled or postponed. 

Spring Fling Adult Prom scheduled for March 28 – postponed until Saturday May 23
Memory Cafe March 17 – Library event cancelled
Film Festival Best of the Fest film March 18 – cancelled
Friday Harbor Middle School performances of Jekyll’s Hydes March 26-29 – cancelled
April 4 Melodious Notes Over the Harbor – cancelled
April 11 Elegant Edibles Annual Bake Sale – cancelled
Great Decisions: Red Sea Security – March 23 Library event cancelled
San Juan Singers Spring Concert March 13 & 14 – cancelled
All School Field Trips or travel off island – will re-evaluate at the end of March
March 26 Partner’s Luncheon – School event cancelled
Wednesday March 11 Community Dinner – School event cancelled
Friday March 13 Senior Staff Basketball Game – School event cancelled
Third Saturday Contra Dance at the Grange March 21 – will reschedule once this scourge has passed.
Soroptimist Saint Patrick’s Day Extravaganza – hope to reschedule a comparable event in the future.
Museum Show & Tell – Library event is cancelled
Here’s to the Women, Songs, Stories & Images – Library event is cancelled
Ciscoe Morris at Brickworks – postponed until September
FANS – Carnival has postponed until fall.
OPALCO – Annual Membership Meeting has been cancelled. Election will continue as planned.
Sakya Kachod Choling Buddhist Center – will be closed to public events until further notice.

Congratulations to Friday Harbor students!

Regional Winners: Jodie Wehner and Nancy Wehner – Contributed photo

Fostering a scientific competitive spirit is well underway at Friday Harbor Elementary School!  Three elementary school STEM Teams have received recognition for their work at the national level through Exploravision, sponsored by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and the Toshiba Company.

These three elementary school teams started projects in September, and worked before and after school, on weekends and in STEM class with teacher Susan Kareken and mentors Dena Royal and Ayla Ridwan until mid-February. Submissions consisted of a research paper and five webpages on paper.

Honorable Mention: Orion Macy and Theron Holden – Contributed photo

According to the competition’s website, “The ExploraVision competition for K-12 students engages the next generation in real world problem solving with a strong emphasis on STEM. ExploraVision challenges students to envision and communicate new technology 20 years in the future through collaborative brainstorming and research of current science and technology.”  

Honorable Mention: Azalea Ross, Nadya Troutman, Kaylee Staudt, and Jessie Valencia – Contributed photo

The FHES Regional winners were Jodie Wehner (2nd grade), Ava Youngsman (2nd grade), and Nancy Wehner (1st grade). Their project was titled PhageAwayand they worked under their coach/teacher Susan Kareken and mentorDena Royal. The Phageawayproject is a nine state K-3 Regional winner and will compete for the national championship.

Honorable Mention was awarded to the top 5-10% of projects nationwide. There were only 33 Honorable Mentions for K-3 out of 1,000+ K-3 projects and Friday Harbor teams accounts for two of them. Continue Reading

Contact OPALCO by telephone or email to prevent viral spread.

OPALCO is closing its offices to the public on Monday, March 16 in order to help keep co-op staff healthy and our system running smoothly. All business services are available by telephone and online.

“We are open for business,” said General Manger Foster Hildreth. “We have a responsibility to protect our staff so that they can keep the lights on for the membership. We’re doing our part to keep essential infrastructure running and our membership safe as we wait out this pandemic.”

Wash Your Hands – OPALCO Twitter

Contact OPALCO:

• 360-376-3500
• opalco.com
• [email protected]

Staff will continue to work with social distancing practices in place. OPALCO has a Pandemic Business Plan in place to ensure continued operations and coordination with county and state health organizations. Continue Reading

Advice from San Juan County Health & Community Services…

Help slow the spread of COVID-19! Why? Because slowing the spread benefits all islanders even once the disease is here. To reduce transmission, schools may close, meetings and events might be rescheduled, and some people might work from home.
Here’s what YOU can do to help:
• STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK
• CALL your doctor if you have symptoms of COVID-19
• Keep washing those hands and using hand sanitizer!
• Practice social distancing and elbow-bumping
Let’s all stay strong and support each other while also doing our part to reduce the spread of this virus. Our sense of community is what makes living in the islands extra special and by working together and taking important precautions, we can all help “slow the curve”. (click on image to enlarge)

In these unusual times here at the San Juan Island Update we are doing our best to keep up with important information regarding Novel Coronavirus, Covid-19 and how it relates to our community as well as posting local cancellations as they come in. We are keeping a running list of cancellations posted just below the postings of the day under the title, Novel Coronavirus, Covid-19: Information and Cancellations (scroll down). Cancellations are listed after links to information sites. With the increasing rate of cancellations we recommend checking first if you are planning to attend an event or meeting. Meanwhile, we will do our best to keep you well informed. Be well, be safe, and keep washing your hands.

The next blood drive at the Mullis Center (589 Nash Street in Friday Harbor) is scheduled for Thursday March 19 between 10am and 4pm. Please come and give blood…

An important message from Bloodworks Northwest…

COVID-19 has incited much uncertainty and concern about what is next for our community’s health. While we see the grocery store shelves empty of non-perishables – no water, no toilet paper, no hand sanitizer – we know blood is short-dated; it’s just like the milk on your shelf. And it takes 1,000 people donating every day to ensure Bloodworks has a safe and stable blood supply for all who need it now. We need all healthy people to come in to help reverse a blood shortage, another – avoidable – public health emergency.

Bloodworks is at a tipping point where children and adults experiencing trauma, those going through cancer treatment, and premature babies, among others, will not have blood available. Together, we can rise up to meet this challenge, but we must act now. With your help, we can ensure Bloodworks receives the necessary donations to fully restock its blood supply – pint by pint. Here is what you can do to take action: Continue Reading

Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey – Contributed photo

A message from San Juan Community Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director, Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey…

Dear SJCT Community,

 

Continue Reading

The library event Great Decisions: Red Sea Security that was to be held on March 23 has been cancelled.

Waterworks Gallery will be open Friday, March 13, Saturday March 14, and Monday March 15 from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm (or by appointment). The gallery will reopen for its 35th season on Thursday April 23.

Purple Alliums – Contributed photo

Link to: Waterworks Gallery
Link to: Waterworks on Instagram

At Islanders Bank, we value the health and safety of our communities, customers and employees. In light of recent concerns about novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we are monitoring and following all CDC and health department prevention recommendations.

Customers are encouraged to stay home if you’re ill. Islanders Bank offers 24/7 online & mobile banking tools enabling most transactions to be facilitated online as well as in-person.   If a customer is feeling ill but feels compelled to conduct an in-person transaction, we encourage you to use our drive-up teller windows. 

Our employees are trained on proper hygiene to prevent respiratory illness and are instructed to stay home when ill. Standard procedures include frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces, including ATMs, drive up windows, counters, door handles and client waiting areas.   We also have hand sanitizer throughout our branches and for customer use. Continue Reading

San Juan Singers Spring Concert, Celtic Roots, at the San Juan Community Theatre planned for Friday March 13 and Saturday March 14 has been cancelled.

We hear from Backdoor Kitchen…

Backdoor Kitchen – Contributed photo

Backdoor Kitchen will re-open for dinner on Friday the 13th of March. We will be serving dinner Friday-Sunday 5-9ish and Monday the 16th will be the first Noodle Bowl Monday.