Scott Sluis – Contributed photo

Chamber Chat: January 2020

Scott Sluis, Islanders Bank Sr. Loan Officer & Board President of San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce checks in with the January 2020 edition of Chamber Chat:

It has come to my attention and that of the Chamber that some people wonder “why be a member of the Chamber?” Well allow me to answer that:

My simple answer is “you get out of the Chamber what you put into it” – to expect to pay your membership dues and then sit back and wait for the business to come storming through your doors is quite unrealistic. Allow me share my story with you please:

I have been in banking for almost 25 years and have worked in 3 major communities in Utah – Davis, Weber and Salt Lake counties, and now this one, San Juan County or Island, so 4 communities in all. In every instance in which I was the new guy/businessman/banker in town, my very first stop I made in EVERY one of those communities was to join the CHAMBERs OF COMMERCE.

I would introduce myself, ask if I could get involved with the Chamber in any way and would do just that – GET INVOLVED – I attended the Chamber Socials, volunteered for Chamber events (for example here on San Juan Island, I volunteer for the 4^th of July parade and fireworks event every year and the Island Light Festival both ever since I moved here) and did you even know that the Chamber is the organizer and presenter of those events? Imagine the 4^th of July or the Holidays here on the island WITHOUT those events! Unimaginable isn’t it? It is! Continue Reading

Kings Market will be celebrating its 40^th anniversary of the Howard Family owning the store.

We will have a special event day happening on the 25^th of January. From 11 to 3 we will have giveaways, raffles, face painting, hot dogs and much more.

Be sure to check out these old newspaper articles about the original owners selling to Verne Howard 40 years ago: (PDF)

• 30 years in the grocery trade
• Kings Longtime Grocers
• End of an era

White Crowned Sparrow – Tim Dustrude photo

The Whale Museum is holding a “Winter Birding Workshop in the San Juans” in partnership with San Juan Islands Audubon. Taking place the weekend of February 7-9, 2020, the intent is to increase birding skills through field trips and presentations.

This workshop is ideal for those wishing to continue their education as a naturalist or for those who simply love birds.

In this course, participants will have great opportunities to learn about identifying birds in their winter plumage, groups and species of birds, their needs, behaviors, & habitats, as well as migration and population patterns via hands on field experience and classroom learning.

San Juan Islands Audubon President and birding expert Barbara Jensen will lead the course which includes three classroom sessions and two half-day field trips on San Juan Island.

Workshop is limited to 13 participants so reserve your spot soon. Tuition is $150 for Museum/SSAMN members/Orca Adopters or $175 for non-members and includes transportation costs to field sites and lunches on the 8th and 9th.

Registration is available at The Whale Museum (open daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.) or via the website. For more information or to register, contact The Whale Museum at (360) 378-4710 ext. 30 or via email at [email protected].

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program highlights eight critical foreign policy challenges facing Americans each year.

Held on the last Monday of the month, the annual series features a DVD on each topic, followed by a moderated discussion among the participants. Participants are asked to review the relevant chapter of the Great Decisions briefing book, a limited number of which are now available from the Library.

Visit our website for more information

Join us on Monday, January 27th for our first topic, “Climate Change and the Global Order”

Roger Morris – Contributed photo

Our Moderator
We are extremely lucky to have Roger Morris as our moderator. Roger is the author of several critically acclaimed books on American politics, including Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician, 1913-1952.

He graduated from the University of Missouri and holds a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard, served in the United States Foreign Service, on the White House Staff, and on the Senior Staff of the National Security Council under Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Here’s the breakdown of topics and dates for the year. Come for one or come for all:

• January 27: Climate Change and the Global Order
• February 24: India and Pakistan
• March 23: Red Sea Security
• April 27: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
  SUMMER BREAK
• September 28: U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle
• October 26: China’s Road into Latin America
• November 23: The Philippines and the U.S.
• December 28: Artificial Intelligence and Data

Mike Vouri – Contributed photo

The first Know Your Island Walk of the new year will be on Saturday, January 25, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, starting at American Camp’s Redoubt.

Mike Vouri, retired National Park historian, will lead this walk — as he did the very first walk in the series in January 2011.

The Redoubt, a military defensive earthwork dating from the Pig War, is considered to be the most significant human construction in the park and it is the most intact redoubt in the nation. The walk will include the South Beach Trail which goes across the prairie to Packers Rock at the west end of South Beach, the Parade Ground, and Grandma’s Cove, but not the area near the former Visitor Center, which must be avoided as a construction area at this time.

From town, drive out Cattle Point Road into the park, turn right on Picketts Lane (toward South Beach), then immediately turn right again and drive to the Redoubt parking at the end.

Dogs on leash (with pickup bags) welcome. Rain or shine. Sponsored by the San Juan Island Trails Committee.

San Juan Island EMS is offering Wilderness First Responder Training (WFR), February 10 – 19 at Camp Orkila on Orcas Island. This training is the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership in an outdoor setting or for individuals who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended personal backcountry trips or expeditions. It is also invaluable training for any first responders.

The WFR is a 10-day course that is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies and Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. Although these appear to be the same basic topics covered in our two-day Wilderness First Aid course, they are covered far more extensively, and there is much more hands-on practice. Additional topics, such as CPR, are also included.

Class runs from breakfast (8:00 a.m.) on Monday February 10th, to noon on Wednesday February 19th. Participants are welcome to arrive Sunday evening, February 9th after 5:00 pm. Continue Reading

San Juan County’s 2020 Point in Time Homeless Count will be conducted on Thursday, January 23. Count organizers and volunteers work with local family resource centers, food banks, emergency cold weather shelters, churches, healthcare providers, senior centers, libraries, the sheriff’s office, and many other community support service providers to conduct the count. The count, initiated by the State of Washington in 2005 (RCW43.185C.030), is conducted annually at the end of January.

If you are interested in collaborating with San Juan County Health & Community Services and/or interested in receiving training please contact Ryan Page, Housing Program Coordinator, at either 360-370-0590 or [email protected].

Last year, the Point in Time Count identified 67 individuals living outdoors, in vehicles, abandoned building, or substandard RVs/Boats. There were an additional 82 individuals identified who were living in temporary, unstable living arrangements, often with family or friends.

Jedi Engineering with LEGO

The Force Awakens in this introductory engineering course for young Jedi.

Explore engineering principles as we construct the Ewok Village on Endor, fly through space on our X-Wings, and defend the Echo Base on Hoth.

Create motorized and architectural projects with imagination and engineering to defeat the Empire. An instructor from Seattle’s Play-Well TEKnologies will be here to organize this one-of-a-kind camp.

Participants ages 5-7 will partake in Jedi Engineering with Lego Materials camp that runs from 9am-noon, while those ages 7-12 will be taking the Jedi Master Engineering with LEGO from 1-4pm.

Both camps will be held in the FHHS STEM Building, February 18-21, 2020. Register by February 6 for $138.00. Ten dollars more thereafter.

For more information or registration, call 360-378-4953, visit www.islandrec.org, or stop by our office at 580 Guard Street, 11am-5pm, Monday through Friday.  

To make up for the January 15th snow day, the SJISD school calendar will be adjusted as follows:

• Wednesday January 22^nd will be a full school day.
• Thursday January 23^rd will be a half day.
• Friday January 24^th will be a half day.

Blackie is this week’s Pet of the Week

Do you dream of a Dracula cat gracing your sofa? Perhaps even snuggling up with a very handsome fellow who sports his own set of slightly protruding fangs?  Then look no further!  

As a general rule, I don’t like to talk about myself (I’m friendly but more of a cuddler than a chatter) but the lady at the shelter said I had to write a little bit to introduce myself, so here goes…

Getting used to using the keyboard has not been the easiest, I started writing this in the fall.  I’m currently residing at the shelter with the other cats, watching the snow fall and hoping that my typing skills might be my ticket to a new home…

I can perform light secretarial duties (licking stamps for example) and I am happy to pitch in with a little spring gardening (I have quite the knack for digging holes).

If you are interested please pop by and pay me a visit. 

Yours Sincerely,
Blackie.  

By Louise Dustrude –

Molly Hogan’s last day at King’s Market Friday was full of celebration, as friends and customers came in to wish her well in her retirement. Her fellow employees gave her a colorful tiara, a sign to wear saying “I’m retiring today!!!” and a sheet cake decorated with a replica of the Turkey Cards she tired of dealing with over the years.

She had high praise for King’s owner Verne Howard. “Verne is a very kind and generous employer, one of the few who offers steady, year-round employment, vacation time, sick leave, and a good health-care package.”

She worked there for 23 years.

Molly worked at the movie theater for five or six years, running the front of the house, when it was owned by the Kinnaman family, just before starting at King’s. Today hers is the voice you hear when you call for movie times. Continue Reading

Island Rec is excited to announce that they are offering another installment of Futsal. Join Coach Randy Martin for skills work and games in this fast paced, dynamic indoor soccer game.

Sessions are held Saturday afternoons at the Fair Building; February 1st – 29th for ages 8-18.

• Ages 8-10 play 11:00am-12:00 pm
• Ages 11-14 play 12:00pm-1:00 pm
• Ages 15-18 play 1:00pm-2:00 pm

Season passes will be available for purchase at $55. For more information or registration please visit www.islandrec.org, call 360-378-4953, or drop by the office at 580 Guard St.  Monday – Friday 11am-5 pm.

This announcement has been updated since it was first published, to include an additional supporting organization…

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) invites students and career-seekers to their first Creative Careers Forum, a free informative session on working in careers such as design, applied and performing arts, architecture and more on Saturday, February 15^th from 12:00-2:30 p.m. at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor.

At the forum, local professionals will present their real-world experience and answer questions in a panel discussion format.  The event is an opportunity for students and career-changers to gain an understanding of the wide variety of creative career and job paths available to them, from professionals with real experience in their fields.

The forum is free and is specifically geared toward high school students, however it is open to anyone interested in a career in a creative industry.

The Creative Careers Forum will be held at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor, in Classroom C from 12:00-2:30PM; inter-island travelers are encouraged to attend, and light refreshments will be served.

The Economic Development Councils educational programming is supported by San Juan County, the Raynier Foundation, the Town of Friday Harbor, the San Juan Island Community Foundation, Islanders Bank and Heritage Bank.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) strives to strengthen and diversify the economy of San Juan County.  We believe a strong economy builds a strong community.  

Here’s a reminder from Debbi Fincher about this show at San Juan Community Theatre…

Little Shop of Horrors opens tonight (Thursday, January 16th) with a Pay What You Can Show at 7:30pm. The show runs this Thursday-Sunday with matinees on BOTH Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. One weekend only!

These teen thespians have been in rehearsals since September and have created a sizzling show for our community! We hope you’ll make the effort to attend their performances, it’s a showstopper!

As you may recall, the troupe will be adjudicated, so they have been working non-stop to boost their set, props and costumes along with dedicating more time to create this musical.

Under the Direction of Jenni Merritt and Musical Director, Jamie Mountford, and as seen in this photo, about 30 FHHS students are ready to get this show started!

Tickets are available at sjctheatre.org  Snow or Slush, it’s Showtime! 

Your Friday Harbor Kiwanis Club would like to thank the citizens and the following companies for their donations, making Christmas gifts possible for our island families who needed a little help with Santa in 2019.

In addition to the toys donated you contributed $2,830. Thank you again for making our toy drive a success.

• Windjammer Carpet Cleaning
• Harbor Rental & Saw Shop
• Peter Schmidt Construction
• Dr. Jerry Wickman
• Aeronautical Services
• Island Group Sotheby’s International Realty
• Sound Financial Planning
• Friday Harbor Eye Clinic
• Bobby Ross Construction
• Ron Puetz (Ron’s Meats)
• Inter-Island Electric
• Ann & Court Bell
• Green Man/Jason Suhl
• Friday Harbor Electric
• Islanders Bank
• Islanders Insurance
• Loving Hands Grooming
• Susie Lefever
• Friday Harbor Freight
• Mike & Julia Carlson
• R&R Accounting

Here’s a letter to you from County Council member Bill Watson…

I am announcing today that I will retire at the end of 2020 and not seek re-election for a second term as County Council member for District #1 in November of 2020. 

In the final year of my term, I will continue to do my best to serve the citizens of San Juan County.   The timing of my announcement is intended to give those who may have an interest in seeking office sufficient time to consider carefully the position. I am open to sharing my insights and experiences with anyone who is considering running.