Here’s a message from the Executive Artistic Director at San Juan Community Theatre…

I was twelve years old when Heart of American Shakespeare Festival premiered its first show in Kansas City, my hometown. I will never forget the magic of that production of The Tempest.

I probably went ten times. Hearing Shakespeare’s language aloud, under a starry sky on a gorgeous night was transformative for me. My family became devotees of the festival—we would go multiple times every summer, often to the same show.

I credit those early memories for what I now consider my love affair with the written and spoken word. Continue Reading

The Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) is Looking for Skilled Volunteers

As part of an ongoing revitalization effort, the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) is looking for a small number of community minded islanders to get involved in protecting the islands from the impacts of oil spills.

Over 2019, a large group of IOSA volunteers have been steadily working to bring energy, organization, and knowledge to a long valued island resource.

The vision for the future of IOSA is of a well funded, sustainable, and professionally led response organization with a cadre of dedicated local volunteers. A diverse and skilled Board of Directors will provide high level oversight and leadership. The future of IOSA is bright.

In order to get there, IOSA would love the help of islanders with certain expertise. You don’t need to know anything about spill response, we’ve got that covered. We’re looking for the following: Continue Reading

Please join us for our first adoption event at our new home! APS-FH and Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands invite you to join us for an Adopt-a-pet/CB Homes for Dogs Project adoption celebration.

• When: Saturday September 28th from 12PM TO 3PM
• Where: 938 Cattle Point Road, Friday Harbor
• What: Food, Fun, Shelter Tours, Special Adoption Rates, Pet Service Providers, Face Painting for Kids and Much More!

Off-site parking shuttle will be provided. Bring (4) or More Cans of Wet/Unopened Dog or Cat Food to Benefit the APS-FH Pet Food Pantry and San Juan Island Families for free lunch!

For details or more information please contact Cristin Felso, Our New Shelter Director at (360) 378-2159

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is offering a free community workshop that walks participants through the elements of advance care planning. The Your Voice, Your Choice workshop will take place on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor.

“Advance care planning is about sharing personal goals, values, religious and cultural beliefs, and what matters individually for quality of life with family, friends and medical providers,” said Hilary Walker, program coordinator for PeaceHealth Advance Care Planning.

“It’s also about completing an advance directive. Both will help to ensure your wishes are followed, in the event of a medical crisis.”

The workshop will offer step-by-step guidance for completing a Healthcare Directive and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.  A free notary service will be provided for those completing their documents at this session.

Registration is required to attend, and space is limited.  Participants may register by calling the Mullis Community Senior Center at 360-378-2677 or online at www.peacehealth.org/yourvoiceyourchoice. For more information, please call Hilary Walker at 360-752-5267.

Superintendent Kari McVeigh – Contributed photo

Dear Wonderful Community Members,

What a wonderful start of the school year! The schools were immaculately clean, the teachers created warm and inviting learning environments, and all administrative staff worked hard to ensure that all was organized and moving smoothly. We are happy to be fully back in action, serving our treasured students and the families of San Juan Island.

This year we welcome our new elementary principal, Mr. Caspar van Haalen and our new Special Services Director, Ms. Becky Bell.   Both have quickly become trusted and valued additions to our administrative team.

Principal Fred Woods has stepped up as my Superintendent Intern. In addition to his current duties as middle and high school principal, he will be meeting with me regularly to learn all aspects of being a superintendent.

When you see Becky, Fred or Caspar, be sure to give them a huge smile for working hard on behalf of this remarkable district. Continue Reading

We are re-posting this notice with a correction to the submission address. All submissions should be sent to P.O. Box 219…

Friday Harbor will soon be the home of four poetry gardens. The Town of Friday Harbor and the Friday Harbor Arts Commission are establishing the new poetry gardens as a way of bringing poetry—a way of seeing our world through another’s mind—into our everyday experience.

All of the poems to be displayed in the gardens will be chosen from submissions to a contest that runs from September 10 until November 30, 2019.

San Juan County residents of all ages are invited to enter the Town’s Poetry Garden poetry contest being held now through November 30, 2019. Winning entries will be engraved on plaques located in four poetry gardens to be installed in public areas this spring.

Guidelines for poetry submission:
Continue Reading

Joe Gaydos – Contributed photo

Friday Harbor Film Festival is delighted to announce that Joe Gaydos will be the honored recipient of the 2019 Local Hero Award for his work as a Senior Wildlife Veterinarian and Science Director for the SeaDoc Society.

The Local Hero Award is presented each year to a present or former resident of the San Juan Islands who has made outstanding contributions to our quality of life, impacting people, animals, the arts, health, or the environment. Gaydos will receive his award during the Festival’s Audience Choice Awards program on October 27 at the San Juan Community Theatre.

A science-based marine conservation program of the UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, the SeaDoc Society funds and conducts science and uses the information to help educate people about our marine resources and help improve management and policy decisions regarding the stewardship of those resources. Continue Reading

From the Farmer’s Market – Peggy Sue McRae photo

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Eating fresh wholesome food is one of the cornerstones of maintaining good health. As anyone who shops for food knows, this can get expensive. Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor has generated greater access to good food by partnering with San Juan County Health and Community Services to offer Farmer’s Market coupons, or “Soroptibucks” to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and to low-income Seniors. When the word went out at the Mullis Center earlier this year I applied.

Yesterday, I shopped at the Farmer’s Market with my Soroptibucks. While the state offers Farmers Market coupons under the Washington State Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, I was happy to see that with my Soroptibucks I could purchase fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, cheese, eggs, seafood, pasta, bread, honey, and jam… Coupons from the state are to be used for produce only plus approved honey and herbs. Continue Reading

Jeannetta Noland – Contributed photo

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor has announced Jeannetta Noland as the Volunteer of the Month for September, 2019.

Jeannetta started volunteering at the animal shelter in 2016 and has been a loyal and regular volunteer.  Jeannetta can always be counted on to cuddle cats.

The staff and board of directors of APS-FH extend a heartfelt gratitude to Jeannetta for everything she does to help the homeless animals of San Juan Island!

Animal Protection Society – FH
994 Cattle Point Road
(360) 378-2158

Elizabeth Jean Bell 1988 – 2019

Elizabeth Jean Bell, of Friday Harbor, Washington, unexpectedly passed away September 8, 2019 at the age of 51. She was preceded in death by her grandparents Ralph and Elizabeth Smith of Los Altos, California, and John and Jean Bell of Friday Harbor, Washington.

Elizabeth is survived by her parents, Jack and Sherry Bell, her sister Christina Bell Jacobs, and Christina’s husband Paul. Her relatives include aunts and uncles Margaret and Conrad Berthold, Mark and Jane Bell, and Scott and Kim Bell. Her cousins are Fabiola Bell, Jon Lawrence, Thalya Harvey, Audrey Dolson, Paul Espinoza, Jacob Seiler, and Cady Mountain Seiler.

Elizabeth was born in Palo Alto in 1968. She grew up in Los Altos, California, Warren, New Jersey and Lafayette, California, where she graduated from Acalanes High School. Elizabeth attended UC Santa Barbara where she was a member of Alpha Phi Sorority. She graduated with a degree in Humanities from New College of California. She earned a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Continue Reading

For the past 8 years Friday Harbor Tiny Radio has hosted high school sports on 1650 AM and on FHTinyRadio.com. FH Tiny Radio will now stream live football, basketball, soccer, softball, and baseball games for the 2019-20 season. With little fanfare it started with last Friday’s home opener for the football team.  

“Surprisingly we had over 350 viewers,” says Tiny Radio/TV creator, Ken Norris.  Originally, the radio station grew out of necessity, he says. “For most schools a league game is a 20-minute drive.”  But he says that for islanders to attend a single game it can be an all day event which includes missing a day of work and often getting home in the wee hours of the morning. 

Check out Saturday’s 2:00 PM game as Friday Harbor HS football took on Bellevue Christian:

• Listen: www.FHTinyRadio.com
• Watch: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabxVyMn2nr-rGBvJlG7l_Q

The addition of Tiny TV doesn’t mean an end to Tiny Radio. Many listeners expressed that they love to listen to games at work, while driving, or going about their day so the two entities will simulcast for away games on FHTinyRadio.com and YouTube.  However, home games will only be accessible though Tiny TV. Continue Reading

Three Weekends of Farm Tours on Three Islands in September and October

The Savor the Flavor Fall Farm Tours on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez island are every Saturday and Sunday starting September 21^st.  New this year, admission is free.  “We took away the barrier of admission so people of all economic backgrounds can come meet their local farmers, taste and learn about their neighbor farmers, and help support a local healthy food system,” said Ag Guild Director, Steph Coffey.  

Each island has a schedule of family-friendly events, tastings and a self-guided tour that showcases what makes agriculture in the San Juans so unique. The public is invited to join breakfasts hosted by farmers, movies, speaking events and more.  Maps and information are available at https://islandgrownsj.com.  Some farms are open both days and some only one.  See each map for full details.  Start anywhere you like and make an itinerary that works for you! And don’t forget to bring a cooler to store your farm fresh goodies in. 

We recommend carpooling  to the different farms as parking can be limited. Please respect farm host locations and adhere to directions or instructions – these are farms with active operations and require your attention for your own safety. Wear appropriate outdoor shoes and attire. Please no pets at the farms… except animals from the farm, of course.

Join us at the tours showcasing the bounty of local products!

Event Details: Continue Reading

The Matching Grant opportunity at the Fair was a real boon to the San Juan Community Home Trust as we plan for our next project on Price Street in Friday Harbor.

Our permanently affordable homes are critical to the health of our island community. As we wrap up our third neighborhood, Sun Rise II, we must thoughtfully plan for our next neighborhood. This takes time and money and support from our fellow islanders.

The Community Foundation match program and the enthusiasm from our donors helps us keep our focus on planning for the quality and sustainability of our homes, and on the population that we serve. Thank you for your support for a second year, and thank all of you who donated at the Community Foundation booth at the fair – for our effort and for those of the other organizations highlighted.

From all of us on the board and staff of the San Juan Community Home

This just in… Islander’s Bank is holding a Free Shred and Customer Appreciation Event TODAY (Friday, Sep. 13th) starting at 11:00. It’s happening at their Friday Harbor branch on the corner of Blair Avenue and Park Street.

The event will go until 1:00 pm or until the shred truck is full, whichever comes first.

Shredding services are provided by Iron Mountain. (Participants are asked to wait while their documents are shredded).

Friends of the San Juans cordially invites you to a spirited celebration of our collective work together here on Lopez and throughout the ecosystem of the Salish Sea!

On October 12, from 4-6 pm at the San Juan Island Yacht Club, we will gather to connect, learn, and celebrate 40 years of people coming together to make change and protect what you love about this incredible place that we’re all lucky enough to call home. Tickets can be purchased at sanjuans.org/40th. 

Special guest Lorne Underwood, Wsanec Nation-Village of Tsawout, will be speaking about the importance of protecting what is sacred. 

For the past four decades, Friends has worked to protect the San Juan Islands for people and nature. Founded in 1979 by a group of islanders who were frustrated by unregulated development and inspired to protect our most special places, Friends spearheaded the County’s first Comprehensive Land Use Plan. 40 years later we are working on the third revision of the Comprehensive Plan, plus impacts of sound and oil spill on Southern Resident Killer Whales. Continue Reading

How to Find Balance, Greater Energy, and Longevity from Inside Out

Yi Ren Qigongâ is a powerful self-help form that blends ancient Chinese self-healing techniques with modern science to develop the body’s bio-energetic ‘Qi’ system for greater health, vitality, and self-awareness. The Foundation 1A class at Skagit Valley College San Juan Center meets on Thursdays, 5:30 – 7:00pm, October 3 through November 21.

How are your energy levels? Can you get through the day without crashing or relying on caffeine and sugar to boost your productivity? Do you need more balance in your life? Less anxiety? Your Qi level shapes your life and how well or poorly you are aging.

Regular practitioners of Yi Ren Qigong often experience relief from stress; strengthened mental focus; reduced chronic pain; improved functions of organs and immune system; greater vitality; improved connection with authentic self, the natural world, and spiritual enrichment. Continue Reading