Merri Ann Simonson checks in with another entry in her San Juan Island Lifestyle Video Series. She says shrimping season has opened, so if you are looking for some tips, this San Juan Island lifestyle video should help.

Last year’s champions – Contributed photo

Would you like to be part of this year’s exciting FAIR FEUD competition at the 2019 San Juan County Fair? Do you have a fun group of five people in your family or business? Would your team like to demolish the Town of Friday Harbor team, which has taken the trophy two years in a row?

If so, get in touch with Kira Sable from the Fair Board. For a $50 entry fee, your group can compete in the FAIR FEUD game show, live on the community stage at this year’s fair. Yes, we follow the exact same format as the exciting TV show. The winning team will decide which fair department gets to receive the $200 in prize money, and be able to proudly display the FAIR FEUD trophy at their place of business. A year of bragging rights is included.

During the fair, two teams will compete Thursday, two more teams will compete Friday, and then the winning two teams will battle it out for the finals on Saturday. This competition draws a big crowd and we have fun activities and contests during the commercial breaks. Your team is encouraged to wear matching outfits or fun costumes. Fair admission is NOT included… your team members must pay the admission fee.

Contact Kira Sable at (360) 317-5021 or [email protected]

Stay tuned for online survey questions soon!!

Do you want to run the annual Friday Harbor 8.8k Loop Run on August 17th, but aren’t sure where to start?

Tackle training together by joining the Couch to 8.8k running group with coaches Heidi and Morgan! This is a 9-week running program; meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays for progressively longer runs leading up to the 8.8k Loop Run (approximately 5.5 miles).

We’ll meet at various locations in town for workouts. No previous running experience is necessary. Participants are encouraged to get fitted for a comfortable pair of road running shoes prior the start of the program. Registration fee includes entrance into the 8.8k on August 17th, race t-shirt and a finisher medal!

Register by the early deadline June 10^th for $45.00 ~ $5.00 more thereafter.

For more information or registration visit our website www.islandrec.org, drop by the office 580 Guard St, Monday -Friday 11am-5pm or give us a call 360-378-4953.

Feel like putting a little free spirit in your summer?

Join Island Rec on Saturday, June 1^st for Tie-Dyeing at the Farmer’s Market!

Island Rec staff will be stationed at the Brickworks Building, 150 Nichols Street, from 9:30 am to 1 pm.

Shirts will be available for purchase or bring your very own, “plain white tee” for FREE!

Mark your calendars, this is a groovy community event not to be missed!

Cesky Krumlov ©Ray Pfortner

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) brings Ray Pfortner to teach Photography Out On The Road on Sunday, June 30th, 1-5 PM.

Ray Pfortner, who teaches travel photography in such colorful places as Cuba, China and Prague, returns this summer to offer a workshop on how to make the best photographs you can on your travels far and wide and close to home. Explore camera handling and creative settings, considerations before, during and after the trip.

Also learn composition and how to obtain the best photographs for exhibit, artist reference and elements in collage and mixed media. People of all skill levels using any digital camera – point and shoot, DSLR, mirrorless and/or phone – are welcome.

Class size is limited and registration is on a first-come-first served basis.   The fee $85 and SJIMA members – $75.   Go to www.sjima.org or the front desk at SJIMA during regular hours to register. Continue Reading

Treasure Hounds is looking for volunteers with retail and customer service experience.

Shifts available are 3 hours and 6 hours. If you are interested, please contact Leslie Byron at (360) 317-4311 or (360) 298-9058

Soma Andrews and Jaden Jones are part of the community projects class at Friday Harbor High School. Their project is improving the course at the Roche Harbor Disc Golf Course by clearing fairways, filling potholes, and creating a brochure to advertise for the course.

As part of the project, hey wrote the following short article about the course to encourage people to play disc golf:

Why should you play disc golf? This fun recreational activity is easy to learn and is played worldwide. Located at 401 Rouleau Road, Roche Harbor’s beautiful course contains open terrain and paths within the forest.

This is a great way to enjoy the outdoors while spending time with friends and family. Concentration skills increase when mastering shots and avoiding obstacles, along with a great exercise for the upper and lower body.

Within the course, there are trails that are great for hiking and walking as well.

The course is free, open seven days a week, and welcomes anyone to come and enjoy the great outdoors of San Juan Island.

See more photos below Continue Reading

Here’s a Civic Alert from the San Juan County News System…

Morning visitor at the bird feeder – Margie Smith photo

Margie Smith shares this photo of a visitor to their yard this morning. Here’s what she had to say:

Here’s a photo of the bear, (not very good quality I’m afraid, as it was through the window).  This was our morning guest at the bird feeder.  The feeder didn’t stand a chance!

Doug Popham, FH Kiwanis President, and Larry Greene, of Stand Up Men – Contributed photo

Friday Harbor Kiwanis presents a check for $500 in support of Stand Up Men’s recent fund-raising campaign.

In accepting the award Larry Greene said “Stand Up Men appreciates Friday Harbor Kiwanis’ $500 contribution to support our campaign of raising $45,000 to fully fund SAFE San Juans’ Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Healthy Relationships programs in all schools and communities in the San Juans.”

Friday Harbor Kiwanis meets the first and third Thursdays at noon each month at Friday Harbor House.

Final Weekend? How can that be? Well, we weren’t going to show you any spoilers, but check out that plane! You do NOT want to miss seeing it for yourself in person – This show has so many amazing elements, and the commitment of our cast and crew to making this show so unforgettable is astounding!

You may not be as familiar with The Drowsy Chaperone as you have been with our past Spring Musicals, but don’t let that keep you from coming out and experiencing all the amazing things this production has to offer. It is truly a one of a kind show. Come on out and let your friends, neighbors, and fellow islanders entertain you with their incredible production. There are only four more chances to do so.

You can order your tickets online, from the convenience of your own home, any time day or night, at www.sjctheatre.org. Or, call in to our friendly and oh-so-helpful Box Office staff at (360) 378-3210. Or stop on by and see them in person Tuesday-Friday 1:00pm-4:00 pm, Saturday 11:00am-2:00 pm, or one hour before each performance. Continue Reading

Jamie Ellsworth, Ruth Offen (WaterWorks owner) and Barbara Duzan at the opening last week – Contributed photo

Check out the current exhibit at WaterWorks Gallery – Regional artists, Jamie Ellsworth and Barbara Duzan, both bring animals to life with style and whimsy thorough their mediums of oil and bronze.

Barbara captures the beauty and quirks of flora and fauna in bronze. Making each subject unique while at the same time representing their species as a whole.

Jaime paints animals using simple forms and a palette of bold colors in oil and mixed media. She invites the viewer to first look at the simplicity of the image, then beyond, opening a door to the imagination.

Life Untamed
Jaime Ellsworth & Barbara Duzan
May 17 – June 8, 2019

WaterWorks Gallery 315 Argyle Avenue, Friday Harbor – www.waterworksgallery.com 
Open Thursday – Saturday other days by request.

Jenny Wilson shares this request with you…

The Community Service-Learning Projects class at Friday Harbor High School is a chance for juniors to explore their passions and strengths by designing a project with a community partner that addresses a need in the community.

By designing and completing a meaningful project it is hoped that students will leave a lasting legacy for the school, community and themselves.

The semester is soon coming to an end and students have been working diligently to complete their projects. On Wednesday June 5th, 2016 (5:30 – 7:00 P.M.), students will be giving presentations demonstrating all that they have accomplished and learned this term. Continue Reading

Brianna Hess crosses the finish line – Photo by Jack Hess

Upset Stomach Fuels Upset in Girls 200 meters 2B District Championships as Hess leads FHHS Track Team to State

By Mike Martin

On Saturday, May 18th, FHHS junior, Brianna Hess, captured gold in the Girls 4×100 relay and 200 meter dash 2B Bi-District Championships in improbable fashion.

“On a good morning I’m not much of a morning person,” she said.  

But on the morning of the biggest track event of her life she woke up with an upset stomach.  In just her 6th 200 meters race, ever, she found herself facing her biggest opponent: her stomach.

“The hour-long ferry ride followed by a 45-minute long bus ride to Coupeville didn’t help either,” she remembered.  

By the time the school bus turned into the parking lot of the Oak Harbor Safeway on Whidbey Island, she thought her body was telling her not to run when it rejected her breakfast of apple sauce and water. Continue Reading

Photo by Steve Maddox

First Showing on the West Coast-Photography Exhibit Closes Soon

“MY WAR: Wartime Photographs by Vietnam Veterans” is exhibited until June 3rd, 2019. Don’t miss this remarkable exhibit at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor.

What are visitors saying:

• My …took me on opening day. We walked and read mostly in silence. We hugged and cried and marveled at the excellent display. Thank you for doing this as the healing process from the devastation of war that never ends.
• Thank you for this significant exhibit!
• MY WAR: Wartime Photographs by Vietnam Veterans, is a national touring exhibit telling the stories of regular soldiers’ lives in their own words and photographs.
• Additionally, there is an exhibit of photographs, artifacts and stories of Vietnam veterans of San Juan County titled A War Never Ends.

MY WAR is generously sponsored by the Dave and Nancy Honeywell Charitable Fund, Gary and Susan Sterner, Printonyx and Harbor Rental. US Military Veterans are admitted free to this exhibition.

Also closing is Traces, an art installation by Mary Coss exploring cultural inheritance, the ties that bind and giving voice to her female lineage. Continue Reading

The Island Chordsmen Plus show is on a Saturday evening this year, June 1 at 7:30 at SJ Community Theatre.

Enjoy the Artists’ Studio Tour and the Lions’ Friday Harbor Bike Fest on Saturday, June 1st then round out the day with entertainment by Island Chordsmen Plus.

And adding to their show are Sound Vibrations, 3 Grandads & A Tenor Quartet and The Squares – a quartet from Vancouver with hits and covers of the ’60s and ’70s.

Your favorite Chordsmen are selling tickets now or PM us on our Facebook page. Thank you for your support of island voices.