Need your Washington State Boating Education Card?

Take a Free U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary “Adventures in Boating” Class

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary San Juan Islands Detachment is offering a free Washington State Basic Boater Education Course on San Juan Island. The two-day class will be held on Thursday evenings April 4 and April 11, 2019 at Skagit Valley College, San Juan Center. The center is located at 221 Weber Way (adjacent to Friday Harbor Airport) in Friday Harbor. The classes will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required and the class is free.

Everyone wishing to learn or share their safe boating skills as well as review our local boating regulations is invited to attend. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees may submit a copy of their individual “Certificate of Accomplishment” with $10 for issuance of a Boater Education Card by the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission.

All Washington state residents must carry a Boater Education Card while on the water and operating a power-boat greater than 15 horsepower. This includes people over 12 years of age and applies to anyone who was born after January 1, 1955. Continue Reading

Mark your calendars, the next Spring Flea & Craft Market will be on Saturday, April 20th from 9:00am until 1:00pm in the main building at the San Juan County Fairgrounds!  

Booth space for Flea & Craft Market vendors is $27, which includes one 8’x 30” table and two chairs.  An additional table can be purchased for $6.00 if available.  

If you have been busy tidying your home, this is a great opportunity for you to “spark joy” in someone else’s life!  Don’t have anything to sell? You can still plan on attending and find something unique or useful.  

Visit the Fairgrounds website www.sjcfair.org for more information and get your vendor registration form or apply online today!

Signs of spring – Tim Dustrude photo

Winter is almost over – Spring is officially only a few days away and it shows. Crocuses are popping all over the place.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Summer season is approaching fast, and with it the annual shortage of workers for the seasonal jobs in the San Juan County tourism economy.

Why not consider hiring a seasoned worker for your seasonal job opening?   Did you know that about one third of our population in San Juan County is over 65 years-old That is a great pool of experienced workers! Many seasoned citizens would like to supplement their retirement income or just be more involved and active.

What do senior citizens have to offer the workforce?

Seniors take pride in a job well done. Seniors have a history of showing up on time, being reliable, honest and getting the job done. Whatever the job, they take pride in a job well done. Youth in the workforce are apt to put in their time at work and leave, while older employees are more willing to stay later to finish the task.

Senior citizens have good communication skills. They came of age before Facebook, texting and selfies. They look you in the eye and to speak in complete sentences. They will ask questions if they do not understand expectations of the employer.

Seasoned Citizens understand what Customer Service means. Their work ethic is proven.

Mature workers have years of life and work experience thus they are experienced at problem solving; thus they are less likely to give-up in the event of unexpected obstacles.

If you are looking for year-round or seasonal workers, there will be potential employees of ALL ages at the JOB FAIR on April 14. Contact the Career Center to sign up for a table at the Job Fair on April 14 at the Mullis Center. 378-4662.

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

Home caregiver – Contributed photo

If you are caring for a loved one, an aging parent, a spouse or child with special needs, a neighbor or a friend and if you are not a paid care provider, the Mullis Center is offering a free, six-week course, Powerful Tools For Caregivers providing helpful skills.

The course will teach you self-care tools including how to reduce stress, how to communicate effectively with family members and medical professionals, how to deal with challenging situations, solve problems and set goals.

Often family and friend caregivers had no plan to become caregivers but are responding to a need and may not even recognize at first that they have become a caregiver. The course offers tools, “designed to help a caregiver reduce personal stress, communicate feelings and needs, use community services, deal with emotions such as anger, guilt, and depression and make tough caregiving decisions”*. The course offers caregivers support in creating and implementing their own self-care action plan. Continue Reading

There is Always Something New

Greeting Spring is the new program of Family Art Days (FAD) at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA). The informal classes start on Saturday, April 6th at 540 Spring Street in Friday Harbor. The classes are held in the cozy upstairs workshop area from 1:00 t0 5:00 on most Saturdays.

This continues the 2019 year-long program of family classes designed by professional instructor, Lana Hickman. This series emphasizes ferries, plant life and the Town of Friday Harbor as well as performing good deeds in your community.

Designed for family fun with parents, grandparents and children 12 and under; everyone learns and creates. And, you take your art home that day. FAD’s are free, but donations to cover materials and costs are always welcome.

Join the art of discovery at SJIMA where there is always something new! 

FADs are sponsored by Suzy Wakefield and the Community Foundation of San Juan Island.

See the schedule here: Continue Reading

Skagit Valley College announces academic Honor Roll for Fall Quarter 2018

In support of student success, Skagit Valley College is pleased to announce that the following students were placed on the Academic Honor Roll for Fall Quarter, 2018.

Mark Green and Christy McLaglen of Friday Harbor.

To qualify, students must maintain a 3.75 or higher grade point average while carrying 12 or more credits.

Click here to see the full list of students from all towns and communities (PDF)

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

The following article is a guest post written by Neil Stawski…

From living a minimalist lifestyle in a tiny house to tidying up a family home, decluttering seems to be on everyone’s mind lately. Decluttering isn’t a new concept. After all, studies have shown that most Americans still prefer to do some spring cleaning each year.

Now, with the growing popularity of minimalism along with organizational techniques like the KonMari method, it looks like decluttering is more than a trend. It’s a simple, tidy, and organized way to live in your home.

From a financial standpoint, downsizing and decluttering can be beneficial because, although you can’t always control how much money you have, you can control your spending habits. Whether you’re looking to downsize or just clean up your living space, eco-friendly decluttering habits are easier on your wallet and better for the environment.

Here are some ways to tidy up while going green: Continue Reading

Friday Harbor Film Festival Winter Series presents: The Best of the Fest
Tuesday, March 19 at the Grange at 7:00 pm, join us for the following two films:

Intelligent Trees – The Documentary

Trees talk, know family ties and care for their young? Is this too fantastic to be true? Scientist Suzanne Simard (The University of British Columbia, Canada) and German forester and author Peter Wohlleben have been investigating and observing the communication between trees over decades. And their findings are most astounding.

and

The Kingdom

Continue Reading

San Juan Island Garden Club invites you to celebrate spring with Ciscoe Morris – Great Plants for Rain Shadow Gardening.

Wednesday, April 3rd, at 7:00 pm at Brickworks.

Tickets are $15.00 and will be available March 18th at Browne’s Garden Center, Ace Hardware, Griffin Bay Books and Roche Harbor Store.

(proceeds fund garden club special projects such as the Town hanging baskets)

Friday Harbor Elementary staff are inviting all parents of children who will be five years old on or before August 31 2019 to meet with school staff and begin the kindergarten registration process if they haven’t done so already.

Click here for more information

Please call the office at (360) 378-5209 to set up an appointment.

The Orcas Island Lit Fest (OILF), an annual celebration of literature and community in an inspiringly beautiful place, is continuing its commitment to children and families by offering its second annual Kids’ Fest. The 2019 OILF Kids’ Fest will feature the following artists and activities:

Singer-songwriter Laura Veirs is the author of the award-winning picture book Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten, which tells the story of one of the most celebrated American folk musicians of all time. Cotten, a self-taught guitarist who wrote the folk classic “Freight Train,” grew up poor and black in the Jim Crow South. She spent many years in obscurity before gaining recognition late in adulthood.

Children’s author Lois Brandt will read from her book, Maddi’s Fridge, winner of the 2015 International Literacy Association Primary Fiction Award, a 2014 Top Mighty Girl Book for Younger Readers, and an Anti-Defamation League Book of the Month.

Laura Veirs and Lois Brandt will appear 10:30 a.m.–noon on Saturday, April 6, at the Orcas Island Public Library. Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Farmers Market is open tomorrow, March 16th and then every Saturday, April through October, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at Brickworks, on 150 Nichols Street.

It is a community market that provides access to local & fresh food and strives to support small-scale agriculture and local businesses in San Juan County. Each week the SJI Farmers Market offers a diverse selection of fresh, local food from San Juan, Waldron, Lopez, and Orcas Islands.

The Market also offers a mix of local, hand-crafted products such as jewelry, pottery, and artwork.

Throughout the year, there are over 20 farms that vend at the year-round SJI Farmers Market. It is a bubbling place to buy local groceries, eat freshly prepared food, listen to live music, shop for handmade crafts, and chat with local nonprofit organizations!

Like us on Facebook. Admission is free. No dogs please.

Letter to the editor:

We’d like to offer our thanks to the San Juan Island Community Foundation for their support for the Library’s English Language Learning program.

This generous grant means that adult immigrants studying English have workbooks in which to write exercises. More importantly, the grant from the Foundation means that while they are at the library, the only thing parents need to focus on is learning English, since their children are engaged in an enrichment program during class time.

The foundation grant supports the costs of the special program for kids who get help with English skills, hear stories, receive homework help, and participate in activities and crafts. Thanks to all of you who support the Community Foundation and helped to make this happen.

The program is well-attended, but there are still spaces for additional students to join.

Laurie Orton, Director
Beth Helstien, Outreach Coordinator

Jaclyn Domenech shares this announcement with you…

On March 15th, many local high school students are participating in the global Youth Climate Strike to protest climate change inaction. The students are walking out of school to demand change and bring attention to the need for government action on climate change prevention.

Carbon emissions have put the entire world ecosystem at risk and our society has to take dramatic steps to stop their harmful impacts. Our current government is not addressing this major issue and it is hurting the future of the planet.

Cattle Point Eagle (click to enlarge) – Photo by John Miller

John Miller shares this photo he shot Wednesday of an eagle perched on top of Cattle Point Lighthouse.

Pretty cool – Thanks for sharing John!