The Class of 2019 Kicks off Grad Night Fundraising The Friday Harbor High School Senior Class of 2019/PTSA is now taking orders for their annual Holiday Wreath sale. Get your beautiful, aromatic, long-lasting, 24” Northwest Noble Fir wreath with pinecones, berries, and a handmade bow in the color of your choice for only $25! These  Continue Reading

Heidi Green, yoga instructor and co-author of Yogadevotion: Practicing in the Presence, is conducting a special 2-hour workshop this Saturday, Oct. 20, from 2-4 pm at Saint David’s Episcopal Church. This workshop examines the benefits to body, mind, and spirit of a simple breath prayer practice tied to the Seven Daily Offices. The Daily Offices  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… On the second Friday of the month the Mullis Center hosts Fun Friday Bingo. For ten dollars you get a delicious seasonally themed lunch and 15 cards of Bingo. On Friday I enlisted my friend Therese Finn and we joined  Continue Reading

  A panel of San Juan Island Master Gardener volunteers will share their ornamental obsessions and inspire you to join them in their love of salvias, roses, and plants with beautiful leaves at the Annual Gardening Workshop, this Saturday, October 20th. Ornamental garden plants aren’t ‘idle lovelies’ – they create pollinator habitats and bird joy,  Continue Reading

San Juan County’s Preliminary Budget for 2019 has been published. With a theme of “Finish What We’ve Started,” the 2019 budget focuses resources on projects and initiatives already underway within the County. The County has enjoyed several years of remarkable growth in sales, lodging and real estate excise taxes, growth that has allowed the County  Continue Reading

San Juan County Treasurer, Rhonda Pederson would like to remind county property owners that the second installment of property taxes and personal property taxes are due October 31st.  Please note that even if you deposit the envelope with your local post office, it may not be postmarked on the same day.  Plan ahead and mail  Continue Reading

  Northwest artist Gareth Curtiss has been selected by the Town of Friday Harbor to complete a life-size bronze sculpture of town founding father Captain Edward D. Warbass. The piece will include Mr. Warbass sitting on a park bench with his dog, Bob, by his side.   The artwork is scheduled for installation on the sidewalk  Continue Reading

Tamara Weaver writes about St. Francis’ Blessing of the Animals… On October 4, people all over the world celebrated the feast day of the Patron Saint of Animals, Saint Francis of Assisi. It’s customary that in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures, animals are led to churches for a special ceremony  Continue Reading

Friends of the San Juan Island Library cordially invite you to “A Very British Evening: Jane Austen Meets the Royal Navy”. Please join Heidi Green, a lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This event sponsored by the Friends of the SJI Library is in celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the  Continue Reading

Name: Farrah Status: Single. Haven’t found my soulmate. Yet. Sign: Aries. Virgo rising. Likes: Hip Hop, Chinese food, BBC World Radio, belly rubs, chardonnay Dislikes: Plastic wine glasses, opinions that differ from mine, Tibetan throat singing, beady eyes What Intrigues Me: Dogs eating peanut butter, flatulence, I Love Lucy re-runs Favorite Movie: The Swamp Thing  Continue Reading

The next Department of Community Development (DCD) community workshop will be held on October 18th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the fire station at 1011 Mullis Street in Friday Harbor to gather community input on the Comprehensive Plan update.  The public is invited to provide input on policy issues that will guide the County  Continue Reading

  Messy Me returns this year with even more sense-engaging fun! We’ll play around in the elementary school gym with different ‘sensory bins’ filled with mediums such as water and sand while searching for dinosaur molds and model fish. Painting with marbles will be a new, exciting activity this time around, as well as balloons  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag we have this letter from Bill Appel… This will have been a hotly contested election. There have been allegations of errors, omissions and behavior, some of which but for the public stature of the targets, might arguably be libelous, and in the time-honored tradition of one corner of our community,  Continue Reading

It’s coming next weekend: Amy Carroll, well known caller from Seattle, will be our caller, with music provided by “Forrest Carroll and Friends” – Forrest Carroll on fiddle, Frank Blade on guitar, and Jerry Gallagher on banjo, all popular musicians from Seattle. What: 3rd. Saturday contra dance in Friday Harbor Where: San Juan Grange Hall  Continue Reading

Save the Date! On November 3, between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Friday Harbor Chocolates.  The holidays are fast approaching, and you may already be thinking about creating your holiday menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.  With that in mind, the renown San Juan Island master baker, Felicity Milne of Cakes by Felicitations will  Continue Reading

It’s that time of year! The San Juan Public Schools Foundation will hold its annual Phone-A-Thon on Tuesday, October 16th, and Wednesday October 17th, from 5 to 8:00 pm. During this time, volunteer students, parents, faculty and members of the community will be calling to ask for your support. The Foundation is a group of volunteer  Continue Reading

The following is a guest post from Neil Stawski with Climate Wise… There are nearly 7 billion humans on the planet, with more being born every day. And each person comes with their own ecological footprint. When you add up the ecological footprints of 7 billion people, you begin to understand the enormous environmental effect  Continue Reading

We’re doing something a little different this month with our Art for Fun art pARTy… we’re painting on a tote bag! Participants will paint their own personalized market or supply bag. This could make a great gift! Art for Fun is a two hour, fun-filled art party set in a relaxed, interactive atmosphere. It is  Continue Reading

It’s just one week until the 2018 Great Washington Shakeout earthquake drill on October 18th. You can join the growing number of islanders who are preparing for “the big one” by signing up online. It’s quick and easy to do at: http://shakeout.org/washington So far, more than 700 people in the islands are involved. This includes  Continue Reading

Third quarter real estate report from Merri Ann Simonson at Coldwell Banker… The third quarter results for San Juan Island and the County were consistent with the first and second quarter results.   Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume year-to-date on San Juan Island was $99,156,746 with a total of 181 transactions. This reflects a 12.5%  Continue Reading

After being on the road for two straight weeks the Friday Harbor Wolverines get to stay home tonight to take on the LaConner Braves at 6:30.  Both teams are 0-1 having lost to the Concrete Lions. Friday Harbor faces a familiar foe in the Braves from La Conner consisting of mainly sophomores and all starters  Continue Reading

San Juan County Health & Community Services Issues Varicella Health Alert A case of varicella, or “chicken pox,” has been confirmed in a school-aged child in the Lopez Island community. San Juan County Health & Community Services has alerted medical providers, and is working closely with the Lopez School District, preschools and families to investigate  Continue Reading