It’s now official. Mayor Farhad Ghatan has proclaimed Sunday to be Great Islands Clean Up Day. Click the image above to see the official proclamation.

On Sunday, the San Juan Aviation Museum will recognize and pay tribute to Vicki Thalacker and a group of San Juan Eagles volunteer pilots for their service of flying cancer patients to the mainland for treatment. Islanders are invited to celebrate this occasion at a reception held at Brickworks, 150 Nichols Street, on Sunday, April  Continue Reading

April 28, 7 pm, San Juan Island Grange (152 First Street N, Friday Harbor) Learn more about climate action policy at the local, state, and national level and how to get involved.  Featured speaker, Gwen Hanson, MD, leads the Bellevue chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, an international nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Library and the San Juan Island Family Resource Center are hosting a free screening on Friday, April 20th at 7:00 PM, of the acclaimed documentary Screenagers. The documentary is an investigative look at how parents and teens are dealing with the digital age and how unlimited screen time impacts our nation’s  Continue Reading

A fun Improvisational Quilting Workshop June 24 with noted author and instructor, Katie Pedersen extends the design and quilting skills of any quilter and designer. Katie is an outstanding and innovative instructor. This class is part of the many activities around the exhibition Conversations With Gee’s Bend at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) opening Memorial  Continue Reading

Celebrating the 33rd season of making musical memories for all ages, Island Sinfonia will perform on San Juan Island on Sunday, April 29, at 3:00 at St. David’s Episcopal Church. The orchestra performs a wide variety of music, ranging from classical favorites to tunes from musicals and operas. Violin, viola, cello, wind, and brass instruments  Continue Reading

The 2018 San Juan County Fair is sure to be “Rockin’” this year! Each year the Fair hosts various acts from local to regional (Pacific Northwest) and this year is no exception, however, performance slots are filling up fast. Have you ever wanted to perform at the Fair? Do you have a special talent? Hurry,  Continue Reading

Join San Juan Kayak Expeditions and paddle out to Turn Island Wildlife Refuge to clean up the beaches and trails. SJKE will provide double fiberglass kayaks, top of the line kayak gear, transportation to and from the launch site and beach instruction. Earth Day – April 22, 2018 from 12:30 to 3:30pm The trip starts  Continue Reading

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center receives donation to cancer care garden FRIDAY HARBOR, Washington, April 17, 2018 – A rare spring sunshine cast shadows in the PeaceHealth Peace Island Cancer Care Garden in late March illuminating a beautiful new addition to the space. Nestled near blossoming hellebores, the smooth granite Oki-gata lantern appeared to be  Continue Reading

The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), a group of 32 whale watch and ecotourism business operators in Washington and British Columbia, announced today an update to its vessel operation guidelines with a focus on safe operation for both commercial and private vessels around whales. These updated standards are the most comprehensive conservation framework in the  Continue Reading

Today was the grim exercise of what can happen when people drink and drive (or are texting while driving or under the influence of marijuana). At the high school, a full scale mock up of a car accident with multiple critical injuries, at least one fatality and a lot of messed up lives took place  Continue Reading

The following is a guest article written by Rebecca Evans, a Registered Nurse and Health Writer… While there is still a great deal more not known about Parkinson’s than is known, one of the areas of research in which much progress is being made is that of exercise’s effects on Parkinson’s. While this was once  Continue Reading

A San Juan Island School District community budget workshop was held by the Board of Directors on March 15, 2018 to review the district current budget status and to identify budget parameters for the upcoming year. Implications of the Educational Programs and Operations Levy (formerly the M&O levy) were also discussed. The goal for the workshop was a  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor Holistic Health has a new class they’d like to share with you… We are very excited about this move, and this new beginning. It’s a wonderful location, unique in feeling, and full of creative energy. Beginners, all ages and body types are welcome. Tai Chi is not one thing, it is many things:  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update, written by Peggy Sue McRae… On our last “Field Trip Friday” excursion to the mainland, (see San Juan Update 3/31/2018), I caught up with Callie McKay. She’s a busy woman and not an easy one to catch up with but the ferry ride to Anacortes  Continue Reading

Teren Photography is the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce Featured Member of the Month… Christopher Teren Photography and Computer Repair Chris made San Juan Island his home over 20 years ago, and has spent much of that time developing a deep appreciation for the wondrous beauty of the area. His passions as a pilot,  Continue Reading

Don’t Miss the Annual Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale! Hundreds of organic vegetable starts and perennials, all lovingly grown and nurtured by San Juan County Master Gardeners, will be on sale at the Mullis Center, Saturday May 12th at 9am – just in time for Mother’s Day! Please arrive early as favorites sell out quickly.  Continue Reading

Cowboy the Chow-Chow here, with an important public service announcement: Do not trust the staff at the animal shelter. Two weeks ago, upon arriving here, I was under the impression that I had been welcomed to a lovely vacation spa. The food is delicious, the beds very comfortable and I get frequent massages and nature  Continue Reading

Island Rec is pleased to announce that the 28th Annual Children’s Festival is Saturday May 5, 2018. Dozens of community organizations will be providing all kinds of hands-on activities: create your own passport with Rotary, Solar System exploration with Lighthouse Preschool and many more. This year we will also be joined by the Flight Museum  Continue Reading

Congratulations are in order for Senior EMT Lainey Volk. Not only is Lainey heading up the newly formed community paramedicine program but every 3 years she organizes the program called Every 15 Minutes. Lainey is an active EMT responding on 911 calls and follows up with patients referred to her by physicians and paramedics for  Continue Reading

Join the SJI Grange for a “Dudley Dance” at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor on Monday April 23rd. Dudley Laufman is a legendary contra dance caller and musician who has spent a lifetime calling and playing dances throughout rural New England. His influence and popularity created the wave of interest in old-time dancing and  Continue Reading

What’s in the mailbag this morning? Here’s a letter from the SJI Museum of Art… The board of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) would like to thank the San Juan Island Community Foundation for its support. Working with the many island nonprofits helps keep the Community Foundation current in community needs and  Continue Reading