The Christmas Market will light up historic Brickworks again this year! The popular event features a holiday crafts market, island food vendors, local farm products, live music, libations, and activities for kids and grownups alike.

The Old-Fashioned Christmas Market is produced by the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild. Watch www.fhbrickworks.com for details.

The San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant, resilient and sustainable local food system in San Juan County, Washington.

OPALCO is seeking nominations for board candidates from Districts 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands) and 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane islands). To nominate a candidate (including yourself), go to www.opalco.com/elections and use the nominations online portal to fill out the candidate application forms.

Why run for an OPALCO Board Position? To participate in the governance of the company that you own. OPALCO is a cooperative owned and operated by its members. Directors set the policies, budgets and rates for the Co-op. Did you know that OPALCO Directors are paid a stipend for their time and board training – and are eligible for health insurance benefits?

There are two ways to be nominated for a board position: 1) by the member Elections & Governance Committee (EGC) or 2) by petition. The deadline for nomination by the EGC is January 9^th. The EGC will review nominations in the portal and recommend their slate of candidates for both districts. To be nominated by petition, a member in good standing collects no fewer than 20 signatures of bona fide members who reside in their district. Complete petitions should be sent to communications@opalco.com by February 13^th.

All voting will be by mail or online. The election opens on March 11^th, and each member will receive their ballot by email or by mail, depending on their stated preference. The deadline for ballots to be submitted is 10:30 a.m. (PDT) on April 12, 2019. Election results will be announced at the annual meeting on April 13^th on the interisland ferry.

OPALCO will host independently moderated Candidate Forums on San Juan, Lopez, Orcas and Shaw islands during the week of March 4^th. Stay tuned for more information.

Go to www.opalco.com/elections to learn more about nominations and the election process.

A few of this year’s shoppers, meeting up and getting ready to shop til they drop – Contributed photo

Here’s a note from Leasa Wangoe about this year’s Chardonnay Shopping event, happening on Thursday December 6th, and aimed at getting people into the holiday spirit and supporting local businesses.

Anyone can join and it’s a good time to take advantage of some good deals around town…

Ok, here is the current list of businesses and restaurants that are participating! Again, if we missed anyone feel free to post, not trying to leave anyone out! Wear your festive gear and be ready to shop til you drop: Continue Reading

Artists’ studio space – Contributed photo

Local Artist, Debbie Daniels, recently took a large commercial space that became available in downtown Friday Harbor, and created a vibrant new space to serve the artistic interests of the community of Friday Harbor. 

The facility, including the private artists and their studios, will be open on the 1st Friday of each month, from 5-9 pm, starting December 14^th.

Friday Harbor Atelier, is an independent group of artists working in a common studio space at the corner of Spring Street and Argyle Avenue.  The “Atelier,” or artist workspace and studio, is approximately 3,000 square feet of art studio space featuring central heating and air, art supply storage, community workspace available to rent for classes and events, private studio spaces, and restrooms, with natural daylight and full spectrum lighting. 

The common area has also had successful classes, with local artist, Marsha McAllister, with more to be offered soon.  It is the hope of the Atelier artists that more artists will become involved, and participate in the Open Studio nights with displays in the common workspace. Continue Reading

EDC to offer free Plumbing Basics training at Orcas Island High School

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) will offer free training in plumbing basics this January, sponsored by Walt Corbin, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, and the Orcas Island Kiwanis Club.

The course will be taught at Orcas Island High School by Jeff Morris of Morris Plumbing & Heating and by Orcas Island High School Vocational and Woodworking instructor Brett McFarland.  The program is intended to benefit participating students as well as local plumbing companies in need of skilled employees.  

The hands-on curriculum has been designed for students and career changers, and will include a history of plumbing, career information, tool usage, standard plumbing code, safety, and more.  This course is free to residents of San Juan County, but space is limited and requires both registration and a filing fee of $10. Continue Reading

Photo via Pixabay by Skitterphoto

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

How Your Home Could Be Making You Sick, and How to Change It

Our homes are the places we go to find comfort, the places that make us feel safest and happiest. However, there are many things about your home that can be unhealthy, from mold lurking in the bathroom to dust mites in the carpet, and it’s important to understand all the ways they can affect you and your family. The air quality in your home is a major factor in how you feel, so think of the best ways you can make some improvements to keep everyone breathing easy.

There are several places you can start. Your HVAC system is a great one since it carries air to just about every part of your house. Make sure the filter is clean and replaced often, especially during the hottest and coldest months.

It’s also important to make sure there’s no excess of moisture in the bathrooms or basement, where pipes are most likely to leak or create condensation. If you need help learning how to properly maintain your HVAC system, there are plenty of resources available online to point you in the right direction.

Keep reading for some great tips on how to make your home healthier. Continue Reading

Northwest artist Gareth Curtiss is bringing his bronze sculpting project to Friday Harbor December 17th through 21st so that the public may share in the creation of the Ed Warbass sculpture he is making for the town.

The public is invited to watch and interact with the artist in a temporary work space being created for him in the glass atrium at the front of San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA).

Curtiss will demonstrate the clay sculpting process that precedes mold-making and bronze casting. He intends to work on the bust for the life-size statue which will depict town founder Captain Edward D. Warbass sitting on a park bench with his dog, Bob, by his side.

The sculpture will be installed on First Street at the entrance to Sunshine Alley by fall 2019. A clay maquette of the sculpture is available for public viewing at Town Hall. Continue Reading

PADs for Parkinson’s of San Juan Island would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the San Juan Island Community Foundation, The SJIC Women’s Fund, and the many caring Islanders who stand behind these important community organizations. Your support has provided needed funding to increase local access to the PADs Program, the first program in North America to train dogs to detect Parkinson’s Disease.

We wish to especially acknowledge and extend our bow of thanks to the Pohlad Family Fund and the Peg Gerlock and Phil Johnson Fund, both donor advised funds of the SJICF, for your contributions to the SJI Community Foundation’s fund-raising efforts on behalf of PADs.

Due to your support, we were able to purchase and install a wheelchair ramp for our SJI County Fairgrounds facility, providing access to all who are mobility-challenged, many of whom are PADs sample donors, so that they too, can observe the Parkinson’s Alert Dogs in action. You have also made it possible for all San Juan Islanders to peer inside this program with a PADs community newsletter to arrive in mailboxes in early 2019.

You are making this ground-breaking program accessible to all Islanders. Continue Reading

Announcing: Kitchen Sink Dinners – Feed the Island

Cynthia’s Bistro is offering free take-away meals to anyone who needs a meal or wishes to have a home cooked meal. No questions asked, just free food. Stop by Cynthia’s this coming Thursday from 4:30 to 6:00 to pick up your meal.

You may pick up 2 meals per person. When we run out of food, we will close the doors until next time. We will be stationed on the front porch and handing out the meals at Cynthia’s Bistro – 65 Nichols Street in Friday Harbor.

Basic home cooking made with everything but the Kitchen Sink.

• Cynthia’s Bistro – 65 Nichols
• Thursday, December 6h from 4:30 to 6:00 PM

Come by and say hello. If you care to join us and donate time or money to the cause, feel free to contact Cynthia at Cynthia’s Bistro or email me at cynthiasofcourse@gmail.com.

Kitty as a child with her two brothers, Richard and John Wade, and more recently next to an original island telephone switchboard in the Museum collection. Kitty once worked at this switchboard when it was in the Bayview/San Juan Hotel lobby (the building is now Friday Harbor’s Windermere Real Estate office)

Here’s the monthly History Column for December from San Juan Historical Society and Museum…

Local history is written one event, one day, one person at a time. Kitty Roberts was one of those people who contributed to island history with her life. She graciously shared island history, supported it, and inspired many to care about it. She was born in the month of December and, as many will recall, passed away in December, on Christmas Day last year.

Kitty was a fourth generation islander, and a direct link to two of San Juan Island’s iconic pioneers, Stephen and Lucinda Boyce. For over twenty years, Kitty was also a dedicated volunteer for the San Juan Historical Society and Museum. She was a board member, artifact consultant, event planner, family history expert, and charming docent. She gave of her heart and, by example, invited others to do the same. Kitty was equal parts grace and humor. It’s no wonder volunteers would ask “When is Kitty coming in?” because they wanted to sign up for the time she chose.

All history is personal. Some of it is just more personal than others. So when December comes, we think of Kitty. As we often do.

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update, written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Christmas Catus – Peggy Sue McRae photo

I set out this week to do some initial holiday shopping. Thanksgiving is over and I’m ready to decorate. With my dog-eared Island a’ la’ Carte Coupon Book from the Mullis Center I saved 15% at Ace Hardware on a promising Christmas Cactus and the pretty blue pot I put it in.

There are over 100 coupons in this valuable little booklet and I’ve resolved to keep mine in my shopping basket. Bonnie’s Craft Supply, Browne’s, and the Drugstore are all dog-eared in my coupon book with holiday shopping in mind. My dentist’s coupon is so generous it will cover the price of the entire book.

The Island a la Carte Coupon Books are an important fundraiser for the Mullis Community Senior Center and are on sale now for the holidays. Regularly they are $30, but through the end of the year you can purchase a single book for $25 or pay $20 each for two or more. “…Great for Stocking Stuffers, Secret Santa gifts, Hostess gifts, Office gifts, and more”.  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we find this letter from Steve Ulvi…

Running Down the Dream without Becoming Comfortably Numb

Along with about a hundred others I attended the library presentation on black-tailed deer by Ruth Milne, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife. It promised to be interesting given the obvious problems and the mish-mash of opinions and quirky notions here. Who doesn’t have an opinion about deer?

The central theme of the presentation was clear. From event ads, to her nice introduction by Boyd, to the child-friendly slides, her commentary was very careful and respectful of all views in setting the stage for what must, by nature, be a community decision. As an area management biologist, Milne hoped to focus audience comments on how to better deal with way too many deer. There can be no debate that we live with a significantly unhealthy overpopulation of deer adversely impacting the already pummeled ecosystems of this trans-border archipelago.

After a number of questions and the usual unfocused statements of personal values and pipe dreams (each painstakingly repeated and reflected upon by Milne), a few fellows who enjoy hunting deer and rightfully feel pride in continuing the island tradition of using natural resources for the family table broke their polite silence. Continue Reading

Trailblazer on new Mount Grant trail – Contributed photo

With sunshine forecast, our stewards are organizing TWO work parties this week focusing on construction of split rail fencing: Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 2pm.

We’ll meet and park in the vicinity of the lower road junction, where you would take a left to get to the current “non-motorized” route to the top.

Please bring your own gloves, sturdy boots, and eye protection. We will have some tools available, but feel free to bring your own (handsaws, pruners, grub hoes, pick adze, McClouds, etc.) if you prefer! And a battery operated drill would be super handy if you have one.

We will have some snacks on hand, but please also bring lunch/water.

RSVP to Tanja or Doug for more information.

A Unique Challenge: Marine Subtidal Ecology at UW Friday Harbor Labs

by Pema Kitaeff & Alex Lowe

Despite windy weather and choppy water just the day before, the morning of Friday June 22nd 2018 dawned gloriously sunny and calm: a gift of optimal conditions bestowed on the patient planners of field work. Few have been as deserving of such a gift as the 12 students in the Marine Subtidal Ecology (MSE) course offered during Session A this past summer FHL.

June 22nd was only their 13th day in the San Juan Islands but it marked the culmination of the Kelp Ecosystem Ecology Network (KEEN) data collection, for which they had been preparing before they even arrived.

This year’s MSE was the first time a scientific diving course was administered to a full roster of students within an academic course at FHL. Led by Dr. Aaron Galloway (U. of Oregon), soon-to-be-Dr. Alex Lowe (UW), and Dive Officer Pema Kitaeff (FHL), the course is built around the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) standards and ultimately qualifies students as full scientific divers.

Continue Reading…

Samantha Bryner is putting together a birthday party for her mother Mary Francis’ 90th Birthday.

It’s at Brickworks on Sunday, December 9th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

All are invited. Please – no gifts (but Mary always appreciates a funny card).