Noises Off dress rehearsal – photo by Megan Kilpatrick-Boe

The Friday Harbor High School Drama Group is up for the comedic challenge of what is considered one of the funniest farces ever written. Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is presented at San Juan Community Theatre THIS Thursday through Sunday, January 18-21. 

The play about putting on a play–that has become a staple of both professional and community theatres since its London premiere in 1982– features a two-story set, lots of doors to go in and out of, and a fast-paced script full of comedic timing.

Noises Off dress rehearsal – photo by Megan Kilpatrick-Boe

FHHS Drama coach and director Jenni Merritt says she is extremely impressed with her high caliber student cast and how seriously the cast and crew are taking their job to make people laugh.  “Their biggest goal is to show the community they are not just high school actors,” said Jenni. “And that they can do justice to this highly successful British comedy.”

Noises Off dress rehearsal – photo by Megan Kilpatrick-Boe

Thursday through Saturday’s shows are at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 pm.  Thursday is “Pay What You Can” at the door. Friday through Sunday tickets are $17 for adults, $9 for student reserved, and $5 student RUSH if tickets available at door. Tickets for Noises Off are available on the SJCT website at www.sjctheatre.org or at the box office (360-378-3210). 

The next SJIMA Art for Fun Paint pARTy is January 23!  Everyone paints the same painting, “Paradise Cove” – a scene with our local orcas – in step by step instruction with instructor, local painter and sculptor, Kristen Abramson.

Time is 5:45 to 8:00 pm. Cost is $35.  SJIMA provides all supplies. Just bring yourself!

For more information and to register, go to www.sjima.org.  Contact is Debbie Pigman, [email protected].

The Center For Whale Research is taking action to increase public awareness of the Southern Resident Killer Whales by taking the message onboard Washington State Ferries.

Ken Balcomb, Founder and Principal Investigator of the Center For Whale Research launched a video ad campaign January 9th. This 15 second video will play in daily rotation on video screens onboard all routes of the Washington State Ferries.

The video features incredible footage of the resident whales with a very clear, significant message to all viewers:

• The Resident Orcas need salmon to thrive
• Salmon need pristine and unobstructed waterways to reproduce
• Lets help them both survive

The response to the video has been impressive on social media. It has been shared extensively on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The 60 second version of the video was viewed over 10,000 times in just the first two days.

Balcomb shared his intent behind creating this video campaign, “San Juan County is in the core region of the southern resident orca population, and it has benefited from world-wide attention to these icons of the Pacific Northwest.” Continue Reading

Continue Reading

Coco is this week’s Pet of the Week

I say, Cavendish – I’m ready for my tea. Perhaps we can take a proper stroll through the garden after elevenses? One does get so invigorated after a brisk stroll, does one not?

What I’d really fancy is a nice home where I can be the Lady of the House. I do so enjoy being spoiled and pampered. I will require a French tutor, as well as a lady’s maid, not to mention fresh linens on a regular basis.

If you are of the opinion that one’s dog must be treated like royalty, please ring me up immediately. My name is Coco. I’ve taken a room at the Animal Shelter until my new home has been sussed out. Cheerio for now.

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

This event has been postponed – Announcement coming soon for a rescheduled date.

The San Juan Community Home Trust continues to barge ahead with its goal of completing the Sun Rise II neighborhood. Two more reclaimed classic homes from the Victoria/Oak Bay areas on Vancouver Island will soon be on their way to San Juan Island via a Nickel Bros. barge. It is anticipated that they will arrive sometime in February or March.

Mark your calendars for one fun fundraiser to help complete the renovations needed for these homes! Saturday, February 10, 5-9 at the Grange. It’s a “Have a Heart Pizza Paddle Raise.”

Enjoy the music of the Argyle Street Jazz Band, plenty of pizza and the great company of islanders all who want to pitch in to help create permanently affordable housing for San Juan Island.

But wait! There’s more! Thanks to the generosity of Warren Finch, we now have a brand new child’s working Tesla car to be raffled! Bright red and a perfect surprise for someone’s special child or grandchild. Raffle tickets are $50 each with only 100 tickets available. Chances of winning are excellent! The drawing will be held at the paddle raise. Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson checks in with a year end market summary…

Merri Ann Simonson – Contributed photo

In reviewing the year-end results for 2017, the sales dollar volume for the real estate market in San Juan County per the Northwest Multiple Listing Service was $299,943,083 which reflects an increase in volume of 19.5% over 2016 when the volume was $251,020,953. The percentage of growth this year was very similar to the increase we enjoyed for the last several years; very stable controlled growth is much more sustainable. The County closed an average of 49.3 transactions per month which is above the last few years.

Total volume on San Juan Island in 2017 was $147,980,853 as compared to $124,582,355 in 2016. The increase is 18.7%, very similar to the increase the County enjoyed. On San Juan Island we closed an average of 24.4 transactions per month. Again above the last few years.

Continue reading… (PDF)

Make a difference in the life of a family caregiver! The Alzheimer’s Association is currently recruiting local volunteers to facilitate Family Caregiver Support Groups in San Juan County, including Orcas Island and Friday Harbor.

Family Caregiver Support Groups provide a consistent and caring place for caregivers to learn, share, and gain emotional support from others who are also on a unique journey of providing care to a person with memory loss.

Our Chapter trained volunteers receive excellent training, ongoing support, resources, and continuing education opportunities.

Individuals who are often best qualified as support group facilitators include: working or retired social workers, nurse and other healthcare professionals, educators, clergy, counselors, and former family caregivers. Commitment of at least one year is required

Interested in learning more? Contact Linda Whiteside, Director of Community Support, (800) 848-7097 or (206) 529-3875, [email protected].

About the Alzheimer’s Association:
Continue Reading

OPALCO Seeks Board Candidates for District 2 (Orcas et al)

Nominations are now open for the 2018 OPALCO Board of Directors election. There are two positions up for election in District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Big Double, Blakely, Fawn, Little Double and Obstruction islands). Interested co-op members from District 2 can apply to be nominated through our online nominations app at https://opalco.directnominations.net. The deadline is January 30th.

The volunteer member Elections & Governance Committee reviews all applications and recommends a slate to the Board for approval. Members may also be nominated by petition with the signatures of at least 20 members from their district. The deadline for nominations by petition is February 23rd.

For more information on OPALCO’s election, visit the Resource Library at www.opalco.com/elections. The annual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 21st on the Washington State Ferry.

Welcome to a Year of Reading with the San Juan Island Library

Can you believe that the San Juan Island Library has been in its present building for 35 years?

To celebrate the occasion San Juan Island Library is inviting you to read along with staff this year in a program called Reading Revels 2018: 35/35. We are challenging folks to read 35 books this year, one for each year the Library has been in the building.

Every month, a new thematic reading challenge will be posted on our reading blog, Reading Revels (www.readingrevels2018.wordpress.com) where you can also see the projected theme list for the year.

Readers earn points by submitting titles they read that meet the challenges. Extra points can be earned by submitting a review/summary of your chosen book.

Staff will provide reading suggestions for each challenge and participants are encouraged to share how their reading progresses and offer additional title suggestions to others.

Each month a submission, determined by Library staff, will win a small prize. Then when you reach 35 books you will win a book and in December, 2018 the participant with the most points will be crowned the 2018 San Juan Island Reader of the Year. Continue Reading

Spring highway construction will affect San Juan Islands and north Whidbey Island vacationers

A large Connecting Washington project will cause delays on Highway 20, just east of Anacortes from early April into July. WSDOT contractor crews from Tapani, Inc. will build two new roundabouts in the area of SR 20 and the SR 20 Spur (the intersection in Skagit County where you turn south toward Oak Harbor). 

 You can prepare for trips during construction by:

• Leaving yourself plenty of extra time to make your Anacortes ferry reservation (there are public parks, a library and/or coffee shops in Anacortes if you end up with extra time).
• Avoiding travel through the area during peak periods (such as Friday afternoons) – consider going a day or even a few hours earlier to beat the rush.

If you would like more information on the project , stay tuned via the @WSDOT_north Twitter account, the construction web page, or attend one of WSDOT’s upcoming public meetings:

• Friday Harbor Public Meeting
  Tuesday, Feb. 13, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
  Brickworks
  150 Nichols St, Friday Harbor
• Anacortes Public Meeting
  Tuesday, Jan 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  Anacortes Middle School
  2202 M Ave, Anacortes
• Whidbey Island Public Meeting
  Wednesday, Jan. 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  North Whidbey Middle School
  67 NE Izett St, Oak Harbor

The next movie up on the FH Film Festival’s “Best of the Fest” film series is Chasing Coral, showing next Tuesday, January 16th at 7:00 pm at the Grange. Admission is by donation.

Chasing Coral was Nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.

Filmed over three years, with 650+ hours underwater, this film includes footage from over 30 countries, and was made with the support of over 500 people around the world.

It won Best Feature Documentary, Call to Action and Peoples Choice Awards at the Boulder International Film Festival, and won the Audience Award and was Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film.

Islanders looking for an alternative approach to stress reduction and life-long vibrant health will be pleased to hear about the new class at Skagit Valley College (SVC) this Winter 2018 quarter.

Randy Martin, SVC Director, is excited to bring in visiting qigong instructor, Jan Weedman, certified by the Institute of Qigong and Integrative Medicine (IQ&IM) in Bothell, WA to conduct an entry level class in Yi Renâ Qigong. This course introduces the first steps to awaken the body and cultivate ‘Qi’, or Life Force Energy.

The class will meet in two-hour segments on four Saturdays through the quarter: Jan 27, Feb 10, Feb 24, and Mar 10. Sessions are from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, to allow those who work on Saturdays to schedule long lunch breaks.

In addition, there are optional weekday practice sessions led by San Juan Islander Teacher’s Assistant, Stephanie Prima, from 5:30 – 6:30 pm on Jan 31, Feb 14, Feb 28, and Mar 21.

Regular practitioners of this ancient self-healing art report stronger immune system, reduced/dissolved chronic pain, improved blood pressure, sound sleep, and slower aging. Continue Reading

San Juan Island Park and Recreation District (Island Rec) is seeking a dynamic, organized recreation professional to fill a fulltime/seasonal position as the Director for Camp Eagle Rock, a summer day camp. 

The successful candidates will have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation or Elementary Education or 3 years of relevant education and experience.  At least one year of experience at a day camp or residential camp is strongly desired.  This position begins March 5th working part-time planning and preparing for camp.  Beginning June 18 and for 9 weeks thereafter working 40 hours per week.  The position is responsible for all aspects of camp, including program development and supervision of staff and campers.  It requires a person with related experience who is responsible and mature, who can make sound decisions and problem solve independently. Pay $21 – $23 an hour

A complete job description and application can be found on www.islandrec.org  Interested persons should submit a letter of interest, resume and completed Island Rec job application by 5pm on February 9 to Maddie Ovenell, Director, Island Rec, P.O. Box 1946, Friday Harbor, WA  98250.

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we find this letter from Gay Graham…

To the Editor:

My husband and I had a wonderful experience Wednesday, January 10th:  we were a part of the SJIMA Art Excursions Program that took us to the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. 

Kudos are decidedly in order for the meticulous planning and educational presentation that RaVae Luckhart put in and shared to make this a memorable occasion.  A special nod needs also to go to Linda Marsaudon who put the final touches on a very fine day.

Approximately 50 of us were whisked via Belair Shuttle to the Seattle Art Museum where we were met by two very knowledgeable docents who took us through the incredible exhibit of Wyeth’s works, regaling us with facts and stories about this artist, his techniques and the people who were central in his life.  There was time after our tour to explore SAM and all the stores and restaurants that surround the museum.

RaVae asked us all if we would like to see another such art excursion.  To this, we give a resounding, “Yes!”

Gay Graham and Ron Hanson

Friday Harbor Grange #225 cordially invites our community to a Friday Harbor Grange #225 Open House sponsored by Community Treasures. Please join us in having some FUN in filling needs in our community by promoting:

• Permanency of Community Treasures
• A community Talent Contest
• Educational programs (like Love and Logic)
• Family and charitable activities (arts, crafts and photography)
• Writing legislative resolutions.

Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm at the Mullis Senior Center. Join us for goodies and camaraderie. Ask questions, watch a short video, and visit with island neighbors.