After 42 hours of design and preparation, the Friday Harbor Aerospace Team and associate schools from Texas, Colorado, Pakistan, India and the UK placed second at the International Space Settlement Design Competition World Championship. According to the judges, the margin between the first and second place team was paper-thin, the decision coming after three hours  Continue Reading

Here’s the monthly History Column for August from San Juan Historical Society and Museum… Determining provenance is a particular element of historical research. As viewers of PBS Television’s Antiques Roadshow know, provenance is “a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality.” The provenance  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson is back with this San Juan Island Lifestyle video that shares boating mishaps and issues that can occur while you are having fun boating…

In the SJ Update mailbag, we have this letter to you written by Christopher Wilson of San Juan Island… I quote Ken Balcomb’s blog found at www.whaleresearch.com/blog. I am writing out of a deep concern for the continued survival of the Southern resident orca pods that have lived much the year for millennia around the San  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… August is a busy month at the Mullis Center. The month starts out by adding a special seasonal flourish to our first Sunday of the month (August 5) Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser: Adding fresh local berries and whipped cream to the  Continue Reading

During Fair week, there are demonstrations, activities & games each day – for all ages.  Check our Information Kiosks or online schedule at www.sjcfair.org for more info. You won’t want to miss out on the fun! The San Juan Nature Institute and Friday Harbor Labs are bringing a TOUCH TANK. This one is filled with  Continue Reading

Safe Shippers and Friends of the San Juans share this with you… Our beloved and endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) suffered another loss this week. The world heard the news of J35’s deceased calf and sent back words of alarm and sympathy to us here in the Salish Sea. We mourn together – Let’s  Continue Reading

There’s a new bicycle rest area on the island. About 3 miles from town on Roche Harbor Road, Sam Leigh and Paul Hopkins have made a nice place for bicyclists to stop for a bit and relax, and maybe make a minor repair or adjustment and sit on a couple of lawn chairs in the  Continue Reading

Did you hear the ferries blowing their horns in the fog Sunday morning? It was foggy in the harbor right up until the Yakima arrived at 7:45. And then, just like that, the fog crept away. You could almost see it retreating.

Next Monday, August 6th from 4:30 to 6:30 you’re invited to come to Brickworks to help celebrate Bob Chapman’s life. There will be food, pictures, paintings and stories. Come share your story about this sweet character.

The following story was written by Daniel Garner… The Friday Harbor High School Aerospace Design Team has passed the 24-hour mark of the 42-hour International Space Settlement Design Competition world championship (ISSDC). Held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the ISSDC brings in 250 high school students from nine countries to take part in an aerospace  Continue Reading

Here’s a note from Miles Crossen, the Superintendent of the photo exhibit at the fair… It’s almost time for the San Juan County Fair and as in years past the Photography Department need volunteers and judges. I especially need volunteers on Tuesday, Aug. 14 between 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. to accept entries and put  Continue Reading

Enchanted Evening: An Operatic Experience Saturday, August 4th, 7:30PM & Sunday, August 5th, 2:00PM These outstanding Seattle performers invite you to join them for an evening of music as varied as it is enjoyable. From classical to modern, from the sublime to the down-right silly, the selections will draw on famous composers from Puccini and  Continue Reading

Fellow Film Buffs, here is a description of our next movie: Two Trains Runnin’ Documentary, Music NR  80 minutes Tuesday July 31st at 7:30 pm “Two Trains Runnin’” intermingles two completely unrelated non-fiction threads which converge in the state of Mississippi on June 21, 1964, One of them is triumphant, the other tragic. One is  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning… To the editor: For more than fifty years my home base was on Waldron Island where I beachcombed logs to build a house and where I raised a family. During that time I also spent several years commuting to Mt. Vernon and Friday Harbor to work in their  Continue Reading

Hello there! I’m Romina, and I’m new at the animal shelter. Although I’m only about a year old, I’ve learned a lot in my life. Allow me to share some words of wisdom: Never interrupt when someone is saying nice things about you. If it itches, scratch it! Always resist the urge to get the  Continue Reading

Annual Friends of the San Juan Island Library Book Sale The summer book sale and one of the FOL’s main fundraisers will be help Saturday, August 4th, 10-4, at the library 1010 Guard Street.  This is not just a book sale but the Friends also will be selling jewelry and trinkets from our Treasure Cove  Continue Reading

WSF is excited to announce that we officially took delivery of our fourth 144-car ferry, Suquamish, late yesterday, July 26, from shipbuilder Vigor. Following outfitting, sea trials and crew training, the new Olympic Class ferry is scheduled to begin carrying passenger this fall. Suquamish will operate on the Mukilteo/Clinton route in the summer and will serve as  Continue Reading

Island Rec’s Free Movies in the Park series for 2018 is right around the corner! Saturday evenings in August (and the 1st of September), beginning at dusk on each Saturday of the month in Sunken Park, Island Rec will be hosting its free event: Movies in the Park. For week one, August 4th, we are  Continue Reading

On Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 6:30 PM the San Juan Island Library is hosting a Teen Karaoke Pizza Party. The Party is in celebration of the summer reading program theme, Libraries Rock! Bring your friends and try your hand at Karaoke with a mix of current hits and Broadway show tunes. Sing duets, solos, or  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson shares some real estate buying tips with you… 1. Select an Agent to Represent You As you may be aware, all of the brokerage firms on San Juan Island are members of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service; therefore, any of the agents can assist you with any of the properties listed with Coldwell  Continue Reading

Regrettably, approximately 75% of newborns in the recent two decades following designation of the Southern Resident killer whale (orca) population as “Endangered” have not survived, and 100% of the pregnancies in the past three years have failed to produce viable offspring. The following is some sad news from the Center for Whale Research… We are  Continue Reading