The Rendezvous – SJI Historical Society photo

SJI Historical Society checks in with their August edition of the History Column…

Could you be in this picture?

Here we see a beach scene from the legendary annual salmon feast known as The Rendezvous. The snapshot is described as being taken in the 1950s, in the area now known as Shipyard Cove Marina.

The Rendezvous was first held in 1948 as a homecoming gathering when island fishermen returning from the season in Alaska were welcomed home, along with their bounty of salmon. The fishermen shared their catch and local associations provided side dishes. This annual event had a great run of about 35 years and was generally held on the first or second Saturday in August. 

The Seattle Times reported that the 1949 event attracted nearly 2,500 people and that 1,500 pounds of salmon came off the grill that day. In those days, the Rendezvous was free to all and, in true island style, was followed by a dance that went on nearly to dawn the next day.

Early sponsors included the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce and the Moose Lodge. The Lions Club, which had always been involved, assumed full sponsorship in 1965 and turned the Rendezvous into a fundraiser for community projects. At some point, its location moved to the Port of Friday Harbor. Ticket prices peaked at $7 in the 1980s before the long tradition of the Rendezvous ended. 

This story from our island history was written with the help of resources found in the San Juan Historical Society & Museum archives. If you see yourself or someone you know in this archived photo, won’t you please let us know? If you have a Rendezvous story to share or photographs to show us, let’s talk!

Scarecrow Contest Returns to the Fair!

Photo by Summerbl4ck

The fun, festive, and ever-popular Scarecrows return to the Fair! Have a scarecrow you’d like to submit?

Check out the entry guidelines (size requirements, etc) on the Fair website today and bring your scarecrow to the Fair Office to be assigned a place on grounds on Entry Day August 15th, 9am-6pm.

Judging will be people’s choice and people can vote at any of the 6 Information Kiosks located around the Fair in the following categories;

• Most Creative
• Best Recycled
• Best Themed
• Best Traditional

Have a question about your Scarecrow entry? Call the Fair Office 360-378-4310 or email [email protected]

John Stimpson in Bar Harbor, Maine – “I’ve had an EPIC ride!”

John Stimpson is almost giddy after successfully crossing the country on his bicycle. He left Friday Harbor on May 15 and today he arrived at Bar Harbor, Maine, and said by email: “I’ve had an EPIC ride!”

Bar Harbor, he reports, looks “like Friday Harbor on steroids.”

Day 78, John dips his front tire in the Atlantic Ocean

John rode for 71 days, and took 7 rest days for a total of 78 days. All told, he rode 4,273 miles. He had a companion, Lee Kanning from Langley, for the first half of the trip, but Lee had an accident riding on gravel in North Dakota and had to drop out. After that John rode mostly alone but with other fellow riders from time to time.

Next he’ll make his way to York Beach to meet with two of his sisters and their families, and toward the end of this month he’ll ship his bike and gear home and catch a plane to Seattle from Logan Airport in Boston.

Day One, John and riding partner Lee Kanning from Langley, dip their tires in the Pacific Ocean at Washington Park, Anacortes

A lot of John’s friends have been following his blog the entire way, and those who’ve missed it can go back and read it all now. It’s loaded with pictures of the people he met and places he saw, especially one of his favorites — water towers.

He had probably 250 followers who checked his blog every day, and a total of about 24,000 hits.

You might ask him sometime about the hills in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Apparently, the farther east you go the steeper the hills.

Mike Martin and his screamin’ yellow car – Tim Dustrude photo

Jack of all trades and all around nice guy Mike Martin offered to help a friend who was having trouble with a laptop.

“Let me take it home and see what I can do” he said. Well he tried a number of different things, but the laptop refused to cooperate, so he headed out his front door to return it to the owner.

But Dixie, the new dog he just adopted got out and started to run down the street looking for cats to chase. (Dixie is really tough when it comes to cats). Quickly Mike set the laptop down (don’t ever set your laptop down on the roof of your car) and took off after the dog.

Once Dixie was secured, off he went to return the laptop. But the laptop wasn’t there when he arrived.

Realizing his mistake he frantically retraced his steps (er… tire tracks) looking everywhere that it could have possibly ended up. He even put a call out on Facebook.

The good news is, someone found it and turned it in to the sheriff’s office. More good news – it was in a case so damage was minimal.

The moral of the story – Don’t let Mike Martin take your laptop when he says he’ll go fix it… but if you do, make sure you’re in Friday Harbor. Here’s a big shout out to whoever found it and took it to the sheriff.

Jim Mauldin breaks World Record – Photo by Julie A. Sparrowgrove

It’s now official as of this morning – Jim Mauldin of Mauldin’s Well Service here on the island has taken the world speed record for hydroplane racing in the 5-Liter class of hydroplanes. According to Jim’s father Al, the old record was 101 mph and Jim’s new record is 110.5 mph.

This happened at the Soap Lake Regatta, a May 20th – 21st racing event put on by the Seattle Drag and Sprint Boat Association – a regional member of the American Power Boat Association.

Jim Mauldin breaks World Record – Photo by Julie A. Sparrowgrove

The race took place on a 1-2/3 mile course over 3 laps totaling 5 miles. The speed was calculated off of lap times.

Jim officially broke the National Speed Record, which was verified and validated about 10 days ago, and now he has official validation of the World Record as well.

Congratulations Jim!

Jim Mauldin breaks World Record – Photo by Julie A. Sparrowgrove

The next Art for Fun, “paint and sip”, class is August 7 from 6-8pm at San Juans Islands Museum of Art.

Art for Fun is a two hour, fun-filled art party set in a relaxed, interactive atmosphere. No experience necessary. Celebrate a birthday, book club night out, a date night, create team building or just enjoy a night out on your own. Make friends, sip your favorite beverage and follow step-by-step instructions from experienced artists. Everyone paints the same picture, yet takes home his or her own unique creation.

For more information and to register go to www.sjima.org. Coat is $35.

You can also check out the website for more Art for Fun classes in August.

The San Juan Island Women’s Fund is a pooled donor-advised fund managed by the San Juan Island Community Foundation. Together, the members are making a difference for local nonprofits by awarding grants to support critical projects that enrich our island community.

In late June, three proposals were selected for funding by vote of the Women’s Fund 100+ members for a total of $8,000. The projects funded included Friday Harbor Elementary School’s Summer Academy, the Washington Vocational Services 7th and 8th grade Dream Builders program and the Friday Harbor Labs Science Outreach program.

The San Juan Island Women’s Fund has granted nearly $200,000 to local nonprofits since it was founded in 2002. Interested in joining? Call 378-1001 or visit their website at www.sjiwomensfund.org for more information.

The Women’s Fund is pleased to be featured at the Community Foundation’s Fair booth August 16 – 19th. Every dollar raised during the four days of the Fair will be matched 50% by the Foundation until the goal amount has been reached. Come say hello at their booth in the main hall and help grow the Women’s Fund membership!

-The Women’s Fund Steering Committee

Know Your Islanders Talks: Joe Niichel

In the summer of 2014 Joe Niichel hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail – a 2,650-mile-long hike that took 4½ months.

Long Distance hiking and why and how people take on the challenges of long distance hiking are just a few things Joe will discuss.

Refreshments are courtesy of the Friends of the Library and the San Juan Island Trails Committee.

Monday, August 7 at 7 pm
San Juan Island Library, free.

Ken Balcomb kicks off the symposium. Photo Credit: Lodie Gilbert Budwill

Center for Whale Research Workshop and Raise A Glass For Research FUNraiser ~ A Whale of a Success

The Center For Whale Research held it’s first workshop and auction on July 21st with a focus on Research-Action-Recovery of the local Southern Resident killer whales.

The Celebrating Science Workshop filled every seat at Brickworks with 150 registered attendees. Ken Balcomb, Founder and Senior Scientist of the Center For Whale Research opened the day explaining that our local whales are at risk of extinction, and how it is going to take everyone’s efforts to save them. In 2016, the population suffered the loss of several members including long-time matriarch J2, leaving only 78 individuals in the population.

Ken Balcomb, Dr. Deborah Giles, Dr. Astrid van Ginneken, Dave Ellifrit, Jane Cogan and team from the Center For Whale Research, in partnership with researchers from the University of Exeter under the direction of Professor Darren Croft, and the University of York delivered the latest research on killer whales and how this translates into conservation, action and population recovery. Additional speakers included Fred Felleman Port of Seattle, and Sheryl Nolan of Microsoft.

Ralph Munro, former Washington Secretary of State, gave tribute to Ken Balcomb receiving a standing ovation, and presented him with a First Nations orca whale painting. Continue Reading

It’s a pretty big crew at Bakery San Juan. And that’s not even all of them! (4 people were unavailable at the time this photo was taken) Photo by Tim Dustrude

Bakery San Juan is currently working on the latest chapter of their building expansion. The first leg of the expansion opened last year. This grew the initial footprint of the bakery, unchanged since opening in 2008, to its current spacious state.

The business has grown organically, with the bakery footprint expanding only when the size of the business needed it. Anyone who recalls cramming into the small customer space that existed pre-2016 can appreciate the remodeling that has taken place.

So now it’s time to grow again. The current construction, due for completion this fall, will house a seating area and a public bathroom. Not exactly a restaurant, people will still order at the counter, but now there will be tables and counter space to sit at and enjoy the baked goods and pizza. Customers will also be able to enjoy beer and wine available for consumption in the seating area.

All of us here at Bakery San Juan would like to thank our customers who have made all of this possible. Thank you for your patience during the current construction. We look forward to serving you this fall when you come in to sit down, relax and enjoy it all.

Hours at the Bakery are currently 8am to 6pm, Mon thru Saturday for the summer months.

Actors and directors of all experience levels are invited to join San Juan Community Theatre’s Original Works Project, premiering in September.

Auditions for the performances are scheduled on Saturday, August 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at SJCT’s PARC Studio, 70 Saltspring Drive. Actors must sign up for auditions at the SJCT Box Office (open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays). Interested directors should contact project coordinator Tyler Ryan by August 7 at [email protected].

The new Original Works Project presents fully-staged, 10-minute plays from scripts written by local playwrights—the culmination of SJCT’s summer-long playwriting intensive. The project’s 2017 theme, “It Happened in the Park,” is in partnership with the National Park Service. Included in the program is an original play created by high school students through the Young Playwrights for Change program.

More information about the specific plays presented, with be available on the Theatre’s website, www.sjctheatre.org, in August.

Fellow Film Buffs – First a couple of important announcements:

1. Because of a delay in release dates, we are revising our schedule. We will now be showing “Limbo” on August 29th and “The Wedding Plan” on September 19th.
2. There will be no films on August 8th and 15th. We resume the series with “Neruda” on August 22nd.

Here is a bit of information on our movie for next Tuesday:

I Am Not Your Negro
Tuesday August 1 at 7:30
Rated PG-13, running time 93 minutes

In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. In his new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material.

By confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.

“Make a night of it” specials:

1. Vinny’s Ristorante. 10% off your entire food bill when you show your punch card or ticket. This offer is available every Tuesday during the Film Series.
2. Coho. Make a reservation between 5:00 and 5:45 and get dinner for two for $70 including a bottle of wine! Each person receives soup, salad, choice between two entrees, and homemade ice cream or sorbet. (Other entrees available at slightly higher price.) Remember, orders must be placed prior to 5:45.

See you at the movies.

Larry Soll
Film Series Coordinator
San Juan Community Theatre

Dakota is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Personal Ad: I saw you recently at Wags to Riches. I was all in white with a few tasteful tan spots and you were dressed in pic-nic attire. You looked into my eyes, scratched my ears and told me you thought I was exceptionally handsome. I thought for sure we’d be leaving together. Where did you go? I was under the impression we had something special… Was I wrong?

I’m Dakota, a single, white male seeking companionship for movie marathons, cuddling sessions, car rides, walks on the beach, tasty snacks and general hi-jinx. I think you may be “the one”. Call me at the animal shelter.

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

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center to offer no-cost well-child checks and sports physicals to school-aged children

To ensure students get a healthy start to their school year, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is offering no-cost immunizations, well-child checks and sports physicals on an appointment basis to children ages 5 to 18 on Wednesday, Aug. 7, through Friday, Aug. 25, at the medical center, 1117 Spring Street. Call 360-378-2141 to schedule an appointment.

Additionally, well-child exams may be scheduled concurrently with a sports physical, if desired. There will be no charge to patients nor a copayment expected for well-child checks, though insurance may be billed, if available.

Children younger than 18 must be accompanied to their appointments by a parent or legal guardian.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday – Tim Dustrude photo

As you probably heard, San Juan Brewing had their official ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday and a huge grand opening on Thursday. In case you missed it, Aaron Shepard was there and got some good photos of the crowds. Check out his blog for more…

Aaron Shepard photo

Kate Schuman and Keith Busha – Contributed photos

Keith Busha writes to let you know about upcoming performances…

Hi Everybody!

This Tuesday, August 1st, it’s Kate and Keith at San Juan Golf and Tennis Club for Happy Hour. Music starts at 5:00 and goes until 6:30. Address is 806 Golf Course Road. Loads of parking, easy access, great food and beverage. Come join the fun!

More music dates:

• Sunday, August 20th, at the Port of Friday Harbor, 2 – 4pm. Kate and Keith at Fairweather Park (by the totem poles), outdoor, seating provided or bring your own. Absolutely free!
• Tuesday, September 5th, at San Juan Golf and Tennis Club, 5:00 – 6:30 for Happy Hour, Kate and Keith’s final golf course show of the season. This is changed from the original schedule. We switched with Uncle Otto; they will be playing on September 19th, same venue.
• Saturday, September 9th, at the Shaw Island Community Center, 7pm, Kate and Keith in concert. $10 suggested donation.
• Tuesday, September 12th, Kate Schuman on Don Shriner’s Americana Live show, Ellensburg Community Radio, 7pm. This is a live streaming radio show. Google “Ellensburg Community Radio” and click on the “Listen Now” button, or download the app available on the same site. Give it a try in advance and let me know if you need help.

That’s it! Thank you for supporting live music!