Salish Sea Ballet is proud to present the 2016 Nutcracker Tea Party! This interactive, family friendly event will immerse audiences into the magical winter classic and become a family tradition. The Nutcracker Tea Party features new, original ballet choreography that celebrates San Juan Island and its local culture while remaining true to The Nutcracker’s classical ballet roots. The 40 minute ballet performance will be followed by tea party food & drink, a pop-up gift boutique, and photos with Nutcracker characters in full costume.

Salish Sea Ballet’s performing company is comprised of San Juan Island dancers ages 4 & up. Come support your local performing artists!

Performances take place at Brickworks (150 Nichols St, Friday Harbor) at tea time: 3:30pm-5:00pm on Saturday, December 17 & Sunday, December 18. Come join us for a magical journey to the Land of the Sweets! Purchase your tickets on the Salish Sea Ballet website or by calling (360) 298-1720.

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Hey everyone,

Jacquelyn and Jen over here at The Studio. We wanted to let folks know that we will be hosting our Annual Holiday party this year on Thursday, December 15th from 7:oo pm to midnight. There will be live music with Browne & Beliveau followed by DJ Neon Tide.

Once again we will have amazing food and drink from Coho Restaurant.

This year we will have not one, but TWO big raffle drawings: A 6 month group fitness class unlimited membership, and also a 12 month unlimited group fitness membership. It should all be very exciting.

In addition, we will offer specials and discounts on merchandise, class packages and gift certificates the night of the party!. Details can be found on our flyer above. We are looking forward to celebrating another great year with our wonderful community!

Join documentary series host Rob Simpson for a screening of the hilarious political satire ‘Wag the Dog’ (Rated R)starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.

Refreshments are provided courtesy of the Friends of the Library. 

Monday, December 12, 7:00 pm, at the San Juan Island Library.

Warning: This movie is rated R and contains explicit language and violence.

Tucker Avenue Phase One improvements complete – Ribbon cutting to take place Thursday December 8th

The Mayor, council members and Town staff invite you to join them as they celebrate the official completion of the Tucker Avenue Phase One improvement project on Thursday, December 8 at 11:15 a.m. “We appreciate the community’s patience throughout this project,” said Duncan Wilson, Town Administrator. “While the detours were inconvenient, the final result was certainly worth it.”

In addition to replacing the deteriorated street surface, the project included the addition of new sidewalks, stormwater facilities, street trees and installation of new light poles with LED fixtures. Phase Two of the Tucker Avenue reconstruction will start in 2017 between Harbor Street and University Road.

The Town officials will be joined at the event by Transportation Improvement Board Project Engineer Greg Armstrong, who was instrumental is assisting the Town to acquire the TIB grants. The event will take place in front of the Sandpiper Apartments, 250 Tucker Avenue.

Bobby Ryan takes a pie in the face – Tamara Weaver photo

Oh what a night!  San Juan Community Theatre’s annual Holiday Festival FUNdraiser on Saturday proved once again how much our little island supports the arts. 

More than $125,000 was raised, thanks to the many donors who bid on silent and live auctions, purchased CATS raffle tickets and held up their paddles for the FUND a NEED targeting production costs for 2017.

The evening was not all about fundraising, however; there  were many laughs (including two pies in the face for SJCT Artistic Director Bobby Ryan), wonderful entertainment from local talents, gourmet comfort food from COHO and the chance to mingle and celebrate the holidays with island friends.

Check out these photos by Tamara Weaver…

Continue Reading

2 photos from the many photos shot by Aaron Shepard. Click the link below to see more.

Local photographer Aaron Shepard attended the FHHS basketball tournament this past weekend and got some beautiful photos of the action. See them all at the link below. Here’s a note from Aaron:

“I shot all four games played by the Wolverines, out of eight total in the tournament, with these scores:

Friday
Girls: Friday Harbor vs. Seattle Lutheran — Home 47, Guest 25
Boys: Friday Harbor vs. Seattle Lutheran– Home 44, Guest 59

Saturday
Boys: Friday Harbor vs. Meridian — Home 56, Guest 49
Girls: Friday Harbor vs. Coupeville — Home 31, Guest 34

So, each team won one and lost one. The final game was particularly memorable, because the Wolverine girls came from behind to tie the score in the final minutes. Then Coupeville shot its winning basket only about four seconds before the buzzer. It was a pretty exciting game!

The other teams in the tournament were Overlake and Seattle Academy.”

Continue Reading

“Northern Lights” – painting by Pamela Hoke

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) introduces a new art program called Art for Fun, a “paint and sip” party for adults of all skill levels. The first party is set for December 22 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and the cost is only $35.00.

In keeping with the trend that is sweeping across the nation, “Art for Fun” is a two hour, fun-filled art party set in a relaxed, interactive atmosphere, with an option to BYOB. It is a great way to celebrate a birthday, share a date night, create team building or just enjoy a night out on your own. Join 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.

The instructor for this first event is nature artist and instructor, Pamela Hoke, whose high energy and ebullient personality ensure an entertaining experience. The featured painting for the evening is “Starry, Island Lights” which can be viewed on the SJIMA website, www.sjima.org. SJIMA provides all art supplies.

Gift certificates are available. Art for Fun is fun art, not fine art! For more information, call 360 370-5050 or email dpigman1234 [@] yahoo.com. To register, go to www.sjima.org.

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San Juan Singers have been serenading our community for nearly forty years; it isn’t just a concert anymore… it has become part of our Island tradition. Angel Michaels is hoping our audience will leave these concerts with their hearts a little lighter, and their heads filled with resonances that can only be heard in live concerts.

“Christmas Reflections” will feature Gordon Thornett’s “Gloria in D” for an upbeat positive feel, with sparkling brass, grounded with timpani, and a soprano solo by Jamie Mountford. Angel said that the SJ Singers will be the fourth American chorus to perform it.

Also, the chorus will be singing “Hodie/Today on Earth”, a piece commissioned by Garrison Keillor for his show “Prairie Home Companion”. It premiered in New York City at the Town Hall in 2012. “It is four minutes of joy wrapped up in a couple of complimentary melodies and a lovely marriage of old and new harmonies,” said Michaels.

Along with the new pieces, old favorites will also be performed and the Sound Vibrations will be special guests. Their close harmonies, and upbeat performances are a crowd favorite.

Please join us December 10th at 7:30pm and/or 11th at 2:00pm at the San Juan Community Theatre. Tickets are available the Theatre’s Box Office and are $18 for adults, $9 for students, and $5 student rush at the door. For more information visit sanjuansingers.org, or the San Juan community Theatre at sjctheatre.org.

San Juan County Health and Community Services Issues Pertussis Health Alert

San Juan County Immunization Information

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Enjoy an afternoon stroll through Lime Kiln and join us inside the lighthouse for free tours to the top and festive refreshments!! Catch a photo with Santa and learn more about our neighboring San Juan National Monument Lighthouses too!

We will be opening the Interpretive Center for everyone’s holiday shopping needs and no better time to get a Discover Pass for the new year… makes a great stocking stuffer!

See you at the Park!!

Washington State residents with vehicle and vessel transactions due in December are urged to complete them by Friday, December 9. On Monday, December 12, the Washington State Department of Licensing will implement, statewide, a new state-of-the-art computer system for vehicle and vessel title and registration transactions.

The new system will replace a 30-year-old, text-based system with a modern system used successfully in several other states across the country.

The launch of this new system will have two notable customer service impacts before and after it is turned on December 12:

• Online vehicle tab renewal will be offline from December 6 until the new system is turned on December 12. Other vehicle-related online services, such as online filing of a report of sale, online vehicle or boat change of address, and other types of vehicle or boat online transactions or lookups, will be offline from the evening of Friday, December 9, until the new system is turned on December 12. 
• Following the launch on December 12, customers may experience longer wait times as licensing staff become comfortable processing transactions using the new system.

Customer Service staff at the San Juan County Auditor’s Office have been preparing for this launch for months. Each staff member has completed two online courses, as well as a two-day, in-person, hands-on workshop. For the two weeks prior to the December 12 launch, the office is able to work in both systems in tandem, in order to practice using the new system.

Nonetheless, a change to a new system will inevitably cause delays in processing. Auditor Milene Henley is asking customers for patience in the days immediately following the launch. Continue Reading

Heads up to island contractors – this is from the Coast Guard about upcoming improvements to Cattle Point Light…

The Coast Guard is preparing to contract work to correct foundation deficiencies at the Cattle Point Light using our established Regional Multiple Award Construction Contractors including a number from Washington State.

A pre-proposal information meeting and site visit is scheduled for December 6, 2016. There will be a general information meeting at the San Juan Island Grange #966, 152 First Street North, Friday Harbor, WA at 11:00 am on Tuesday the 6th. Afterward there will be a site visit at the lighthouse.

This meeting is for the contractors to understand the scope of work, construction site conditions and local resources so they can prepare their bid proposals. Work could start as early as March but no schedule will be established until after a contractor is selected early next year.

I will be available briefly at the Grange Hall if you have any questions.

Stephen McGrath, P.E.
USCG Civil Engineering Unit Oakland
1301 Clay Street, Suite 700N
Oakland, CA 94612
510-637-5560 office
510-290-9573 cell

From the SJ Update mailbag this morning, Emily Geyman shares this with you…

Sam R. Buck II, who recently passed away, lived almost all of his 89 years on San Juan Island and wrote a trilogy of books which give a unique perspective of life in the islands from the 1920s to today.

The Bucks Stopped Here is the story of the Buck family beginning with Sam’s father who served four terms as County Attorney, 1920-28 and 1930-38, his contributions to county government and the role of his son, Sam Buck II, in the real estate economy of the islands.

Sam Sr. and Barbara Buck – Contributed photo

Every Day Is An Adventure: Growing Up on San Juan Island offers intriguing stories of what Sam and his friends did for fun, e.g. camping at Jakle’s Lagoon as children, fishing for dogfish livers and netting rabbits as teenagers and much more.

A Letter to the People of Our Amazing and Wonderful San Juan Islands relates the history of the islands and islanders from 1873 to changes in the economy and government in the 1960s and 1970s to 2016 and proposes new directions for county government.

The trilogy is available at Griffin Bay Books and Island Studios in Friday Harbor.

OPALCO Board to Host Tea Talk At San Juan Library

OPALCO Board members Vince Dauciunas, Mark Madsen and Winnie Adams are hosting a Tea Talk event on Tuesday, December 6th at the San Juan Island Library from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Bring your questions and enjoy tea and conversation.

There will not be a formal presentation, but Board members will be available to answer questions and provide information on OPALCO topics.

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NEW Elections & Governance Committee – JOIN NOW!

Volunteer Opportunity for Members to Nominate Board Candidates

As proposed by Co-op members this fall, a new volunteer member committee has been created to nominate candidates to OPALCO’s Board of Directors. The Elections & Governance Committee is a year-round volunteer member committee charged with recruiting candidates for Board elections – and will also serve periodically as a member review committee for issues such as board compensation and bylaw updates.

OPALCO members in good standing are eligible to volunteer for this Committee, which will be composed of three members from each of the three County Council districts (San Juan, Orcas and Lopez/ Shaw) and including the outer islands associated with each of those districts. Committee terms will be three years, on a rotating basis, for greater continuity. Continue Reading

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There will be a Free Tax Presentation sponsored by the Washington State Department of Revenue which is targeted to companies in the Building Trades.

This event is scheduled for Friday December 9, 2016 from 9:00 to noon at the Islanders Bank Administration Building Community Room.

Auditors from DOR will be discussing charging retail sales and use tax as it applies specifically to companies involved in the building trades. They can provide information on B&O Tax too.

Beauty and the Beast – Contributed photos

Hello Oakies! It’s hard to believe we’re entering into our last work month of 2016 – thank you for all the pruning, limbing, hauling, and camaraderie this year. Your support is greatly appreciated! The next couple work parties will focus on protecting our little dears from those browsing big deers.

• When?
  Sundays, December 11 & 18
  10:00am to 2:00pm
  RSVP required (e-mail Tanja at tanjaw @ sjclandbank.org).
• Where? 
  Base of Cady Mountain Preserve – turn on to Cady Mountain Road off of West Valley Road. We’ll meet at the triangle junction about 100 yards from West Valley.
• What? 
  Caging young oaks
  Cleaning existing caged oaks
• Bring/Wear? 
  Hand pruners
  Plant trowel or Hori Hori
  Weather appropriate clothing
  Water