In the mailbag today we found a timely reminder from Lee Sturdivant to become informed voters before the August 2 primary…

Dear Islanders,

Don’t forget: We all get to vote.

Camas Designs – Contributed Photo

Have you seen a bright purple wildflower on the side of a yellow truck roaming the streets of Friday Harbor lately? Erin & Robert Shackelford own Camas Designs, a floral design and artwork company. Their delivery truck “little miss sunshine” is bringing fresh flowers and what they call “locally sourced happiness” to SJI and beyond. Erin has been arranging flowers for years while working her “corporate” job simultaneously. Earlier this year, Erin decided life was too short not to follow her passion and is now bringing joy via flowers to those around her. Camas Designs provides flowers for weddings, special events and offers twice monthly flower subscriptions for those wanting flowers in their home or business. Robert is a photographer and the island is the biggest inspiration for his work. His landscape and macro photography can be seen at robertshackelford.com. Robert also does the web design and photography for Camas and creates artwork on a custom made CNC machine.

Camas is committed to using American grown flowers and sources their flowers from SJI farms and a Northwest flower farmer co-op. Erin and Robert love their new business and are sincerely grateful for the support of the community and the great new friends they’ve made through Camas.

To learn more about Camas Designs, visit their website at… www.camasdesigns.com 

Lauren Cohen, Co-owner San Juan Canvas, LLC and Chamber of Commerce Board President keeps us up to date with the Chamber of Commerce…

As July flies by it looks like we are having our usual crazy, crowded summer on the Island. All of us on the Chamber of Commerce Board and staff hope that all of our businesses are having a successful, prosperous summer so far. We look forward to checking in with our business owners in the fall for feedback on the summer’s business trends.

Events: The 4^th of July was a wonderful, festive day with thousands of visitors enjoying an awesome parade and the biggest fireworks show that Friday Harbor has ever had. Thank you to Becki Day, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, and her staff for all of their hard work on this showcase event. Thanks also go out to Traci Wilson our parade coordinator, Kings Market and The Town of Friday Harbor, our major sponsors and, of course, to all members of our community who so generously made donations large and small. It was a true Island effort. Continue Reading

A Section of San Juan Valley Road where the water line has been laid but the road still needs to be finished – SJ Update photo

Here’s what to expect for the week of July 18th…

Location(s) of work:

• Water line has been installed from the water treatment plant on Wold Road to approximately Strawberry Lane, between No. 2 Schoolhouse and Douglas Roads. This week ICI will be performing work in various locations along the entire completed section of waterline to install services, hydrants, etc.

Work Days/Hours

• Monday – Thursday between 7AM and 7PM.

What to expect:
During the installation of the new water main and services there will be some impact to local private properties as crews will be installing new water meter boxes and services to some homes, there will be a time when driveway entrances and side roads will be affected for short durations during the installation. These specific home owners will be notified separately as work comes close to their properties.

Detours:
Bypassing the construction site using the below mentioned roads is recommended, wait times for local and through traffic could be up to 20 minutes.

• Beaverton valley Road
• 2 School House Road
• Douglas Road
• Bailer Hill Road

We will continue to keep residents informed as the project impact continues. If you have any questions or require more information project field contacts are listed below:

Josh Frizzell
Project superintendent
Interwest Construction Inc.
Cell: (360) 333-3184
Email: joshf [@] interwest.biz

Dan Reuss
Construction Manager
Brown and Caldwell
cell: (602) 721-5751
Email: dreuss [@] brwncald.com

Susan Williams – Contributed photo

Beginning July 16th Susan Williams’ Roseblade Studio will be open weekly Saturdays only 11:00 am to 3:00 pm thru September 10, 2016. The studio is located at 233 False Bay Drive.

Susan’s eclectic art includes sculpture, painting and fiber art with a strong emphasis on rabbits! Beading and fabric embellishment enhance her sculptures which include hand built paper mache, clay and found objects.

Susan’s guest artist Cyndy Gislason of Dragon Fly Jewelry creates pendants, bracelets and earrings from her collection of vintage findings.

Both Cyndy and Susan exhibit their work in the annual San Juan Island Studio Tour, and look forward to providing more opportunity to share their work with the community and visitors to our beautiful island!

Here are a few examples of Susan’s work:  Continue Reading

Auditions are being held Sunday, July 24 for San Juan Community Theatre’s fall play that promises to ask Friday Harbor audiences: “Do you believe in ghosts?”

Director Bobby Ryan will be casting the thriller, The Woman in Black, adapted by Stephen Mallatratt, from the book by Susan Hill.  This play within a play highlights a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he thinks has been cast on his family surrounding the specter of “The Woman in Black.”

Two men and four actresses will be cast in the play; all experience levels are welcome. The women will be acting in movement only, playing silent characters. Auditions for the men will be held at 1:00 p.m. and the women at 2:30 p.m. at the PARC Building, 70 Saltspring Drive. Scripts (it is strongly recommended they are read before auditioning) are available at the SJCT box office; actors and actresses MUST register to audition.  The SJCT box office is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Ryan is also seeking set designers for the production; experience in set design or set building preferred. For more information, contact him at artdir [@] sjctheatre.org.

Performances for The Woman in Black will be held in the Whittier Theatre October 14-29; rehearsals begin September 6.

Fellow Film Buffs,

Next Tuesday we are presenting a special showing of “Everything is Copy” a biography of Nora Ephron by her son Jacob Bernstein. We hope to see all of you at the Theatre Tuesday at 7:30 pm. If you haven’t already purchased one, punch cards are available at the Theatre Box Office. Punch cards good for 10 admissions are $55 and can be shared. Single admissions are $8.

Here is next week’s film for July 19:

Everything is Copy (2015) Not Rated 89 minutes

“Beaming and blunt in equal measure”, ‘Everything Is Copy,’ Jacob Bernstein’s gossipy tribute to his mother, the writer and director Nora Ephron, is bursting with so many fond and famous faces that you can imagine its subject swooning with delight — and then criticizing their makeup.

“She was very funny and very mean,” says Barbara Walters, as a portrait builds of a fiercely ambitious, highly opinionated and instinctively empathic hustler who found her voice when her essays for Esquire magazine in the 1970s intersected with an invigorated women’s movement. To read her was to discover a scathingly witty and bossy best friend, one whose willingness to air her failings and insecurities encouraged us to laugh at our own… Digging into the psychological space between her wildly public life and intensely private death, “Everything Is Copy” is a pickle slathered in whipped cream. Just like its subject.”
— JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times film critic. See trailer below

Why not “make a night of it” by enjoying dinner and movie with friends? Three restaurants have agreed to special pre-theatre prices during the film series for “green card” holders.

1. The Restaurant at Friday Harbor House. A completely redone interior and menu. The new chef comes from The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, considered among the 10 best restaurants in the United States. Punch card holders get 10% off the entire food bill each 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.)

Vinny’s Ristorante continues offering 10% off your entire food bill when you show your punch card or ticket. This offer is available every Tuesday during the Film Series.

This story submitted by Louise Dustrude…

OPALCO board president Vince Dauciunas told a handful of co-op members about some of the swift changes occurring in the electrical industry on Tuesday evening at the Grange.

Of greatest significance is the possibility that by 2025 it may be cheaper for us to produce a portion of our own energy in the county than to buy it from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), with whom our current contract expires in 2028.

A number of coal plants in the Pacific Northwest are scheduled to close down by 2025, and Dauciunas said that Washington state is planning to address that loss of power generation primarily with conservation. Another good option would be using tidal power, although it may be a decade or more before tidal technology is cost effective in our area.

There are currently 177 solar and micro-hydro systems in the county and more in the works. Opalco believes that community solar systems will also be viable, and is currently studying a pilot community solar project with battery storage. At the same time, Opalco is closely following emerging tidal systems currently under development, to see if it might be feasible for our co-op. One of our largest challenges will be to make renewable energy reliable in the form of firm energy.

Opalco and its membership have already used conservation measures to keep demand from growing, but much more needs to occur. “Demand response” is another way to do so — such as lowering the temperature of your water heater during peak use hours.

Trading electrical power across the country is another useful method. For example, our highest demand for electricity comes in the winter, for heat, whereas in Arizona the peak comes in the summer, for air conditioning. With the “smart grid” the two states could potentially trade off and supply one another when needed.

For those of us just beginning to grapple with some of these concepts he recommended a publication:  “Smart Grids for Dummies” from the Government website smartgrid.gov as a good starting point.

Sailboats racing in the 2013 Shaw Island Classic – Contributed photo

Sponsored by the San Juan Island Yacht Club, the 46th Annual Shaw Island Classic Sailboat Race will be held Saturday, August 6. All eligible boats and crews are invited to participate. The race starts from Friday Harbor and circumnavigates scenic Shaw Island in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction arriving back in Friday Harbor for a hearty lasagna dinner and awards presentation.

The race is a navigational challenge as currents, wind and projected boat speed must be considered to determine which way to ‘round the island.

The race is open to registered PHRF boats and cruising sailboats of all sizes and rigs, as well as multihulls and unballasted centerboards.

Trophies will be awarded for the first three finishers in each class based on corrected time, adjusted for PHRF or committee-assigned ratings.

Race details and registration information are posted on the Club’s website at www.sjiyc.com.

Merri Ann Simonson – Contributed photo

Merri Ann Simonson shares this detailed information for rental properties…

San Juan County currently has several mechanisms for legally renting a home in the County.

The information below is meant for informational purposes only, and does not incorporate all of the rules and regulations. It will however provide those who want to learn more about residential renting of homes in the County an overview of at least some of the things they need to consider, and do, prior to listing property for rent.

Long Term Rentals. No permits are required. A long term rental is typically a term lease, but can also be month-to-month.   Like short term rentals, professional property management is available and the rates are normally equal to one month’s rent paid at the commencement of the occupancy. If rent, collection and property monitoring is included, then the fee is generally 10% per month.

Vacation Rentals. A vacation rental permit from the County is required. Vacation rentals are allowed in all Land Use Districts except Resource, Conservancy, and Natural. The permit application can be processed by a property owner or by a professional who specializes in land use permits. The range for a Provisional Use Permit, including the consultant is $1,400-$2,800. As long as the property qualifies lawfully, the County will approve the permit, even if a neighbor objects.

Continue reading here (PDF)

The Crow Valley String Band and Brothers for Sale!

Tonight, it’s the Crow Valley String Band and Brothers for Sale! – an inspiring family of four musicians: Rachel, Jim, Tashi and Kaj.

Grounded in the family’s Celtic and Nordic roots, the Crow Valley String Band performs a remarkable variety of original and traditional tunes and songs from North America and the British Isles. This lively group delivers a spectrum of toe-tapping and heart warming music that lifts your spirit.

The young brothers/phenoms Tashi and Kaj formed a separate band called Brothers for Sale! and have performed to rousing accolades in venues like Benaroya Hall and at Edinburgh’s Whiski, and alongside famous acts like Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Brandi Carlile among many others.

If you haven’t caught the Brothers for Sale! buzz yet, now is the time.

Music on the Lawn – FREE
Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30 pm
On the lawn at the Historical Museum, 405 Price Street, Friday Harbor
Bring blankets or lawn chairs, a picnic if you’re hungry and enjoy an evening of great music.
Please, no pets or alcohol. Pack it in – pack it out.
Thank you from SJI Historical Museum and St. Francis Catholic Church
FANS will be offering treats and beverages for sale

SSIS science students planting trees and shrubs earlier this spring – Contributed photo

Summer on San Juan Island isn’t just beach barbeques and whale sightings, it’s also the best time of year for outdoor improvement projects! From July 18 – 29, drivers on Bailer Hill Road may notice crews and machinery at work in the valley on the Land Bank’s False Bay Creek Preserve, located across from the junction with False Bay Drive.

This is the second and final phase of a project designed to improve water quality and stream habitat on False Bay Creek Preserve. The preserve is managed both for farming (it is currently leased for seasonal cattle grazing), as well as for wildlife and riparian habitat. In the first phase of the project, fencing was installed to exclude livestock from the stream zone, and hundreds of native shrubs and trees were planted along waterways with the help of volunteers from the Washington Conservation Corps and Spring Street International School students.

Over the last two weeks of July, Land Bank stewards and volunteers from the Northwest Youth Corps will install a livestock watering system to complete the improvement project. The work will include deepening an existing pond, installing a solar-powered pumping station, and burying a pipeline to convey water to a storage tank and three watering stations. Much of the project funding has been provided by the San Juan Islands Conservation District.

Biologists consider the False Bay Creek drainage a likely prospect for restoring native salmonid fish. Feasibility of the effort will depend on improving water quality, stream habitat, and augmenting summer flows.

For more information, contact the Land Bank at 378-4402.

Wehrly for Council Campaign Plan and Election Platform

Steve Wehrly

To the Voters of San Juan County, Washington:

Thanks for the opportunity to ask for your vote to elect me to the San Juan County Council, Position One, San Juan Island Residency District.

My resume is attached with this Plan and Platform.  A separate Position Paper on issues affecting San Juan County is available. I have numerous writing samples, both as a newspaper reporter and a lobbyist, that I would be happy to send you. You can also google “Steve Wehrly, Reporter,” or just “Steve Wehrly” for other articles about me. I welcome your questions or comments.

My campaign plan is to meet every registered voter in San Juan County, at least by phone or e-mail if not at your home or on the streets, beaches, ferries and hiking trails of our fabulous county. I will not campaign against anyone; I have no personal or political agenda. I will not seek nor will I accept campaign contributions.

Politics has been my profession since college. My entire career has been “getting the work done” in local, state and national legislatures, courts and bureaucracies.

My work for you will focus on the County Budget.  Together with your council members from Orcas and Lopez, I will pass four county budgets that will be smart and sustainable. Not everybody will like everything that will be in, or taken out, of the budget – but everything in the budget will benefit voters in San Juan County. I look forward to working with you on those budgets.

Part of budgeting is getting the money… Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor shares this late-breaking announcement…

Tucker Avenue Reconstruction Project – Phase 1 Construction Update

Be advised that early Wednesday morning, July 13, a portion of Guard Street will be closed to traffic.

• Project task(s): The Contractor will be trenching for installation of fiber-optic cable by OPALCO/Rock Island Communications.
• Street Closure:  Guard Street will be temporarily closed to traffic from Blair Avenue to Marguerite Street on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 between 4:00 a.m. and 7 a.m. Local access will be maintained. This portion of Guard Street will reopen shortly after 7 a.m.
• Detour: Traffic will be rerouted using Jensen Alley, Blair Avenue and Marguerite Place, in addition to the established detour route. Additional flaggers will be on-site to direct traffic.
• Conditions: This work will cause noise in the early morning. Depending on weather conditions, the sound of the trenching may seem amplified in comparison to regular work.

Once again, thank you for your cooperation as we work through these necessary upgrades. Please allow yourself extra time detour around this area, especially if loading for the 6:00 or 8:00 a.m. ferry sailings. We apologize to the local residents for any noise disruption.

A River of Migration by Gu Xiong – Contributed photo

Comparing his own journey from China to Canada, with that of the migration of the salmon, Canadian multi-media artist Gu Xiong will install “A River of Migration” in the San Juan Island Museum of Art’s Atrium Gallery. The community is invited to observe the installation which will take place August 1 – August 5. The exhibition opens on Saturday, August 6 and closes Monday, November 28, 2016.

Continuing SJIMA’s Art as a Voice series, Gu Xiong will give a lecture/multimedia presentation: “A River of Migration” on August 3 at 7:30 at the San Juan Community Theatre. Details will follow soon.

In celebration of SJIMA’s ongoing relationship with the art community of British Columbia and shared concerns about the marine environment, as well as the human cost of migration, SJIMA has invited Gu Xiong to present his installation “A River of Migration.” A Chinese immigrant to Canada, Gu Xiong is now a professor in the Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory at the University of British Columbia.

Gu Xiong’s practice centers on the creation of a hybrid identity arising from the integration of different cultural origins. Through the critical angle of visual art, his work encompasses sociology, geography, economics, politics, and literature, as well as the dynamics of globalization, local culture and identity politics, through which he constitutes an amalgamation of multiple cultural histories and seeks to create an entirely new identity. The construction of a new level of being is Gu Xiong’s primary interest. Observe the emergence of two rivers and two cultures – a spiritual river and a river of migration.

Dahlias on display at the 2015 SJC Fair Flower Hall – Tim Dustrude photo

Fiona Norris invites you to join the San Juan Island Garden Club at the San Juan County Fair Flower Hall…

The Flower Hall is organized by the San Juan Island Garden Club and Horticultural Society with able assistance from WSU Master Gardener volunteers particularly on intake day.

In 2015 we were assigned a new location in the Main Building and Colin Jenkins designed and created an arbor that frames the entrance to our displays. We will return in 2016 to this commanding position in the main hall.

Entries are received on Tuesday before the Fair (this year 16th August) and displayed in four Sections including a special section for Youth (16 and under). There is room for everyone to enter – be it a cut flower, shrub, succulent, hanging basket or flower arrangement. Roses and Dahlias are very popular entries and, as in 2015, the Best Rose in Show will receive a special award. Funds from the Garden Tours will be used to pay premiums for the Best in Class and Best in Show, while the Garden Club awards a $25 prize to the best in Show by a Young Exhibitor.

Intake day is always busy, particularly towards closing time of 6 p.m. Members of the three gardening groups are on duty to ensure that the entry tickets are completed properly and recorded for the collators. They are also available to assist and answer questions and a group of young volunteers place the exhibits according to their classification. Continue Reading