King John – Contributed photo

San Juan Community Theatre’s newest live streaming partner presents Shakespeare’s King John on Monday, June 22 at 7:00 pm.

Canada’s Stratford Festival HD is produced at the annual festival in Stratford, Ontario, attracting many of the greatest Canadian, British and American actors in its productions of Shakespearean plays.

King John features Tom McCamus in the title role in the drama that finds the King of France demanding John relinquish his crown in favor of his nephew, the young Prince Arthur. Excommunication, attempted atrocity, rebellion and assassination all contribute to a political and personal turmoil that finds devastating expression in an anguished mother’s grief for her son.

Stratford’s Antony and Cleopatra will be screened at SJCT on July 13.

SJCT continues to offer HD screenings from National Theatre Live, The Met: Live in HD and Bolshoi Ballet Only in Cinemas. A schedule of the HD-live events is available at www.sjctheatre.org. SJCT’s partnership with HD programming and the necessary equipment to participate, was made possible through a generous bequest from the late Dodie Gann and underwriting from the McGee Foundation.

Tickets for King John are $20 for adults, $18 for SJCT members and $10 for student reserved. The SJCT box office (378-3210) is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.   Tickets are also available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org

Registration opened Thursday for children for the Summer Reading Program at the Library and over 100 children signed up. The kids will track their time spent reading and keep engaged in learning over the summer.

Join host Ken Crawbuck for Under the Dome, a film about the air pollution problem in China. A celebrated former TV anchor gives an impassioned lecture on China’s environmental meltdown. Are there lessons for the U.S. to learn from the Chinese experience? A discussion follows; and the popcorn is organic.

Tragedy of the Commons Documentary Series
Saturday, June 20, at 7:00 pm
San Juan Island Library, free.

Don’t forget – this is happening TODAY and this weekend…

Does the name Scott Purdum ring a bell? If you are an avid horse-lover, or have ever watched RFDTV, then you have heard of Scott Purdum’s amazing show, Advantage Horsemanship!

The San Juan County Fairgrounds is excited to have Scott himself come all the way from Maryland to lend his horsemanship skills in a two-day Advantage Horsemanship Clinic. Register yourself and your horse for the clinic and get two full days of individualized guidance from Scott in the arena.

Come Friday, June 19th to see a demonstration, audit each day for $20/person. Proceeds of this clinic will directly fund the San Juan County Fair Horse Program’s event costs during the 2015 Fair.

Cost: $275
June 20th & 21st
Contact info[@]sjcfair[.]org for a sign-up form, and call the Advantage Horsemanship team with any clinic questions: (410) 596-2865.
Click here to see the event poster (PDF).

Scott Rasmussen at the 2014 July 4th Parade – Tim Dustrude photo

After 15 years with the Journal, first as a reporter and more recently as editor, Scott Rasmussen has turned to a totally different line of work: assisting Stan Reitan at King’s Market in the wine/beer/liquor department — and especially with the popular monthly wine tastings Stan offers at the Mullis Center.

“That line of work seems not only to be somewhat recession- and tech-proof,” he said last week, “but an actual ‘growth’ industry, as opposed to the one I’m in now.”

Journalism and the hospitality industry have already alternated in his life. He majored in English Literature at the University of Oregon, and later attended Portland Community College part-time in order to work on the student newspaper. But he was a bartender for eight years in Portland — at the Alibi, a well-known bar in North Portland – and spent a number of years working in various capacities for Red Lion Inns.

Scott has good memories of learning the community from a newsman’s vantage point, but he is happy to trade the never-ending responsibilities of a newspaper editor for a 40-hour workweek, and he looks forward to the physical work involved.

He was also attracted by Stan’s reputation: he’s “incredibly knowledgeable about wines and about his customers,” Scott said.

He’s at something of a transition point in his life. His two daughters have graduated from Friday Harbor High School — Kasey a year ago and Kori just this year. Kasey has spent a year at Haverford College near Philadelphia, and will go back in the fall, where she may major in archeology. Kori, an avid soccer player in high school, will leave for Uganda in the fall where she has a job working in an orphanage.

For a recap of Scott’s years as reporter and editor here, see this story on the Journal.

Story by Louise Dustrude

Town accepts a check for $500 from the Club to help care for flower baskets. L-R: Mayor Carrie Lacher, Garden club members Marguerite Bennett, Vonnie Harold and Dot Vandaveer – Tim Dustrude photo

The Mayor and Town Council of Friday Harbor accepted a generous gift of $500 from the San Juan Island Garden Club to help offset costs associated with the purchasing and ongoing care of the flower baskets in the downtown core.

Hanging flower baskets on Spring Street – Tim Dustrude photo

The Garden Club has once again teamed up with the Town to add a summertime burst of color along Spring Street and throughout downtown Friday Harbor. Nearly 100 flower baskets overflowing with lush annuals now adorn Town streets, marking the return of summer in Friday Harbor.

“The baskets add to the charm and beauty of the Town,” said Mayor Carrie Lacher. “We are incredibly pleased that the Garden Club continues to help with this tradition.”

The Town obtains its baskets from Channel View Farms in La Connor, Washington. “The annual flowers really have become a sight. The Town Streets Crew puts a significant amount of time into making the baskets flourish all summer long,” said Town Administrator Duncan Wilson.

The Garden Club provides a variety of other services for the community. The Club provides docents on the annual garden tour; superintendents and shift workers for the SJC Fair Flower Hall; and prize money for youth exhibits at the Fair. In addition, the Club donates canned goods to the Food Bank and toys for needy children during the holiday season.

Mayor Lacher proclaimed Thursday, June 18, 2015 “San Juan Island Garden Club Day” in the Town of Friday Harbor, in praise of the Garden Club for its longstanding contributions to our community.

“Ling Cod” by Richard Hunt – Contributed photo

What if you could create the world the way the raven once did? You would then actually be able to sing original songs and dance like nobody else is watching. This moment is a reminder that we can create our own reality whenever we choose. The ongoing process sometimes expresses itself as art.

Arctic Raven Gallery presents the space for the spontaneous realization of art on Saturday, June 20th in an all-day event called “In Creation the Raven Sings.” The world was not created in a day and this event will continue to unfold as life reveals itself to us.

Some of the creative forces that will attend include Richard Hunt, Rande Cook, Stan Hunt and his son Jason, Tom Hunt, Shaun Peterson, Lionel Samuels, Ron Aleck and Heber Reece. The guitar of Oliver Strasser will accompany the voices of these acclaimed artists as the raven sings.

Arctic Raven Gallery -130 First Street South
www.arcticravengallery.com  378 3433

The San Juan Island School Board met Wednesday night to review options as the impasse in Olympia continues to prevent critical planning for the start of the school year.

“Smooth and timely program planning and budget adoptions are based on the assumption that the legislature will finish its work in the early spring. Because Olympia has not agreed on school allocations for next year, final budget decisions cannot be made at this point in time,” commented Jose Domenech, District Business Manager.

At this point, the district cannot move forward with efforts to retain key educators. In turn, this alters the classes offered and student schedules in the middle and high schools. In the grade school, the District cannot set grade level assignments for teachers, address known class size issues or assign students to classes without knowing how many teachers the legislature will fund. Continue Reading

Front (L-R), Jan Bollwinkel-Smith, FANS Vice President;Kyle Loring, FANS Board Director; Cathy Kromer, FANS Board Director.
Back (L-R): Marc Islam, FANS President; Maddie Ovenell, Island Rec Interim Director; Sally Thomsen, Former Island Rec Director; Todd Kromer, FANS Board Director; Shannon Rishel, FANS Treasurer – Contributed photo

From helping to ensure Music on the Lawn starts up each July to making it easy to pick up after dogs at Island Rec parks, the donors to Families and Neighbors Support Island Rec are keeping the programs thriving.

On June 1, FANS provided Island Rec a check for $5,000—money that has been raised so far this year through the nonprofit group’s annual membership drive. FANS plans to provide more money to Island Rec throughout the year; in 2014, fundraising efforts provided an additional $20,000 to Island Rec.

“FANS and its generous donors have been very important in helping us to not only maintain many beloved programs but to expand the parks and recreation experiences available on our island,” said Island Rec Interim Director Maddie Ovenell.

FANS donations have also supported the new teen adventure camps and late summer Movies in the Park, as well as learn-to-swim scholarships, a new FANS Fund scholarship program for families, the Trails Committee, Children’s Festival, Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt and the Family New Year’s Eve celebration.

The FANS Club campaign continues trough the year; individual and business donations may be made online at www.islandrecfans.org or via check to P.O. Box 875, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

Here’s a note from Robert Walters about an upcoming music festival on the island…

Over the July 4th weekend, there will be live music and a local simulcast of the Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary performance from Chicago.The core 4 remaining members of the band have adamantly stated this is the last time they will ever play together as “The Grateful Dead.” Many of us tried every possible avenue other than $10,000 scalper prices to get tickets to these shows with no success, so we decided the next best thing would be to enjoy the shows together in a welcoming and beautiful setting.

Although we are asking for donations to cover expenses (porta-potties, garbage, propane, etc), we are looking to donate any proceeds above that to a local cause. We are leaning towards the Family Resource Center and their program for assisting chemotherapy treatment patients with ferry fares.

There isn’t a definite schedule yet, but we do have 4 bands booked at this point (all playing for free), with other artists on standby. We are looking to create a Grateful Dead Tour experience with adjacent camping and “Shakedown Street” parking lot atmosphere for all 3 days.

For more info check out the Facebook Page or this event poster (PDF)

The San Juan County Amateur Radio Society will participate in the annual American Radio Relay League Field Day event on Saturday June 27th.

The public is invited to observe the portable emergency response capabilities of SJC Amateur “HAM” operators communicating with other stations throughout the USA and Canada.

Saturday June 27, 11:00 am at the Cattle Point Interpretive Center

For more information, call Mike Sear at 378-9742

Photos are from the 2014 event.

Patos Island – Marcia deChadenedes photo

Take a trip out to beautiful Patos Island with Friends of the San Juans and the Bureau of Land Management on Friday, July 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patos is full of interesting geology, beautiful beaches, opportunities for native plant and wildlife viewing, along with a working lighthouse. Different activities will be offered, from light house tours, to a restoration project to a hike around the island.

The Humpback Hauler will depart from Roche Harbor. A shuttle from the ferry in Friday Harbor will be arranged. Cost is $55 per person to cover boat fees. Space is limited. Please RSVP with Jana Marks at Friends by July 10 at jana[@]sanjuans[.]org or 360-378-2319.

Click to enlarge poster

Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor presents a Summer Solstice Bunko Party, Friday June 19 at 6:00 PM at the Grange. Bunko is a fast-paced and fun dice game that will keep you whirling through the room and meeting new friends. There will be great snacks, a no-host bar, and a silent auction.  Proceeds benefit our mission of improving the lives of women and girls.

Tickets are $20 and available at Spa d’Bune, The Toy Box, or at the door.  Bring a friend!

Ben Waldron – Contributed photo

Ben Waldron, AA, NREMT was born and raised on San Juan Island, joining San Juan EMS in 2007. He received his Nationally Registered EMT Certificate while performing his duty as a Navy Diver.  After leaving the service, Ben moved back to the Island to raise his family with his wife Michelle. He is a second generation San Juan EMT. Ben’s Mother was also an EMT.

Ben is proud to serve his community through EMS. He is the Director of Operations and serves as a lieutenant for Bravo Team. His strong leadership and excellent EMT skills is an invaluable asset to the agency.

Dancing Happy at the SJCT Silver Celebration last year – Jan Bollwinkel-Smith photo

Join Bill & Rita Ament and more than 40 local island performers, children through adults for their 31st annual Dance Happy Extravaganza.

Lots of tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, modern jazz, Zumba, creative, pre-ballet, belly dance, Mexican dancing, audience fun, singing, guest artists and lots entertainment.

The traditional Dance Happy show is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, giggle, aah, ooh la la, smile, wiggle, wow, clap, cheer and be totally inspired! Join us in this outrageous dance and song revue.

San Juan Community Theatre
Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Get your tickets now!
Adults $16 Students $8 Rush $5

Business Partner: Jensen Shipyard

After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan Rated: PG-13

• When: Friday June 19th at 9:50pm, Parking and Concessions open at 8:30pm.
• Admission: $5/person; $20/family of 5; ages 5 and under FREE.

Please like us on Facebook and visit our website for more information www.sjcfair.org.