• Here’s today’s farmers market lineup.
• The Children’s Festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Fairgrounds.
• Mike Vouri is leading a guided walk exploring the stories of English Camp — pre-history, the Royal Marines, the Crook family, the National Park — from 10 a.m. to noon. The walk starts from the English Camp parking lot.
• The Toy Box (20 First Street) is taking part in Free Comic Book Day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today. They’re also running a charity sidewalk sale and silent auction.
• The San Juan Historical Society and Museum is holding an open house today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Coho is having an Italian-themed menu tonight from 7:30 to 11 p.m. — bruschetta, bagna cauda, fritto misto, carbonara, pizza, and more.
• San Juan Island Yacht Club’s opening day brunch and boat parade take place tomorrow. Brunch is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the boat parade starts after the ferry leaves around 2:30 p.m.
• The first Salish Sea humpback calf of 2022 was spotted on Monday afternoon in Boundary Pass.
• The Beech Tree Espresso stand at Roche Harbor is open for the season, Thursday through Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!

Local volunteers for the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program are hosting an online introduction to Medicare for enrollees joining the program in 2022.

On Thursday, May 12 at 1 p.m., the presenters will outline how Medicare works, its different coverage options, and key program milestones and dates that must be met in order to avoid penalties.

To register, email [email protected] or call 360-376-5892. You’ll need to provide your first name, last name, and email address.

SHIBA is overseen by the state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner to provide free, unbiased, confidential counseling in San Juan County. The organization is sponsored locally by the Inter Island Healthcare Foundation.

The month of May is always a busy time in your school district. Each of your schools administer the State exams, organize year end field trips, and work diligently to keep all students focused as the sun and warmth return. This is an exciting time of year as schools move toward that last day in June while at the same time preparing for the fall of 2022 opening.

We have learned much over the last two years. The COVID pandemic created pressures not seen before and the students and staff in this district showed resiliency in the face of these challenges. I can assure you this great staff is committed to serving these children and supporting their academic, social, and emotional growth.

As we end one year and prepare for the next, there is some important information that all of us in this community should know. Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Food Co-op is looking for an Assistant Manager who is passionate about organic and natural foods and products. Learn more in the Island Jobs section of the San Juan Update.

In a media release published yesterday, San Juan County officials reported 18 active COVID cases on San Juan Island, in addition to 17 on Lopez Island and 13 on Orcas Island. By 9 a.m. this morning, active cases on San Juan Island had jumped to 29.

The County also noted that they have reason to believe the actual number of active cases is substantially higher. “Many cases [are] going unreported as individuals utilize over-the-counter test kits (OTC),” the County said in their media release. “The number of cases that are reported and tracked is estimated to account for only approximately 20 percent of cases actually present in the community.”

If that assessment is accurate, it means that San Juan Island’s true active case count is nearly 150 cases.

Free COVID testing kits are still available through the Washington State Department of Health’s Say Yes COVID test website. Islanders can order up to two test kits each month. Delivery is currently estimated to take one to two weeks.

• Friday Harbor High School baseball and fastpitch both had their Thursday games at Orcas Island cancelled due to rain. The games will not be rescheduled. Baseball takes to the field for the league championship tiebreaker against Coupeville next Thursday at 3 p.m. in LaConner.
• All 50 of the second-run prints of Doug DeMeerleer’s painting of the buildings at the corner of Spring and First Street sold last week, bringing the grand total of funds raised to help those impacted by the April 7 fire to $2,613.
• The American Legion is hosting a spaghetti feed and dessert auction this evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. They’re raising funds in support of summer tournaments for the Babe Ruth baseball team they sponsor. It’s $25 per plate or $45 for two. Food and treats are provided by Stacey’s Catering. Curbside pick-up is available.
• There’s a bake sale fundraiser tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the Mullis Center. The proceeds go to Free Wheelin’ Rides, who hope to provide a mobility van for island wheelchair users and others who need specialized transportation.
• Tommy Dale & the Dangerfields are putting on a free street dance to benefit the fire relief fund next Sunday, May 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Brickworks.
• Island Rec is holding a pickleball tournament two weeks from now — on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22 — at the Fairgrounds. It’s a doubles tournament and prizes will be awarded to the winners in each bracket. It’s $33 if you enter by May 12, $38 after that.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!

Photo credit: Brad Pillow

Merri Ann Simonson sends along this year-over-year real estate market snapshot for the San Juan Islands.

The median sale price for homes on San Juan Island increased roughly 13 percent in 12 months — but it could have been worse. During the same period, the median price rose 37 percent on Orcas Island and 46 percent on Lopez Island.

Friday Harbor’s latest public art installation came to life this past Tuesday in the Sunshine Alley breezeway between The Bait Shop and the Palace Theater.

There’s a Story Here repurposes historic San Juan Island photographs in the style of so-called exaggeration postcards, a popular design approach in the early 20th century that added absurd but realistic-looking elements to existing images, most often for the purpose of promoting the superiority of a specific place or local commodity.

Although most of the six postcard panels are recent creations, one of the pieces – It’s the Salt Air! by J.A. McCormick – was recently discovered by the San Juan Historical Museum. It is one of only two known original exaggeration postcards from San Juan County.

There’s a Story Here is the third outdoor exhibit the Town of Friday Harbor has installed in the Sunshine Alley breezeway since 2018. It will remain in place until May of next year.

The Town thanks Kristine Brown of Printonyx for research and graphic design; the San Juan Historical Museum, the Whatcom Museum, Peggy Sue McRae and Jennifer Rigg for photographs; and Alicia and Jeff Carnevali for use of their building as the installation’s canvas.

Island Rec reminds the community about the upcoming Children’s Festival.

Island Rec is pleased to announce that the 30th annual Children’s Festival is this Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fairgrounds.

Community organizations that you know and love will be providing all kinds of creative and hands-on activities. Kids will enjoy taking their picture in the under-the-sea photo booth. There will be face painting and a caricaturist. Island Rec is providing inflatable fun including a bounce house and slide, and FANS has been diligently practicing their balloon animal techniques.

Come join us for some free family fun.

The Town sends along news about the steps involved in creating its new housing action plan.

The Town of Friday Harbor is pleased to invite the community to participate in upcoming community engagement opportunities planned for each project milestone that will be used to develop and shape the Friday Harbor Housing Action Plan. The HAP is a planning tool that looks at housing stock, housing affordability, housing needs, housing types, and regulatory constraints to design implementable housing strategies in Friday Harbor.

Community engagement activities will include pop-up events, digital storytelling, surveys, workshops, and public meetings. The project team has started a preliminary assessment of existing conditions, local housing constraints, and an evaluation regarding potential opportunities. These findings will be shared with the community later this summer. Upon completion of extensive research, community outreach, and public meetings, the Town’s HAP is scheduled for adoption in June 2023.

Friday Harbor Market Place is hosting the first opportunity to gather your input regarding housing needs in town. Come meet with Town staff and the Town’s HAP consultant on Saturday, May 14 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

For more information, contact Ryan Ericson, Community Development Director, at 360-378-2810 or [email protected].

Island Rec sends along an update about the status of their spring co-ed soccer league.

Don’t miss out on your chance to join our recreational summer soccer league. Refereed games are played on Tuesday and/or Thursday evenings from May to July at John O. Linde Community Park, ending with a championship tournament.

New this year, every player must register individually. The minimum number of participants and teams must be met by the early deadline of Wednesday, May 11 or the league will be cancelled. So don’t wait — and make sure your teammates sign up. A minimum of eight full teams is needed by May 11 and the maximum team size is 20 people. Additional rules can be found on the Island Rec website.

The cost is $35 per person until May 11 and $40 thereafter. Register online or call the Island Rec office at 360-478-4953.

A small group of us on San Juan Island are thrilled, delighted, moved, awed, and impressed by our local community theater’s presentation of the New York Metropolitan Opera.

We are so fortunate that right here in our small town we have this world class opera due to the generosity of Dodie Gann. It’s amazing to us that more people in our community don’t embrace the excitement, the lushness and grandeur of opera. This treat is available for a fraction of the cost of going to a large theater production in the city. Monthly we revel in watching the Met Opera on the enormous screen, the dramas and sometimes comedies of various operas. Naturally, the singing is gorgeous, but included as a delight for the senses are the rich elegant costumes, amazing scenery and fascinating stories that unfold as we sit in our comfortable chairs and enjoy our time in the darkened theater.

We’ve taken to going out after the show to various places for a drink to discuss what we’ve seen, what parts we loved best and what perhaps was difficult for us.

Don’t miss out! Won’t you join us? We are also awarding scholarships to any student willing to take a chance on the opera. How about it?

Susan Grout
Liz Pillow
Patty Rasmussen
Lee Sturdivant
San Juan Island 

• A few dozen islanders gathered outside the San Juan County Courthouse on Tuesday evening to show their opposition to the prospective overturning of Roe v. Wade.
• Friday Harbor baseball won both games of a doubleheader against LaConner, 17-4 and 3-1, bringing their overall record to 14-2 and improving to 11-1 in league play. They travel to Orcas Island on Thursday.
• Organizers of last month’s Great Islands Clean-up announced that volunteers on San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw Islands collectively gathered 3,500 pounds of trash from the county’s roads and beaches during the April 23 event.
• The library is holding a family Lego event on Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the meeting room. No registration is required, but preschool children must be supervised by an adult.
• The photography display at the Fair needs a number of volunteers to help accept entries, judge photos, answer questions, accept People’s Choice votes, and clean up after the event ends. Email Miles Crossen at [email protected] if you can help out.
• Friday Harbor Film Festival’s next offering in its Director Series is Pandora’s Promise, a film about the history and future of nuclear power. There’s a free online showing on Thursday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., after which the film will be available on demand for $1.95 until May 18.

Have something to share with the Island? Whether the news is big or small, let us know!