Click to enlarge Poster – Contributed photo

The public is invited to a ceremony and reception at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2015 at the San Juan Aviation Museum in the Roy Franklin Terminal at the Friday Harbor airport. The Museum was established in 2007 to honor the legacy of pilots who have made major contributions to our community.

This year’s honoree is Don Craddock, war hero and local volunteer who has lived in San Juan County since 1980. A wall display for Don and Betty Jane and a display case of Don’s flying memorabilia will be unveiled at the time.

Don’s flying career spanned 70 years and started the year after Pearl Harbor. Don’s Army Air Corps training took him to Minnesota, Arizona, California, and finally Langley field in Virginia. Just days before being shipped out to England in the summer of 1944, Don married Betty Jane his childhood sweetheart.

Don Craddock – Contributed photo

When Don and his crew arrived in England they could only expect to fly six missions before being shot down. Gradually the tide of war changed in favor of the Allies and Don went on to complete 35 missions. At war’s end he was honored with membership in the Lucky Bastards Club.

After the War Don and Betty began raising their 4-children and Don worked as a fisheries research biologist. They moved to San Juan Island in 1980.

The San Juan Aviation Museum is a joint effort between the San Juan Pilots Association and the Port of Friday Harbor, a new pilot is featured every year.

The Museum records the history of Aviation in the San Juan Islands since the early years after World War II when Roy Franklin first established scheduled air service linking San Juan Island with the mainland.

Islanders and visitors alike are invited to join together in this celebration of our aviation history.

Metamorphoses – Ted Strutz photo

Jan at the theatre wants to remind you about the SSIS Play this weekend. Here she is with the story…

Metamorphoses – Ted Strutz photo

Hi Tim,

Ted Strutz took some good photos of rehearsals for Spring Street International School’s METAMORPHOSES. I’ve attached a few. Hoping you can remind folks that Metamorphoses is at San Juan Community Theatre this Friday and Saturday, April 17-18 at 7:30 p.m. and then on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Thanks!

Jan Bollwinkel-Smith
Promotions Director
San Juan Community Theatre

9th Annual Celebration of the Orca Greeting Ceremony Auction Items

Plans are well underway for The Whale Museum’s 9th Annual “Greeting Ceremony” Event. This Fundraising Dinner and Auction will be held on Friday, April 24 at Brickworks in Friday Harbor.

Tickets are still available for this fun evening which begins with a happy hour & silent auction at 5:30 p.m.; the no-host bar will include wine from Northwest Totem Cellars and beer from Island Hoppin’ Brewery; San Juan Roasters is brewing the coffee. Market Chef is preparing the dinner. After dinner, the entertaining portion of the evening will begin with the live auction followed by a dessert auction. Desserts are being created by local restaurants and bakers. Continue Reading

Field of Flowers – Contributed photo

Ruth Offen at Waterworks sent over this announcement…

And so the season begins anew…

Refreshed from travels and time spent seeing family and friends, I am pleased to announce WaterWorks Gallery opens its 30th season as a contemporary gallery in Friday Harbor. So exciting, and lots of events this season.

This Saturday, April 18th, we are cleaning out the gallery’s back room that has been filled with some amazing frames for paintings and prints. The frames range from very ornate to simply black. Stop by with measurements and find the perfect frame for your print/painting/mirror. 11:00 to 4:00.

​The gallery is open Wednesday thru Saturday, 10:30 to 5:30 and other times by request.

A Saturday Workshop for All Levels… Bring your Artistic Muse and Your Imagination

Join mixed media artist Jan Murphy at San Juan Islands Museum of Art, 540 Spring Street in Friday Harbor, from 10 to 5  on Saturday, April 18, for a fun-filled day of exploration into the wild and wacky world of assemblage art.

Explore techniques and methods for creating one-of-a-kind artwork using your treasured “junk”, found objects and thrift store items. Continue Reading

April is Grange Month, and the Granges of San Juan County are having a Grange Arts and Crafts Contest! Come by the Grange Hall between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 22nd to submit your entries. Both Grange and non-Grange members are welcome; non-Grange members must be sponsored by a Grange member.

Categories include arts and crafts of all sorts, including paintings and drawings, sculpture, textiles, and wood and fiber work — How about duct tape, anyone?

Following submission of entries at the Arts and Crafts Contest from 11am-1pm, the Hall will be re-open at 4:00 pm for viewing and a 5:00 pm potluck.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Here’s this month’s Chamber Chat, written by Lauren Cohen, Co-Owner of San Juan Canvas & Chamber Board President…

“A Place to Play” and “Herb’s Tavern” – Contributed photos

Happy Spring
Spring has arrived on San Juan Island and our annual visitors are already trickling in on the weekends and holidays. We are sure to be in for a very busy summer season and your Chamber of Commerce would like to offer any support that we can to our local business community. Please do not hesitate to stop in to chat with Becki and see if we can help make your season even better. Our visitors will be greeted in a “new and improved” Visitor Information Center where the renovation should be complete by mid-May. Our staff would love to help promote and recommend your business so if you have never been a member or used to be but left, keep us in mind as another promotion tool and voice for business. A successful business environment helps to create a better quality of life for all our community.

New Members
We would like to welcome some new members to the Chamber of Commerce who joined recently. Some new businesses and some familiar. We are happy to have them join in as part of our cohesive community of merchants. (My apologies if I forgot anybody. Please do let me know if I did!)

Continue Reading

The Friday Art Market – Tim Dustrude photo

The Friday Harbor Art Market “Artisans on the Plaza” seeks vendor applications for the 2015 season.

Art, Music, Food, Farm!!

The Art Market will run Fridays from 3:00 to 7:00 pm, June 19 to September 4th at Brickworks Plaza.

For information contact Debbie Pigman, at 472-0216 or
dpigman1234[@]yahoo[.]com.

UPDATE: Just heard from John’s family – He has been found and is safe.

John Roberson – Contributed photo

Have you seen John Roberson? his family, and the Sheriff’s Office, are looking for him. He reportedly wears a ball cap most of the time. He was last seen in Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, on April 9th, 2015.

His cell phone was last used April 10th, 2015 on San Juan Island at 5:37 am.

His truck is also missing. It is a black 1997 Ford Ranger, license plate no: C96831C.

If you have any information please contact the SJC Sheriff’s Office at (360) 378-4151, and please print and display this Missing Person Poster from the Sheriff’s Office.

This is a truck similar to John’s – Contributed photo

J-52 with Grandmother Slick (J-16) – Jeanne Hyde photo

Here’s some good news from the Whale Museum…

Just when we thought we couldn’t get more excited about the recent births in the Southern Resident Community, another calf (J-52) was discovered on March 30, 2015 in Georgia Strait! This is the fourth calf born to the endangered Southern Resident orca community since December, two of those are the newest members of the J16 family group.

SJIFR photo

San Juan Island Fire & Rescue shares this new story…

At 11:17 PM Monday night a structure fire at Eagle Cove on San Juan Island was called in to 9-1-1 Dispatch. San Juan Island Fire Rescue was called out and responded with two engines, the ladder truck, Rescue 314 , and a water tender. A couple of smaller vehicles were there also to assist the eighteen firefighters.

Engines responded within five minutes of being dispatched. The firefighters found the fire was in a closed, attached garage enveloped in smoke. The fire was extinguished within thirty minutes of dispatch. The fire appeared to be caused by a cloth pile that was adjacent to the home’s furnace and was contained to the garage.

SJIFR Logistics team, OPALCO and the American Red Cross were on the scene to be of assistance if needed.

The Land Bank would love for you to volunteer for the Great Islands Clean Up on Public Lands…

Saturday, April 18, 2015
Volunteers have a plethora of choices this year—check the list below and see what piques your interest. Thank you!

SJI: Third Lagoon Beach, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Meet at the Third Lagoon Preserve trailhead located at the end of Cattle Point Road to help clear plastic rubbish from the back of the lagoon.

SJI: Deadman Bay Preserve, 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Meet at Deadman Bay beach. Volunteers will tackle the drainage below the roadside where lots of debris collects throughout the year.

Lopez Island: Multiple Locations
Meet at Lopez Community Center between 9am-10 am to register and choose from 11 beaches and 9 road side areas that need your help, including Weeks Wetland @ Fisherman Bay Preserves.

*There will be a complimentary yoga class from 8am-8:45 am preceding the registration!

Sturdy rubber boots, pants, and gloves are recommended. Carpooling is encouraged. The Land Bank will provide garbage bags, buckets, and some snacks.

Orcas Island: Multiple Locations
Please show up to the closest meeting spot at 10am. Our goal is to pick up as much litter and recyclables as possible and bring them back to the Village Green before 1pm. We will clean as many roadsides and beaches as we can get to!

Eastsound: The Village Green
Olga: Artworks parking lot
Deer Harbor: The post office

Contacts:
SJI Beach Clean Ups, Jana Marks at 360-378-2319 or jana[@]sanjuans[.]org
SJI Road Clean Ups, David Dehlendorf at 360-378-1082 or dauffa[@]gmail[.]com
Lopez Island, Nikyta Palmisani at 468-2555 to leave a message or email nikytap[@]lopezsolidwaste[.]org
Orcas Island, Kira Bradshaw at kirabradshaw72[@]gmail[.]com

Spring Street International School students present Metamorphoses

the retelling of the classic Greek myths of Midas, Orpheus, Eurydice and others in a play presented in the Gubelman Theatre THIS Friday and Saturday, April 17-18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m.

Director Krista Strutz says audiences will witness the transformative power of love, redemption, and forgiveness in Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. Based on Ovid’s epic poem of the same name, the play (which was nominated for a Tony Award in 2002) combines humor, pathos, and the inevitability of the unknown in a powerful work.

“Let me die the moment my love dies.
Let me not outlive my own capacity to love.
Let me die still loving, and so, never die.”

Buy tickets now online! Or, Box office hours are 11 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Friday and 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday.

Here’s the latest from WSF…

Washington State Ferries experienced technical difficulties on Tuesday, April 14 with its vehicle reservations system. As of 2:30 p.m. additional vehicle reservations for summer travel on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/Sidney, B.C. routes are not available online or by phone until further notice.

Reservations for the current spring 2015 schedule, which runs through June 13, remain available. To create, change or cancel a spring reservation customers may go online or call WSF Customer Service at 1-888-808-7977.

“I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience this causes our customers and the frustration that many folks felt this morning when they tried to make a reservation,” said Assistant Secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division Lynne Griffith. “Whenever we launch a new program for the public I expect it to work, so I am looking into what happened and how we can ensure this does not happen again.”

WSF is still determining why the reservations system stopped working shortly after the summer schedule was released this morning. Troubleshooting and repairs are expected to take at least one week. WSF will update customers on Monday, April 20 on the status of the system and when summer reservations will become available again.

Local Amphibians in the field – Contributed photo

Join Park Education Specialist, Raena Parsons, for an overview of what a BioBlitz is and how you can contribute. Included will be an introduction to recording scientific observation with smart phones and how to spot and identify local wildlife.

Wild birds in the field – Friday, April 17, 2015
6:30 to 7:30 pm
San Juan Center, Skagit Valley College Community Room

Local amphibians in the field – Saturday, April 18, 2015
1:30 to 2:30 pm
San Juan Center, Skagit Valley College Community Room

Ferry reservations for summer season begin April 14

Washington State Ferries is sailing into summer (summer schedule PDF) with the first release of seasonal vehicle reservations for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 a.m. The 2015 summer sailing schedule runs from June 14 until Sept. 19.

With Washington State Ferries’ new Save A Spot vehicle-reservation program, customers may now reserve a spot for their vehicles on a ferry as early as two months before the summer schedule takes effect. In order to provide access to reservation space both for customers who plan in advance and those who make travel plans closer to the sailing date, San Juan Islands reservations are released in three staggered tiers.

Additional reservations for summer travel will be released two weeks in advance, and again two days ahead of each departure date.

For summer, reservations will be available:

• April 14 at 7 a.m., two months before the start of the summer sailing season (30 percent of spots released).
• At 7 a.m. two weeks prior to the specific sailing date (another 30 percent of spots released).
• At 7 a.m. two days before the specific sailing date (the final 30 percent of spots are released).

The remaining spaces on each sailing are set aside for emergency vehicles, customers with medical preference and standby customers.

Like making a dinner reservation, the Save A Spot reservation program allows customers to reserve their preferred sailing date in advance, guaranteeing them a spot on the ferry. It also helps Washington State Ferries manage demand while reducing long lines at the terminal.

“The reservation program gives Anacortes/San Juan Islands customers the certainty that they will make a specific sailing,” said Dwight Hutchinson, WSF reservations manager. “We’re planning ahead for summer and this will help customers avoid long waits at the terminal during our busiest season.”

Summer reservations for the Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/Sidney B.C. route will also be released on April 14 at 7 a.m.

Online reservations are available, or call 1-888-808-7977. More information on how Save A Spot works is also available online.