Don’t forget – the deadline for submissions is this coming Saturday…

San Juan County Land Bank Celebrates 25th Anniversary

What inspires you to get outside? In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, as well as National Poetry Month, the Land Bank invites the community to submit nature themed poems for a poetry trail!

The Land Bank, along with its partners, SJI Library, SJI National Historical Park, SJI Trails Committee, Lime Kiln Point State Park, and Friends of Lime Kiln Society (F.O.L.K.S.), will display poems along trails through SJC Land Bank’s Limekiln and Deadman Bay Preserves, Lime Kiln Point State Park, and at American Camp in the SJI National Historical Park during the month of April.

Poems can be anything from haiku to rhyming to free verse, original work or a favorite published author, but must be 14 lines or less, due to layout restrictions. All ages welcome!

Poems can be dropped off (printed on 8 ½ x 11 paper) to the SJI Library front desk or emailed to clacher [@] sjlib [.] org. Poems must have the author and title in order to be accepted; original works are highly encouraged as the Land Bank would love to hear how the outdoors inspires Islanders!

Deadline for submissions is Saturday, February 21st, with a maximum of 30 poems to be chosen.

For more information, phone Tanja at 360-370-7655.

Chamber Chat is a new monthly series written by Lauren Cohen, Co-Owner of San Juan Canvas & Chamber Board President, to keep you up to date with the Chamber of Commerce…

Tom Kirshner and Becki Day – Contributed photo

Becki Takes The Helm
Your Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to welcome Becki Day as our new Executive Director. She will officially take over the position from Tom Kirshner on March 1 as he heads off on a fabulous retirement adventure. We will miss him and wish him well.

Becki will be a great asset to our Chamber as she is a business owner herself and has a great deal of management and leadership experience. In her more than 20 years living on San Juan Island, she has made many connections in the town and county that will serve the Chamber’s members well.

Becki is a long time member of Soroptimists, has served on the Chamber Board for 3 years and is a member of the Board of Director’s for United Way. She is full of ideas to move our Chamber of Commerce forward, make sure our member businesses are well represented and our visitors welcomed and served.

Becki says….
“I am really excited about my new position and gaining more momentum and community involvement for the Chamber. I will represent business interests to our community, manage the daily operations of the Chamber of Commerce, develop membership programs and continue to seek funds for the Chamber.”

Chamber Member Survey
Thank you to all of our member businesses that took their time to complete our survey. You provided us with some very useful ideas and suggestions. Continue Reading

2015 Shaw Island Winter Classic – John Miller photo

John Miller shares this note and photo of the sailboat race from last weekend…

Tim,

Sunday was the kick off day for the 2015 racing season – better known as the “Shaw Island Winter Classic” hosted by the Orcas island Yacht Club.

Nineteen boats crossed the start line after the 10 AM ferry left Orcas. The race proceeds clockwise around Shaw island for a distance of 14 miles. Great wind, great weather, great crew.

John

Jim Moe is kicking off his 2015 season by opening at the Rumor Mill this Friday at 6:30. His 2014 show packed the house and was great entertainment.

Scott Mapstead and Amy Hull – Contributed photo

What better way to brighten up our Northwest February than a romantic comedy the New York Post calls a “breath of fresh air” offering “a sweetness and decency that’s become rare at the theater.”

Almost, Maine, written by John Cariani and directed by Carol Hooper, starts with a “Sneak Preview*” THIS Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 pm in San Juan Community Theatre’s Gubelman Theatre, and then runs Friday through Sunday, February 20-22 and Thursday through Saturday, February 26-28.

Carol says she was so taken by the play when she got a chance to see it in Bellingham in 2013, that she decided to make it her directorial debut at SJCT.

Keith Keyser and Lisa Moretti – Contributed photo

A collage of short plays within a play, Almost, Maine takes us to… well, Almost, Maine on a cold clear Friday night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, bringing with them magic. Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. Love is lost, found and confounded.

“It really has something for everyone,” said Carol. “It has well-developed characters and off-the-wall situations”—funny yet thought-provoking stories about solid, rural folks making their way through the dark days of winter.

The island cast features

• Scott Mapstead
• Amy Hull
• Lisa Moretti
• Keith Keyser
• Shannon Kelley
• Candace Gossen
• Cris DuVall
• Joshua Boland
• Libbey Oswald
• Scott Dow
• Deb Langhans
• Lynda Guernsey
• Greg Swinford
• Duvie Dow
• Joy Van Camp
• Brad Fincher
• Cole Arendt

*All tickets for the Sneak Preview are $10 each. Tickets on February 20-22 and 27-28 are $19 for adults and $10 for student reserved. Bargain Night is Thursday, February 26—tickets are $14 for adults and $7 for student reserved. Visit www.sjctheatre.org or call the box office at 378-3210

The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition held their Annual Celebration Luncheon on Friday and had a very good turnout with about 53 people representing various organizations in the community.

A good turnout at the SJI Prevention Luncheon – Tim Dustrude photo

The event opened with FHHS Juniors Echo Wood and Samantha Finch presenting their community service project entitled appropriately: “Project Prevention” wherein they surveyed other high school students to gather information about under age substance abuse and also helped create the new prevention club at FHMS, H.O.T.S Jr. (Helping Out Teens Society).

One of the cool things about their project was their focus on the positives, such as the percent of students who are Drug Free (they found the majority of students have chosen to be drug free), and that they promoted healthy, positive options as activities for students to do, as opposed to listing things they shouldn’t. It was a very thoughtful and well done presentation.

They were followed by luncheon attendees introducing themselves and sharing their “celebration” of the Prevention Coalition. For example, Island Rec thanked the SJIPC for the financial support they’ve received over the past 10 years to help fund their programs and celebrated their conscious decision that all Island Rec programming would be alcohol-free.

Attendees included representatives from the following (in no particular order:

• Compass Health
• Island Rec
• SJI Community Foundation
• SJC Dept. of Health & Community Service
• Family Resource Center
• FH High School
• Right of Way Driving School
• FH Middle School
• SJ County Sheriff
• SJI School District
• WA State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (all the way here from Olympia)
• Soroptimists of Friday Harbor
• SJC Juvenile Court Services
• Safe Harbor Insurance
• League of Women Voters
• SJ Community Home Trust
• Chamber of Commerce
• United Way of San Juan County
• SJI Library
• SJ County
• Kiwanis Club
• Single Moms in Recovery
• The San Juan Update

The Prevention Coalition was founded in 2003 as a result of deaths caused by a DUI incident. Their mission is to reduce substance abuse among youth and to create a community culture supporting healthy choices and responsible behaviors by youths AND adults. For more information on what they do and to find out how you can help, check out their website or call 360-378-9683

Click to enlarge poster

Here’s a note from Courtney Oldwyn regarding the upcoming 2nd Annual Oscar Party for MS Research…

Hi Tim,

I want to spread the word that I only have ONE table left to reserve for the 2nd Annual Red Carpet Oscar Party coming up at Tops’l on Sunday, February 22nd.

While planning this event over the past couple of months almost everyone I’ve spoken to about this fundraiser has had a family member or friend with M.S. or knows someone who has this disease.
Research funding for M.S. is the only way there will ever be a cure or continue to be improvements in treatments!

This event is a great excuse to gather a group of friends, get dressed up and come watch the Academy Awards on the big screen. We’ve got lots of great raffle prizes, gift baskets for all the reserved VIP Tables, champagne, local wine and beer and all the sushi you can eat!

I’ve attached our flier for more info.
Thanks for your help in spreading the word!
–Courtney

Charlie Bodenstab reacts as Mayor Carrie Lacher cuts the ribbon to mark the grand opening of the Islands Museum of Art – Tim Dustrude photo

The Islands Museum of Art held their grand opening ceremony on Saturday, February 14th with the show “Illuminated” showing off the glass art of world renowned artist William Morris, as well as works by Shelley Muzylowski, Ross Richmond and Raven Skyriver. It is incredible what these artists can do with glass.

More photos coming soon…

The new IMA building is officially open – Tim Dustrude photo

2014 EMS Banquet Award Winners – Contributed photo

San Juan Island Emergency Medical Services and Medevac completed another successful year serving the community with 1399 emergency calls. In recognition of this community’s medical responders, the annual San Juan Island EMS Awards Banquet was held on January 10, 2015 at the San Juan Island Yacht Club.

The EMT of the Year Award for 2014 was shared by Steve Brumsickle and Deanna Banry. Jody Vogel was recognized as Rookie of the Year. Both awards are decided by a vote of their peers.

Officer of the year went to Deanna Banry for her significant service to the agency. Ben Waldron received the Chief’s Award for going above and beyond.

Dr. Michael Sullivan presented the San Juan County Medical Program Director (MPD) Award to both Noah Waldron and Doug Harmon for their outstanding leadership, dedication and professionalism to patient care.

A rare EMS Community Service Award was presented to the Roche Harbor Marina Staff for their continual readiness for emergencies. Their training is excellent. They are consistently ready to help the medical responders in any way necessary. Our crew appreciates their “can-do” attitude.

EMS continually works to improve its service to this community.

San Juan Island School District Board of Directors Chair Jack McKenna today provided an update on the process for hiring a new superintendent of schools.

“We have a strong pool of candidates, and will now begin the process of selecting our next superintendent,” Mr. McKenna noted.

The process is designed to include broad participation by school district stakeholders and the community. However, by law, only the Board may make decisions on who to hire.

Initially, a group of invited participants representing employee groups, community support groups, parents and citizens will provide the Board with responses to candidate applications and preliminary interviews.

Then, as in previous processes, two or three finalists will each be invited to the island for an all day visit during which any interested person will have the chance to meet and talk with the candidate and then provide a response to aid the Board in its selection.

“It is important to note that during the visits, the candidates are interviewing us as much as we them,” said McKenna, “It is to our advantage that our island is not only a beautiful and enchanting place to live, but also has arguably the strongest community support for its schools in the state or nation.”

“If all goes as planned, we will bring our finalists to the island during the week of March 9,” McKenna concluded.

For more information please contact Jack McKenna, Board Chair, SJISD Board of Directors, by email at:
jackmckenna [@] sjisd [.] wednet [.] edu

Marguerite Street as viewed from Guard Street – Tim Dustrude photo

The Marguerite Place water line replacement is the Town’s next utility improvement project. Construction will take place between Park and Guard Streets. The project should commence on or near March 2nd and is expected to be completed within 60 calendar days.

Travelers should expect delays and limited or no access during certain phases of the project which includes removal of portions of existing asphalt, trenching and grading. The Town has notified neighboring property owners of the potential road closures and possibility of utility interruptions. According to Town Administrator Duncan Wilson, every effort will be made limit closures and to have both lanes of traffic open in the evenings and on weekends.

Later this year drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians can look forward to safer travel on this portion of Marguerite Place when the second phase of improvements begin bringing new asphalt and a sidewalk on the east side of the street. Notice of this project timeline will be published at a later date.

Questions regarding either project should be directed to Administrator Wilson at Town Hall.

For more information on the 6-Year TIP, view “Town Documents” at the Town’s website: www.fridayharbor.org.

Lilly is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Hello. I’m Lilly. Don’t you just hate it when someone takes your picture on a bad hair day? Let me explain… I had been taking a lovely nap, snuggled deep under some blankets when the paparazzi arrived to take my photo. Normally, I would look much more “put together”, but you know how it is with the news media – so impertinent.

I really am a lovely girl – although you may find me shy at first. Once we’ve met I’ll climb right into your lap and we can get to know each other better. I’d love to find my own forever home – maybe with you? I hope you don’t sing in the shower or play the trombone. I prefer a nice, quiet environment with lots of blankets and places to cuddle. You do like cuddling, don’t you?

Come find me at the Animal Shelter or call 378-2158

Debbie Sandwith of the Roche Harbor Fishing Derby shares the results of last week’s derby…

The 12th Annual 2015 Roche Harbor Salmon Classic was Sold-Out this year by December 19th. It was another HOT season of fishing going on here in the San Juan Islands. We weighed in a total of 147 Fish in 2 days!

1st Place – David Reep, Mt. Vernon, WA was all smiles when his 22.3 oz. beauty knocked the 21.13 oz. fish to second place late Friday – Contributed photo

The weather was wet & windy leading up to Registration on Thursday. Friday morning canon start was rocking & rolling but all 99 boats made it out for a GREAT day of fishing! Saturday continued to be wet, but much calmer waters.

The results from the derby are:

• 99 Derby Boats; total 338 Anglers
• 84 fish weighed in on Friday February 6th, 2015
• 63 fish weighed in on Saturday February 7th, 2015

$26,000 cash prizes awarded:
Bonus Cash Prize $1000 Mystery fish on Friday Clare Hansen, Seattle, Tag#1381 5.8 oz.

• $10,000 1st Place – David Reep Mount Vernon, WA 22.3 oz
• $5,000 2nd Place – Eric Reynolds Snohomish, WA 21.13 oz
• $3,000 3rd Place – Michael Surdyk Bellingham, WA 19.6 oz
• $2,000 4th Place – Craig Hougen Bellingham, WA 18.4 oz
• $1,000 5th Place – Jerry Thomas Mt. Vernon, WA 18.3 oz
• $2,000 Mystery Fish – Ronald Krocker Marysville, WA 14.14 oz
• $2,000 Best Boat Total Weight 64.3 oz (5 fish)
  Larry Surdyk, Michael Surdyk, Jason Henning of Snohomish, WA
• Youngest Angler – Landen Downey, 8 yrs old Bellingham, WA His First RH Derby!
• 2016 Boat Entry drawing winner – Patrick Walker Pt. Orchard, WA

Sponsored by Roche Harbor Resort – Click for more photos:  Continue Reading

Just got this note from Randy and Gail down at Cotton…

Hey Tim,

Would you mind mentioning in The Update that Cotton Cotton Cotton is open again after our Winter Break?

Our hours are 10:00 – 4:00 Thursday through Monday.

We are getting in new merchandise daily and also running a Facebook contest. Just Like, Share and Comment on our Facebook page on the contest post, now through Monday, February 16th and you will be entered in a random drawing to win a pair of Brighton earrings! Winner will be notified Tuesday, February 17th.

Thanks so much!

Just a few of the participants at the Children’s Festival from a couple of years ago – Tim Dustrude photo

Mark your calendars, folks! San Juan Island’s 25th Annual Children’s Festival is happening Saturday, May 2nd, 2015! We are pleased to announce that we have the sunniest theme, this side of the Pacific!

Aloha! Escape to Paradise!

This year we have selected a committee that’s been working hard to make our festival come alive: Adrienne Bourne, Angelia Procaccini, Kim Fitts, Heather Clark, Angela Carlson, Megan Yelle, Kim Erickson, and Morgan Johnston. Inquiries and activity ideas should be directed to Morgan Johnston, by email at:
Morgan [@] islandrec [.] org

As always, the Children’s Festival will run from 10:00 am  to 2:00 pm at the Fairgrounds main building. For more information, please call 378-4953 or visit www.islandrec.org.

Valentine’s Day: Give Mother Nature a Valentine. Return Her Love for Your Life by Strengthening it.

Project NatureConnect has provided a free, instant Valentine that nature lovers can give to Mother Nature because she deserves to enjoy our love and gratitude for her love and support of us. The unique online Valentine is interactive. It strengthens an individual’s intimate relationship with Nature and Earth, around and in them, to help Nature help us stop our excessive trespasses of her natural world.

The designer of the Valentine, Dr. Michael J. Cohen at Project NatureConnect on Washington State’s San Juan Island says, “Because I and others have learned to think and feel while in conscious contact with an astonishing intelligence that we inherit from Nature, I help interested parties benefit from it by learning how to make authentic connections with it in natural areas. I urge folks to send this Valentine to our beautiful Mother Nature because it goes a step beyond simply expressing our love for her dance and magnificent being as Mother Earth, in and around us. The Valentine dramatically fortifies the physical and sensory bonds that we and Nature hold in common so, with joy, all members of web of life can grow stronger and more skillfully address the disastrous effects of our society’s increasing separation from the natural world.” Continue Reading