PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center Hosts Second ‘Fireside Chat’
Free Community Education Event Feb. 18 – Louise Dustrude photo

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center (PIMC), at 1117 Spring St. in Friday Harbor, is hosting a series of free, public community education “Fireside Chats” as part of its new “Healthy You” program.

The next Fireside Chat will be presented by Cheryl Kubisty, MD, from 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the PIMC lobby by the fireplace. The topic is Diabetes Mellitus.

Dr. Kubisty says this is an important talk for anyone to attend, as diabetes is a common disease process and can cause heart disease, kidney failure, strokes, nerve damage and blindness. However, diabetes can be treated and prevented. Her talk will cover the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Continue Reading

The County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available on the County’s website.

Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an Advisory Committee Application or Contact the Council Office at: (360) 378-2898
Email: sueko [@] sanjuanco [.] com

The following is a list of current and upcoming vacancies: Continue Reading

Learn To Be Your Own “Handy-Woman” For FREE! – Tim Dustrude photo

Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor (SIFRI) offers a free fair that empowers women to make simple repairs and home improvements. Open to the public, the You Can Fix It Fair is Saturday, February 28, 9 a.m. – noon, at Friday Harbor Thrift House, 667 Mullis Street, Friday Harbor.  Admission is free.  Walk-ins welcome, but reservations appreciated for planning purposes, and include entry in the door prize drawing. To register, email [email protected] or call  360.298.7463.

Participants will learn from seasoned pros and remodeling veterans in hands-on demonstrations, and may visit all or select learning tables of interest.

The fair covers a variety of handy skills including:

• Oh Those Walls: Terry Ogle shows how to patch holes in drywall, tape and mud, and paint like a pro
• Bathroom Blues: Scott Van Buskirk teaches how to fix that leaky, running toilet; unclog a drain; cut and set tile; caulk
• Zap Electricity: Donny Galt teaches all about breakers and electrical panels; how to change a light switch or fixture and safely splice wire; how to test a water heater element, an outlet for grounding, and GFI resets; how to remove a broken light bulb from a socket
• Handy Woman’s Tool Box: Doug Duffy explains which tools are most handy to have on hand; how proper tools can make the job easier; how to safely use power tools
• Tips on when it’s time to call in a pro, and what questions to ask
• Things to gather before going to the hardware store

“Each year we offer a free seminar on useful life skills for women but this year we wanted to do something a little different,” explains Chairperson Stephanie Prima. “There are so many single and head of household women on the island, we thought it would be helpful for them to learn how to make simple fixes around the house, not only to save a little money, but to also to give them confidence and a sense of empowerment.” Continue Reading

FHHS Athletic Director Rod Turnbull shares this letter with you…

We are just beginning the winter portion of our post season events. Wrestling got a jump start on all of us and had a great showing this past weekend at Darrington (boys) and Burlington (girls). Below is an update on the post season opportunities for our winter sports teams. Continue Reading

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

Downward Dog is soooo last year.  Allow me to introduce you to “Lounging Boo-da Cat”.   I’m Boo, and I find yoga very therapeutic for relieving the stress of day to day life.   It’s all about Higher Consciousness…. I feel it helps me achieve a sense of tranquility and well-being if you know what I mean.

What would really help me achieve nirvana would be for you to come over to the animal shelter to spend some time with me.  I’m a very laid-back kind of guy, who loves cuddling, conversation and the occasional cat treat.   If we hit it off, I can move in with you and we can both experience tranquility and well-being.  Namaste.

Back by popular demand, the Seattle Museum of Flight is returning with their traveling planetarium for a night of stellar space exploration. An event for the whole family, ages 5 and older, there are 5 show times for the 40 minute planetarium presentation, the first starting at 5:45pm and the last starting at 9:00pm on Friday, February 27 at the elementary school.

There will be additional astronomical displays, and, weather dependent, we will have several large telescopes aimed at the night sky. FANS will be providing hot cocoa for the outdoor program and Earthbox additionally sponsoring the event. Cost is $10 for ages 5-12 and $12 for 13-adult. You must either call or come to the office to sign-up for the event. Scholarships available.

To view a full schedule of Island Rec programs or to register online, please visit our website at www.IslandRec.org, call 360-378-4953, or visit our office at 580 Guard St. Monday – Friday 1-5pm; scholarships available.

This letter is from Diane Martindale, President, League of Women Voters of the San Juans (LWV-SJs)…

A Letter from the League of Women Voters of the San Juan Islands

February 14th marks our 95th anniversary of the oldest non-partisan voter registration organization in the U.S. — the League of Women Voters. After a struggle of more than 50 years Washington women won the right to vote on November 8, 1910 – 105 years ago. This then set the stage for the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution to be ratified in 1920 — 95 years ago. From that moment on, the League of Women Voters has worked as the champions of our democracy in a variety of ways — nationally, within state organizations and at the local level.

Here in the San Juan Islands, your local league has been devoted to election and educational forums on subjects which affect all communities. Among recent forums we have covered subjects as diverse as Taxes, Energy, Civil Discourse, the Washington Voting Rights Act, Agricultural issues, Emergency Preparedness, Hospital Mergers and the Politics of Food. In addition the League is paying close attention to the Gateway Pacific Terminal Proposal and the effects of increased rail traffic through Washington State and Shipping through the Salish Sea. Continue Reading

Mayor Carrie Lacher has appointed seven members to the Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC), an advisory panel formed to assist the Town Council with the cultivation, acquisition and placement of public art. The Council confirmed the appointments at a meeting on January 22nd. “We were fortunate that every candidate was well-qualified and would have been an asset to the Commission,” stated the Mayor.

The final appointees were selected so as to ensure a balanced commission given the candidates’ ability to represent various sectors of the arts community. In addition, the finalists were chosen based on their current involvement with the arts and longevity with the community.

Commissioners are appointed for three-year terms, with four of the initial commissioners serving abbreviated terms to stagger timing of future appointments.

Positions 1 and 2 (one-year terms): Diane Martindale and Traci Wilson
Positions 3 and 4 (two-year terms): Susan Williams and Ruth Offen
Positions 5, 6 and 7 (three-year terms): Debbie Pigman, Lori Stokes, and Council member and chairperson Noel Monin.

One non-voting youth position remains open for a student age 16 to 19. The Town will continue to accept letters of interest from students until the position is filled. The next meeting of the FHAC is scheduled for 5 pm Tuesday, March 10 in Council Chambers.

You may have heard about Radio Shack filing for Bankruptcy. Well, Cecil wants you to know they’re keeping their local store open. Here he is with more…

Hi Tim, I wanted to let you and your readers know that Steve and I have no plans to shut down our store. We will continue to work with RadioShack, and other vendors to provide the products and service the people of Friday Harbor have been [used to] for the last 18 years.

Please feel free to share this with your readers.

Thank you,
Cecil

Mary Kate Berger

Just got this note from former Update editor Ian, and wanted to share it with you 🙁

This last couple of weeks, our friend Mary Kate Berger has been in the hospital in Bellingham with a relapse (she’s been treated for cancer for the past year). She passed away yesterday, and the island has lost a dear friend.

She moved to San Juan Island with her friend Sharon Hamell back around 2000 or so, and settled into island life. She came to work with me at By Design in 2002, and quickly turned into a top-notch website creator, as well as making friends with the folks who came through the office.

I’m guessing you knew her in a bunch of different roles: Volunteering at the Children’s Festival, Animal Shelter fundraisers, and anything Island Rec needed a hand with; helping with non-profit websites like the Soroptimists & Animal Shelter, and smiling the whole time. At By Design, we offered to be the spot where folks with cancer could pick up ferry tickets for off-island treatment, offered for free by the Soroptimists – she managed that program for four years.

In 2009, she bought the By Design client list from me, and started her own design studio, which she called MKate Design, continuing to touch people’s hearts and lives with her straightforward yet gentle spirit.

When we held a fundraiser for her back in August, it was amazing to see the broad range of the island folks who came to drop a dollar in the bucket & give her a hug and a smile. She touched so many islanders’ lives, and people loved her, in return.

Like so many islanders, I feel lucky to have gotten the chance to hang around with MK for all these years, in the office, around town, and with both of us having each other’s numbers set for speed dial as we looked after our clients after she started her own studio. She made amazing things happen on the island, and for the island, and one of the most amazing was meeting & marrying Tom Berger in early 2013. To be with them, together, was a chance to feel the glow of love, turned up.

Back in 2007, one of our clients told Mary Kate that whenever she wasn’t sure what was going on with her website, she could talk to MK and she knew that when Mary Kate smiled, everything was gonna be all right. And that’s how I feel now, as so many of her friends & husband miss our wonderful friend … the island is a brighter & more wonderful place because Mary Kate has been with us.

Happy trails, dear friend.

Note – We will post more information about a Celebration of her life and an obituary as information becomes available.

Here’s an update for you from Jan at the Community Theatre…

Hi Tim,

Please let your readers know that the Prince of the Rain Realm ballet is sold out on Saturday. We will have a wait list starting at 6:30 before the show.

But folks can still experience some ballet on Sunday with our HD screening of Swan Lake from the Bolshoi Only in Cinemas:

San Juan Community Theatre’s partnership with Bolshoi Ballet Only in Cinemas features Tchaikovsky’s universal and enchanting masterpiece of love, deception and drama:
Swan Lake THIS Sunday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Whittier Theatre.

Broadcast and recorded live from Russia on January 25, Tchaikovsky’s famous, lyrical score depicts the tragic love between Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried; and the great legend of the enigmatic swan/woman—perhaps one of the most romantic classical ballets, appropriately set in the era of courtly romance and characterized by elegance, style and harmony. Tickets are $20 for adults; $18 for members; $10 for student reserved. www.sjctheatre.org

Valentines Day Grand Opening at San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA) with William Morris and Friends

Internationally-acclaimed glass master William Morris will cut the red Valentines ribbon to celebrate the Grand Opening of San Juan Islands Museum of Art at 4:00 pm February 14. There will be two shows of glass sculpture in the recently completed modern glass and steel building in Friday Harbor: “Illuminated – Glass by William Morris 1998-2013” and “Glass3”, featuring the works of three renowned Morris’ colleagues from Pilchuck Glass School: Raven Skyriver, Shelley Muzylowski, and Ross Richmond.

The new museum is a work of art in its own right, with a large streetside glass atrium perfect to showcase Morris’ dramatic blown glass sculpture. The Glass3 exhibition will be in the museum’s North Gallery. The exhibition runs through May 12.

Special Valentines Day hours: 4 to 7 p.m. (Regular museum hours: Friday through Monday 11 to 5.)
The artists will be on site for interviews February 14 from 11 a.m. to noon. Admission is free

About William Morris:
William Morris’ extraordinary technical skill combines with a love for cultural history to create a body of work that has captivated art lovers and collectors for more than a quarter century. A teacher from the world renowned Pilchuck Glass School, Morris gathers much of his inspiration from ancient cultures around the world – Egyptian, Asian, Native American – all peoples, he has said, who respected and admired the land they inhabited. Because of this, Morris’s artwork has an intriguing ambiguity: it is culturally distinct and yet familiar to many cultures. His pieces embody a spiritual quality that sharply contrasts old beliefs with those of the modern world. Continue Reading

Nicholas Corrin – Contributed photo

Weekend Workshop : Art of Self-care: Intro to Qi Gong and Tai Chi. This special weekend workshop has been created to introduce to the SJ Island community the amazing Chinese arts of Tai Chi and Chi Gong. These two exquisite, ancient disciplines are intimately related, both in form and in spirit. Either one can stimulate powerful healing and profound inner growth. When the two are combined, the benefits are even greater.

February 21 & 22, 9:00am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 – 4:00 pm at Brickworks

Using these ancient arts, learn how to let go of what is inessential and tap into what is most true and meaningful about life.

By grounding deeply into the Earth we dissolve our anxieties and reclaim our original life-force. With sustained practice we grow more supple, happy and awakened.

This is the first time that such a dual-aspect workshop is being offered to the island community. Participants will have the choice of selecting 1, 2, 3 or all 4 sessions of the weekend workshop. Continue Reading

San Juan County Parks & Fairgrounds are looking for people to fill camp host positions.

San Juan County Park – Waterfront Living! We’re looking for a P/T seasonal camp host w/small RV to be a presence in beautiful San Juan County Park on San Juan Island to assist the public and Park staff. Park hosting experience and public relation skills a must. Light park maintenance & administrative tasks required. Position starts February 2015. Minimum commitment 30 days, max 7 months. Full hook-ups. Small stipend included. For more details:
parks [@] sanjuanco [.] com

San Juan County Fairgrounds – In search of a seasonal camp host w/RV to be a presence and greet RV campers at the centrally located San Juan County Fairgrounds on San Juan Island. Park hosting experience and public relation skills preferred. Light park maintenance required. Position available April 2015. Water/electric hook-ups, showers/restrooms, Wi-Fi. For more details:
info [@] sjcfair [.] org

EDC, WA Dept. of Labor & Industries to offer workshop on L&I

Join the San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) and the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries for a FREE workshop on “Everything About Your L&I Account”, on Wednesday, March 4 from 9-11 a.m.

In this workshop, business owners and entrepreneurs will learn everything they need to know to ensure their businesses are in compliance with current state regulations and reporting requirements. Attendees will learn how to obtain an L&I account, how to determine whether workers are employees or independent contractors, how to control costs, what risk classifications and experience ratings can mean, and how to report. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. Continue Reading

It’s that time of year again. The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor is getting ready to kick off its annual community pet food drive working with the Friday Harbor Food Bank to help local families in need keep their pets in their homes during times of financial difficulties.

APS has again put out the challenge to community members and businesses to help collect pet food and cash for these families during the month of February. Each year the shelter and the donors work together to strive to beat the previous year’s total. Last year’s totals reached just over 3,000 lbs. of food!

For this year’s challenge, the animal shelter staff will again offer to provide a gourmet breakfast or lunch for the team that brings in the largest amount of donations. Though it was a close competition, last year’s winner was Windermere Real Estate SJI with the Islander’s Bank team coming in a close second.

The kickoff date is February 9th and will end on Feb 24th, coinciding with the APS “Spay’ghetti Dinner” at the Mullis Center.

Islanders Bank, Windermere Real Estate, Harbor Veterinary Service, Friday Harbor Pet Supply, the Barking Bird, and Islands Veterinary Service are some of the businesses participating in this year’s drive. Any donations of cash or pet food can be made at these businesses in Friday Harbor or to the Animal Protection Society at 111 Shelter Road. Please bring donations directly to the Animal Shelter if you would like to receive a tax deduction receipt. Our goal is to collect 4,000 lbs of pet food… We can do it with you help!