Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor will be hosting one of their popular Bunko fundraisers on May 30 at 6:00 pm at the Grange Hall. Getting into spring with a Garden Party theme, the evening will feature garden items for raffle, auction and door prizes. Appetizers and adult beverages will be garden fresh.

What, you ask, is Bunko? Bunko began in 18th century England as a parlor game called “Eight Cloth Dice”. In 1855 a gambler turned it into a waging game called Banco, Bunco, or Bunko. The game traveled across America to San Francisco sending shock waves through the gold laden town. The term “Bunko Artist” derives from swindlers of the game adept at cheating miners out of hard earned gold and claims. Later Bunko evolved into a parlor game, no gambling involved. During Prohibition in the 1920’s, Bunko Parlors sprang up as covers for Speakeasies and law enforcement officers raiding these parlors became known as Bunko Squads. Today this 200 year old dice game, requiring only luck, is a popular social activity. Word to the wise, what happens at Bunko, stays at Bunko!

Tickets are $20 and available at the Spa d’Bune or the Toy Box. Proceeds support Soroptimist scholarships and community projects. Learn more at www.sifri.org.

The Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor has announced an increase in dog impound fees, effective immediately. The new fee structure is as follows:

• Up to 3 Impounds: $35 for Altered Dog or $55 for Un-altered Dog
• Fourth and Subsequent Impounds: $75 for Altered Dog or $110 for Un-altered Dog

San Juan County Dog License fees will continue to apply at the rate of $12 annually per altered dog and $30 per un-altered dog. The animal shelter encourages dog licensing so the county can track compliance to rabies vaccination for public health and safety reasons and also to provide a means of identification for dogs that are picked up as stray, so they can be reunited with their owners. Your dog’s license is his ticket home!

A Backyard in the Salal Neighborhood – Contributed photo

The San Juan Community Home Trust is celebrating ten years of providing permanently affordable home ownership for San Juan Islanders while also beginning plans to start its third project in Friday Harbor.

The Home Trust has built 29 new homes in two Friday Harbor neighborhoods (Salal and Sun Rise.) These 29 homes have been purchased 42 times over the ten years, with no one ever paying more than 32% of their monthly household income for their mortgage payments.

“None of our homes have been foreclosed upon, and all have remained affordable for the next eligible buyers,” said Barbara Starr, president of the Home Trust Board. “The homes are never put on the speculative market, yet our homeowners can make a modest profit when they sell.”

The Home Trust manages the re-sales of the homes, insuring affordability to the next owners. Subsidies from government grants and private contributions that went into the construction stay with the house over time, and are passed forward from one homeowner to the next. Continue Reading

Scooby is this week’s Pet of the Week

Meet Scooby, quite possibly the handsomest cat you will ever meet.  Well, at least that’s what we tell him here at the shelter.  He’s about three years old and a great guy.  Gets along well with other cats and LOVES to play.  He’s got an independent streak, but for the most part loves to give and get affection.  Scooby spends a lot of time looking longingly towards the great outdoors, so he’d be a good indoor/outdoor pet as long as he’s allowed plenty of time to cuddle with his peeps inside.  Come by the shelter during our NEW business hours, Tuesday through Sunday, Noon til 4:00.  111 Shelter Drive.

San Juan County residents and visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about the impacts of climate change through a dynamic speaker series scheduled June through September in venues in Friday Harbor, as well as on Orcas and Lopez Islands.

The Climate Action Imperative: Understanding Impacts & Making Choices will feature eight experts on the topic—from oceanographers to botanists, biologists to meteorologists. The series will provide a current look at climate change and what actions are warranted by individuals as well as by our state and nation, according to Ron Zee of the Madrona Institute, a co-sponsor of the series.

Lee Taylor, superintendent of San Juan Island National Historical Park, another co-sponsor, emphasized the dramatic ecosystem changes National Parks are experiencing.

“The impacts of climate change on national parks are immediate and real–rising sea level, ocean acidification, and increased wildfire to name just a few,” Taylor said. “We need to increase our resilience to these changes here in the Islands and beyond.”

All talks are free and scheduled for 7 p.m. at different venues (see list below). Please call 360-378-2240, ext. 2227 or 2228 for information. A concluding session on September 10 will feature State Senator Kevin Ranker, a leading legislative advocate for climate action, along with special guests.

The Imperative

Climate change has moved to the forefront of international, national, and state concern. In November 2013, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating that climate change will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when demand for food is expected to soar. Continue Reading

The official Dodie Gann Memorial Dog Walk Shirt – click to enlarge – Contributed photo

Karen Mottet (right) proudly models a preview of the T-shirts that will be available at the First Annual Dodie Gann Memorial Dog Walk, Saturday May 31.

The shirts will be available for sale at the dog walk for those participating in the walk and others who stop by to attend the Pet-Lovers Fair during the event. They are also available in children’s sizes and adult sizes in both pink and grey. Quantities are extremely limited, so be sure to get yours early!

For more information about the dog walk, visit www.apsfh.com.

Council asks Citizens to Help Report Jet Noise Problems

The San Juan County Council is asking county residents to help assess how noise from military aircraft taking off and landing at the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island is affecting activities and the quality of life in the County. Beginning Friday, May 16, residents will be able to use an online application on the County website to enter jet aircraft noise reports. (http://sjcgis.org/aircraft-noise-reporting)

Council Members have received complaints from residents who say they have had to pause conversations or even move activities indoors to avoid disruptive jet noise from the base. Over the past year the Navy has been transitioning from its EA-6B Prowler jets to the EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft that at some of its neighbors regard as a more troublesome noisemaker.

At its regular meeting on May 13, the County Council viewed a demonstration of an easy-to-use online form developed by the County’s GIS Coordinator Nick Peihl. The application allows users to enter the location, time and the intensity of disruptive jet aircraft noise from any computer or smartphone that can connect to the Internet. Users have the choice of entering an address, finding the address on a map or asking their smart phone or computer to enter the current location, then filling in the other basic information. Continue Reading

Here’s a note from Rebecca Parks at Island Museum of Art…

This is the Week things really start happening at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art building at 540 Spring Street. The building, IMA’s first permanent home, has come along way already since its origin as an EMT facility… but this week is when the real excitement begins! With the grand opening scheduled for August 2, this is when the action really begins to show in Friday Harbor.

The volunteers and staff at IMA have waited for many months for this moment, which should offer amazing photo opportunities, as the steel arrives by truck and is erected on huge concrete footings. Next up: glass – great sheets of it to create the dramatic atrium that fronts Spring Street. The steel work should be completed around June 6, then the glass installation will begin June 9, with a complete date of July 18.

In addition to the atrium, the completion of the two-story entry and reception area on the east side of the building promises streetside excitement as well. Planned for the upstairs is an inspiring open space that will offer locals and visiting artists the chance to share their talents with one another in this dramatic island workshop setting.

The first show planned for the new IMA building is Illuminated, the glass art of William Morris. The world-respected Morris studied and teaches with the Pilchuck school and is a longtime colleague of Dale Chihuly.

Architect Richard Hobbs told us Sunday that “with any luck” the steel erection begins Monday, May 19, for the Atrium Gallery. The interior rough framing of the existing builiding is nearly completed, with mechanical and electric work beginning now. As the exterior steel is now on site, “the hidden work in the existing building will start down the finish path,” Hobbs said. “This is the week that from the street, things really start happening!”

Fred Schumacher has a volunteer job for you if you’re interested… (and if you have a golf cart)

For its annual Fly-In, Friday Harbor Airport uses golf carts to transport visitors, who need extra help, as well as to reposition volunteers and supplies during the one-day event. Pilots and friends of the event bring their golf carts, but a few more are needed this year.

If you have a golf cart, and would like to be a part of the show. Just call 317-5577 or email
freds [@] rockisland [.] com

Join Greg for a re-release and book signing party, including appetizers and wine, at BRICKWORKS on Sunday, June 1st, 5pm-7pm.

Seattle chef Greg Atkinson, is winning accolades for his new Restaurant Marché on Bainbridge Island. But his culinary career began on lovely San Juan Island. In his reissued memoir Greg Atkinson’s In Season: Culinary Adventures of a Pacific Northwest Chef (Sasquatch Books; March 2014; $22.95), Atkinson describes his appreciation for local ingredients, the passage of the seasons, the joys of young family life, and, of course, simple and gratifying meals.

Greg Atkinson photo by Charity Burggraaf

When In Season was originally published in 1997, the concept of eating seasonally was far ahead of its time. Atkinson writes, “while the intervening years have been rich and productive, no period in this writer’s life has been quite as meaningful or as magical as that time was. I was developing my skills as a chef, learning to be a husband, father, neighbor, and citizen in a small town. And like my take on everything then, my youthful perspectives on many of the ingredients and combinations were fresh, unclouded by overlaying years.”

This new edition includes gorgeous color photography by Charity Burggraaf. Atkinson is a gifted and passionate writer, observant of all the senses and emotions when it comes to great meals—whether a holiday spread or a picnic on the beach. Open the cover of Greg Atkinson’s In Season and dive into one delicious year.

Tickets are $50 and are available for purchase at The Market Chef and Griffin Bay Books.

This event is presented by the SJI Ag Guild and Griffin Bay Bookstore and is part of the SJI Ag Guild’s Live Life Well Education Series. These culinary events provide various learning experiences with guest chefs, cookbook authors, restauranteurs and other local gastronomes.

For more information, please contact Tanja Williamson at 360-472-0337 or:
tanja [@] fhbrickworks [.] com

Yellow Island Wildflowers – Click to enlarge – John Miller photo

Happy Saturday to you! Here’s a beautiful shot of the wildflowers in bloom on Yellow Island with McConnell Island in the background (with Orcas Island beyond that). Photographed by John Miller.

Randall Gaylord – Contributed photo

This week Randall Gaylord filed for the position of Prosecuting Attorney.
“Serving as the public’s attorney has unique challenges which I enjoy,” said Gaylord.

Gaylord says he has been leading the office in the right direction for the past 20 years and he intends to continue on that course.

Over the past three years, he has filled several key positions after the retirement of long-serving employees. “I can’t say enough good things about the people of this office and their skill and dedication to public service,” he said.

Gaylord said he can’t say what crimes people will commit or what ideas for governing he will be called upon to address. “Four years ago, I would not have predicted the charter amendments or legal challenges to them, the reform of the marijuana laws, or high profile crimes”.

He pledges that the next term will continue to include a common sense approach to decision making mixed with thorough research of the law and the facts. The public can also expect to see sustained support for the crime victim services center which was started by Gaylord 18 years ago and which has provided guidance and information for victims of all types of crime. Continue Reading

Click for larger poster

Jane Kitchell Retrospective Art Show opening on Friday, May 23, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Jamie Ellsworth’s Studio – 535 Market Street, Friday Harbor, WA
Memorial Day Weekend, 2014.

Show will remain open 10 to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday

Kayaking in the San Juans – Click to enlarge – Tim Dustrude photo

Earn your annual permit for commercial kayak guiding or private kayak launching privileges at San Juan County Park on the Westside of San Juan Island. Two training sessions will be held at The Whale Museum on May 20 and June 17 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and are required to attend. Purchase tickets online at www.whalemuseum.org or at The Whale Museum store.

This program teaches commercial and private kayakers about marine stewardship and promotes the Responsible Kayaker Code, helping to reduce disturbances to marine wildlife by irresponsible boating practices. The training is required by San Juan County Park; for guides to be able to launch kayaks for themselves and their accompanying clients from the Park facilities.

General public wishing to use the park facilities and learn more about responsible kayaking may also attend this training.

The 2012 parade as viewed from the air – Click to enlarge – Chris Teren photo

The official word is out – The theme for this year’s parade is: “Storybook Heroes.”

Applications are available at Petro San Juan at 605 Mullis Street and the Chamber Office at 135 Spring Street.

Thank you,
Lin Pearson

(Photo originally published on July 5, 2012 with permission from Teren Photography)

Here’s Rob Simpson with a heads-up for next Monday’s screening…

Hi Island Family,

Our screening is one week early this month due to the holiday, so we’re on for this coming Monday at 7:00 pm at the Library.

Our film, “I AM” is wonderfully uplifting and at the same time it challenges us to expand our too often limited understanding of our spirit connections to each other (i.e. not just our relatives).

A true story – super successful Hollywood producer Tom Shadyac suffers a life-threatening head injury. It challenges all his life decisions that led him to this point.

He recovers enough to set out on a journey for answers and is totally surprised by what he finds out.

You will love this film.

Bring a friend – we’ll make extra pop corn. 🙂 Bring leftover cookies or snacks if you’d like to help out of Friends Of The Library. (They generously provide all of our free refreshments.)

Hope to see you!
Rob