• The daffodils around the boxelder tree are located at the Beaverton Marsh Preserve along Roche Harbor Road. They’re believed to date back to the 1930s when the property was homesteaded.
• Cynthia’s Bistro is serving their free Kitchen Sink Dinners tonight from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
• It’s almost time for the San Juan Community Theatre’s spring rummage sale. It happens this Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Resource Center at 70 Saltspring Drive off Beaverton Valley Road. You’ll find things like clothing, costumes, children’s items, vintage garments and accessories, fabric, furniture, and tools. All proceeds benefit SJCT’s production department.
• San Juan Island Fitness & Aquatics has pool time set aside just for babies and toddlers on Saturdays at 10:45 a.m. It’s eight bucks, space is limited to seven parent-child pairs, and reservations are required.
• By customer request, San Juan Island Sea Salt is no longer using bubble wrap for shipped orders. They only have recyclable materials now.
• In addition to their cold storage expansion project, San Juan Island Brewing Co. is building an outdoor bar as part of their renovated private events space.
• Registration is open for Island Rec’s spring break camp at the elementary school. It’s $30 per day if you register by next Thursday; after that it goes up to $35. If you register for all five days you’ll save ten percent.

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The San Juan Island School District shares news about the achievements of Friday Harbor High School’s Technology Student Association at their state conference last weekend.

Placing second last weekend in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) competition at the 2022 Washington Technology Student Association (TSA) annual state conference was no small feat. 10,500 students participate and 1,500 students qualify each year. This is the second year in a row that Friday Harbor High School has placed in the top three schools in STEM events at this middle school/high school conference.

Last year the competition was virtual, but thanks to the generous support of the San Juan Public School Foundation, members of the Friday Harbor High School TSA traveled to SeaTac to compete in person at the 2022 event.

Five Friday Harbor High School students — Aaron Vliet, Robin Taylor, Isabella Vanderyacht, Josie May, and Tyler Hillman — qualified for the competition, and the team of Aaron Vliet and Robin Taylor were awarded second place for their CIM project. Continue Reading

A couple of weeks ago, Claudia Pfeil, the so-called German Ambassador of Quilting, put out an online request for eight-and-a-half-inch quilt blocks in the colors of the flag of Ukraine. Together with her co-workers and volunteers, she hoped to make quilts for children who had fled to Germany from the war in Ukraine.

That request soon found willing hands here on San Juan Island, where two quilting groups – Rainshadow Quilting Arts Guild and Wild Rose Quilters – brought together nearly 50 people to rise to the challenge.

It wasn’t difficult for the locals who volunteered their time and effort to find inspiration.

“These children usually come with the clothes on their backs and maybe one toy,” said local quilter Janet Wright. “We are hoping the quilts will wrap the children in love.”

The hard work put in by Islanders resulted in the creation of more than 200 quilt blocks in only two weeks. The blocks were packed and shipped from Friday Harbor just a few days ago, bound for Germany, where they will join more than 2,000 others that have been made by volunteers from all over the world. It’s expected that the project will eventually create dozens of quilts for displaced children in need.

The Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor is hiring two Animal Care Team Members, one part-time and one full-time. Learn more in the Island Jobs section of the San Juan Update.

• The San Juan Island Food Co-op has locally grown kiwis from Mitchell Bay Farm & Nursery.
• Coho Restaurant is doing a dim sum pop-up (think dumplings and steam buns) this Friday from 6 to 11 p.m.
• The San Juan Island Community Foundation recently launched an interactive volunteer directory that allows you to search for opportunities that match your interests and goals.
• Kindergarten registration takes place today at the elementary school from 9 to 11 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Island children who will be age five on or before Aug. 31 are eligible. Staff will be available to answer questions and make copies of birth certificates and immunization records.
• It’s the last day of the pop-up art show featuring work by Alaina Scheffer and Genevieve Gislason. It runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at Surina Business Park, 50 Malcolm Street, Unit 502.
• The San Juan Island Garden Club’s next meeting is Tuesday, April 5 at 1 p.m. at the Mullis Center. The guest speaker is Lori Ann David of Aurora Farms. Everyone is welcome to attend.
• Friday Harbor High School’s first performance of Footloose the Musical takes place tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the San Juan Community Theatre. You can also catch the show Friday night, Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Pre-sale tickets aren’t available, and all shows are pay-what-you-can at the door.

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The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is seeking a full-time Digital Marketing & Outreach Manager. Learn more in the Island Jobs section of the San Juan Update.

San Juan County’s Health & Services Department provides an update on this year’s point-in-time homeless count, which was conducted on Feb. 24 for the first time since 2020.

The 2022 San Juan County Point-In Time Homeless Count identified 146 people who have no stable place to live, an increase from the 2020 count of 133.

Of the 146 people identified as having no stable place to live, 58 people were living out of doors, in vehicles, in abandoned buildings, or in an RV or boat that lacked one of the following: drinking water, a restroom, heat, the ability to cook food, or the ability to bathe.

The remaining 88 were at risk of homelessness. These families reside in temporary, unstable living arrangements with family and/or friends, or live in substandard housing. The 2020 count found 66 homeless and 67 at risk of homelessness. In 2019, the count found 67 people homeless and 82 at risk of homelessness. Due to COVID-19 concerns, no PIT Count was held in Washington in 2021. Continue Reading

Friday Harbor Food Bank volunteer Steve Ulvi sends along a heartfelt update about what the organization is up to these days.

A common refrain, a widely shared meme, is that we live “the good life” surrounded by an inspiring maritime landscape; the fortunate residents of an exceptional, caring community. During economic turbulence and social-fracturing it is natural to wonder just how strong some of our cohering community values are.

We need look no further than to the small, unremarkable brown building at 500 Market Street that sits in quiet repose except for mid-day on Wednesdays, Thursdays (online and Waldron Island delivery) and Saturdays when it comes alive to provide a wide variety of nutritious foods. For anyone who shows up. The Summer Nutrition Program for school age kids begins on June 21.

The COVID Era has been an exceptional challenge for the dedicated Friday Harbor Food Bank Board and the sole employee, Manager Rachelle Radonski. Beyond the trials of COVID safety is a complex interplay of disrupted supply lines, seasonally available farm products, fluctuating monetary donations, increasing local needs and an alphabet soup of supplemental food programs that may rise and fall depending upon source funding. Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Childcare Cooperative is looking for an early childhood education professional for its new program. Learn more in the Island Jobs section of the San Juan Update.

Pierogis for Peace, a pop-up shop run by The Market Chef and Katrina’s Secret Kitchen at the Farmers Market this past weekend, raised more than $6,000 for World Central Kitchen, an organization helping to feed refugees leaving Ukraine.

Easter candy has arrived at the Friday Harbor Trading Post.

San Juan Island National Historical Park is hosting a public meeting next Thursday at 1 p.m. at the American Camp Visitors Center to discuss Islanders’ concerns related to the impact wildlife photography is having on the American Camp prairie. According to a Park statement, “At this meeting, our park’s management and natural resource specialist will listen to and address public concerns and outline the park’s plans for this year’s kitting season.”

The Economic Development Council’s virtual Datapalooza event takes place a week from today.

Island Rec’s April Bootcamp with Boo Boo needs a few more participants. You can enroll online.

Next Friday, April 1, Island Rec and the San Juan Island Library are co-hosting Messy Me, an event where kids ages two to five can interact with sensory bins filled with a variety of interesting materials and textures. It takes place at the elementary school gym from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

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The San Juan County Economic Development Council shares some news about the virtual Maritime Career Fair they are presenting next week.

People interested in careers on the water are invited to join the EDC for an online Maritime Career Fair on Thursday, March 31 from noon to 1 p.m. You will learn about seafaring careers that work here in San Juan County. Presenters will include a representative from the whale watch and boat insurance industries, a representative from Puget Sound Pilots, representatives from Washington State Ferries, and others.

The meeting will be held via Zoom so you can attend from anywhere, even with just your phone. To register, please visit the EDC’s website. Participants must be 18 years old or older. For more information, email the EDC Trades Coordinator at [email protected].

Residents of San Juan County who attend the career fair are invited to apply for coaching and financial support to defray costs of obtaining their Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). The EDC will pay for successful applicants’ TWIC card and MMC applications, and for the Coast Guard physical and drug test, and will assist applicants through the process. The number of awards will depend on funds available, and the EDC gratefully invites donors to support the program.

The San Juan County Council will hold a second regular meeting this week on Tuesday, March 22 at 9 a.m. The Council will hold two public hearings, including time for public comment:

• Approving a resolution to dispose of surplus County personal property by direct sale
• Continuing an ordinance of adopting amendments to the Personnel Policy Manual to Tuesday, April 5

Items up for discussion or action include:

• 2021 fourth quarter financial report
• Precinct changes, scheduling public hearing for Tuesday, April 19
• Considering an ordinance amending County Code 3.16 (Lodging Tax)
• American Rescue Plan Act update
• Acceptance by the Land Bank of a deed for the Hauschka Cady Mountain property
• Restoring the Land Bank Orcas Field Assistant position to 1.0 FTE
• Setting a public hearing for a code change for County Code 8.20 (Board of Health) for Tuesday, April 19
• Revise Table 18.30.040 (Allowable and prohibited uses in Rural, Resource and Special Land Designations) to allow government offices allowed by right in the RGU, RI and RC zoning districts and with conditional use permits in the RR, RFF, AG, FOR and C districts.
• Boards & Commissions Code of Conduct Policy

The meeting will also include a council and legislative update, an update from the County Manager, and an update from the Council Clerk. In addition, the Council will hold three non-public Executive sessions — one to discuss litigation with legal counsel, one to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee, and the other related to data security.

You can view the live stream of the meeting online or attend in person at the Council Legislative Hearing Room. Masks are required for in-person attendance. To make a public comment, sign up prior to 9 a.m. on March 22.

There’s a new storage facility located next to the old animal shelter building on Shelter Road. Call 360-298-8873 for more information.

Friday Harbor High School placed second in the state in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing competition at the 2022 Washington Technology Student Association annual conference last week.

Back by popular demand, the Family Resource Center’s outdoor playgroup for children three years of age or younger returns two weeks from today, April 4, at the Fairgrounds.

The San Juan Preservation Trust’s first Island Marble Butterfly project of the year takes place today. Volunteers will be seeding host plants at three habitat plots created for the butterfly. There are two sessions, both at Red Mill Farm. One is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the other goes from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SJPT’s Ellis Preserve on Shaw Island re-opened last week. You can visit Thursday through Monday, from dawn to dusk, through the summer.

Gilligan’s Island Style E-Bike Rentals is moving around the corner to 175 First Street, next to Aloha Friday Hawaiian BBQ.

The Jolly Trolley business is for sale due to health reasons. The owners are offering a great price for the upcoming busy season, which starts in April. For more details call 360-298-8873.

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