Here’s a reminder from Travis Ayers, president of San Juan Soccer –

Dear All,

Waitlists are now open until midnight on Tuesday, 30Jul13. This is critical: waitlists are accommodated on a space available, first-come, first-serve basis. So do not delay.

Go to www.islandsoccer.org to sign up on the waitlist. If there is room for your child, you will be notified in August (when we form final teams, order uniforms, etc) and you will need to pay at that point. For the older teams, a 2-payment plan is an option.

Scholarships are still available, so please don’t let that stop you from getting on the waitlist. Email me to make a request. ayers [.] travis [@] gmail [.] com

There were a few people that waited until the last minute before the deadline and had diffifulties registering. PLEASE don’t wait – if you have trouble signing up I can’t help you on the last day.

Looking forward to another great season!

Sincerely,

Travis Ayers
President
San Juan Soccer

Shelley Borahan, of Herb’s Tavern fame said that if Team Herb’s were to raise $5,000.00 for Relay for Life, she would cut all her hair off. Well, Team Herb’s raised more than $5,000.00 so guess what… Shelley got buzzed at the big Rock the Cause fundraiser at the Fairgrounds on Saturday. Way to go Team Herb’s and Way to Go SHELLEY! Good people doing good things for a good cause.

Shelley is about to lose all her hair at the hands of Mike Scott and Shawnna Vert

Shawnna checks in with Shelley after the deed is done, to make sure she’s OK

In yesterday’s ceremony at the Community Theatre, brides Judy Lingerfelt & Ellen Roberts listen as Rabbi Sarah Newmark sings, under the wedding canopy (chuppah) designed by Judy for the evening, representing the home they have built together. (Photo by Ian Byington)

Sometimes you’re lucky….that’s how I felt when Josie & I attended our good friends Ellen & Judy’s wedding ceremony at the Community Theatre last night.

The brides were beautiful, family & friends were plentiful, the ceremony was both moving & uplifting, and folks left with that glow that comes from attending something special. Together for 18 years, the two were able to tie the knot after the right to marry for same-gender couples became legal in Washington state last fall (previous stories: in December & after the election in November). Here’s more, in remarks prepared by the family:

Judy (left) and Ellen enjoy the reception in the Theatre’s lobby with music, food, cake & friends & family. (Photo by Ian Byington)

This was a first for the San Juan Community Theatre, hosting a wedding on the patio of the Steele Memorial Garden.  About 100 relatives and friends gathered from around the country and Canada to celebrate with Judy Lingerfelt and Ellen Roberts at their wedding.

Rabbi Sarah Newmark of Gig Harbor performed the ceremony under the chuppah that Judy designed and created. Angel Michaels sang Dodi Li, a traditional setting of the verse, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” The reception featured music sung by many friends of the couple, accompanied by Jim Collado.

Ellen and Judy moved to the island 11 years ago, after Judy retired from teaching elementary school in Vancouver, WA. Ellen worked until retirement here as a social worker. Why did they choose to be married at the theatre? Ellen says it is her “home away from home,” where she volunteers primarily as a stage manager. Judy and Ellen love the arts. The active community theatre, along with scenic beauty and the quiet lifestyle, attracted them to live in Friday Harbor. Judy and Ellen love the supportive community with so many opportunities to contribute their time and skills to improve the lives of others. They volunteer through Soroptimists and other local organizations.

L-22 or “Spirit” enjoying the home waters of the Salish Sea – Jim Maya photo

What a day on the waters of the Salish Sea! L 22s and Humpbacks. It’s always a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands. Some are more beautiful than others.
~ Capt. Jim of Maya’s Westside Whale Charters

Next Wednesday, July 24 6:30 -8:15 pm, at the Historical Museum – It’s Island Rec’s Music on the Lawn, FREE Summer Concert Series. 405 Price Street.
Featuring “The WIRED“, the 2012 winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Comprised of Washington Blues Society Performer and Songwriter of the Year, Kevin Sutton along with rhythm king Rick ‘the stick’ Jacobson on drums and Seattle legend Keith Bakke on bass. Get out and see the WIRED for their sweet and soulful take on the American Art Form we call “THE BLUES.” Go to www.islandrec.org or call Island Rec at 378-4953 for more information. Bring a picnic dinner. Pets and alcohol are not permitted. Sponsored by IPS, Islander’s Insurance and FANS, Families and Neighbors support Island Rec.

It’s this Saturday at the Fairgrounds. 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM – A multi-team Relay for Life Fundraiser; Celebrating 100 years of the American Cancer Society, the Official Sponsor of More Birthdays. Hope to see you there!

Island Rec – Beach Volleyball Tournament, August 4th

Get a team together and come out for a day of fun competition in the sand and sun. Island Rec is hosting its 4th annual 2-on-2 Beach Volleyball Tournament for teens and adults. Teams can be made up of 2 or 3 people of any combination of men and women. Early Registration is $32/team, 3rd player fee is $17. Day of registration is open from 9 – 9:30am. Tournament starts promptly at 10 am. Must have 10 teams by early registration deadline, July 25.

Register online at www.islandrec.org, or in person at 580 Guard St. Monday – Friday 1:00 – 5:00 pm.

Mike Sharadin, owner of the new wine bar on 2nd St. behind the drug store

Mike Sharadin, owner of N.W. Totem Cellars in Woodinville is opening a wine tasting bar here in Friday Harbor. It is almost complete, but there are just a few things left to finish up before the grand opening next Friday the 26th. That’s the official grand opening, but they will most likely be open for a few days this weekend too. Mike started making wine as a hobby in his home roughly 10 years ago, starting with carboys, then moving up to barrels and the next logical step was to begin selling it, so that’s what he’s been doing since 2005.

In addition to wines, he will also have a selection of light food items which will include collaborations of fare from several other island restaurants, and eventually he will have beer on tap as well. Many of the fixtures in the remodeled restaurant (formerly Marilyn’s Garden Path Cafe), are made out of wine barrels, including the fence out by the sidewalk. It’s really a nice looking place – go check it out when you have a minute and say hello.

Recent oil paintings that feature the rusted marks, maritime markers and the language in the world of rust, algae & slime from the surface of tankers, freighter and barges. Taking her inspiration from working maritime ships, Melinda creates an abstraction rooted in the realities of steel rust and water. This is the world and work of painter, Melinda Hannigan.

Melinda, always having a relationship with the water, whether through her family or friends, created a fascination with the water and the vessels that glide in the water. The water affects the steel hull of the freighters, tankers and barges, impacting, leaving many types of marks. The anchors, the buoys, the cranes & shipping crates, the piers, the other vehicles, all affect one another. Always leaving marks.

These marks and gouges eventually turn into rust, and the world of rust has many colors. Can steel turn pink?

Can that lively shade of green, be slime growing on the hull? These images captivate Melinda, and serve as the prologue for the creation of her oil paintings, with Melinda turning hard steel realities into abstract paintings.

Water markers, churn against the pale blue steel. Yes, you begin to see the freighter and the waterlines. The language of the sea becomes waypoint markers in understanding abstract painting.

Melinda Hannigan – The Rusted Surface
July 20 – August 10
For further information contact
—
Ruth Offen
WaterWorks Gallery
315 Argyle St.
(360) 378-3060

That’s Isaac and Hayden, proprietors of Sno-to-Go sno cone stand down by the ferry landing

Sno-To-Go is a new SnoCone stand, located on the east side of the Harbor View building (the one that Salon Capella & Bo Turnage are in) outside the building facing the ferry lanes. Isaac and Hayden Mayer take turns working the stand which is open from 12-5 on weekdays and 11-6 on weekends through September.

Their mother (and venture capitalist) Michele got the idea when realizing that their summer commitments would make it difficult for the kids to find jobs. She recalled that in high school on the island, one of her classmates opened a shaved ice business and did quite well with it. After talking it over, the kids were excited about it, so they went through the process of researching business licenses, pricing, inventory, etc, and they decided to go for it.

So thanks to the efforts of many community folks – Ken Nilsson the owner of the HV building, Peter Schmidt Construction for building the stand, and Anne Francis Web Design for the logo design – they opened on July 3rd. Hayden came up with the name and Isaac put in efforts in the final stages of the stand and now they will be running the show!

It’s a fun way for the kids to earn summer money and learn about running their own business. And we all hope that it will be successful!

The documentary I AM is the story of a man who had it all until something happened to make him realize he might have it all… wrong. After a near-death experience, Hollywood film director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura) decided to spark a conversation around two rarely asked questions: what’s wrong with our world and what can we do about it?

And so Shadyac traveled the globe interviewing today’s greatest thinkers. And while he may have been filming a documentary, his film reveals a plot twist straight out of a blockbuster movie: scientific proof that we are all connected. By the final scene, it’s clear that while he started out asking what’s wrong with our world, he ended up discovering what’s right with it.

This is the first in a series of documentary films to be shown every Tuesday evening at 7 PM in the new screening room at the Friday Harbor Film Festival Office at 10 First Street. They will have free popcorn, admission is by donation and seating is limited.

Scenic Byway Bus Pass Winners Tara Hartman and Gina Contolini

Two summer kayak guides were lucky winners in the Scenic Byway Free Bus Pass Contest. Tara Hartman and Gina Contolini submitted essays outlining what they saw as the value of having a bus in the summertime. Gina wrote, “Traveling around the island is so important to me not only because I want to take full advantage of my time here, but also, as a kayak guide, I need to have first-hand, recent experiences around the whole island so I can be a useful resource for my clients—clients who, like me, do not have cars but still want to fully enjoy all of San Juan Island’s beauty.”

When asked how she intends to use her bus pass, Tara wrote, “If I received a bus pass, I would use it to travel to the West side of the island to volunteer at Lime Kiln Point State Park. I would like to spend time volunteering for Professor Bob at the lighthouse, researching J, K, and L pods.”

Reducing the congestion of additional cars on the ferry and roads is a goal of the Scenic Byway Explorer Bus project. Visitors are invited to leave their cars behind and jump on the Scenic Byway Explorer Bus to enjoy a car-free experience. By taking a quick survey at www.visitsanjuans.com/scenicbyway they can download a 2-for-1 Explorer Pass, good for a day of exploring on Orcas or San Juan Island. Bus schedules and routes are available at www.sanjuantransit.com.

Don’t forget – the Summer Arts Fair is this weekend – July 20-21

Alison Engle, whose art is featured on this year’s Summer Arts Fair collectible poster – Photo courtesy Sherry Otis, fridayharbornow.com

Handcrafted and painted furniture, jewelry, paintings, ceramics, hand-knotted hammocks, pottery, metal crafts and foods – it’s all here, in one place, the third weekend in July. The 14th Annual Summer Arts Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Court Street, will feature more children’s activities, more artists and craftspeople, and more food vendors than ever before, says Rebecca Parks, San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce events coordinator.

The annual event, begun by the Chamber of Commerce in 1999, is the largest arts and music festival on San Juan Island. “This is the Summer Arts Fair’s biggest year ever – you definitely won’t want to miss it!”

To a festive musical background from the courthouse lawn stage, islanders and guests take this annual opportunity to stock up on unique island gifts that support local artists and craftspeople at the Summer Arts Fair on Court Street – Photo courtesy Sherry Otis, fridayharbornow.com

Garry Oak Woodland – Mike Vouri photo

Work continues on enhancing and protecting one of our most special and diverse habitats. Join the Land Bank to explore this beautiful preserve, learn more about this increasingly rare habitat, and enjoy the company of other islanders. Noon – 4pm, Thursday, July 18th at Cady Mountain Preserve.
Contact the Land Bank to RSVP for the work parties and more information! sjclandbank [@] rockisland [.] com (360) 378-4402

The San Juan Island Garden Club Expresses a Huge Thank You to this Beautiful Community for the support of the 2013 Fair Premium Booklet and Exhibitor’s Guide

The San Juan Island Garden Club again is pleased to announce the publication of the hardcopy version of the 2013 San Juan County Fair Exhibitor’s Guide & Premium Book this year.

The 2013 Booklet is dedicated to Edith Dickinson, who has been a stalwart gardener for decades and she has been an inspiration to anyone who has passed her garden or orchards in the past years. Thank you, Edith, for your outstanding guidance to anyone who asked and for your inspiration to all who viewed your gardens over the years.

The booklet will be available in public libraries and senior centers on San Juan, Lopez Shaw, Waldron, and Orcas Islands very soon. Numerous locations in Friday Harbor (including the Farmers’ Market) and the Roche Harbor Market will have copies for those who are interested in submitting entries or participating in the County Fair.

The San Juan Island Garden Club sincerely thanks all of the extremely generous businesses, organizations, service clubs, and individuals in the community who make the publication of this hardcopy version of the booklet possible. The Booklet fulfills a need again for those who wish to submit entries in the Fair, and who do not have access to the online version of the booklet or who choose not to make their entries in that manner.

Thank you to the advertisers and contributors who helped make the 2013 version of the Booklet happen again.

We look forward to seeing you at the Fair from Aug 14 – 17, 2013! What an exciting time!

Marguerite Bennett, President, SJI Garden Club
Dot Vandaveer, Chair, Fair Booklet Committee

The San Juan Island Community Foundation Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Matthews as its new – and first – executive director. Susan has served the community as the Foundation’s Program Coordinator and Operations Manager for the last seven years. In her new role Susan will assume operational leadership for all aspects of the Foundation and, in conjunction with the all-volunteer board, will expand the array of services provided to both donors and local nonprofits. The Foundation’s continuing goal is to support our island as a healthy and sustainable community while simultaneously increasing each citizen’s individual quality of life.

“My heart and soul has been in the work of the Community Foundation since the day I arrived here on the island almost seven years ago,” said Susan. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to continue that work on the community’s behalf.”

Board Chair Charles Anderson said, “This is a momentous time for the Community Foundation. We have seen unprecedented growth over the last ten years in both the level of community need and in the Community Foundation’s ability to match our generous local donors to those critical opportunities. We take great care to help many of our local nonprofits adopt a business planning approach to their projects, and to be able to reflect those methods in our reports to donors.”

A few results achieved over the last ten years help tell the Community Foundation’s story and point toward the future of the organization that will be led by our new executive director:

• $3 million to over 100 local nonprofit projects;
• $10.5 million to build our new medical center and hospital;
• Scholarships on behalf of 75 local students to more than 30 educational institutions!

Please learn more about your Community Foundation. Join us in ensuring that San Juan Island is THE best place to live – for all of us!
For more information about the Community Foundation and the partnerships, programs and projects that we support, please visit our web site at: www.sjicf.org — or contact Susan at the Foundation office, 378-1001.