Posted May 30, 2013 at 5:46 am by Tim Dustrude
Roadside Attractions – Tim Dustrude photo
Saw these little guys on the side of False Bay Road today when we were showing some off-island friends around and just had to stop and snap some pics. There were 3 of them, with no mother around that we could see. The 3rd one was on the other side of the road, and they all just sat there and watched calmly, the little black one all curled up, while I took their picture. You can see it larger if you click on it.
Posted May 30, 2013 at 5:45 am by Tim Dustrude
Division champs, a top 10 world-ranked quartet and San Juan Island’s own barbershop masters bring sweet harmonies to San Juan Community Theatre on Sunday, June 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Celebrating its 15th year in Friday Harbor, Barbershop Bonanza has grown into a popular Sunday afternoon medley of contemporary and old-time favorites honoring this uniquely American music with its a cappella four-part harmonies.
Hosted by San Juan’s mixed barbershop chorus, Island Chordsmen Plus and featuring the island’s local women’s a cappella ensemble, Sound Vibrations (both directed by Angel Michaels), the Bonanza also adds two mainland groups this year to complete the entertainment.
Based in Bellingham, the men’s a cappella chorus Mt. Baker Toppers recently won the 2013 Evergreen District Division I championship in British Columbia. Formed more than 50 years ago, the chorus performs a variety of musical genres including pop, doo-wop, gospel, and barbershop.
Ranked 9th best barbershop quartet in the world in 2012, Via Voice also scored the highest in the quartet division at the Evergreen District finals this year. The Pacific Northwest group’s 4-part harmony styles include arrangements that infuse traditional barbershop with ’40s and ’50s jazz, and ’60s and ’70s rock.
The Business Partners for the Bonanza are Goddu Langlie, Lawyers/Advisors and Friday Harbor Drug. All tickets are $18, with festival seating. The SJCT box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Posted May 30, 2013 at 5:35 am by Tim Dustrude
Hey Teens! Island Rec is offering some awesome opportunities for fun in the sun this summer! Sign up for “REC X” programs to build lifelong leisure & recreation skills:
Creative, artistic types should check out the new beading class and skateboard building workshops being offered this year. Soccer enthusiasts are sure to get a kick out of TetraBrazil. Learn how to rig, tack & jibe at one of several Sailing classes. Aspiring fashion designers can learn how to sew at Camp Stitch-A-Lot. Try your hand at juggling, acro-balance, trapeze, and other tricks of the circus trade at the Little Big Top Circus Academy. Or experience a vibrant musical culture with special guests from Zimbabwe at “Marimba on the Rock!” And then celebrate the last days of summer with a trip to the Birch Bay Waterslide Park! There’s LOTS to do this summer!
Space is limited in all programs, so sign up today! Pick up a copy of Island Rec’s program guide to learn more about dates, fees, and age limits for specific programs.
To register, or for more information call 378-4953 or visit www.islandrec.org.
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:55 am by Tim Dustrude
Bob Stavers shot this beautiful photo last Saturday evening of a rainbow over the strait just off of Eagle Cove. Thanks Bob!
Eagle Cove Rainbow – Bob Stavers photo
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:50 am by Tim Dustrude
Clean up underway at the site of the collapsed I-5 Skagit River Bridge – WSDOT photo
Clean up of the collapsed I-5 bridge over the Skagit is about 2/3 done and parts & materials for the new temporary span began arriving on site on Tuesday. WSDOT has a nice webpage with routine updates which you can see here. Be sure to click the link with photos.
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:45 am by Tim Dustrude
2009 Fireworks as seen from Evergreen 2 neighborhood – Tim Dustrude photo
Are you a family and/or business who enjoys the annual fireworks? Please show your support this year!
You might not know that your Chamber of Commerce is responsible for raising the money each year to pay for the Friday Harbor 4th of July Fireworks. As you can imagine, the chamber doesn’t have anywhere near the budget to cover the $15,000 needed. So each year, we rely on you, the island community.
The Town of Friday Harbor, Valmark and The Port of Friday Harbor chip in, and Vic’s DriveIn is sponsoring a big drive at the restaurant (with a donation-matching challenge!)
But we need more help. Every dollar helps!
Please call 378-5240 today with a credit card or visit the chamber office with your check or cash. Our PayPal account is ([email protected].) Mailing address is P.O. Box 98.
(Note to Businesses: This year we are offering sponsorships, with all the wonderful island publicity that offers. Your contribution of $1,000 will show the island how much your business cares about this venerable island event. Please call the Chamber at 378-5240 with your ideas of how sponsoring the fireworks can boost your community-friendly business profile.)
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:40 am by Tim Dustrude
Island Arts League is pleased to offer a wonderful drawing class with the gifted instructor and talented artist, Taylor Bruce. Suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. Eight classes total, sign up early… limited to eight students to high level of personalized instruction. Mondays, June 3 to July 22.
For more class information contact Education Director Dave Price at 360-378-3871.
Island Arts League provides art education to the community. IAL members receive discounts on class fees. Currently IAL is seeking volunteers to assist the organization. If you have a little time to give this worthy organization (do not need to be an artist) please contact Membership Chair Marie DiCristina 360-378-7595 or President Roxanne Angel 360-510-0533.
Find Island Arts League at the County Fair with the popular Art Raffle Booth, a fundraiser for High School art scholarships. Look for more great art classes coming this summer.
Happy Art Making! Please click on flyer to enlarge.
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:35 am by Tim Dustrude
L to R top: Meagan Jones, Jerry Jamison, Marin Karraker; bottom: David Dubbell, Carla Wright, Liz Rowen, Elizabeth Farr, Dorothy Baker, Ken Baker, Jason Miniken – Ron Garner photo
The San Juan Island Fire Rescue has formed a new program, Major Emergency Response Team (MERT), to help neighbors in case of a major emergency on the Island. These folks will staff their neighborhood fire stations helping to keep track of residents, injuries, structural and property damage in their areas. When Emergency Services arrive at their individual neighborhood, the MERT member will be able to report on the current situation saving time and resources for the Emergency Medical and Fire response teams.
The MERT volunteers will have the latest information on Red Cross shelters, situations across the island and on the mainland. They will also provide a tack board where residents can leave messages for family and friends. A MERT ON DUTY sign will be posted when a volunteer is present.
These volunteers, who are not a part of any other disaster preparedness team on the Island, attended a class and will do so yearly to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of emergency assistance.
MERT’s creator, Ron Garner, is very pleased with the support MERT has received from the residents of San Juan Island.
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:35 am by Tim Dustrude
The University of Washington’s Dr. Julie Stein will discuss archaeological investigations of ancient cultures at American Camp and San Juan Island in a guided walk scheduled 10 a.m., Saturday, June 1 at American Camp’s South Beach site.
The walk is free and meets at Alaska Packer’s Rock, located at the end of the gravel access road that parallels the beach. Attendees should plan to park in the main beach parking area at the end of Pickett’s Lane and walk to the meeting point. As the walk will cover a portion of the prairie above the beach, walkers should wear sturdy, comfortable shoes.
Stein is the author of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The Archaeology of the San Juan Islands (University of Washington Press, $18.95), which examines Coast Salish culture through excavations conducted by University of Washington crews at American and English camps going back to the early 1950s.
Her talk will focus on ancient life at South Beach, which included hunting and gathering, camping, several forms of fishing and cultivation of camas and other root foods. She also will discuss middens, or trash mounds, located in several areas along the beach that have remained remarkably in evidence over time.
The middens have revealed a picture of ancient life at American Camp going back as far as 8,000 years, according to Stein.
This nature walk is one of 13 Special and 10 Weekly programs presented by the park in 2013. For more information about park programming click here. (PDF)
Posted May 29, 2013 at 5:33 am by Tim Dustrude
Left to Right: Jim Knych, Vietnam veteran, Alex Gavora and Minnie Knych American Legion Auxiliary members.
Minnie Knych shares this tidbit about Memorial Day in Friday Harbor and how they’re helping local families:
The American Legion Auxiliary distributed poppies for all who attended the Memorial Day ceremony in Friday Harbor. Funds collected from the poppy program all remain on San Juan Island and are used to assist veterans and veteran families in need.
Posted May 28, 2013 at 11:35 pm by Ian Byington
Among tens of thousands of other folks, we caught Miss Canada (Melanie Williamson) in the Victoria Day Parade….she was waving to me, I think, and Josie, and a hundred people on the sidewalk with us…
It’s been a while since you & I checked in.
I’m happy to report that Victoria remains THE tourist destination for you, this summer. Only $6.90 to walk on the WSF ferry, and $2.50 to ride the bus from Sidney to Victoria, which leaves plenty of money for ice cream.
Tens of thousands turned out for last week’s Victoria Day Parade through town, and a mob was here last weekend for the Swiftsure boat races….make your plans, and come over….you’ll be glad you did.
In other news:
The provincial elections were last week, with the Liberals (who are the more conservative lot) beating the New Democrats (the NDP, who are pretty liberal) in an upset, as the NDP were expected to bump the Libs out of control of the legislature. The Green Party surprised people by winning their first seat ever, and the Conservatives (more conservative than the Liberals, hence the name) surprised folks by getting nearly 5% of the vote; less of a surprise, they won no seats, just like last election..
The Royal Scot is an awesome place to stay, if you’re looking for a place, and their bear will rub your head if you ask…..
There’s a new frozen yogurt place in Cook Street Village that I’ll take you to, if you come to visit.
It’s fun to bump into Friday Harbor folks on the streets… the island’s Road Scholar program (with trips to Victoria) begins next week, and we see San Juan Island’s George Smith around the neighbourhood, too.
The next great party here is Canada Day (July 1st), with music all day & night, and fireworks over the harbour, and people in the street all day….awesome. Make plans!
Currency: The US dollar is near par with the Canadian dollar (it was $1US = .97CAD earlier today), so it’s easy to budget for the visit.
Here are a few pictures I took for you, to show you a bit of what’s up here.
Yep, that’s Darth Vadar playing the violin for tips, downtown on a sunny weekend day….
The birds & flowers & kids are all running around Beacon Hill Park this spring (those are Canada geese, not Portuguese….)
Caught this last week – someone put this blownup elephant on this tough guy’s motorcycle while he was getting a cuppa at Starbuck’s….fun to watch everyone in the place watch him go back to his bike….
Travel correspondent Ian Byington’s special reports to the Update are posted whenever the prose is clear, the photos crisp, and the weather nice enough to go out & play in. He & Josie currently live in Victoria, BC after nearly two decades on San Juan Island.
Posted May 28, 2013 at 6:10 am by Ian Byington
Emily cuts the cake as John looks on – someone in the crowd yelled, “It ain’t surgery, John!” but the cake was cut very precisely, anyway. That’s them in miniature on the cake, in the plane. Photo by Ian Byington.
Great news!
The sun came out & the sky cleared for the event: longtime islanders Emily Reed & John Geyman were married Saturday, and met up with a couple hundred well-wishers for a reception at Ernie’s, which ended with John flying Emily in his plane around the island, to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Emily came to the island in the seventies after serving as dean of students at Berkeley, coming to work as counselor at Friday Harbor High before producing her well-known “Emily’s Guides” of the San Juan Islands, as well as editing other folks’ books and usually juggling a bunch of projects at one time, including working as a group leader for the Skagit Valley College Road Scholar program.
Most folks know John from his years as a doctor at the medical center up until his retirement. He too is a writer.
Congratulations, you two!
John & Emily head to the plane…..photo by Nancy DeVaux
John & Emily on the tarmac….(it’s behind the one in the picture….)…photo by Ian Byington, wedding photographer (not! 🙂 )
Posted May 28, 2013 at 5:42 am by Tim Dustrude
Part of the Airport Loop section of the American Camp Trail
Join the SJI Trails Committee for the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the American Camp Trail (ACT) on Saturday, June 1st at 11:00 am at the town trailhead at the top of Spring Street near the Office Center. Enjoy refreshments while hearing from Trail partners – Island Rec, Land Bank, Public Works, National Park Service, Port of Friday Harbor, and learning the trail’s history.
Afterwards, take a self-guided walk on the Airport loop, or continue to the Golf Course, or to American Camp Visitors Center. A shuttle will be available at those last 2 locations for return to town.
Please park on street.
The Trails Committee is a sub-committee of the Island Rec Board.
Posted May 28, 2013 at 5:27 am by Tim Dustrude
Click for larger poster
On Saturday night, June 1, 2013, Friday Harbor Laboratories will hold its 13th annual Jazz at the Labs, an evening of great food, a silent auction and GREAT MUSIC at the Friday Harbor Labs. All proceeds from Jazz at the Labs will benefit the Friday Harbor Laboratories K-12 Science Outreach Program in the San Juan Island Elementary, Middle and High Schools and the Spring Street International School.
Doors open at 5:30 for previewing the auction items. Dinner will begin at 6 pm and will be accompanied by the San Juan Jazz Quintet, with special guest, Hawk Arps on the vibraphone. SJJQ has entertained audiences in the PNW since 1990, playing standards, swing, bebop, originals and latin jazz. You can also find them regularly playing at the Rumor Mill restaurant in Friday Harbor.
Following SJJQ, once again, you’ll be delighted by the fabulous Jazz Coalescence from Seattle. Chris Amemiya, scientist and musician extraordinaire, gathers some of the finest jazz musicians in the northwest for this special night.
Emcee for the evening is KPLU Jazz host, Dick Stein. Farhad Ghatan will also join us to help with the silent auction and our Fund-a-Need effort.
Tickets: $40 per person, includes dinner and music. We recommend that you call 360-378-2165 ext. 0 to make your reservation in advance!
We are extremely grateful to our generous sponsors:
Posted May 28, 2013 at 5:20 am by Tim Dustrude
In observance of this month’s historic preservation theme, the Town of Friday Harbor has scheduled a new walking tour with a twist: ghost stories. Come to “Ghosts Among Us,” with or without experiences to share, when we meet on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Park at the bottom of Spring Street. We’ll make several stops along the route, while Robin Jacobson tells tales she’s collected and Town historic preservation coordinator Sandy Strehlou talks about the history of their buildings of origin.
Look through the window where something big happened in 1897 which makes that spot unworldly active today. Find out why we care about a little girl ghost, her little dog ghost and a visiting 19th century gentleman named Walter who has yet to check out of his inn. Hear why we know the identity of the lady in the black duster. We haven’t heard all the stories yet and would love to hear yours. No reservations needed and all are invited. For more info, email: sstrehlou [@] fridayharbor.org or call 378-2810.
Posted May 27, 2013 at 11:31 am by Tim Dustrude
Just got this notice from the office of Emergency Management Director Brendan Cowan:
A diverse array of local elected officials, government staff, and business representatives from each of the San Juan Islands have been working hard this weekend to monitor and manage impacts from the I-5 bridge collapse on the islands’ economy.
Said San Juan County Council Member Rick Hughes from Orcas Island, “Key people began talking on Thursday night, and on Friday morning we had a meeting with Duncan Wilson from the Town of Friday Harbor, our Emergency Manager, Brendan Cowan, Deborah Hopkins Buchanan from the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, and Bob Jean from the County.”
The immediate concern of all involved was understanding the implications of the collapse and working to communicate information on reroutes and impacts to visitors, businesses, and residents. “We’ve been working hard to get positive information out there, and to try to deliver a more informative and detailed message than what we’ve been seeing from DOT. The reality is that there are lots of alternate routes available, and we want to make sure the message that the islands are open for business is heard loud and clear.” said Friday Harbor Administrator Duncan Wilson.
“Emergency Management Director Cowan has been hosting regular conference calls with the Chambers, Visitor’s Bureau, and local government, and State Senator Kevin Ranker who is working closely with the Governor’s Office and other State agencies, and the cooperation has been great. We’ve really tried to craft an accurate, clear, and consistent message” said Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher. Added Deborah Hopkins Buchanan from the Visitors’ Bureau, “Our island businesses have really done an amazing job of reaching out directly to their guests and clients- sharing information with them and helping them figure out how best to get to the islands. It’s a real County-wide effort.” Continue Reading