FHHS pitcher Otis Cooper-West retires the last Bellevue Christian batter in Thursday's 14-4 win in Friday Harbor.

On to State!

Wolverine Coach Rich Warin shakes hands with the BC coaching staff after the last out.

The Friday Harbor Wolverines played the kind of baseball game they have all year long & pulled out a 14-4 win over Bellevue Christian Thursday afternoon, winning a trip to the state tournament. The teams played five innings as FHHS ten-runned the visitors in a game that started under sunny springtime skies.

The Wolverines now play two games for regional seeding, starting with the Chimacum Cowboys (19-1) Friday (it was moved up from Saturday) at Coupeville at 4pm. Chimacum won yesterday at Vashon, 12-2 to advance to Friday’s game.

Here’s the latest from the superintendent’s office…

Update on FHES Principal Search

By Superintendent Rick Thompson 378-4133

May 12, 2011

The search committee met on May 12, 2011 and decided to move forward with reviewing candidates for the position of Interim Elementary School Principal.  The committee is composed of:

• Rick Thompson, Superintendent
• Tessa Degavre, teacher
• Shannon Miniken, parent
• Amy Hull, teacher
• Kay Jakutis, Special Education Director
• Marty Robinson, Office Manager
• Robin DeLaZerda, parent
• Gail Leschine-Seitz, counselor
• Jo Sandwith, teacher
• Brent Snow, School Board liaison
• Susan Williamson, paraeducator
• Marie Rothlisberger, HR Specialist
• Mike Taylor, Parent

The committee began by reviewing reasons why potential candidates for the permanent position may have withdrawn from consideration. Among the reasons relayed and discussed were the high cost of real estate, relatively low salary in comparison to some other school districts, personal reasons, and unusual circumstances in the district at this time.  The committee has been, and will continue to be committed to screening references in order to find the best possible fit and to avoid future conflicts.

The committee did express their commitment to finding the right candidate. The committee also reviewed written comment which the district received that had expressed the desire to retain the current principal as interim.  The district position remains unchanged, and the search for an interim principal will continue until a satisfactory candidate is found.

Initial committee interviews for interim candidates have been scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, 2011.  The committee will meet again on May 20, 2011 to review application documents and references.

The committee will also review public comment which can be submitted at [email protected].

Let’s see what’s up:

• Today at Pablito’s, Paul is offering his dad’s award-winning chili with jalapeño corn bread..check it out!

• The baseball playoff game was washed out yesterday, so the Wolverines play Bellevue Christian at 5pm today, which is cool…we used our top two pitchers in Monday’s two games, which means they weren’t available yesterday (by state rules, and good sense), but they are today. We win – we go to state. We lose, we play  & have to win two on Saturday to get to go to state. Love those Wolverines! (By the way, the state requires it – there will be an admission charge today, because it’s a playoff game….)

The Teddy Bear Picnic is this weekend!

• It’s this weekend! Here’s more from Jan Bollwinkel-Smith:

CATS’ Teddy Bear Picnic on May 14

Island youngsters get to cuddle their favorite “teddy” during CATS’ annual Teddy Bear Picnic on Saturday, May 14.

The FREE event from noon to 2:00 in San Juan Community Theatre’s patio garden features face painting, crafts projects, refreshments and, of course, teddy bears!  This year, a story teller will be followed by two special musicians.

The refreshments will include PB & J or grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit, juice and cookies in the shape of bears.

Each child also receives a complimentary stuffed bear from CATS and a book from the Early Learning Consortium and Critical Needs Task Force.

• You can help the Woodwards with their mission to the Dominican Republic, and eat well too – here’s the deal:

Mo & Vic are making plans for the summer...

A Night Out at Mo’s Cafe – BBQ dinner

You are invited to attend a barbecue dinner in support of the Woodwards’ 2011 Dominican Republic mission trip.

When? Thursday May 12th, anytime between 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Where? The home of the Brumsickle family, 320 Ross Lane, Friday Harbor.
Need directions? Call 378-8435 or 378-6015

Please come by for dinner, and pay by donation to help with the costs of this seven week mission trip. Learn how you can touch the lives of Haitian children living in the Dominican Republic through the Woodward’s outreach; in partnership with Children of the Nations.

Please consider giving online to our mission. See this link & include our names, Vic and Monique Woodward and our consultant number – DR_THW611. Thanks!

• It’s Cruisin’ Time with the middle school’s PTA! Here’s more from Jan:

The Friday Harbor Middle School PTA has organized a special cruise on San Juan Excursions’ 65-footer, the Odyssey on Friday, May 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

“This is not only a unique FUNdraiser for the FHMS PTA, but it’s a great way for parents and other adults to get together without the kids and just chill,” said FHMS PTA secretary Jan Bollwinkel-Smith.

Tickets are $30 per person and include complimentary appetizers and spectacular scenery, moving toward Speiden Island.  The cruise is limited to 50 people on board; paid reservations are required.   Proceeds from the cruise will help the PTA with field trips, teacher appreciations, parent classes and more.

Reservations may be made at the FH Middle School Office during school hours.
For more information, contact Jan Bollwinkel-Smith at 370-5354.

• They’re Number One! Amelia from Pelindaba has more:

For the third year in a row, Pelindaba Lavender Farm has just been voted as “Best Public Garden in Western Washington” in local NBC affiliate King 5/Evening Magazine’s “Best of the Northwest Escapes 2011” contest.

Pelindaba Lavender Farm won this same title as winner of the same contest in 2009 and 2010. Stephen Robins, owner of Pelindaba Lavender, said, “We are delighted to receive this broad public recognition of what we have created here on San Juan Island. Esthetics are a critically important element of the high quality standards we strive to instill in everything we do, and help us attract even greater attention to the value of open space preservation in an increasingly crowded environment. It is particularly gratifying to have this affirmation that these efforts provide as much pleasure for others as they do for us. Continue Reading

This is the beginning of the dig in front of Herb's, Monday night when I went by....it's much farther along today.

At Monday’s Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mayor Carrie Lacher said the Town is on schedule to have the first raingarden put in by the end of the month…what IS a raingarden? Here’s more from County Pollution Prevention specialist Brian Rader:

Real World Raingarden Experiment To Reduce Pollution In Runoff

Every community in the world faces some version of this problem.

Pollutants from cars and other aspects of daily life run downhill when they hit paved surfaces. Every community has some body of water where this stuff collects. For us, most of the runoff, and pollutants, gets into the pipes under the streets and runs into our harbor.

For the last few years, Friday Harbor has been grappling with this problem and there has been a lot of activity around this issue.

Digging deeper & on schedule to be operational later this month (thanks for the photo, Brian!)

Samples have been collected and analyzed, Town workers have increased the sweeping of the streets and tracked down buildings where indoor plumbing had been incorrectly hooked up to the storm drains, instead of going to the treatment plant.

Many problems have been corrected.

Last summer and fall, it appeared that things were getting better.

Concentrations in runoff were down. But with the winter rains, some of the problems returned. It is time for a different tack. Enter the ‘raingarden.’

With grant funding from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Local Source Control Program, the Town of Friday Harbor and San Juan County Marine Resources Committee are planning to install a raingarden demonstration project along Spring Street. Its purpose is to act as a real world experiment to see if larger application of this technology might be able to purify the runoff from the mostly paved core of the town.

Raingardens are a relatively new technology often employed as part of a Low Impact Development strategy to reduce chemicals in runoff water.

They use a special soil mix and plant community that essentially act as a filter.

Johannes Krieger, a local business owner and MRC member, is leading this project. He has worked with Town officials, engineers and local contractors to put in place a plan to install a raingarden at the intersection of First and Spring streets. If all goes well, this raingarden will be in place by mid-May, positioned at the north corner by Herb’s Tavern. Construction is expected to last two to four weeks.

This one small raingarden is not intended to cure Friday Harbor’s runoff woes. It is intended to determine if this approach, applied on a larger scale, can significantly reduce pollutant concentrations in our runoff. Testing will evaluate its effectiveness and the results will direct future efforts to address this problem.

In the meantime, here are a few benefits these raingardens offer:

—- Local jobs: Boundary Water, Inc., with help from 2020 Engineering, is providing the engineering and surveying for this project; local non-profit Kwiáht, using facilities leased from Friday Harbor Labs, will do sampling and chemical analyses, and Mike Carlson Enterprises will install the raingarden.

—- Aesthetics: The raingardens will essentially look like perennial planting beds filled with cobble (to keep the soil from floating away). The plants (grasses & shrubs), selected primarily for their ability to treat runoff, will also help beautify the town.

— Volunteers: WSU and Master Gardeners have volunteered to help maintain the beds.

Best of all, this project demonstrates how a community can tackle a problem like this… by experimenting with a promising, affordable technology, and evaluating the results to inform future decisions.

Signs will help educate visitors and residents alike about pollution in runoff and how Friday Harbor is hard at work to fix the problem.

–Brian Rader is the Pollution Prevention Specialist for San Juan County.  He can be reached at brianr (at) sanjuanco.com, or 370-7581.

Colleen's smiling face is in the video - check it out!

This is fun…the state tourism guys have made a video that reminds us that having visitors is good for the economy (besides that it’s fun to share our beautiful state with folks). This is part of a campaign that is based on the notion that if everyone has one frind come, we’ll create a bunch of jobs – here’s more from Deborah Hopkins at the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau (and watch for San Juan Safaris‘ Colleen & Bill Wright in the video!):

May 7-15 is National Travel & Tourism Week. To celebrate, the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is promoting Washington State Tourism’s campaign “Share Your Washington” – asking each Island resident to invite their friends and family to visit Washington and the San Juan Islands this year. If we all get one person to visit Washington State, we can help create 20,000 jobs!

The Visitors Bureau website’s home page, and a special landing page, www.visitsanjuans.com/shareyourwashington, lead viewers to the State’s webpage at www.shareyourwashington.com, where Island residents can view a fun video explaining the campaign, and then send a San Juan Islands postcard to friends and family. Each time a postcard is sent, the sender is entered into a contest to win tickets on Alaska Airlines. Specials and packages from around the state, including the San Juan Islands, are then e-mailed to both the sender and receiver of the postcard.

Tourism is economic development. Visitors spent $116.5 million in San Juan County in 2009, the latest data available from Washington State Tourism. Travelers spent $15.2 billion in Washington State in 2010 and tourism is Washington State’s fourth largest export-oriented industry, following aerospace, software and agriculture/food.

Ready to open on Thursday: "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" The cast (Jim “Shu” Carroll, Scott Mapstead, Doug Schirmer, Amanda Lee Smith, Jill Urbach, Nicholas Zervas) gather 'round Snoopy's house...

Let’s look around a bit…

• There’s an open house at Harper Poesy today – Tea will be welcoming people to her hair studio in Surina Business Park from 4-8pm, with a chance to get 20% off/gift certificates, music, and a raffle for cool stuff, including a year’s worth of haircuts. Drop by & say hey!

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It was fun to see Ryan & Kaia on the ferry this past weekend, as they got away to visit Saltspring Island for a bit....

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• I hear from the folks at Friday Harbor High that both Greg & Jenny came through the surgery yesterday just fine, and are in re-cupe mode today…no problems. I feel pretty sure they can feel the love & support of a whole island that is cheering for them & wishing them the best.

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Gas in Canada: I got about seven & a half gallons for $40 this past weekend on Vancouver Island...a liter is about a quart, so you can do the math to see how much over $5 our friends there have to compute....

• I checked in with FHHS coach Rich Warin about the baseball team’s amazing Monday – they won both playoff games to earn a chance to go to State – wahoo! Way to go, Wolverines!

He said FHHS got timely hitting in the first game & rallied at the end to take the second in Monday’s two games, and he’s proud of the guys. Now they play Bellevue Christian here on Wednesday (tomorrow!) at 5pm…a win punches our ticket to state, while a loss sends us to the weekend to play two to get to state THAT way. (If we win Wednesday, we’ll still play on Saturday, but that’s for seeding.)

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• Open, and opening: The BBQ Shack (in the old Dos Diablos/Amigos spot) opened last weekend, and Jim Carroll told me last night the Cask & Schooner is coming along nicely in the old Ale House spot, although he didn’t offer an opening date. More on the bowling alley restaurant soon….

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• Katie Jones has the eye for great pictures & she shoots some great ones, including these on her Spyhopper Travels website of the humpback whales she saw Sunday…check ’em out!

Humpbacks in the 'hood...they were up & down the coast of Vancouver Island on Sunday, and swam over this way, too...photo by Katie Jones (Katie, you rock!)

Every one is a star at the Open House - I loved the look on this girl's face as she discovers what starfish are all about, up close & personal.

This annual event is basic to understanding why we live here…make plans to go! Here’s more from the Labs’ Rachel Anderson:

Friday Harbor Laboratories Open House

Saturday, May 14, 2011
11:00 am to 4:00 pm

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories will hold its annual Open House. This event offers a splendid opportunity to meet scientists and students at the Labs and check out the research and teaching facilities. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Labs will be open for self-guided tours. Scientists and students will showcase their marine science research, answer questions and provide demonstrations. There will be posters, marine plants and animals, microscopes, plankton sampling and observations, and activities for visitors of all ages. Families are particularly encouraged to attend.

The public is invited to learn more about marine zoology, botany, fisheries, oceanography and the equipment used by scientists in these fields. There will be demonstrations of SCUBA equipment and a SCUBA dive from the FHL dock. (SCUBA Demos will take place on the half hour.)

12:00pm “Regeneration in Marine Animals”, Dr. Billie Swalla
1:00 pm: Creating a Remotely Operated Vehicle, Friday Harbor High School and Middle School ROV Clubs
2:00 pm: “Adventures in Biomechanics,” Dr. Adam Summers, Resident Associate Director
3:00 pm: “Solving One of Cell Biology’s Most Famous Puzzles” Dr. Victoria Foe

Study shoes are recommended because the tour route includes rough dock planks, gravel paths and trails.

In keeping with FHL Open House tradition, there will be free popcorn. Refreshments including hot dogs, chips, cookies, and beverages will also be available for purchase on the Dining Hall Deck.

FHL’s website provides a detailed overview of FHL’s research, service and educational activities.

A creation from Pin Pin Apparel: Draped pencil skirt (cotton/poly blend, fully lined, hidden back zip) with Harajuku leggings, French cuff cotton shirt, crushed silk tank top.

It’s been fun to watch Leah Altman (FHHS ’07) over the past 2-3 years – whenever you run into her, she might be wearing something she just designed & then sewed herself…and it always looks good.

Leah, with friend...

Combining her sewing & designing skill with a good business plan, a never-quit, relentless positive energy (have you ever seen her NOT smiling? Even when a Thai elephant has her with his trunk?), and friends both here and in Thailand, she has opened her business to sell her specially designed, handmade clothes.

Each piece is designed by her and made by hand…you can get a pretty good idea what she & her Thai/American team have produced, and what they can do for you. Her company is called Pin Pin Apparel, and you can see her work on her Facebook site here.

Check it out & I think you’ll be impressed! Way to go, Leah!

Another creation from Pin Pin: Chiffon ruffles skirt (black skirt with three overlapping chiffon ruffles; polyester; bright gold back zip; unlined; available in cobalt/white {shown} and floral/multi) with grey lace waist belt

Kirk at Mellowwoods Music has put together a music showcase for this week you’ll want to catch…and get your tickets for soon, since there are only 50 seats! Here’s the deal, from Kirk:

Isle be Jammin’ Performer’s Showcase hosts “San Juan Island’s Best kept Secret: WOMEN & MUSIC. Thursday May 12th 7-9:30pm.

Please come join us at the new Isle be Jammin’ music store location….310b Spring Street (the old location of Creme Brulee). This in-house concert will feature six separate performances by local Island women.  Each set will be about 20 minutes, featuring solo as well as group performances. There will be an intermission with goodies for sale, made by Anne Digiovanni of Isis Bakery fame. This is the second of a series of concerts to be offered at the music store during this year.

Tickets ($10.00) on sale at the store now and if there are any left, at the door.  House capacity is 50 seats , so get your tickets early!

Last week, the school district announced that there would be two candidates for the elementary school principal position on-island this week, who had been selected from the pool of applicants. Last night the second of the two withdrew from the process, after the first withdrew late last week. What’s next? Here’s a note from San Juan Island Schools Superintendent Rick Thompson:

As you know, we scheduled an interview for Denise Wheeler on Wednesday May 11. 2011.  Denise has withdrawn her candidacy for the position, citing personal reasons. As such, there will be no interviews taking place this week. The district search committee will meet again on Thursday morning to reconvene and explore next steps, including possible interim candidates.

Sisters Allison & Wendy take a weekend trip to Victoria...Wendy Smith's last day as the IMA director was May first, as she prepares to return back east, while naturalist Allison gets ready for the whalewatching season & also works at Luxel.

Updates & what’s up:

• If April showers bring Mayflowers, and Mayflowers bring pilgrims, what do May showers bring?

• It’s always good to hear when our island-grown kids do awesome stuff – here’s the news from Pat & Joann about the great path Jon has ahead:

Jon Mayo of Friday Harbor will be graduating from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California, with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy on May 27, 2011.

Jon graduated from FHHS in 2001, and did his undergraduate work at Western University, receiving a degree in Exercise Science in 2005. Jon is the son of Pat and Joann Mayo of Friday Harbor. Jon plans to practice in the Bay Area for now, and will move to a smaller community in the future.

• Re-scheduled: The softball girls’ regular season doubleheader with Darrington has been rescheduled from last Saturday to today; the baseball team will try to make up Saturday’s playoff game today in Blaine.

Jean in action, last Tuesday

And more: There was a frightening moment in the softball game at Orcas on Thursday when FHHS sophomore pitcher Jean Melborne took a line drive to the forehead in the second inning. The Orcas runner didn’t even go to first, as she peeled over to the mound to check on Jean, while both teams surrounded the downed player. Jean’s mom Michelle says it was really cool – Orcas’s team went with FHHS to get Jean to the ambulance, and said a prayer with Jean’s teammates as the ambulance left for the flight to Bellingham.

Looks like she’s OK – she may even pitch this week in the makeup game. Michelle says the family has been touched by the outpouring of feeling from islanders here & the girls from Orcas, who have been calling all weekend, and who signed the ball to give to her. Get better, Jean!

To renew the Land Bank, there has to be a vote, and to have a vote, there have to be enough signatures to place the initiative on the ballot. Here’s the scoop about how you can help, from Pamela & Dave:

A group of citizens from across San Juan County have formed an official Ballot Committee to help gather signatures to place the renewal of the Land Bank on the November 2011 County ballot. Signature-gatherers will be asking their friends, neighbors and other registered voters to sign the Petition that will authorize placing the Land Bank renewal on the November ballot – an election that will be held by mail.

Petitions can be signed at the following locations on San Juan Island: Acanthus Fine Antiques & Decorative Arts, Café  Demeter,  Island Bikes and Market Chef.

A website, http://www.RenewOurLandBank.org, has been established to help inform and communicate with San Juan citizens about the goals of the petition drive Continue Reading

Greg Sawyer

When I found out that Greg Sawyer was going to finally have a kidney transplant a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the completion of a cycle that began a long time ago, and now has come to a place of incredible promise. He wanted to take a moment before his surgery Monday (the 9th) to tell you what he’s thinking & feeling…here’s Greg:

I have lived in a variety of places and they all have unique qualities but Friday Harbor is filled with more generous and caring people than any other place.

I was diagnosed with a kidney condition ten years ago and was informed that I would need a kidney transplant two years ago. Since that time, people in this community have been incredibly supportive with best wishes, prayers, good vibes, and financial donations.

There are so many people to thank it is difficult to name them all. But I would be remiss if I did not recognize a few of them.

First of all I would like to thank Gordy Waite and his family. Gordy has been a great help, as we share a similar condition. Gordy’s daughter Hannah, with the help of two fellow students, organized a fundraiser and promoted the idea of organ donation. The amount of money raised was staggering – $19,700.00 – and I was overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of the people here. Once again I cannot thank you enough.

The wait for a viable donor took some time, but now I am lucky enough to have a good friend that is a match. The transplant will take place on May 9th at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Two other people volunteered to be donors and they deserve special thanks. The first volunteer was Mark Vermeire, and then Susan Mazzarella was tested next. Testing is a rigorous process and time consuming. Both came close but in the final analysis it was not a safe idea for either of them to donate. I am very grateful to them and their families.

The third person to step up was Jenny Nesbitt. She turned out to be the best and safest match. There are no words that can convey my gratitude to Jenny. She is a generous and genuine person. Jenny is definitely the hero in this story. The money that was donated will help in covering Jenny’s expenses incurred such as places to stay in Seattle and lost wages. Once again the generosity of the community is a tremendous help.

There are so many people to thank – from the person in the grocery store wishing me luck, to the students and staff of Friday Harbor High School, to the parents of my students – all of these people have been tremendously supportive. Friday Harbor is a community with its share of political controversy and its share of tragedy but the heart and soul of this community is one of generosity and compassion. I am eternally grateful to all for your positive thoughts and support.

Sincerely,
Greg Sawyer

Popeye keeps an eye on things, down at the marina...

Let’s look around a bit:

• Maude from the School District office says there’s a change:

Joe Landerman has withdrawn as a candidate for the FHES principal position.  He cited personal reasons, in particular his doctorate work.  San Juan Island School District will continue with candidate Denise Wheeler’s visitation on Wednesday, May 11.  Please join us for the community forum from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Friday Harbor Elementary School library.

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• FHHS social studies teacher Greg Sawyer‘s kidney transplant is set for Monday, May 9th. I’m guessing he’ll feel a whole island cheering for him (and his donor) to get well soon! That kind of energy helps with the healing…

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• It’s Open Mike at the Rumor Mill tonight, and Uncle Otto on Saturday!

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Summertime orchids....

• Check ’em out this weekend – here’s more from Leslie:

Ian…would you mind reminding everyone on the Update about the APS Mother’s Day Orchid & Bake Sale being hosted at Bailer Hill Farm on Saturday, May 7th between 9am and 2pm.  There will be many beautiful orchids and delicious fresh baked goodies available.  Bailer Hill Farm will also be donating 20% of all their sales this season to the animal shelter!  We have beautiful hanging baskets, colorful annuals and unusual sedum and sedum gardens.  Bailer Hill Farm is open each Sat & Sun thru June and is located at 1863 Bailer Hill Rd.

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• The San Juan Island Garden Club loved Barb’s presentation this week – here’s more from Dot Vandaveer:

Wow!  Ian, those who attended the San Juan Island Garden Club today received
a very nice presentation by Barb Jensen relative to the Western Bluebird
Reintroduction Project which is in its fifth year of progression. Barb, thank you! I cannot say enough about her talk today.  It was absolutely fantastic!

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• You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! opens next week at the Community Theatre, and Jan Bollwinkel-Smith has background on the show:

SPRING MUSICAL opens NEXT Thursday!

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Written by Clark Gesner
Directed by Margaret Hall
Thursdays-Sundays, May 12-22

Featuring: Jim “Shu” Carroll, Scott Mapstead, Doug Schirmer, Amanda Lee Smith, Jill Urbach, Nicholas Zervas

NEWS!  BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Snoopy sez....

What may look like a simple, cartoon-like set hides exciting, professional, high-tech gadgetry.  Let’s peak behind the scenes of SJCT’s spring musical, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Featuring island adults as the comic strip youngsters (you remember Charlie, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, Sally and Snoopy, of course), the play shines not only with the acting and vocal talents of the cast but with professional touring technology new to the Theatre.

SJCT Production Manager Steve Judson (who has worked backstage for many big productions, including Broadway’s The Lion King), says the smaller scale Charlie Brown musical provides a perfect opportunity for the Theatre to employ some of the set changing and lighting technology that larger professional theaters have been using, only toned down to meet SJCT’s needs and budget.

“We’re trying some things we’ve never done before,” said Steve.

Under the doghouse....

Take a look at this revealing picture (right)….

The new technology includes a show deck–a floor with tracks and a complicated rigging system (it takes a crew of six to work it!)–that will move scenery and props like Snoopy’s dog house and fire hydrant to the stage and back.  Then there’s a newly built second rear projection screen that enhances cartoon backgrounds and color images.  That projection system forces a completely new way of lighting from extreme angles to make sure the actors don’t get lost (or look scary) in the screen’s images.

Steve says the Theatre is fortunate to have the quality of volunteer help to make these new additions work and enhance the quality of the production.  “What we’re doing here is challenging, but it’s going to have a very nice effect. This is going to be a great show!”

Time for the salmonberries to bloom!

Bloom Week at American Camp wraps up on Saturday (tomorrow!) with the Wildflower Festival – Amanda Brast has put together a nice line up of music for the day – see you there!

Here’s the scoop, from Amanda:

San Juan Island National Historical Park will host Bloom Week, a weeklong celebration of spring, May 3-7 at the park’s American Camp unit.

The event includes daily ranger guided walks, a wildflower display in the American Camp visitor center, volunteer projects, and fun activities for the entire family. The week culminates with the Wildflower Festival on Saturday, May 7 on the American Camp parade ground with booths featuring local artists and nature conservation organizations, plus music, games and activities, prizes and more. Although the main celebration begins the first week of May, Bloom Week-related ranger-guided walks and talks began in April and run at both American and English camps through June.

Guthrie Burnett-Tison (bagpipes) –10-10:30am
Made Kurniadi (reggae style guitar) –10:30-11am
Jesse Berube & Nickie Davis (ukelele) –11-11:30am
Steve Dyer (acoustic guitar) –11:30am-12pm
Robin Lohrey (violin) –12-12:30pm
Oliver Strasser (acoustic guitar) –12:30-1pm
Prairie Blossom Band (Steve Dyer/guitar, Conrad Berthold/banjo, Darlene Wale/mandolin, Ken Azarian/bass)–1-1:30pm
Ed Wilson (acoustic guitar) 1:30-2pm
John Hagey (classical guitar) followed by David Wilcox (acoustic guitar) –2-2:30pm
Michael Cohen & The Pig War Band 2:30-3pm