Trail Times is a continuing series of articles introducing the Old Military Road Trail (OMRT), a proposed 18-21 mile cross-island non-motorized multi-use trail linking English Camp and American Camp and honoring the original Old Military Road.

The King Sisters Preserve is an often overlooked little gem in our San Juan Island Trail System. Strategically located in the heart of San Juan Island near the corner of San Juan Valley and Boyce/Wold Roads, this roughly 2-mile round trip walking trail parallels San Juan Valley Road and will one day connect with the Old Military Road Trail (OMRT) in the nearby Zylstra Lake Trail system.

To begin the King Sisters Trail from the north, park at the Trail Head on the corner of Wold and San Juan Valley Roads or across from there on Boyce Road at the Park and Ride sign. Entering the trail from the south, you might find it easiest to park in the Land Bank’s Zylstra Lake Preserve parking lot and walk northwest a quarter mile along the road to the southern entrance.

Click here to read the full article…

By Robin Donnelly

The Old Military Road Trail Committee

www.oldmilitaryroadtrail.org

The Friday Harbor Atelier wishes to thank The San Juan Island Community Theatre for hosting several member artists in an exhibit featuring their recent works in the theatre lobby during the production of Mama Mia.

The exhibit features the art of Debbie Daniels, Teresa Smith, Alison Engle, Shannon Borg, Pamela Hoke, Jenny Banks, Jan Murphy, Lisa Lamoreaux and Winnie Brumsickle.

An Artists’ Reception is planned for Tuesday, November 9 from 4:00 to 7:00 at the theatre.  Light refreshments will be served and the artists will be on hand to discuss their work.

People seeking new job skills or career inspiration are invited to a free, hands-on introduction to masonry, offered by the Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC).  The one-day course will be taught by Dave Koch, retired masonry contractor, on Saturday December 4th, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Friday Harbor, WA.

Dave Koch has three decades of masonry experience and is an excellent teacher.  The hands-on curriculum has been designed for anyone seeking jobs or developing careers that may involve working with brick, stone, tile, or other masonry components.  The EDC anticipates this course will be particularly useful for people in or entering the construction industry.  The course will focus on bricklaying and mortar, the foundational masonry skills, and introduce tools and skills involved in other areas of masonry, such as stonework. 

Applicants must be 18 years old or older, residents of San Juan County, and participating in the course to gain work skills.  The deadline to apply is November 29^th and enrollment is limited. 

To apply, please visit the EDC’s website at www.sanjuansedc.org/trades.  For more information, email the EDC Trades Coordinator at [email protected].

This course is made possible by the Building Industry Association of Washington, Browne’s Home Center, the Harvest Foundation, San Juan County, the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Friday Harbor, and other funders of the EDC’s Trades Training Initiative.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) strives to support small rural enterprises, and conduct projects to stimulate new job creation, strengthen the economic base for working families, and support overall quality of life for islanders.  

Thanks to @irinazharkova for the photo

With FDA and CDC approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 now granted, San Juan County Health & Community Services has opened registration for a series of pediatric clinics starting on November 15^th and lasting through the end of December.

Second dose clinics will be scheduled at least three weeks after the first dose, with some variability due to the holidays.

Registration links for these clinics are available now at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info

Islands parents are strongly encouraged to register their children for an upcoming clinic. In addition to children age 5 – 11 who are newly eligible, ​a limited number of Pfizer ​clinic ​appointments for children 12-17 who are not yet vaccinated are open now on Orcas Island and will be opening on other islands soon. ​We will be working with the community and our partners to gauge demand and provide additional appointments as necessary.

San Juan County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation for children 12 – 17, a fact that has contributed to helping keep island schools open, limiting spread, and protecting our community. A similar level of vaccination success with younger kids will provide another level of defense and will be a major step towards keeping our elementary schools open and operational.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a useful information page for parents about pediatric COVID vaccination.

Contributed photo – (left to right): Sarah Hill, Ryan Nelson, Dave Kinneman, Tom Eades, Joe Davis, Kati English, Brad Creesy, Nickie McDonald

Congratulations to Dave Kinnaman and Joe Davis for their lifesaving efforts on October 11, 2021. When a visitor to the store collapsed outside Marketplace in Friday Harbor their quick action to initiate CPR helped save a life.

Medical Program Director Joshua Corsa, M.D., along with crews from San Juan Island Fire and Rescue and San Juan Island EMS recognized Joe and Dave for their quick response. Dr. Corsa gave them both a challenge coin and said: “In emergencies like this a quick response from the public can make all the difference in the world.”

They had just recertified in CPR and First Aid a couple weeks prior to the October 11th event. If you or your institution is interested in taking a CPR course, contact Lainey Volk, Director of Outreach at San Juan Island EMS. [email protected] or 378-5152 ext 102.

The patient is home and has largely recovered.

(Friday Harbor, WA) – November 2, 2021 – Join author Thor Hanson for two upcoming events hosted by the San Juan Island Library. Hanson will regale readers with a discussion of his newly released book, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change via Zoom on Wednesday, November 3, at 7:00 PM. Email [email protected] to attend.

On Friday, November 5, at 10:00 AM, Hanson will join community members of all ages at Zylstra Lake Preserve for a reading of his picture book, Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who, and hear other nature inspired poems he has written. The story features animals found in the Pacific Northwest and is a fun mix of whimsy, science, nature, and poetry.

Bartholomew Quill is the featured book for a pop-up StoryWalk® at Zylstra Lake Preserve, sponsored by the San Juan Island Library in partnership with the San Juan County Land Bank. StoryWalk® is an innovative and engaging way for children—and adults!—to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time, originally developed in 2007 by librarian Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont. Continue Reading

This is the November 1^st Real Estate Market Snap Shot for San Juan Island.  The information was provided by the Simonson and Zambrovitz Team that work at Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands.

Auditions for San Juan Community Theatre’s Winter Play The Curious Savage on Saturday, November 13th 

San Juan Community Theatre is ecstatic to announce our winter play: The Curious Savage, which will run from February 18 – March 6, 2022. A classic gem of a show, The Curious Savage by John Patrick fits in beautifully with our 2021-22 Season, “A Season of Kindness”. 

The protagonist of the play, Mrs. Ethel Savage, has been left a small fortune by her late husband. Her intention to disperse the money through a charitable foundation is abruptly interrupted when her children have her committed to a mental institution in the hopes that she can be persuaded to abandon the plan. 

Auditions for The Curious Savage will be held on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 2pm at the Performing Arts Resource Center (PARC) located at 70 Saltspring Dr. All roles are currently open and all auditions will consist of readings from the script (sides). The sides will be available beginning November 3 at the SJCT Box Office, open 11am-2pm Tuesday-Friday. Copies of the full script are also available with a $10 deposit (refundable on return of the script). 

For more information, including a character breakdown, rehearsal and performance details, and our Covid-19 safety guidelines for auditions, please visit the “Get Involved” tab on our website, www.sjctheatre.org.  

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning there is this letter to you from Victoria Compton…

Dear Island Neighbors,

Thank you infinitely for your words of encouragement, your advice, and for sharing your thoughts about our island’s Port during my campaign.

I was so proud and humbled to be able to carry your hopes for our community into my campaign. I will be equally proud and humbled to do so as your Port of Friday Harbor Commissioner, District 3.

I would like particularly to thank all of those who worked tirelessly on my campaign. Each one of you is a treasure and I literally could never, ever have gone so far without you. Thank you also to my opponent Greg Hertel for his 30 years of service to our community.

Victoria Compton

Become a Volunteer Emergency Responder with San Juan Island Fire and Rescue

San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) is seeking volunteers to join our comprehensive emergency services agency, in a number of roles to serve our islands’ communities.

Become part of an emergency services organization with a culture of teamwork and camaraderie, focused on our communities’ needs. We are seeking volunteers to participate in upcoming training academies.

Firefighting training will begin in Mid-January 2022. Receive professional training in a wide-range of skills to protect our islands’ families, friends and neighbors. Master emergency services skills include: Firefighting; Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); Marine Response and Technical Rescue.

• We are accepting applications now through November 22, 2021.
• Applications can be picked-up in person at the office in Fire Station 31, 1011 Mullis Street in Friday Harbor.
• Questions? Want to know more? Come visit us or you can call (360) 378-5334.

SJIF&R is also seeking volunteers interested in support positions. We have opportunities for anyone committed to serving our islanders. Interested? Come by and visit us and meet our team.

# # #

The San Juan Island Fire & Rescue was established on October 6, 1958. Fire District #3 covers all of San Juan Island, including Brown; Henry; Johns; Pearl; Spieden and Stuart Islands. For more information, please visit http://www.sjifire.org/

Wolf Hollow shares this story of a Great Blue Heron they took care of in September…

Our most notable patient in September was a Great Blue Heron. This adult heron arrived near the beginning of the month, thin and unable to fly. When we did an intake exam and took radiographs, we discovered that the ulna of the left wing was broken.

Luckily the break was in the middle of the bone, not near a joint, and the pieces were not touching the radius, the other long bone in the outer part of the wing. When we consulted our vet, Dr. Besel, she agreed that the injury was an excellent candidate for surgery, so the next day the heron went off to the vets. When Dr. Besel began the surgery, she found that the ulna was already repairing itself, had bridged the two pieces of bone, and was stabilizing. She stitched the heron back up, put on a wing wrap and sent the bird back to us for care.

We continued to keep the wing wrapped, did physical therapy every other day for a week then took more radiographs. We were concerned because it looked like the calcifying bone may be bridging over to the radius, which would mean that the bones would fuse, the bird would be unable to rotate that part of its wing and wouldn’t be able to fly. However, a week later, the next radiograph showed that the two bones were remaining separate, and the break was healing well. We moved the heron outside for some stretching room and soon it was demonstrating great flying skills in our larger enclosures.

Continue reading…

In today’s mailbag, Bonnie Sliger shares this with you…

My name is Bonnie Sliger and I am running for a position on the Mullis Center District Committee.  If you are 60 and over or are disabled, and live in the San Juan District, please be sure to vote November 8th thru 11th at the Mullis Center or by mail.  https://www.mulliscenter.org/howtovote

I have been involved with the Mullis Center for 20+ years and the Center is very dear to my heart.  Please consider my recommendations for the District Committee: Continue Reading

The Friends of the Library and the Chamber of Commerce thank all the participants and voters! It was a close race among all of the creative scarecrows. It was so much fun to see them all and we can’t wait to see what the community comes up with for next year!

• 1st place Forrest Sprite
• 2nd place Treela
• 3rd place – 3-way tie-Betty Getsa Treasure, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, Birdie

Shannon Dean shares this photo of fall colors on a beautiful last day of October here in Friday Harbor. Thanks for sharing Shannon!

Quilt Pattern – Marianne Jeffrey adventurousquilter.blogspot.com

Finally, it is time to vote! The Mullis Center needs your vote November 8 – 11.

If you are a senior, 60 years old or older, or disabled, and live in San Juan District including San Juan, Henry, Brown, Spieden, Stuart, Johns, Pearl, and Flat Top islands, you are eligible to vote. You DO NOT have to be a paid member of the Mullis Center to vote.

You will need ID that proves your age and residency, or disability. You can vote in person at the Mullis Center (589 Nash Street) during the period of November 8-11, 2021, on Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM.

If you are a member of the Mullis Center and receive the Senior Signal Newsletter in the mail, you will find a mail-in ballot with your newsletter. You can also download your ballot from the Mullis Center website. Continue Reading

San Juan Community Theatre Updated Covid-19 Policy as of 10/28/2021: Rapid Tests Now Available 

Mainstage performances return to San Juan Community Theatre with the first live musical production in two years – Mamma Mia! Running November 5 thru November 21, 2021. As we open our first major production since the beginning of the pandemic, safety is our highest priority. 

SJCT continues to abide by all public health guidelines, updating our policies based on the most current information available. Our current policy for attending shows at SJCT includes providing proof of vaccination (or proof of negative COVID test results) and masking at all times while inside the theatre.

To see our full safety policies, please visit: www.sjctheatre.org/covid-policies.  

SJCT understands not all patrons are able to provide proof of vaccination and our policy also allows an option to provide recent negative COVID test results. Beginning with Mamma Mia!, any patron unable to provide proof of vaccination has the option to take a free rapid test on the night of the performance. Continue Reading