Here’s a thought…
“It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.”
GEORG CHRISTOPH LICHTENBERG
Jazz Festival returns this Labor Day weekend for 10th year
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF) lights up Orcas Center every Labor Day weekend to celebrate and share the music of jazz. As a program of Orcas Center under the artistic direction of Martin Lund, OIJF consistently showcases superb jazz. Each year
David Forte presentation discusses insurance rates on Orcas Island
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| On Monday, July 7 th at 3:30 pm at the Eastsound Fire Station David Forte will discuss property insurance rates and how they have been affected by the Washington State Rating Bureau’s recent changes and rate increases for Orcas Island.
OIGC to participate in Independence Parade Saturday, July 5
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Show your love for pollinators & friends by walking in the parade with the Orcas Island Garden Club! JOIN US IN THE INDEPENDENCE PARADE on Saturday, July 5th With a theme of "Whole Lotta Love" what more perfect way to support pollinator health,
Orcas caught ‘kissing’ for two minutes with tongue
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| We've recently seen orcas foray into the world of fashion by wearing dead salmon as hats. Now a pair of orcas has been caught 'French kissing', taking their apparent mockery of human habits towards another flavor of gross. The whales' slobber sharing was incidentally captured
Puget Sound orca pod threatened by salmon decline
||| FROM CBS NEWS ||| Lurking beneath the surface of Washington's Puget Sound are some of nature's most magnificent and endangered species: orca whales. Unique to these waters and once thriving, there are now believed to be just 73 left in the pod. Jonathan Vigliotti reports. SOURCE
In Memoriam | Dorothy Weber Trogdon, February 25, 1926 to June 25, 2025
||| FROM CATHIE TROGDON ||| Dorothy Trugdon Dorothy W. Trogdon (Dottie), age 99, passed away peacefully at her beloved home in Doe Bay, Orcas Island, Washington on June 25. She was born February 25, 1926 in Waterville, Maine to Clara (Carter) and Carl J Weber. Carl, a Rhodes
A musical trip through the decades | Golden Oldies at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Get ready for an upbeat, memory-filled afternoon at the Orcas Senior Center! Join us on Thursday, July 17 at 1 p.m. for Golden Oldies with DJ 00 Solo—also known as guitarist, vocalist, and Phoenix-based performer Chris Olson. Blending live performance with
Juror duty cancelled for July 7-11
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JULY 7-11, 2025 All jurors summonsed for jury duty beginning Monday July 7th through Friday July 11th, are excused. Thank you.
On July 3, Earth will reach its farthest point from the Sun – 152M kilometers away
||| FROM IFL SCIENCE||| On July 3, 2025, at 3:54 pm ET, the Earth will officially reach its furthest point from the Sun for this year. This is called aphelion. Our planet’s orbit is very close to a circle, but it is not a circle. It’s an ellipse, so the
Friday Harbor Film Fest special event | Resident Orca at SJ Community Theatre
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL Join us at 7pm on July 16 for an unforgettable evening centered on the extraordinary story of Tokitae—also known as Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut—whose life in captivity sparked a global movement for orca freedom. The acclaimed feature documentary Resident Orca follows the
Leadership San Juan Islands welcomes new program director
||| FROM GRETCHEN KRAMPF for LEADERSHIP SAN JUAN ISLANDS ||| The board of Leadership San Juan Islands is pleased to announce the selection of Lee C. Taylor as Program Director for LSJI’s Cohort XVII. Lee retired from a 35-year career with the National Park Service in 2021 and returned to
Susan Slapin works are at Banner Bank for July art exhibit
||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN ||| A colorful impressionistic collection of mixed media acrylic and soft pastel paintings. Small and large works. Artist Limited Edition books of images, poetry, and writing. Bring your friends and relations. Message if you see something you love. (Commissions of vistas, special places.) Enjoy!
Celebrate summer and support the library at the Annual Library Fair Book Sale
||| FROM MADELINE SHEPLOR for FRIENDS OF THE ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Friends of the Orcas Island Library (FOIL) warmly invite community members of all ages to the beloved Annual Library Fair Summer Book Sale on Saturday, August 9th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Orcas Island
Governor Ferguson selects Eastern Shipbuilding Group to construct new ferries
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV. BOB FERGUSON ||| SEATTLE – Governor Bob Ferguson today announced he has selected the $714.5 million bid from Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries. Washington State Ferries (WSF) will move forward with the contracting process, following the first competitive
These Washington laws take effect July 1
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD ||| Fee hikes for hunting and fishing licenses, workplace protections for immigrants and increased requirements for gun dealers are among the Washington state laws going into effect July 1. Drivers can also expect increased prices at the pump as a 6-cent hike in Washington’s gas
Calling all pickleballers | Register NOW for summer tournament
August 2-3 at Buck Park on Orcas Island ||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for ORCAS ISLAND PICKLEBALL CLUB Orcas Island Pickleball Club is pleased to announce the 8 th Annual Orca Island Pickleball Tournament will take place Saturday, August 2nd and Sunday August 3rd, 2025. Saturday will feature mixed doubles play;
