Here’s a thought…
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
TURKISH PROVERB
Goldilocks Gate 2025 | What we heard; let’s dive deeper
||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| In the first round of our survey, you told us what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the line. The responses were clear, heartfelt, and striking in their consistency — a collective voice rising from different islands but pointing toward the same crossroads. (View Current
Jake Perrine named Executive Director of Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Orcas Center Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Jake Perrine as the new Executive Director of Orcas Center. Perrine succeeds Dimitri Stankevich, whose leadership over the past six years guided the organization through a transformative period of
Funhouse Commons receives $3,000 grant
||| FROM NICOLE SPINOGOTTI for FUNHOUSE COMMONS ||| The Funhouse Commons is honored to announce it has been selected to receive a $3,000 grant from the Robin DiGeorgio Endowment Fund, administered by the Madrona Club. The grant reflects the legacy of Robin DiGeorgio, a beloved Orcas Island resident who lived
Orcas Dance Collective co-founder and family lose home to fire, community raises $80,000
||| FROM JEFF PLATT ||| The Eastsound community is stepping up in a huge way to help the family of Tiffany Loney, the co-founder of Orcas Dance Collective, after they lost their home in a fire. In just two days, a GoFundMe to help Loney's family recover has raised more than $80,000 from
Floating, playing, singing, ukulele-ing
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for FLOATING UKULELE JAM ||| It’s Floating Ukulele Jam time! Grab your uke, your voice, a song or two to share, and your friends and relations and join us on the evening interisland ferry on the traditional Third Thursday – May 15 Boat is scheduled to
Spring GiveOrcas Campaign update | One week in
Continues through May 15, 2025 ||| FROM LYNN WHITE for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Orcas Island, this is our moment - let’s finish strong and make a lasting impact together! We are more than halfway through the GiveOrcas campaign and our community has already shown incredible generosity - but
Orcas Christian School brings Little Women to center stage at Orcas Center
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| The Orcas Center is proud to welcome Orcas Christian School (OCS) to Center Stage for their production of Little Women, the beloved coming-of-age classic by Louisa May Alcott. Performances will be held on Thursday, May 22 at 7 PM, Friday, May 23 at 7
Balance, aging, chair yoga, meditation, ukuleles at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Ukulele Kanikipila: Join the Musical Fun Experience the joy of making music at Ukulele Kanikipila, Hawaiian for "play music," Mondays from 1 to 3 pm at Orcas Senior Center. This gathering is open to everyone with an interest in playing music
Wildfire Awareness Month in the San Juans held community event Saturday
Island Readiness event with DNR, Fire Depts., Conservation Dist., and more ||| FROM ANGIE REQUENA for WILDFIRE READY ||| Saturday, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR), Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR), and other local partners from across the islands hosted a community event to engage the San Juan
Paper Airplane Contest soon at Orcas school gym
||| FROM MAURICE AUSTIN for KEY CLUB ||| Do you have a sure-to-win paper airplane design? Come to the new gym on May 21 at 2:00 pm to build and how off your airplane. Categories: Teen/Adult, Middle School, and Elementary School Criteria: Accuracy, Distance, and Creativity Three winners will be
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS FOR ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are curious about identifying a plant or insect? Master
2025 Orcas Island Garden Tour | Orcas beauty, bounty, and sanctuary
Interactive and educational opportunities at each location! ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN TOUR ||| During the 2024 - 2025 season, the Orcas Island Garden Club has been proud to fund speakers for nine programs always free and open to the public, award community grants, and sponsor projects such as citizen
OIFR responds to structure fire on Buckhorn Road
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| At 10:45 AM on Friday, May 9 Orcas Fire responded to reports of a fire in the Buckhorn Road area. The initial fire report came from a vessel off the north shore. Chief Kimple was first to arrive on
Letter to Editor | We need your help
||| FROM SAN JUAN COMMUNITY HOME TRUST ||| The Town is blocking our development of affordable housing. For the past two years, we have been diligently trying to satisfy the Town of Friday Harbor’s requirements so that we can sell 8 completed homes to homebuyers in our HolliWalk neighborhood who
Fidelio at Orcas Center
Start time updated to 7pm on Wednesday, May 14 ||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Metropolitan opera’s production of Beethoven’s Fidelio comes to the Orcas Center’s screen on Wednesday, May 14 at 7pm. Filmed live in HD, these on-screen events from the Metropolitan Opera offer a diverse
In Memoriam | June Cale West, May 8, 1927 to April 26, 2025
||| FROM MARCIA WEST ||| June Cale West “Fly me to the moon” the song begins; however, June’s daily walks and hikes on Orcas Island earned her enough miles that she could have walked there. Her love for the island forests, wildlife, and watching the moonrise over Olga
