Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Town is thrilled by Harbor Life Ring 2023 November donations
||| FROM MAYOR RAYMENT C. JACKSON for THE TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Town of Friday Harbor extends our sincerest gratitude to the community for your continued support of the Harbor Life Ring Program, your confidence in the work of the Friday Harbor Food Bank and your generosity during
Orcas Bakery bread subscriptions now good for 10 years
||| FROM ORCAS BAKERY ||| Based on community feedback, all Orcas Bakery founding membership bread subscriptions are now redeemable for 10 years (up from two). Bagel, cookie, and granola subscriptions are also good for a decade. We are launching a sourdough bakery on Orcas Island and need your help. Orcas Bakery
Tokitae’s death surfaced orcas’ complicated history in the PNW
The death of the whale at a Miami amusement park just before her planned release highlighted the species’ fraught relationship with humans. ||| FROM THE COLUMBIAN ||| The orca has become the symbol of the Pacific Northwest, perhaps even more so than the salmon they eat. Several events this year
Quiet Sound says more vessels joining Puget Sound slowdown
||| FROM WORKBOAT.COM ||| Organizers of Washington State’s Quiet Sound project say they have recruited more vessel operators to the second year of a voluntary, seasonal slowdown of shipping to help protected endangered killer whales in Puget Sound. Organized by Washington Maritime Blue, a broad cooperative effort by maritime businesses, environmental groups, tribes
Letter to Editor | Good luck getting to America for the holidays
||| FROM BOB DISTLER ||| For those Orcas islanders trying to get to Anacortes and back using Washington State Ferries, an unannounced vessel change takes effect this Wednesday, the 13th for the rest of December. The m/v Sealth, with a maximum vehicle capacity of 90 cars, is replacing the 124-car Chelan on four daily round
Orcas Fire Commission in special meeting on Tuesday
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for SJC FIRE DISTRICT #2 ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Tuesday, December 12th, at 9:00 a.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). Please review the agenda attached.
Salish Sea Early Music Festival will return for new season
||| FROM SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| Welcome to the 2024 Salish Sea Early Music Festival! Please join fabulous Northwest favorites baroque guitarist Stephen Stubbs, harpsichordist Elisabeth Wright, viola da gambist Susie Napper, and violinists David Greenberg and Carrie Krause, along with other favorite musicians including guitarist Oleg Timofeyev, violinist Elisabeth
Attention Farmers, Ranchers | Land Bank farmland lease opportunities on San Juan
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Land Bank requests proposals from farmers or agricultural/food systems organizations interested in a long-term agricultural lease of its Frazer Homestead and/or Beaverton Marsh Preserves on San Juan Island. Frazer Homestead Preserve: This property includes up to 50 acres of farmland,
Learn how to do the Daniel Fast at Orcas Library
||| FROM SAMUEL GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Sersie Blue is a health coach, and Gigi Carter is a certified nutritionist and fitness expert. Daniel Fast: Why You Should Only Do It Once empowers the reader to take charge of their health by using the Daniel Fast as a jumping-off point
Island Health’s main hospital entrance lobby reopens December 18
||| FROM LAURA MORONEY for ISLAND HEALTH ||| ANACORTES, WA— Island Health’s remodeled Main Hospital Entrance lobby off 24th Street will reopen Monday, December 18. This is the first completed phase of the multifaceted Emergency Services Project, which will relocate the helipad to the roof of the hospital and update
Chair Yoga, Ukulele Kanikapila are among Senior Center favorites
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Chair Yoga with Susie Frank @ Orcas Senior Center –Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-10:45 am Chair Yoga, offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-10:45 am, is a gentle technique allowing seniors and persons with disabilities to practice balance poses without the risk of
Perfect for holiday shopping? It’s Grannie’s Closet at Orcas Senior Center
Grannie’s Closet @ Orcas Senior Center – Monday-Friday, 9 am-3 pm ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Grannie’s Closet offers household décor, kitchen, and vintage items, crafting supplies, and much, much more. Located in the front lobby of the Orcas Senior Center, Grannie’s Closet has a constantly
We are the Community Water Taxi – Updated
||| FROM COMMUNITY WATER TAXI ||| We are the Community Water Taxi (CWT), a group of concerned island residents running an emergency and on-call inter island water taxi service within San Juan County (SJC) separate from the Washington State Ferries (WSF). We try to help people get to medical appointments,
Capital credit checks from OPALCO are being mailed this month
||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| More than $1.06M in capital credit checks are going out to longtime OPALCO members this month, as they do each year. As an electric cooperative, the margin at the end of any given year goes back into the hands
Home from college, Crow Valley String Band to present Home for Holidays concert
||| FROM RACHEL BISHOP for CROW VALLEY STRING BAND ||| The Crow Valley String Band invite you to join us for a cozy evening of bluegrass, folk music and seasonal readings and tunes for our annual Home for the Holidays Concert at the Orcas Grange on Saturday, December 23 at
Food System Plan for San Juan County | Public comment period Dec. 8-22
||| FROM CAITLIN LECK for SAN JUAN COUNTY FOOD SYSTEM TEAM ||| Four years in the making, the draft Food System Plan for San Juan County is now available for public comment from December 8th through 22nd, 2023. Members of the public are invited to review the draft Food System
