Here’s a thought…
“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.”
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
Participate in WSF Survey for a chance to win a $100 gift card
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Customers are encouraged to participate in our survey to help WSF better understand the diverse communities we serve. By taking the survey, you'll also be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift card. Share your thoughts now at http://www.wsf23.com or call 877-586-1133.
Crow Valley celebrates 25 years of David Ridgway painting Orcas
||| FROM CHRIS MORRIS for CROW VALLEY GALLERY ||| David Ridgway first came to Orcas in 1959 for YMCA summer camp at Orkila. He and his wife Ginger returned in 1997 for a visit. The island spoke to them and they moved fulltime to Eastsound in 1998. “The topography, architectural
San Juan County announces beginning of road striping
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is announcing its annual summer road striping schedule beginning on Monday, August 21 and lasting approximately several weeks. Pavement markings, including centerlines, shoulder markings, arrows, and more, are critical features of any safe and effective roadway, and it
Health & Community Services launches county-wide survey about community health
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On Monday, July 31, 2023, San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) launched its county-wide survey as a part of the Community Health Assessment process which is underway. This survey is open to all islanders, and everyone is invited to make their voice heard! The survey is anonymous
Planting the seeds with ‘Grow Your Own Food’ and ‘Seed to Sprout’
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This Spring San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) and WSU Extension Master Gardeners hosted a free four-week program for families with preschool-age children to learn about vegetable gardening hands-on! The program centered around vegetable gardening at the Slow Food Land and
Island Health Receives 5-Star Honors from CMS for second consecutive year
||| FROM LAURA MORONEY for ISLAND HEALTH ||| ANACORTES, Washington — For the second consecutive year, Island Health has earned an overall five-star hospital rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—the highest distinction awarded by the federal agency. Of the 5,446 hospitals nationwide, nine percent (9%) earned
The Food Heroes Award goes to … The Kitchen
||| FROM THE FOOD HEROES PROJECT of SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| Local food on island plates really is the basis of building the local food economy. One of the restaurants pioneering island grown ingredients on Orcas has been The Kitchen and this summer they are being awarded Food Heroes
Special Report: Are short-term rentals spurring island’s housing collapse?
||| FROM THE NANTUCKET INQUIRER AND MIRROR ||| Orcas and Nantucket Islands are each roughly the same size and the same distance off their respective coasts. We share the same concerns about the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, tourist management, ferry problems and environmental degradation. We are living on
OIFR Volunteer Association hosts Fly-In Pancake Breakfast
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT ||| The Orcas Island Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Association will host the Annual Fly-In Pancake Breakfast the weekend of August 5 and 6. All are welcome to come to the Eastsound Fire Station at 45 Lavender Lane Saturday and Sunday from 7 am
‘It’s cancerous’: How UK seaside towns fight back against second home owners
||| FROM THE INDEPENDENT ||| In May this year, residents of Whitstable gathered to discuss a growing crisis – the slow death of their community at the hands of tourists, with the blame laid firmly on the growth of second homes and holiday lets. Locals listed numerous problems caused by a proliferation of
80 entries in this year’s Library Fair poster contest
||| FROM KOSIUR for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Thanks to the children of Orcas, the Library Fair poster contest was a great success, with over 80 entries. To celebrate this year's library fair (which takes place on August 12th), the winning entries will be displayed alongside a collection of past
Wild Island to feature drummer extraordinaire this week
||| FROM OLIVER GROENWALD for WILD ISLAND ||| The Classical repertoire has fans among our audience at Wild Island! It was great to see people really listening to these two wonderful small chamber music ensembles. Thank you all for coming out. We haven't had a drummer on stage for a
Deputies arrest alleged sex offender on Orcas Island for Rape 3rd Degree
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reports that on July 30, 2023, deputies on Orcas Island responded to a sex offense call on Orcas Island and arrested the alleged suspect. Deputies quickly located and interviewed the suspect, which resulted in an arrest for
Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier of Heart to play the Village Green next Sunday
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| This Sunday, August 6 at 6pm, come to the Village Green to experience Heart by Heart with Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier of the supergroup, Heart! All part of the FREE Summer Concert Series presented by Orcas Center, OrcaSong Farm, Country Corner,
Martin Lund again bringing premier jazz event to Orcas for Labor Day weekend
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), Orcas Island's premier jazz event, returns to Orcas Island this Labor Day weekend. The line-up includes: Thursday, August 31 at 6pm - FREE concert on the Village Green: EntreMundos Big Band with the Queen and Duke
Qigong, Feldenkrais/Eurythmy classes coming up at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Eastern Movement Class with Joan Roulac via Zoom - First four Wednesdays, 9am Joan Roulac Quiet the mind and strengthen the body with Joan Roulac’s Ease Please four-week Qigong series. These 15-minute sessions will gently loosen muscles, strengthen immunity, build balance,
