Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Health Care District regular & special board meetings tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, May 28th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. A Special Board Meeting will follow from 7:15
San Juan Islands Sculpture Park summer art series returns
Saturdays from 2-4pm June 22 - September 14 (excepting August 17) ||| FROM KRISTEN ARNIM for SAN JUAN ISLANDS SCULPTURE PARK ||| Save your Sunday afternoons for some fun, free art at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park! We are returning for a fourth year of hands-on, collaborative sculpture creation.
YMCA Camp Orkila celebrates ribbon cutting for Robinson Education Center and Orca whale sculpture
A Day of Dedication, Community, and Environmental Stewardship ||| FROM YMCA OF GREATER SEATTLE ||| The YMCA of Greater Seattle is excited to unveil two transformational additions to its campus: the new Robinson Education Center and a breathtaking hand-carved Orca Whale sculpture at the Marine Salmon Center. A ribbon-cutting celebration
Graduation, badge pinning and promotion ceremony at OIFR
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| Please join Orcas Fire & Rescue on Saturday, May 31 st from 11 am – 1 pm for a graduation, badge pinning and promotion ceremony to celebrate our new EMS and Fire recruits, officers and staff. Friends, family and all
There’s something for you at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Thursday Evening Yoga Class Join us for a gentle, restorative yoga class on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. This slow-paced class focuses on foundational yoga poses, conscious breathing, and supported postures to ease stress and enhance flexibility,
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
Why was Memorial Day originally called “Decoration Day”?
For nearly a century, Memorial Day was largely known by a different name. Here’s a brief look at the day’s history, and why its name changed in the mid-20th century. ||| FROM WORD SMARTS ||| In 1868, Decoration Day was established as a new holiday on May 30. It was
How we pushed the Columbia, the great river of the West, to its limit
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Shaped by fire and ice, the Columbia River and its landscape have been forever changing. Cataclysmic shifts of nature — massive eruptions, moving oceans and grinding tectonic plates — have formed this basin over millions of years. But in just a blink of time,
Partners in Care weekly sessions at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Now in its fourth month, Partners in Care—an Orcas Island Lions Club program in collaboration with Orcas Senior Center—offers weekly respite sessions for family caregivers. Held Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center, trained volunteers and a
Experience the joy of drumming
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Discover the joy of drumming with the Spirit of Drumming Group at Orcas Senior Center Tuesdays at 11 a.m This beginner-friendly group focuses on exploring the elements of drumming. There’s no cost to participate—just bring a drum and join the fun.
Letter to Editor | Orcas is changing
||| FROM JOHN ERLY ||| Let's start with "Pet Parade" where there were goats, horses, cows, rabbits, chickens, ducks, goldfish in bowl, snakes, and other farm animals we are used to seeing. We did have some amazing dogs, a couple of cats, and a turtle. Can anyone remember when we
Island Voices | Island writers, poets coming to Library
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Join us for an evening of storytelling and celebration as 10 distinctive Island voices take the stage to share their work — from poignant poems and evocative essays to captivating short stories and excerpts from novels-in-progress. Pull up a chair, settle
Get tech-savvy with student support at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| On Friday, May 30, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., the Orcas Senior Center will host a Tech Help Session led by Orcas Island High School Seniors. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants support with their personal devices
The Exchange Update | May 2025
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| Elementary School Tours ORS/The Exchange Twenty-seven 3rd graders from the Orcas Island Elementary School recently toured ORS/The Exchange to learn more about recycling and zero waste initiatives. Read the full story here… Spring Great Islands Clean Up Recap Over 300 volunteers came together for
First humpback whale calf of the summer spotted north of San Juan Island this week
||| FROM KING-TV SEATTLE ||| The first humpback calf of the whale watching season was spotted in the Salish Sea earlier this week. The baby, which is thought to be between four to five months old, was seen in the Haro Strait north of San Juan Island on Wednesday and
Revitalize your body, mind with Tara Plank’s yoga workshop
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Tara Plank for an energizing LYT Yoga Workshop on Saturday, May 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Orcas Senior Center. This core-focused vinyasa practice, inspired by LYT Yoga and developed by a skilled physical therapist assistant, follows
