Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Celebrate Spring GiveOrcas with community ice cream social
Thursday, May 22 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Emmanuel Parish Hall & Labyrinth in Eastsound ||| FROM LYNN WHITE for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) invites all community members to come together in celebration of collective giving, nonprofit organizations, and youth leadership. Join
Look what’s coming up at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Discover Your Artistic Talent: Watercolors Class for Beginners Immerse yourself in the captivating world of watercolor painting Mondays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Robbie Walker, an experienced instructor with years of expertise in drawing and watercolors, will guide you through the
Salish Sea Early Music Festival | Wednesday with Frederick the Great
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL || Please join us next Wednesday at the Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church for a flute concerto composed by the king himself, who was an enthusiastic flutist and composer and performed almost nightly for concerts at his court, alongside concerti for both
Recording of Rep. Larsen’s Skagit County town hall
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Following up from the Monday night town hall – below are clips of all of Rep. Larsen’s responses to questions and the recording of the full event: Israel and Palestine Fighting for Medicaid Supporting Refugees and Immigrants Protecting the Environment
Systemwide WSF community meetings May 21 & 22
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES||| As we expand service for the busy summer season, we will host two virtual community meetings next week on Wednesday, May 21 at noon and Thursday, May 22 at 6 p.m. At the meetings, we’ll provide updates and answer questions on the latest at Washington
Escaping the ash | Recalling a volcanic journey
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| We awakened that Sunday morning, May 18, 1980 in Portland. We were there celebrating our wedding anniversary and, just the day before, my husband and I had been on the slopes of Mount St. Helens, camera in hand. We entered into the Red
Port meeting on Monday
||| FROM PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting on Monday, May 19th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Access and agenda information can be found at portoforcas.com.
One Month Mark | County’s pilot transport services shows steady ridership & variety of uses
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Today marks one month of San Juan County’s Marine Transportation Services Pilot Project. These services include emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State Ferry (WSF) service as well as travel to and from the mainland (Anacortes) on a daily basis.
Orcas Senior Center charts exciting future for its newly acquired building
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center (OSC) has officially taken full ownership of its building after purchasing the remaining 49% share from San Juan County in October 2024. Now, the focus shifts to the future—ranging from essential maintenance, like a roof replacement, to potential
Midnight Mutterings | I (don’t necessarily) love a parade
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| There are a lot of nice things to say about some parades and I won’t bore you here with what I think makes a parade worth watching. Except it just might be local, include people some of the watchers will recognize, horses, small
Sheriff’s Report | May 7 – 13, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, MAY 7 25-002638 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 11:31:09 05/07/25 A Lopez Deputy responded to an individual experiencing delusions. A mental health referral was generated. 25-002641 Vehicle Theft 13:13:46 05/07/25 A Lopez Deputy responded to a report of a juvenile taking a vehicle without
Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale happening this weekend
||| FROM CAITLIN ARIEL BLETHEN for SJC MASTER GARDENER FOUNDATION ||| The San Juan County Master Gardener Foundation Spring Plant Sales takes place this weekend. Please come early for the best selections. Popular varieties go quickly. San Juan Island When: Saturday, May 17th, 9 a.m. to noon Where: Mullis Center,
Maximize Your Future | Essential estate planning workshop
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us Wednesday, May 21 at 1 p.m. for a valuable estate planning session led by local attorney Barbara Nesbet, JD, MBA. While contemplating the future can be daunting, addressing it with courage and preparing legal documents in advance is a
San Juan County Conservation Land Bank seeks community input
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Got questions for your Conservation Land Bank? We want to hear from you! We will host a county-wide public meeting on Thursday – May 28th from 6pm - 7:30 pm. We’ll kick off the meeting with brief project updates from Preserve Stewards and
Building the Team | County welcomes new Deputy County Manager and HR Director
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to welcome a new Deputy County Manager as well as a new Director of Human Resources (HR) to the County’s staff. These new additions will help strengthen the County’s workforce and provide additional capacity in County leadership.
GiveOrcas | Together we thrive
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| When we come together as a community and give what we can, it’s amazing what we can accomplish. Thank you for standing with local nonprofits during this Spring’s GiveOrcas campaign and supporting what makes Orcas Island truly extraordinary. The spirit
