Seniors’ Holiday Festival of Arts: Buying, Selling, Looking and Kibbitzing

Barbara Urschel and Pete McCorison exhange how-dee-do's at yesterday's Holiday Festival of Arts at the Senior Center

Well done, Senior Center Advisory Committee!

When the tables came down yesterday afternoon, hundreds of Orcas Islanders had “cycled through” the Orcas Island Senior Center Holiday Festival of Arts, seeing the arts and crafts made by creative islanders, visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, listened to the strains of live Christmas music, courtesy of Matthew Olson’s string students, nibbled on tables laden with edible goodies, and kibbitzed with islanders emerging from the bitter cold of the last week.

Advisory Committee member Millie Vetterlein said, “There was such a nice spirit to the festival — uplifting instead of having our nose to the grindstone. And seeing so many young children, their eyes lighting up with the excitement of Christmas — that’s always an upper.”

Under the leadership of Jane Heisinger, Advisory Committee Coordinator,  Committee Chair for the Festival Magdalena Verhesselt,  and Advisory Committee Chair Michele Strich, Advisory Committee members Dale Ely, Thelma Kallam, Paul Losleben, Fritz Kraetzer, Irene O’Neill, Betsey Louton, Judy Flath, Judith Zimmerman, Penny Hawkes, Lindalena Dingman, Milly Vetterlein, Dave Douglass and Gwyneth Burrill pitched in to make the event successful from start to finish.

Santa and Mrs. Claus made their first appearance of the year, with pictures taken of many an Orcas “youngster” from newborns to boomers.

Sales of the $20 Orcas business coupon books was brisk, though there are a few left. All proceeds from the coupon book sale benefit the Orcas Senior Center’s maintenance and programs at the county-owned  building. There are still some $20 coupon books available at the Chamber of Commerce, Jillery, Woods Cove and the Senior Center.