The week ahead: March 8 – 15

Sunday, March 8

Orcas Center Annual Membership Meeting at 1 p.m.

The Margaret Exton Award for Orcas Center volunteerism and Bunny Award for best performance in an Orcas Center production will be given at the meeting, along with the election of officers. A new Trustee will be ratified, a report on the financial health of Orcas Center will be provided, and there will be a brief review of 2008 programming successes.

Elementary school students who are receiving dance and theater instruction from the Orcas Arts Education Project will also perform in the OffCenter “Black Box.”

Monday, March 9

San Juan Island meetings:

Housing Bank Commission Meeting from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Health and Community Services Conference Room, 145 Rhone Street, Friday Harbor.

San Juan County Noxious Weed Control Board will have its annual meeting from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room, Skagit Valley College, 221 Weber Way, Lower Level, Friday Harbor. The purpose is to review and accept the San Juan County Noxious Weed List for 2009 and to discuss noxious weed control priorities for 2009.

Orcas Island

Orcas Island Library Board of Trustees monthly meet at 9 a.m. at the Library.

Art Opening in Christina’s Bar in Eastsound: Astigmatisms: defect, deviation, distortion — photographic work by Nathan Feder. Wine and appetizers! From 5 to 7 p.m. Winter Dinner Special $30 also offered. Call 376-4904.

Darvill’s Book Club will be discussing The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.7 p.m. at the bookstore. All are welcome.

Tuesday, March 10

San JuanIsland Meetings:

Regular Council Meeting from 10 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. in the Legislative Hearing Room, 55 Second Street, Friday Harbor.

San Juan Islands Conservation District regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Conservation District office meeting room, 540 Guard Street, Friday Harbor

Find out if these Stellar sea lions are really "Grizzlies of the Sea" Tuesday night at 7

Orcas Island

Eastsound Sewer and Water District meeting 4:45 p.m. East side of Airport, at end of Cessna Lane.

Orcas Christian School Dinner 5 to 8 p.m. Free Mexican dinner. Heather Thomas, co-owner of Bilbo’s, has created a menu you won’t forget. The school gym will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 for kids to play while the grown-ups socialize. 376-6683.

Steve Jefferies of Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife will give a free public lecture entitled “Steller Sea Lions: Grizzly Bears of the Sea” for the Orcas Island Marine Lecture Series. 7 p.m. at .Camp Orkila Marine Salmon Center. The lecture is free. Please park in Camp Orkila’s upper parking lot. Shuttle service from the parking lot to the talk is available before and after the lecture. 7 p.m. 376-3910.

Orcas Fire District Commissioners meeting Eastsound Fire Hall at 7:30 p.m. 376-2331 for more information.

Friday, March 13

Grand Opening of Fishing Bay Corner – home for Windermere Real Estate, Nest Flowers and Gifts, Orcas Book Exchange, and the Gudgell Office at the corner of Main St. and Haven Rd.3 to 7 p.m. Visit with island neighbors, enjoy refreshments and check out the new digs! Now located there:. Architect: Stoltz/Kau Architects, contractor: Newland Construction, landscaping: All Seasons Gardening.
Contact Susan at 360-507-5444 or susan@gudgellproperties.com or Mariah @ 376-8000 or mariah@orcas-island.com

“Reassessing U.W. – Russian Relations in the Obama Administration,” Crossroads lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Orcas Center. Speaker Stephen Hanson, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington discusses how the election of Barack Obama affected changes in U.S. policy toward Russia, Eurasia, and Europe. (Rescheduled from March 20.)

Hanson will survey the main achievements and mistakes of U.S. policy toward the former communist world since the fall of the Berlin wall nearly twenty years ago.  Is a new Cold War in the offing, or can the new administration find a path toward more cooperation with the Russian Federation? Call 376-4985

Saturday, March 14

Plein Air Poetry at the library from 1 to 3 p.m. Inspired by the “Plein Air Poets of San Luis Obispo County” and their collection. Poems for Endangered Places, River Malcolm will facilitate  a Writers Roundtable on plein air poetry.

This will be an opportunity for writers to explore how our connections to the natural world nourish and replenish our writing voices.

Orcas Montessori St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Auction, beginning at 5 p.m. Contact Teresa Chocano at 376-5350 or teresa@orcasmontessori.org

Olga Community St. Patrick’s Potluck. Social hour at 5:30, dinner at 6:30, program with librarian Phil Heikkinen at 7:30 p.m.

Artsmith Reading with novelist Ann Pancake and open mic, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Kangaroo House on North Beach Road in Eastsound. 376-2175.

Fauré “Requiem” with the Orcas Choral Society 7:30 p.m. at the Orcas Island Community Churc with Marianne Lewis performing on the organ. Sunday performance also, at 2 p.m. Donations accepted