Beginning in the fall of 2012, San Juan County residents will need reservations to drive onto the ferry. Washington State Ferries acknowledges that some customers are alarmed.
Oren and Peggy Combs, formerly of the Front Street Alehouse, have purchased Pazzo Vivo (175 First St.) from Mari Lariviere. They are remodeling and will reopen it in mid-June as Rumor Mill. “It’s going to be more open and bright,” Oren Combs said of the restaurant’s interior. The interior design will be “industrial modern with a nostalgia twist,” and the First Street frontage will feature a 12.5-foot glass slide garage door that will swing open to give diners the ambience of sitting outside.
The building at Front and Spring streets formerly occupied by San Juan Brewing Co. and Front Street Alehouse is available for lease. The price: $8,000 a month, according to attorney Stephanie Johnson O’Day. O’Day predicts that an upscale restaurant will ultimately occupy the site. “It’s a prime location,” she said.
The Skagit Conference champion San Juan Dragons (11-2) host Gig Harbor (6-7) on Saturday, 1 p.m., at Friday Harbor High School, in the first round of Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association District II playoffs.
A contingent of Friday Harbor orca advocates will participate in an international protest May 15 to call for a captive orca’s return to her native Salish Sea. The international protest calls for the Miami Seaquarium to release Lolita, who was captured in Penn Cove 40 years ago. The protest begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday Harbor time. The regional coordinator is Debbi Fincher.
Islands Convalescent Center is now Life Care Center of the San Juan Islands. The care center is owned by Life Care Centers of America, based in Cleveland, Tenn., and most of the other centers have “Life Care Center” in their names. The local administrator is Nai Saefong.
Concepia: Your Center for Photography is moving from Churchill Corner to the former Springtree Restaurant, 310 Spring St. The Springtree Restaurant site was last occupied by the Islands Museum of Art, which moved to First Street. Concepia owner John Sinclair’s new location features a courtyard shaded by a camperdown elm (according to Wikipedia, the camperdown elm was first cultivated at Camperdown House in Sinclair’s native Scotland). The courtyard will have a community arts notice board, seating and refreshments for sale.
Stepping Stones is moving from 54 Marguerite Place to the former King Typesetting building at 720 Park St. Director Bridget Altena said she expects to be in the new location in June. Advantages: It’s newer and freshly remodeled. There will be a toddler room and a preschool room and, eventually, an infant center.
Madden Surbaugh, formerly of Steps Wine Bar & Grill in Friday Harbor, is opening The Quilted Pig in the waterfront veranda of the Moran Mansion at Rosario Resort. The resort reopens Friday with the new restaurant, a refurbished spa, and guest accommodations. The Barto family of Anacortes purchased the 30-acre resort in 2008 from Olympus Real Estate Partners.
Want to make a difference in the community? There are several opportunities to do so, and you don’t have to be elected. Volunteering on San Juan County boards and committees gives you the opportunity to help shape policies regarding agriculture, community development, health and human services, the marine environment, veterans services and other aspects of community life.
Jean Turner and Steve Schramm of Island Gardens Company will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Continuing Historic Preservation award for their restoration of the historic c1900 Smoots/Gerard House at 860 Guard St.
Jerry passed away peacefully in his home on May 10, 2010 surrounded by his wife LouAnne, daughters Tiffany and Ashley, and brother-in-law Paul Fantin. As a boy, Jerry and his family summered on San Juan Island. He decided then that he would someday raise his family here. Jerry and LouAnne married Dec. 30, 1983 in Seattle, WA. They moved their family to Friday Harbor in 1988.
The San Juan County Land Bank, National Park Service and the San Juan Island Trails Committee invite islanders to the official dedication of the Frazer Homestead Preserve on San Juan Island. A brief ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on May 15. Parking will be at the preserve’s north entrance off of Rosler Road.
