It was an inanimate object that took center stage Feb. 19 at San Juan Community Theatre. The audience, after taking their seats and adjusting to the soft, museum-like light, could see that the set was dominated by one piece: A dining room table. True, there was a dresser against the back wall, the obligatory dining room chairs, but the table was the focal point in an otherwise uncluttered environment.
A play written by Ed Strum of Cape San Juan has been awarded the 2010 Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence. Strum’s comedy, “The Connoisseurs,” will premiere March 4 in the Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Mich. The historic opera house and theater opened Sept. 21, 1882.
Kathryn Pinion, a resident of Village at the Harbour in Friday Harbor, celebrated her 100th birthday Feb. 23. She is believed to be the island’s only centenarian. Dave Champlin, another Village resident, will share the honors Sept. 12 when he celebrates his 100th birthday.
Fast forward to August 2009. A 35- to 40-foot pontoon houseboat is photographed off Shipyard Cove taking on water Aug. 2, then partially submerged Sept. 2. And no one would take responsibility, to give the OK to take the vessel out of the water. The registered owner said she had sold it. The U.S. Coast Guard waited to see if it became a hazard to navigation. State DNR waited to see if it became an environmental hazard. Meanwhile, currents carried the houseboat around Turn Island, through Cattle Pass, to Eagle Point, and then across Haro Strait to Canadian waters. Without a local coordinator, the San Juans’ participation in the Derelict Vessel Removal Program was rudderless.
Islands Convalescent Center has a new management team. And they want to meet you at an open house Feb. 24, 4-7 p.m. There will be live music and refreshments. Islands Convalescent Center is located at 660 Spring St., Friday Harbor. Call 378-2117. ICC is owned by Life Care Centers of America.
Times are tough right now. But for just a few dollars, and a little bit of your time, you can bolster cancer research and help provide services for local cancer patients. The kickoff for Relay for Life is today — Feb. 23 — from, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the San Juan Island Library. The kickoff is open to the public.
Members of the Lutheran Church in the San Juans processed on Feb. 14 from St. Francis Catholic Church a few blocks to St. David’s Episcopal Church, which will be their new worship home. The Rev. Raymond Heffernan and members of St. Francis Church wished them farewell as the Lutherans processed to St. David’s, where they were welcomed by the Rev. Doug Simonsen and members of St. David’s.
Census tests are being scheduled throughout the Northern Puget Sound Region. Call 1-866-861-2010. With communities across the country reeling from job loss, the U.S. Census Bureau has its own way of providing a stimulus to local economies — hiring hundreds of thousands of temporary workers to ensure the 2010 Census is a success.
It’s almost a year since Washington state began one of the most successful recycling programs for waste electronics. Manufacturers who sell televisions, monitors, computers and laptops in our state cover the full cost of the program. By the end of November, almost 36 million pounds of electronics were collected and recycled in our state free of charge to households, small businesses, charities, schools and small governments! About 35,000 pounds have been recycled in San Juan County so far.
On behalf of The Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross, I wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the following businesses who helped make it possible for the citizens of Friday Harbor to donate to the cause of raising relief funds for the citizens of Haiti by placing donation cans on their counters.
Many in our state have been devastated by the economic crisis caused by the banking industry. We have a serious problem in our country with deregulation. Foxes guarding the henhouse is the quality of representation we’re getting in D.C.
This is to support Steve Ludwig’s letter in the Feb 9 edition of The Journal calling for restraint in the use of cell phones, which may be causing the disappearance of pollinating honeybees. This information seems to be absent from the major media in this country.
When we arrived in 1997, this issue was in fierce discussion and the County Commissioners decided “no tower.” Cell phones were new and their future dependency was not understood. Today, most islanders can probably tell you how much the world depends on the cellphone and most islanders have learned how to cope with limited cellphone coverage. The problem is the multitude of visitors and their life-style reliance of expecting cellphone operation — including expecting usage anywhere within San Juan County.
