Wednesday’s edition of The Journal of the San Juan Islands includes “Stay Smart, Don’t Start,” our annual substance abuse prevention guide; the San Juan Island National Historical Park’s 2009-10 Guide to American and English Camps; and Real Estate in the San Juans.
I was a bit ambivalent about watching a show about Patsy Cline, not being a strong country-western fan, although I remembered listening to a few of her songs back in the ’50s. I am now here to tell you that even if you never heard of her before, you will become an instant Patsy Cline fan if you attend director Merritt Olsen’s production at San Juan Community Theatre.
Ballet Folklorico performs at the Cinco de Mayo-themed Community Dinner tonight, 5:30-7 p.m., in the Friday Harbor High School Dining Hall. The dinner features a Mexican menu by Chef Andy and the Friday Harbor Foodies.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Tuesday, it celebrates a hopeful victory over another foe. Island Group Sotheby’s will serve food and beverages at Haley’s on Cinco de Mayo to raise money for Relay for Life. Tip big between 6 and 9 p.m. — all tips will be donated to Relay for Life.
Patricia Barrett Harrah of Cape San Juan passed away peacefully at home April 22 with her husband at her side, after a long struggle with kidney disease. She had just passed her 82nd birthday and she and Bill celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year.
Bob Dann of Friday Harbor, a retired chemist who taught ethnic dance and wrote six novels, has died. Mr. Dann was 87. Funeral is at noon on May 8 at St. David’s Church, followed by a brief reception and then interment at Valley Cemetery.
Connie Sundstrom of San Juan Valley used a riding mower to create this tribute to her husband’s niece, Erika Davis Coffey, who was killed in a vehicle collision April 24 in Florida. She was 29.
A memorial service will be held May 7, 2 p.m., at the Church of the Nazarene in Lynden for Erika Jean Coffey, granddaughter of the late Clyde and Ruth Sundstrom, who was killed in a vehicle collision April 24 in Florida. She was 29.
I did go to the concert for Heather Masse and Aoife O’Donovan at SJCT Friday night, but the sound system didn’t seem to mix well. I couldn’t understand a word, but it was worth it to hear the guitarist and electric piano. Awesome.
One can’t help but like Charlie Noble, the live-aboard investigator in love with wooden boats, just learning to love a new woman after the painful death of his first wife, whom he still grieves.
The Friday Harbor Elementary School PTA is putting the “fun” back in fund-raising with a new twist on an old idea. Six island dads will compete for the title of Mr. San Juan Island Saturday in Roche Harbor Pavilion. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show begins at 7 p.m.
Alternative-bluegrass singer Aoife O’Donovan teams with Heather Masse of the Wailin’ Jennys for a night of folk in the San Juan Community Theatre, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The San Juan Islands Museum of Art re-opens May 25 in the historic Brown House on the corner of West and First streets, Friday Harbor.
According to the National Park Service, the Brown House originated at Fort Bellingham in the 1850s and was disassembled and moved to American Camp during the joint military occupation of 1859-1872. After the joint occupation ended, the house was moved to its current location, where it served a variety of commercial roles, from blacksmith shop to art gallery. The National Park plans to return the building to American Camp at some point.
