Ah, Thanksgiving. Prepare for tryptophan induced naps, cranberry sauce (and red wine) stained lips, and the occasional inappropriate joke in front of Grandma. Best of all is the long weekend, with plenty of holiday themed activities on the San Juan Island home front.
Work up an appetite and support the local Food Bank at the Tenth Annual Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving morning. The traditional five kilometer dash begins at Friday Harbor Suites, with registration at 8 a.m. The cost is $5 per person plus two cans of food.
The free annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner moves to its bigger location, the Mullis Senior Center, Thanksgiving Day, 12 p.m. Come and go as you please, the traditional feast will be served into the early evening.
The Thirty-sixth Annual Artisan’s Holiday Market returns Fri. and Sat., Nov. 28-29. Beginning at 10 a.m. You can shop for unique items crafted by over 50 local artists and vendors. Find the perfect gift for someone special.
The Land Bank’s Turkey-Walk-not-Trot, Sat., Nov. 29 is the perfect opportunity to show visiting friends and family the beautiful island. Meet at the Westside Lake Parking Lot, one mile beyond the Lime Kiln State Park entrance. There will be hot cider and leisurely walking to warm your bones. The terrain is rustic, with some walking on county roads.
“Thanks-living is the bigger half of Thanksgiving. Words of gratitude mean very little if the life and lips are not in accord.”
– The Friday Harbor Journal, Nov., 1939
Bill & Donna Radcliffe
Recent retirees, the Radcliffe’s moved to San Juan one year ago.
“We just take things one day at a time,” Bill said. “We’ll probably go to the community dinner. We went last year, it was a great introduction to the island.”
They have grown kids in the Seattle area, but prefer to take things slow and stay on island.
“Our new tradition is to starve the kids,” Donna said jokingly. “No one’s coming up.”
Dale Whitmill
“I’m going to the Mullis Center to help cook,” he said.
Whitmill has been going to the community Thanksgiving dinner for seven years. He wants to make sure people know it’s at the Mullis Senior Center this year, not at the Grange Hall.
Bob Freeauf
One of the Thanksgiving orphans whose family is far away, Freeauf is tagging along with his girlfriend and going to her friends’ house for turkey day. His grown children live in Hawaii, but his daughter is moving back to Friday Harbor this spring.
“She’s sick of the tropics,” he said. “We’ll have a family Thanksgiving next year.”
From left, Shannon Borg & Tamara Weaver
A new tradition that started last year, a true Friends-giving is on the plate for these island lasses.
“We’re a group of orphans who don’t have family nearby,” Weaver said. “Last year it was really fun.”
Interesting dishes paired with the classics and an outdoor fire pit, these ladies are looking forward to the bountiful holiday with friends from around the Salish Sea.
“In the islands it’s a celebration of what we have here, with our food system and natural beauty.” Borg said. “It’s exciting to bring people together.”
