Island News
First outdoor summer concert from Orcas Center is June 28
Submitted by the Orcas Center.
Improv class showcase at Orcas Center
Submitted by event organizers.
Art show opening Friday, July 3: ‘The Ones That Made It’
Submitted by the Orcas Center.
‘Among the Wildflowers’ | Orcas Island comes together for a weekend of Independence Day celebrations
By Carey Eskridge
‘Baroque in Transition: The Treble Viol’ on Saturday, June 27
Submitted by the Salish Sea Early Music Festival.
Orcas Health Care District board to meet tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, June 24th from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The Board Meeting Public Packet is available below. To join the meeting by Zoom, you will find the link at the top of the Agenda. * File “04. 2026 OIHCD Financial Report March – May”, to be added. Agenda 02. 2026_06_02 […]
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Wednesday June 24th at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are curious about identifying a plant or insect? Master Gardeners will be staffing Ask A Master Gardener events on Orcas to help answer your questions and collect plant problem samples. Orcas Master Gardeners will […]
Resource Center seeks volunteers for financial literacy programs
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center is recruiting volunteers for its upcoming season of Financial Literacy programming, inviting community members to help fellow islanders build skills, confidence, and stability around money. This fall marks the return of Orcas Money Smart, the Resource Center’s flagship seven-month financial literacy program. Through classes and one-on-one support, participants work on practical topics such as budgeting, banking, cre
Orcas Fire seeks to fill immediate commissioner vacancy
||| FROM CHAD KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| The Board of Fire Commissioners of San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 2 is immediately seeking candidates to fill the unexpired term for Seat #5. The seat must be filled within 90 days; however, the Board desires to fill this position soon, as a full Board is essential to the District’s needs. The Board will conduct a public process that includes advertising, interviewing, and selecting an appointee to […]
Lopez Island student senior project’s goal to refurbish Keaton’s Basketball Court
Hi, my name is Saskia. For my senior project, I am refurbishing Keaton’s Basketball Court. I have played basketball there almost every day for the past 4 years. My mission with this project is to preserve Keaton’s Court for future generations. This will involve adding concrete, repainting the lines, building a basketball storage shed, supplying […]
June 27 and 28: Orcas Island Garden tour
2026 Orcas Island Garden Tour | Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 | from 11 am to 5 pm.| Orcas Island Buy Tickets at https://www.orcasislandgardenclub.org/2026gardentour.html Explore seven unique landscapes where breathtaking beauty meets practical food production. Discover tranquil retreats and elegant entertaining spaces while mastering resilient gardening techniques for drought and deer. Experience a multi-generational friendship […]
Newborn orca spotted
The Center for Whale Research confirmed this week that L-pod, the largest of the Southern Resident killer whale pods at 35 whales, had grown to 36. Baby L130, who has a unique eye patch that almost looks like eyelashes, was spotted with the pod during the CWR’s whale encounter on June 14. Maternity has yet to be determined.
Community called to action after European Green Crab detected on Orcas
||| FROM JESS NEWLEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| A European green crab molt was recently discovered at Crescent Beach by Amy Sprenger’s middle school science class. The finding marks another important detection in ongoing efforts to monitor for the highly invasive species in the San Juan Islands. Following the molt discovery, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted rapid response trapping efforts and confirmed the presence of a live adult male European green crab in Deer […
Orcas Center summer concert series announced
Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe and Maureen Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, features many artists from the Doe Bay Artist in Residence program (www.doebay.com/music-and-art/). It celebrates community, creativity and the magic of music under the open sky.
Orcas and San Juan Firefighters help fight fire in Columbia County
Firefighters from San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Department and Orcas Island Fire and Rescue mobilized June 16, 2026 to join one of the five strike teams, 3 hand crews and air resources fighting the Tucannon Fire at Columbia County near Dayton, WA. The Tucannon Fire started on June 16, 2026, at approximately 4:15 p.m. […]
Town boundaries expanding to include Fire District Station #31
LWVSJ Observer Corps*: Fire District #3 Commissioners June 16, 2026 meeting Chief Monin met with the County Manager regarding the current Burn Permit Program. The Fire District believes the Burn Permit Program is important and should be continued. However, the County should not be issuing permits when it cannot provide services to monitor the program. […]
Town of Friday Harbor installing backup cameras in vehicles
LWVSJ Observer Corps summary of Friday Harbor Town Council, June 18, 2026 meeting Council passed Resolution No. 3029 Authorizing a Town Driving and Vehicle Policy. It consolidates several policies regarding vehicles, which should eliminate the duplication of overlapping policies. Jessica Hudson, San Juan County Manager, reported that the County is continuing budget deliberations and […]
July 27: Pardessus de Viole, Flute and Guitar
—PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR · Annalisa Pappano, pardessus de viol and treble viol · William Simms, baroque guitar and theorbo · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute — Suggested donation $20 to $30 — (a free will offering; pay as you wish) • 18 and under free Salish Sea Early Music Festival‘s final program in 2026 illuminates an […]
I’m Not the Church Lady | Time for hammacking
When there’s no way out, can I stop trying to leave? ||| I’M NOT THE CHURCH LADY from ROSIE KUHN ||| Whether I chose it or not, life presents me with passages I cannot bypass. I’m again in the midst of a purging, flushing, detox moment. The ache and anguish feel irrepressible. Time for Hammacking! There is a lot happening on the planet, and I know this can create a flushing out of dense energies—not just for me, but for all […]
The Island Gardener, June 2026
||| FROM ROBIN SULLIVAN for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| There is something wonderfully comforting about looking back through the history of our Garden Tour and Garden Faire and realizing that, despite the passing years and changing times, the heart of it all has remained beautifully the same. I was deeply inspired by the article our club historian, Perri Gibbons, wrote about the rich history of these beloved traditions. It reminded me that while details may evolve, the reasons we […]
Salish Sea Early Music Festival returns on June 30
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| Baroque in Transition: The Treble Viol is the final 2026 Salish Sea Early Music Festival performance, to feature treble viol player Annalisa Pappano, baroque guitarist William Simms, and Jeffrey Cohan on baroque and renaissance flutes. The concert, presented in collaboration with Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church, takes place on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM at Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church at 107 Enchanted Forest Road in Ea
News Brief | A tiny solar panel could change America
||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| It’s not so easy to harvest the sunshine if you live in America. But that might be changing soon in more than half the country. A technology — known as plug-in, balcony or garden solar — is already enormously popular in Germany, in part because you can buy a kit for less than $600 at IKEA. Plug-in solar demonstrates one version of the coming changes: With its small size, it makes balcony and backyard […]
The soundtrack of a family: Clint McCune’s greatest song is the life he’s built
There is a moment Clint McCune’s daughter, May, still can’t get through without tears. She was 5, maybe 6 years old, sitting in the family’s apartment one holiday season, when her father picked up his guitar and began to play — some of his sadder songs, ones that talked about love. “I remember oftentimes I’d have to go into another room because I was crying so much,” May recalls. “It just felt super personal to me. It just made me feel so much.” This Father’s Day, the truest thing about McCune i
Casting Call: Submissions for USO show due July 1
Step back in time and help us celebrate America’s 250th with a lively, community-powered USO show! The United Service Organization (USO) is an American charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, like comedians, actors, and musicians to members of the armed forces and their families. The San Juan Island Library is channeling this spirit to create our […]