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Letters to the Editor | Bits 'n' Pieces | Local Business News
Letters to the Editor
Letters can be submitted to editorial@whidbeymarketplace.com
A huge Thank You is due to the 25 AARP Tax Aide Volunteers who
provided FREE Tax Assistance to 1004 Whidbey Island residents this year.
The volunteer aides who gave over 1578 hours are Tom Adams,
Stan Alexander, Janell Baker, Tom Baxter, Karen Bishop, John Bolte, James
Bruner, Winson
Ewing, Roger Foley, Sharon Godfrey, George Haglund, Jim Hossfeld, John
Howard, Edward
Hueneke, Kurt Jaehning, Colleen Johnson, Kristy Knickrehm, Teddy Rees,
Dustin Remick, Maddie Rose, ChuckStarkey, Steve Stradtman, StellaTandecki,
Ed Van
Patten, MargaretVasquez, and ShelleyWolfman.
Thank you again to Sno-Isle Libraries in Oak Harbor and Coupeville; Skagit
College, South Whidbey Senior Center in Bayview and Service Alternatives provided
support with rooms, storage, and coffee for the clients and workers.
Appreciated also is the support from the Island Newspapers, WKBD radio, and
all the sites that allowed posters.
Thank you everyone
Karen Bishop,
AARP Tax Aide Local Coordinator Whidbey Island
Horsemanship Opportunities for Potential Horsemen (HOPE) acknowledges with
sincere appreciation generous contributions from the following donors. These
gifts will be used for rider scholarships, program operations and horse maintenance.
An Anonymous Donor, Arise Charitable Trust, Island Thrift, Keener Family
Properties LLC, South Whidbey Rotary, Mary Solt, Brenda Phillips, Karen Newman,
Miriam Burk, Erika Kardly-Jones, South Whidbey Pony Club, and Whidbey Island
Waldorf School.
Thanks!
Denise Boyett,
Executive Director HOPE
If you are a single mom or a mom who feels single... Would you enjoy an evening
without having to cook dinner for yourself and your kids? Where you could
sit and share both joys and challenges while child care providers supervise
the children? For Free?! Where you could perhaps make new friends, hang out
with old ones, get and give some support, and even share new ideas?
The Family Resource Center, tucked behind the Primary School in Langley,
provides a small oasis once a month for moms. On the third Thursday of each
month a group of women, and their children, gather to share a meal and child
care provided by the Resource Center. Dinner starts at 5:30PM; then from 6:00PM
until 7:30PM the children go with the caregivers and the group enjoys some
adult conversation, mutual support, and often a few laughs. This group is
designed for moms who are single as well as those who are partnered; who are
the primary family caregiver and feel the need for support and community.
We live in a culture where, for most people, the supportive, extended family
lifestyle no longer exists and South Whidbey is no exception. Parenting, primarily
by moms, is often done in isolation. As much as mothers love their children
meeting their own needs can be either pushed aside or left until last. The
Family Resource Center believes that giving moms a break and an opportunity
for connection Is not only fun but helps them be the moms they strive to be.
For more information call the center at (360)221-6808 ext. 4602.
Submitted by the Moms of the Group
Lynn Smith, Crystal Coglas, Elisa Stone, Katie Coale and Erin Waterman
Bits 'n' Pieces
Volunteer at Meerkerk Gardens and become a Grateful Deadheader
and receive a free tie dye T-shirt! Volunteers participate in “Hands On Horticulture” with
our staff every Thursday morning 9:00AM to 12:00PM. Deadheaders groom the rhodies
all through Spring. (You are welcome to come each week ... yet it is not mandatory
to qualify for your shirt). For details contact Penny at Penny@meerkerkgardens.org.
[Meerkerk Gardens]
Goosefoot, a non-profit organization located on South Whidbey Island, is pleased
to announce the launch of their new website at www.goosefoot.org.
Founded in 1999, Goosefoot’s mission is to bring neighbors
together to build a sense of place and community, preserve rural traditions,
enhance
local commerce, and help create a healthy, sustainable future for South Whidbey
Island.
Goosefoot has been instrumental in the reinvigoration of Historic Bayview
Corner with the purchase and renovation of the 1924 Bayview Cash Store and
22 acres surrounding it. Now a popular Whidbey Island destination for locals
and tourists alike, Bayview Corner features retail shops; art exhibitions by
local and regional artists; an active schedule of lectures, performances, and
community events; and beautifully landscaped grounds. It is also a model of
sustainable development, showcasing green design elements throughout the buildings
and property owned by the organization.
The non-profit is also active in the areas of affordable housing, historic
preservation, and the promotion of local businesses. For further information
about the organization and how to find them, visit www.goosefoot.org.
[Goosefoot]
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of South Whidbey
invites you to participate as an event sponsor for this year’s relay.
Event sponsorship is a wonderful opportunity to reach people in your community
while contributing
to finding a cure for cancer. With the sponsorship of organizations such as
yours, we are working on meeting our 2015 goals of reducing the number of people
who die from cancer by 50%, reducing the number of people who get cancer by
25%, and measurably improving the quality of life for people with cancer. With
an expected 500 people in attendance at the 2008 Relay For Life of South Whidbey,
our goal is to raise over $50,000 to support the American Cancer Society. We
hope that you will choose to be a sponsor of Relay For Life of South Whidbey
on June 20-21, 2008 at South Whidbey High School. Please call Angela Vosburg
at (360)346-0061 or contact Peter Andersen at pba@whidbey.com for sponsorship
information.
[Relay For Life of South Whidbey]
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
That quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead very much applies
to the South Whidbey Partners in Prevention of the Impaired Driving Impact
Panel of Island
County (IDIPIC). They are the individuals, agencies, businesses, churches,
and organizations that supported expansion of the prevention organization’s
panels to South Whidbey starting in April 2007. These panels save South Whidbey
driver’s education students, who are required to attend with one of their
parents, from having to drive to and from Oak Harbor to attend a panel. More
importantly the hope is that these panels are saving lives.
The panel expansion was jump-started thanks to major funding
by two foundations whose scope of support includes South Whidbey: The Glaser
Foundation of Bellevue
and the Community Bank Employee Giving Fund of Greater Everett Community Foundation.
Additional funding by Whidbey Telecom, Soroptimist International of South Whidbey,
Trinity Lutheran Church, South Whidbey Assembly of God, and The Clyde Theater
kept the panels going for the next twelve months. In addition, businesses provided “tokens
of appreciation” to IDIPIC that were given to those who volunteered their
time to speak or help at panels: 1504 Coffee, Arby’s, Burger King, Gordon’s
on Blueberry Hill, Island Drug, McDonald’s and Oak Harbor Cinema.
Based on previous IDIPIC panel attendee rates in Oak Harbor,
20-25 attendees were expected each month at panels that were first held at
The Goosefoot Organization’s
Sear’s House in Langley. By January of 2008, an average of 35 attendees
necessitated a move to a larger facility: Trinity Lutheran Church’s Grigware
Hall in Freeland. In its first twelve months of panels, 317 people attended
South Whidbey panels: 60 DUI / Underage Drinking Offenders, 101 Driver’s
Education students, 85 Parents of Driver’s Education students, 55 Guests
and 16 Prospective Speakers
The future looks promising for another year of panels on
South Whidbey thanks to continuing support from renewing Partners The Glaser
Foundation, Whidbey
Telecom, South Whidbey Assembly of God and new Partner Porter Whidbey Insurance.
But additional funds are still needed for panel materials, prevention programs
and displays IDIPIC provides at Langley Middle School, South Whidbey High School
and at community safety events, and finally an elementary program called Positive
Influences Changing Kid’s Lives’ in Elementary Schools (PICKLES)
that IDIPIC hopes to bring to South Whidbey this year.
The organization, headed by Board of Director President Dr. Robert Bishop,
is all-volunteer except for one part-time paid staff member, and operates out
of a residence, meaning no rent, utility or phone bills. This allows IDIPIC
to put 100% of donations towards its mission to deter driving under the influence
and underage drinking in our communities through education and awareness.
For more information on how you or your business, church, organization or
other group can be an IDIPIC Partner in Prevention, please visit the web site
www.idipic.org. Or call JoAnn Hellmann, at (360)672-2378.
[IDIPIC]
The 1st Annual American Red Cross, Island County Chapter
Golf Tournament will be held at Holmes Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Freeland,
on Saturday, May 10. The entry fee is $75. This includes green fees, cart,
and sit down barbecue
buffet. The chapter has recently received donations from Woodland Park Zoo
and the Museum of Flight. Check in is at 9:00AM and Shot gun starts at 9:30AM.
A representative from the chapter will be at the event to answer any questions
about the programs and services the chapter provides for Island County. All
funds raised from this event will stay in Island County to provide programs
and services to Island County residents. Deadline to register is Friday April
25. Registration form can be found on line at www.islandredcross.org. Registration
form can be sent to American Red Cross, Island County Chapter PO Box 1588,
Oak Harbor, WA 98277. For additional information email Barbara Johnson at johnsonb@islandredcross.org.
[American Red Cross, Island County Chapter]
Want a single way to honor victims of sexual abuse, raise
your awareness and enjoy some local art? If so, Citizens Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse (CADA)
invites you to an art show that honors survivors of sexual abuse during Sexual
Assault Awareness Month. “Expressions of a Long Journey” will be
held in the Front Room gallery at the Bayview Cash Shore, on April 24, 12:00PM
to 8:00PM. The show exhibits artwork of survivors and allows the artists to
learn about the healing process of sharing with the community. Please join
CADA in honoring survivors and bring awareness to our community. If you’re
a survivor and would like to submit artwork for the show, please call Erin
at (360)341-2360. If you are a victim and would like to talk with someone,
please call CADA at 1(800)215-5669.
[Citizens Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse]
Whidbey Island artists are invited to gain exposure this
summer at the Greenbank Farm Loganberry Festival on July 26 and 27. The festival
is an annual event
with music, wine tasting, food, arts and crafts for sale, children’s
activities, hay rides and pie eating contests. This year the Greenbank Farm
is also hosting an Artists in Action program so that artists may demonstrate
how they work and build contacts. Artists may participate as either a vendor
or as a demonstrator. The vendor agreement includes a booth fee. For information
about the Artist in Action opportunity or for a vendor agreement please contact
Cheryl Sagmeister, (360)678-7171 or 222-3151 or director@greenbankfarm.com
or Prescott, (360)678-4168 or prscot@whidbey.net.
[Greenbank Farm]
Become History! Attend This World Health Event! The Tenth
Annual World Tai Chi & Qigong Day [Saturday, April 26] will be celebrated
in every time zone around the world starting at 10:00AM to educate our community
and the
world to the wonders of Tai Chi.
Medical research continues to validate the many health benefits
that result from the practice of Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong. These traditional
Chinese medicine
modalities are believed to boost the immune system, slow the aging process,
lower blood pressure, and reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and
overall mood disturbance. In particular, recent research has focused on the
use of Tai Chi to enhance the effectiveness of shingles vaccination and as
an effective balance and coordination conditioner. Millions worldwide have
experienced the healing and wellness benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong. People
who have felt the profound stress management benefits of these ancient tools
have begun to come together to share that awareness with society at large.
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day brings people together worldwide across economic
and geopolitical lines to celebrate health and healing.
We will be celebrating at Bayview Corner, on the lawn between Bayview Hall
and the pond. Join us for free demonstrations of various forms of Tai Chi plus
a free Qigong lesson. This event is suitable for all ages and abilities and
will take place rain or shine. Questions? Contact Sarah Birger: taichi@whidbey.com.
[Sarah Birger]
Come join the Langley Community Club Annual Street Cleanup on Saturday, April
26, at 8:00AM and help kick-off the City of Langley Neighbor-to-Neighbor action
grant project. Meet on 2nd Street (look for the trailer) and help clean-up
1st Street and 2nd Street. Bring gloves and gardening tools. We will wrap-up
at 10:00AM with coffee and goodies.
You can pick-up an action grant application at the Annual Street Cleanup.
Just stop by the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Langley table anytime during the clean-up
and find out how you can get your idea funded. The Langley Community Club is
generously sponsoring the funding of action grants up to $200 per project.
The goal of the action grants is to inspire Langley neighbors to work together
to improve some aspect of their neighborhood. Propose a project that you are
passionate about! Projects can be anything from planting flowers, painting
mailboxes, building a park bench or creating an emergency plan for your street.
Be creative! Think out-of-the box!
For more information contact: Kathleen Landel, Special Assistant to the Mayor,
City of Langley at (360)221-4246 ext. 21 or assistant@langleywa.org.
[City of Langley]
The fifth annual Beachcombers Bazaar, sponsored by the Kiwanis
Club of Oak Harbor, is planned for Saturday, June 21 from 9:00AM to 3:00PM
at Windjammer
Park (formerly City Beach.) Clean out your basements, barns, back rooms and
garages and sell your treasures at Oak Harbor’s ultimate garage sale.
Spaces are available now. Cost is $25 for a 10 x 15 foot space and $40 for
a 10 x 30. Food booths must provide a health permit and a copy of insurance.
Space rental fees will be used to support Kiwanis community activities. For
more information or to reserve a spot call event coordinator, Martha Wallin
(360)675-3447 or the Chamber at (360)675-3755. You may also pick up applications
at the Chamber.
[Kiwanis Club of Oak Harbor]
Register for Summer Day Camp here at the Boys & Girls
Club in Oak Harbor. Summer Day camp is from June 23 through August 18 from
9:00AM to 5:30PM. Please
stop by at 98 NE Barron Drive across from K-mart or call Ms. Nikki or Ms. Norrie
at (360)675.6534 for more information. Registration is open through April 30.
[Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Club]
The Whidbey General Hospital Foundation accepted a contribution
from Bret Wirta this month. His contribution of $2,500 was matched by his
employer Bard
Access Systems to purchase an ultrasound unit for the Medical Ambulatory Care
(MAC) unit of Whidbey General Hospital. Wirta has been the Hospital’s
Bard equipment representative for twenty years. He is retiring this month and
wanted to honor the friends and colleagues he had made at the Hospital.
MAC manager Renee Yanke explained, “Ultrasound is the standard of care
in infusion therapy to ensure accurate placement of PICC (Peripherally Inserted
Central Catheter) intravenous lines that are used to deliver medications like
antibiotics and chemotherapy. The Hospital’s tight equipment budget just
did not allow for the purchase. Bret made it possible and we are so grateful
to him.”
Wirta and his wife will be opening a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Sequim in
2009. He stopped by this week to start training MAC nurses on the Bard Site
Rite IV ultrasound unit before leaving.
[ Whidbey General Hospital Foundation]
Local Business News
Just wanted to remind all the European Sports Car Club
of Whidbey Island members and those interested. We meet at Gerry’s Kitchen on the first
Saturday of the Month at 9:00AM. It’s getting to be Spring, it time
to pull those cars out of the garage and cruise over to Gerry’s and
meet with other gear-head friends!
The Scrub Shop and More Store will be at Whidbey General
Hospital Downstairs Conference Room on May 6 from 7:00AM to 4:00PM. We’ll
be bringing: the latest Spring Styles, shoes, surgical hats, stethoscope
covers, lab jackets.
10% of the proceeds will be donated to the Whidbey General Relay for Life
Team.
“It happens every year, we end up with many more dahlia cuttings and
tubers than we have room to plant.” Planter’s Day at Swede Hill
Dahlia Sunflower Farm Greenhouse (3116 Swede Hill Road in Clinton), Friday
May 2, 9:00AM – 7:00PM and Saturday, May 3, 9:00AM -7:00PM, gives gardeners
a rare opportunity to buy garden ready “dahlia plants” from over
thirty-five award winning variety choices at $3 per plant, while they last.
For an E picture catalog and/or for directions to the sale, email John
or Kathy Willson at jwillson@whidbey.com or call (360)579-2590.
A quilt by Debra Staley, Oak Harbor quilter and owner of
the Quilters Workshop was recently featured in a new book. Better Homes
and Gardens recently released
Quilt Pink for Hope, in support of Susan G. Komen’s For the Cure Foundation.
Debra’s quilt, “Tony’s Tango” was selected for publication.
Hers was one of only four selected from Washington state.
Last September, across the country, more than 1,100 shops held Quilt Pink
events. Resulting quilts were submitted for the Quilt Pink Auction. Quilters
Workshop patrons submitted nine quilts for the auction in 2007 and six quilts
for the 2008 auction. The dedicated patrons of this Oak Harbor shop are already
working on their 2009 submissions.
Quilt Pink for Hope features 150 of the 1,100 quilts submitted
(including Debra’s), and patterns for each of them. The book is now
available for purchase from book retailers (ISBN 978-0-696-23733-1).
Proceeds also benefit
Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Quilt Pink 2007 culminates in May 2008 with the online
auction of more than 4,000 quilts. Proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen
for the Cure and will conclude
in November. In 2006, the group’s auction goal was $100,000, however,
as of the book’s publication, the auction for sale of these special
quilts had already earned over $200,000. Visit www.ebay.com/quiltpink for
details of the 2008 auction.
Oak Harbor’s old fashioned candy store is now offering
Hot Dogs! Delicious all beef franks are served up daily with all the
fixings. For only $5 you
can make it a meal by adding chips and a soda! Popsies is located at 851
SE Pioneer Way in downtown Oak Harbor. In addition to delicious dogs,
Popsies is known for their homemade candied popcorns, ice cream cones, sundaes,
shakes,
malts, old fashioned candy, chocolates, cotton candy, and much more. Popsies
is open Monday thru Saturday 11:00AM until 6:00PM and Sundays 11:00AM until
5:00PM. They can be reached at (360)240-8937.
Chocolates for Breakfast is back! Your favorite coffee shop is open Monday
thru Saturday 7:00AM until 7:00PM and Sunday 12:00PM to 5:00PM. New owner
Barbara Denham invites you to come in and indulge in a great cup of coffee
and a smile or two from the great baristas. Located in the Old Town Mall,
Chocolates for Breakfast provides a warm atmosphere to enjoy local conversation,
play some games or just lounge with a good book. It is the comfortable place
to meet and greet your friends and family. We are looking forward to serving
each and every one of you. Stop by and let us get to know you.
Whidbey Island residents and visitors can look forward to a comfortable and
creative atmosphere in which to relax and enjoy original fine art and high
quality espresso drinks at the Open Door Gallery + Coffee, opening May 18.
An opening reception will take place on Saturday, May 17, 5:30PM - 8:30PM.
The gallery will sell a diverse range of original art works
by established Whidbey Island artists. The gallery’s largest pieces will include furniture,
masks, paintings, and sculptures. The majority of the gallery will be devoted
to smaller, more affordable pieces, such as ceramics, glass, jewelry, turned
wood, handmade books and cards. The gallery will be stocked with plenty of
original gifts for Mother’s Day (May 11).
They will offer quality coffee, teas, cocoa, and a menu of espresso drinks,
serving locally roasted Muklilteo Coffee. Pastries will be available for breakfast
and mid-afternoon snacking.
Owner and entrepreneur Louise Long wants the Open Door to be an upscale,
quality-driven establishment. Yet, she also envisions 3a bohemian, fun-loving
place where you can enjoy the latest local art while chilling out with art-loving
friends over a latte.2 Local artists Susanne Newbold and Sandra Whiting, Open
Door1s managers, share Louise1s enthusiasm. According to Sandra, 3Whidbey
is an art lover1s Mecca, home to over 100 regionally and nationally recognized
artists.2
The Open Door Gallery + Coffee is located at the corner of Bayview Road and
Marshview Road, in the Bayview Cash Store at Bayview Corner, Langley, WA.
Open daily 9:00AM to 6:00PM.
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