Port meets on levy lift tonight

Port of South Whidbey commissioners will conduct the final review of Phase I design plans for the Langley Marina at their meeting tonight.

Port officials are also expected to vote on a resolution to place a property tax increase on the ballot to pay for the marina’s expansion.

Other topics include fishing line disposal stations at Bush Point and an update on the Whidbey Air Park study.

The port meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Freeland Library.

School board holds workshop

The South Whidbey School District will meet tonight to discuss a proposal for refinancing bonds.

School board members will also review the budget and recognize the efforts of AmeriCorps workers.

District business manager Dan Poolman said the refinancing proposal centers on bonds approved by voters in the 1990s.

“The idea is to decrease the interest rate we’re paying,” Poolman said.

“It won’t be much, maybe $80,000 total on an $8 million debt, but every little bit helps,” he said. “Remember that interest rates are time-dependent and they change daily but we feel it’s worth the effort.”

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the Intermediate School community room, 5380 Maxwelton Road in Langley.

PAB to discuss new zoning for fair

Langley’s Planning Advisory Board will meet today to continue discussion about the fairgrounds zoning change.

The board is reviewing new uses of the property that have been suggested by the Island County Fair Association Board and the PAB is sorting out what is acceptable for Langley.

The board will meet at 4 p.m. today at city hall.

Shoes For Kid’s needs volunteers

Kids in need all over the island and in Mukilteo will get a new pair of shoes if enough volunteers step up to help.

The Shoes For Kid’s Foundation is organizing a benefit tug-of-war between islanders and mainlanders.

Team members are sought from Freeland, Langley, Clinton, Coupeville and Oak Harbor to go head-to-head with a Mukilteo team for two tug-of-war competitions. One would be held during the Island County Fair, and the other would be held during the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival.

The Shoes For Kid’s Foundation needs help for what they hope will be a fun and lucrative event.

Help is needed to organize such things as the “Quasi Marching Band” that will lead the island warriors to the ferry to defeat the “weaklings” of Mukilteo, and the group that will sell heckler tickets to cheer for the island team. Helpers are also needed to set up teams of 20, which will include men, women, boys and girls.

The ultimate goal is to provide as many pairs of new shoes to needy children from Whidbey Island and Mukilteo.

Those interested in volunteering can leave a message at 321-3929.

State park offers nature programs

South Whidbey State Park is having a series of interpretive nature programs throughout the summer. The free presentations will be held in the amphitheater in the day-use section of the park.

At 6 p.m. Saturday, July 12, representatives from the Sardis Raptor Center will bring large and small birds of prey and talk about their habitats, diet and long-term prospects.

Educational programs offered by the Sardis Center feature bald and golden eagles, a variety of hawks, the largest owl species in the world and a Peregrine falcon.

At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 19, the Island Astronomical Society will be setting up large telescopes to get an up-close view of the sun.

The presentation will cover solar system basics and the audience will participate in building a scale model of the solar system.

For details, call Breanne Hunt at 331-4559 or e-mail swstatepark@gmail.com.

Benefit planned for Keith Holt

Friends of Shevaun Wright and Keith Holt invite the community to join them for a benefit to help defray the costs of Holt’s upcoming bone marrow transplant.

The fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 18 at Mukilteo Coffee on Crawford Road in Langley.

Holt is facing many months of treatment and hospital visits.

The benefit will feature entertainment by the popular group SisterMonk Harem, and a belly dancing performance by Wright’s group “Troupe Hipnotica.”

A silent auction, hosted by Sue Frause, will include items donated by a variety of island artists, business people and friends.

Admission is a donation of $10 or more.

On Sunday, July 20, the hair stylists of South Whidbey will be holding a “Cut-A-Thon” for the family, along with pedicures from the staff from Island Girl Nails in Clinton.

Contact your stylist for more information and watch for posters.

Monetary donations are now also being accepted at Whidbey Island Bank in Langley, in the name of “Keith Holt Benefit Fund.”