Articles by Evan Thompson
Wendi Hilborn and Chris Andrew carry a sandbag up a hill Community Park. The duo were among 11 teams that competed in the Whidbey Throwdown on Aug. 13.
Athletes show physicality in South Whidbey fitness competition
By Evan Thompson • August 16, 2016 5:31 pm

Without a little bit of pain and some sore muscles, there is no gain.

That was the theme at the Whidbey Throwdown on Saturday at Community Park. Nearly two dozen people battled it out for the top prize of the fitness competition which began at 9:30 a.m. The event combined five workouts that tested the athletes’ strength, mobility, balance and endurance. The workouts included carrying a 60- and 40-pound sandbag up a steep hill for 100 yards, carrying a 35- and 25-pound “slam ball” for 50 meters, over-the-wall burpees and overhead medicine ball throws.

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Proposed location for off-leash dog park in Langley draws some resistance
Proposed location for off-leash dog park in Langley...
By Evan Thompson • August 16, 2016 5:26 pm

A proposed off-leash dog park to be built near the Cedars neighborhood had property owners barking concerns at Monday night’s city council meeting.

Though residents were not denying the need for a dog park, they felt the proposed location near the catch basin area may be too small or too remote. Councilwoman Dominique Emerson suggested the idea of building a fenced dog park area in the city at a meeting on July 18 in an effort to keep tourists with their dogs in town. Councilman Thomas Gill suggested the catch basin area at the Cedars as a possible location for the park, due to it having a large retention pond area with no water in it.

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Whidbey Throwdown to test minds, bodies of athletes
Whidbey Throwdown to test minds, bodies of athletes
By Evan Thompson • August 12, 2016 7:21 pm

Chris Beaven, a 41-year-old Freeland resident, will be in his “pain cave” when he competes in the Whidbey Throwdown on Saturday at Community Park on Maxwelton Road. It’s what he considers the zone between being uncomfortable and continuing to push through daunting physical challenges.

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Between 400 and 500 people attended Langley’s Second Street Dance in July. The Langley Arts Commission is hoping to make it a staple of the community in the summer as the planning process has begun to unfold.
Langley claims festival favorite as its own
By Evan Thompson • August 12, 2016 7:19 pm

Plans to make Langley’s Second Street Dance one of the city’s premier events were set in motion Thursday morning at a Langley Arts Commission meeting.

The dance, adopted by the commission, will be a regular tradition the weekend following the Fourth of July. It will also include a studious planning process by the event’s organizers.

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Warning signage on the Clyde Alley Archway is considered to be too low to the ground by Langley Councilwomen Ursula Shoudy and Dominique Emerson.
Clyde Alley Archway draws concern from councilwoman, resident
By Evan Thompson • August 12, 2016 7:18 pm

There’s concern that Langley’s newest piece of public art — the Clyde Alley Archway that connects Third to Second Street — may be susceptible to horseplay and injury. Better signage to help thwart would-be climbers may be one of the solutions to the problem, members of Langley’s city council say.

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CORRECTED | Langley’s rural economic development grant gets preliminary OK
CORRECTED | Langley’s rural economic development grant gets...
By Evan Thompson • August 9, 2016 6:40 pm

The Island County Council of Governments green lighted Langley’s request for economic development funds, though it is significantly less than what the city requested in June and will not include money for the arts.

It is only the first major step in securing the funding, however, as final approval rests with the Island County commissioners; the council of governments acts in an advisory capacity, making recommendations to the board.

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Clinton resident Kimberly Boenish examines the “Friendship Quilt” Thursday afternoon in the Malone Building at the Whidbey Island Fair. The fabrics used in the quilt were crafted by a group of Maxwelton women in 1936.
Piece of history included in Malone Building at...
By Evan Thompson • August 5, 2016 7:14 pm

Nestled on the edge of the Malone Building at the Island County Fairgrounds is a piece of history dating back to The Great Depression. Blocks of fabric originally crafted by a group of Maxwelton women in 1936 were sewn together this year to create the “Friendship Quilt,” one of the many quilts that can be found in the demonstration area of the building over the course of the Whidbey Island Fair held Aug. 4-7.

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Greenbank resident Michael Seraphinoff maneuvers around the beach access trail at South Whidbey State Park. Wet conditions caused a landslide during the winter of 2015.
No solution in sight for South Whidbey State...
By Evan Thompson • August 5, 2016 7:13 pm

The sign that reads “Temporary Emergency Closure” at the entrance of South Whidbey State Park’s beach access trail is one Greenbank resident Michael Seraphinoff has taken a disliking to. Storms in December 2015 and January 2016 damaged the midpoint of the trail while also wrecking a wooden stairway that leads down to the beach. The result: no beach access.

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