It’s 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday and it isn’t too early for the South Whidbey High School cafeteria to buzz with the cheerful voices of 350 people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.
Twenty years ago, the people behind the genesis of the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) could never have imagined the organization’s success over the years. Yet two decades later, WICA remains the creative hub of the South Whidbey community and a place that performing artists of all kinds call home.
In celebration of WICA’s 20th birthday, the multi-use arts center is inviting the South Whidbey community to an open house at 6 p.m. on May 12, followed by a two-night variety show featuring acts from over the years. The shows will be hosted on May 13 and May 14.
Spring is a savory time of year. The bloom is in full and the weather is warming up as the sun grows less and less shy, and with the rays come new flavors from our very own backyards.
The annual Savor Spring Food, Wine & Spirits Tour is an opportunity to sample the distillery’s best spirits and some of the best bounty South Whidbey has to offer. Put on by Whidbey Island Vintners and Distillers Association since 2010, the self-guided tour takes guests on a trip through four wineries and Whidbey Island Distillery for a day of tasting and food pairing. Pairings are done by Whidbey restaurants mostly on the South End, but Mile Post 19 Farm in Coupeville will also be featured. The tour is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
As she stands with her hummingbird hat perched on her head and binoculars firmly in hand, Frances Wood patiently awaits the flutter of wings or the tune of a bird’s song. It’s an indicator that she’s found what she is looking for.
Two historic log cabins at the Island County fairgrounds are getting a new lease on life.
The Choochokam Arts Festival’s proposed move from downtown Langley to Community Park got its final OK this week.
South Whidbey Parks and Recreation commissioners unanimously approved the event’s permit application during the board’s regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 20. The marathon gathering lasted nearly three hours, with about half the time focused solely on Choochokam; nearly a dozen community members attended to voice their objections. Celia Black, president of Choochokam Arts Foundation board of directors and Gwen Jones, vice president of the Choochokam Arts Foundation board, were also in attendance.
When Gina Marie Mammano walks into a room, the energy levels seem to rise. The Freeland native’s smile and ever-present positivity rubs off on those around her, and her body of work has a similar impact on readers and listeners alike. Her newest piece is no different.
Mammano’s new book, “Camino Divina — Walking the Divine Way: A Book of Moving Meditations with Likely and Unlikely Saints,” takes walks from multiple trails, including paths across Whidbey Island, and pairs them with mental exercises that encourage self-discovery. The walks are inspired by the ancient spiritual practices of lectio divina, or divine reading, and walking meditation.
South Whidbey’s second recreational marijuana retailer will open its doors to the public today.
The store, named Island Herb, is located in Freeland at 5565 Vanbarr Place, Unit F.
Doors open at 11 a.m.
Island Herb is owned by a veteran of the South Whidbey marijuana business scene, Lucas Jushinski. He owns Island Alternative Medicine in Freeland, which was the first medical marijuana dispensary to open on Whidbey Island back in 2012. The old storefront previously used by Island Alternative Medicine is where Island Herb is located.
Critters, children and people of all ages, shapes and sizes gathered on Saturday, April 16, to celebrate the arrival of the gray whales that have visited South Whidbey shores for the past 25 years.
In 2009, Elea Acheson hopped on her trusty 20-year-old mountain bike, “Old Blue,” and hit the road. She had $3,000 in her pocket and one goal: to get lost and not be found. She was gone for two months.
Seven years later, the Freeland woman is eyeing Old Blue again, a mountain bike modified for the road, and hit the trail again. She’s about to embark on a 12,000 mile cross-country bike tour that circles the entire country in a clockwise manner.
As spring brings warmer weather to Whidbey Island, it brings with it a wide array of new tastes for our dinner plates that come straight from South Whidbey’s many farms.
Some of the seasonal produce is more popular than others, ranging from rhubarb to bokchoy to the often maligned kale, but it’s all delicious to Annie Jesperson, the cheerful and young co-owner of Freeland’s Deep Harvest Farm. And she’s going to demonstrate how to cook it fresh from the garden at a presentation this month.
Hoping to win favor and potentially future state funding, South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District officials gave two state lawmakers a tour of its new 30-acre campgrounds property last week.
As summer approaches, the weather isn’t the only thing heating up in Island County.
