Happenings | Sept. 11 edition
Published 10:32 am Thursday, September 11, 2025
• EVENTS •
9/11 Memorial
This Thursday, September 11, Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will honor and remember those lost in the 9/11 attacks. Gather at 7 p.m. front of VIFR’s 9/11 memorial, in from of Station 55, at 10020 SW Bank Rd.) The ceremony, beginning at 7:15 p.m., will include a bagpipe tribute as community members and first responders come together in reflection and remembrance.
Food bank tours
Tour the current and future sites of the Vashon-Maury Community Food Bank with the food bank’s executive director and board members. The next tours takes place from 2-3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19; 3-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30; 2-3:30 Friday, Oct. 10; and 3-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21. Each tour can accommodate 10 people. RSVPs are required — contact minta@vashonfoodbank.org, and meet at the current food bank location at 10030 SW 210th St.
Oral History Training
Mike Sudduth will offer training on collecting oral histories at 12 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Vashon Heritage Museum. Islanders love to listen to great storytellers and great stories, and interviewers play an important role in collecting and preserving these stories for generations to come. Learn from Mike and conduct an interview or two before the year is over.
Health insurance
Miguel Urquiza, representative of King County Public Health, will help islanders sign up for health insurance, food stamps, and other services from 12:30-3 p.m. on both Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Wednesday, Oct. 15, inside Vashon Library. Dates not convenient? Contact Urquiza for help at 206-477-6965, 206-491-3761, or miguel.urquiza@kingcounty.gov.
Alice in Wonderland Unbirthday Party
Celebrate the 100th birthday of “Alice in Wonderland” and Vashon Library’s recent expansion of hours to include Sunday, at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at the library. Create candles out of teacups, make tiny clay mushrooms, and sample delicious unbirthday treats based on the book. All supplies provided by Vashon Friends of the Library, with teacups donated by Granny’s Attic. All ages are welcome. Visit kcls.org/locations/vashon to find out more about what’s happening at the library.
Seminar
The Vashon Care Network will host the third annual Christine Jovanovich Memorial Seminar at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 21, at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, honoring Jovanovich’s legacy of dedication as an island caretaker and organizer of her peers. (See article, page 7.) The event is free; all are invited. Katie Zeitler, the program manager for Dementia Friends at the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center, will speak on the topic of “Taking the Stigma Out of Memory Loss.” For more information, visit vashoncarenetwork.org.
VIGA Pizza Party
Vashon Island Growers Association will raise funds for its Farm Bucks program from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at La Biondo Farm & Kitchen at 20602 111th Ave SW. Tickets are $60. The night includes wood-fired pizza, salad, dessert and beverages, live music by Tim Couldn’t Make It and a raffle with an array of valuable prizes. Find out more at vigavashon.org.
Legislative Forum
All three state legislators representing Vashon in the 34th District will attend and speak at a free community forum from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Vashon Center for the Arts. (See News Briefs, page 2). Moderated by Craig Beles, the panel will include Senator Emily Alverado, Representative Joe Fitzgibbon and Representative Brianna Thomas. The event is being presented by Islanders for Ferry Action in coalition with the Vashon Chamber of Commerce, Vashon Senior Center, VashonBePrepared, Comunidad, Vashon HouseHold, Vashon Maury Island Community Council, Vashon Health Care District, Vashon Food Bank, Vashon Youth & Family Services and the Vashon School District.
Public Sector Heroes Lectures
Dr. Larry Hubbell, in conjunction with Vashon Indivisible will offer the first of four lectures at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Vashon High School Theatre. Subsequent lectures will occur on October 14 and 28, and Nov. 11. The lecture series is entitled “Finding Courage in Dark Times: Public Sector Heroes Rediscovered.” The first lecture will feature John Lewis, the civil rights icon and his nemesis Sheriff Justice Jim Clark, the Selma sheriff. All lectures will take place in the VHS theater. There is no admission charge, but donations to Vashon Indivisible are encouraged.
Farmers Market
The Vashon Island Growers Association’s Farmers Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday at the Village Green through September 27.
Free community dinners
Held Mondays through Fridays from 5-5:30 p.m. at the Vashon Presbyterian Church (17708 Vashon Highway SW) by the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness.
• SENIOR CENTER •
Enjoy a hot lunch at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the following activities throughout the week at the Vashon Senior Center, 10004 SW Bank Road, unless noted otherwise:
Talk and Choir
At 1 p.m. Friday, Sept 12, island historian Bruce Haulman will present a talk, “How Historians Think: Making Sense of the Past,” from 2-3 p.m. on Sept. 12, at the Senior Center. The Threshold Choir will also serenade those who make requests.
Armchair Travel
At 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Senior Center, travel to Denmark from the comfort of the Senior Center as Barbara Gustafson leads an exploration of Copenhagan, home to Danish kings who have surrounded themselves with grant buildings and magnificent art for 600 years.
Death Café
Meets 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Senior Center. It is a discussion group about death and making the most of life, rather than a grief support or counselling session. For questions, call Susan Pitiger at 206-818-4232 or Brad Davis at 206-799-7235.
Grief ritual
Islanders are invited to share and witness each other’s grief on the first Sunday of each month from 1-2 p.m. at the Senior Center. Questions? Call Susan Pitiger at 206-818-4232, or Brad Davis at 206-799-7235.
Grief support
Kenny Alton, counselor at Vashon Youth and Family Services, will facilitate the “Grief is Grief” support group, a six week group from 5-6:30 p.m. on on Thursdays, September 18-Oct. 23, at the Senior Center. The group is limited to 12 people. There is no cost for the meetings; please register by calling Susan Pitiger at 206-818-4232.
• PUBLIC MEETINGS •
Vashon-Maury Community Council
The council holds regular meetings on the third Thursday of the month. This month, that is Sept. 18. Visit v-mcc.org for more information.
Water District 19
6 p.m. Tuesday, September 16, in the district’s board room at 17630 100th Ave SW.
Vashon Health Care District
The board meets the fourth Thursday of the month, at Vashon Presbyterian Church, 17708 Vashon Hwy SW, and on Zoom. Visit vashonhealthcare.org.
Vashon Island School District
The board typically meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, at Chautauqua Elementary School, Room 302, 9309 SW Cemetery Road. All meetings are recorded and posted online at youtube.com/@visdpublicmeetings6034/videos. Visit vashonsd.org.
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue
The board typically meets on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month. Visit vifr.org.
King County Cemetery District #1
Meetings are typically held at 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month, at the cemetery office at 19631 Singer Rd SW. Visit vashoncemetery.org.
Ferry Advisory Committee
In lieu of this month’s regularly scheduled Ferry Advisory Committee meeting, the members of that committee will be present at the Legislative Forum hosted by Islanders for Ferry Action at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at VCA. The forum will include discussion of issues related to ferries, among other issues. For more information, contact Justin Hirsch at justinhirsch@gmail.com.
• NOTICE •
Happenings features community, cultural and nonprofit events; notices are free and printed as space permits. Due to the volume of entries received, we edit submissions and cannot always confirm if a submission will run. Send submissions to editor@vashonbeachcomber.com; include the who, what, where and when. The deadline is noon Thursday for subsequent Thursday publication.
