Happenings | Oct. 5 edition

Published 1:30 am Thursday, October 5, 2023

Poetry Open Mic

Margaret Roncone, Vashon’s new Poet Laureate, will host a monthly poetry open mic reading. The first event will take place at 7:15, Thursday, Oct. 5, in the atrium of Open Space for Arts & Community. All are welcome.

Open house at Station 55

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will hold an open house at Station 55, on Bank Road, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct 7, as a kickoff to Fire Prevention Week.

The open house will feature a pancake breakfast, a bouncy house, farm animals and other family fun. The morning will include demonstrations around the theme of kitchen safety and other information provided by VashonBePrepared. Find out more at vifr.org.

‘Atomic Washington’ talk

A free talk for teens and adults, “Atomic Washington: Our Nuclear Past, Present and Future,” will be presented at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Vashon Library. Drawing from history, science and popular culture, author Steve Olson will reveal the many influences of nuclear materials on Washington State, and the many ways in which our state has been a pioneer in the atomic age. The talk is sponsored by the Vashon Park District, Humanities Washington and Vashon Library. Registration is not required.

CiderFest returns

Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce will host its annual CiderFest, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Vashon Village — a day filled with events, exhibits, and treats for all ages. In addition to popular cider tastings, the Chamber will introduce a new cider-maker competition, judged by premiere regional cidermakers. Other activities will include fruit pressing, non-alcoholic beverages, food vendors, and more. Read all about it here.

Garden Club

The Vashon-Maury Island Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at the Bethel Church gym. A business meeting will be followed by a presentation by a guest speaker, Lisa Taylor, on organic pest management.

Meetings are open to the public.

Brown Briefly

Join The Brown Briefly hosts Craig Beles, Truman O’Brien, Kevin Jones, and Bruce Haulman at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 on the Voice of Vashon, 101.9 FM, streaming live at voiceofvashon.org and on the VOV mobile app when the show’s guest will be Elizabeth Shepherd, former editor (and current reporter) of the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. The hosts will chat with Liz about her life before and after coming to Vashon, her background in journalism and writing, the challenges faced by The Beachcomber during the COVID pandemic, what she considers some of her best stories, and her plans for the future.

Ferry Strikes Talk

At Vashon Heritage Museum’s next History Talk, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, on Zoom, Ann Irish will present “It Could Be Worse: Remembering the Puget Sound Ferry Strikes.”

From the 1930s to the 1980s, Puget Sound’s ferry system faced employee strikes and even a lockout by management; in all, 11 work stoppages. Some strikes lasted just a few days, but the longest went on for more than a month. Which ferry runs were impacted? How did islanders feel about the work stoppages? In 1948, relations between workers and management became so bad that Vashon Islanders ran their ferries themselves for three years. But strikes continued until the final one for three days in 1981.

Register and get the Zoom link at vashonheritagemuseum.org, or here.

Water District 19

Water District 19’s next regular board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the district’s board room. This is a change from the district’s normal second Tuesday-of-the-month board meeting, due to the general manager being away that day.

Regenerate Cascadia

Regenerate Cascadia, a grassroots movement led by volunteers throughout the Cascadia region, will hold three events on Vashon as part of a 14-stop activation tour throughout the region.

An evening with Joe Brewer, author of “Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth,” will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at Mukai Farm & Garden, 18017 107th Ave SW. Brewer, a researcher with an academic background in atmospheric sciences, physics, philosophy and cognitive linguistics, launched an initiative to regenerate 500,000 hectares of land in Barichara, Colombia in 2020, and in 2023 founded the Design School for Regenerating Earth. At the talk, Brewer will share what he has learned about the potential to interweave bioregional communities for a thriving world.

“Weaving Our Thriving Communities,” a community round table, will be held from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Heights Hall (formerly the Grange Hall), at 10365 SW Cowan Rd. Join in dialogue, forge connections and share learning to further explore Friday evening’s presentation and weave together a coherent story of who we are as an island community and how Vashon’s community is interconnected within a larger bioregion and resilient planet that can be healed.

After the round table, join the local hosts of Regenerate Cascadia at Caffe Vino Olio, 17507 Vashon Hwy SW, for food and deeper conversation to explore what future efforts can continue the work of Regenerate Cascadia.

Learn more here.

Health Resource Fair

A Health and Resource Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Vashon Methodist Church, where islanders can learn more about local health and social service resources and be able to receive flu shots. The event is coordinated by the Vashon Social Services Network, the Vashon Health Care District, VIFR, and Vashon Pharmacy. Find out more on Vashon Health District’s Facebook page.

Plan for a dignified death

Learn how to express your wishes and intentions for the end of your life at a public workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 at Synergy, located behind Herban Bloom. Hosted by Women Hold the Key, this workshop will teach attendees to plan for the legal, cultural, medical and familial decisions they and their families will face. For more information on programs at Synergy Vashon, visit the group’s Facebook page or go here.

Family Search Center

The Vashon FamilySearch Center and the Vashon Genealogy Club will co-sponsor an open house from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at the FamilySearch Center at 9330 SW 204th St.

The purpose of the open house is to make the public aware of the facilities and resources available on Vashon and help those who are interested in getting started in compiling their family history and genealogy. Experts will be on hand to help those with more advanced family history challenges and questions.

There is no fee to use the available resources.

Animal Blessing

The Church of the Holy Spirit (Episcopal) will host an Autumn Animal Blessing and Halloween Party at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, October 29.

Gather with us outdoors to sing thanks to the divine for all creatures and a blessing of the animals. We will gather under cover if it rains. Enjoy our labyrinth, forest trail and church while you are here.

Bring your beloved animals and their memories, and the wildlings in your house of all ages. We will bless them each and all.

Hot sweet cider, donuts, and other treats will be served