CALENDAR

Brown Bag Story Time at the Vashon Library will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesdays, July 2 to Aug. 6, for ages 6 to 10.

wednesday 2

Brown Bag Story Time

Brown Bag Story Time at the Vashon Library will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesdays, July 2 to Aug. 6, for ages 6 to 10.

Kids can bring a sack lunch to eat while they listen to stories. Treats will be served.

Registration is not required. Call the library for more information at 463-2069.

Teens: Read to win

The Vashon Library is holding a video book review contest for kids entering grades 6 through 12 at 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 2.

Island teens can read a book, make a movie and enter a contest to try to win a video camera.

Participants can use the Vashon Library’s camera and laptop for editing when they come to this event. Submissions will continue to be accepted throughout the month of July. Kids are asked to create a short video about their favorite book (a review or a book trailer) and upload it to their YouTube account with the tag VBRkcls2008.

The grand prize is a Flip camera, and the three runner-up prizes are MuVo MP3 Players.

Thursday 3

DSHS rep here

A representative from the Department of Social and Health Services will be at Vashon Youth & Family Services from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 3, with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.

friday 4

Fireworks

The fireworks will be over Quartermaster Harbor again this year when it is dark, usually close to 10 p.m.

A popular viewing spot is Burton Acres Park in Burton.

saturday 5

Adopt-a-Cat days

Vashon Island Pet Protects (VIPP) hosts an Adopt-A-Cat Day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays at Pandora’s Box. Stop by or call VIPP at 389-1085.

Farmers Market

On Saturday, July 5, the Vashon Farmers Market will welcome musicians from the Vashon Celtic Players between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The market is open in the Village Green from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday.

Farmers will sell Island-grown carrots, onions, potatoes, peas, strawberries, broccoli, salad mix, cauliflower, lettuce, milk, eggs, lamb, chicken, cheese, wine, fresh cut flowers, perennials, trees and more. There will also be organic cherries from Tiny’s Organics of Eastern Washington. The Monkey Tree will sell fresh-baked goods and soups, and there will be a wide variety of Vashon-grown crafts. People can also bring knives that they want sharpened as they shop.

For more information, go to the Vashon Island Growers Association Web site at www.vigavashon.org or contact market manager Joanne Jewell at 267-8146.

sunday 16

Butterfly count

Islanders are invited to meet at the park and ride next to The Country Store at 9 a.m Sunday, July 6, to join the annual Vashon Audubon butterfly count.

People can join the main count team or form their own with someone who knows the local butterflies.

There is a $3 fee to participate officially in the team that will report totals to North American Butterfly Association.

Garden watchers’ reports are also valuable, and participation is free. The list of Vashon butterflies is posted on the Web under “Wildlife” at vashonaudubon.org along with a list of past years’ count results.

The main team will continue until dark, although people may stop at any point. People will rove widely over Vashon and Maury, walking extensively at several sites.

For more information contact Rayna Holtz at 463-3153.

monday 7

Flea circus

“The Amazing Flea Circus and Magic Show,” presented by Payne Fifield, will be at 7 p.m. Monday, July 7, at the Vashon Library for kids ages 5 and up.

Kids will watch the death-defying acts performed by Professor Payne’s Performing Fleas. They’ll witness amazing feats of daring-do performed by Hercules, the world’s strongest flea; Marceau, the world’s only mime flea; and Fearless Flambeau as he is shot out of a cannon.

Registration is required and is under way. Call the library at 463-2069.

Upcoming

Kids learn about bugs

“Walk on the Wild Side: Incredible Mini-Beasts” presented by Barbara Gustafson will meet at the Vashon Library during the next few weeks.

Kids can dive into the world of flying, crawling, swimming and hopping critters. They’ll examine bugs found in the water, trees and soil of Vashon and learn where to find them, how to catch them and why they are important to the planet.

Ages 5 to 7 meet at 9:30 a.m., and kids ages 7 to 11 meet at 11 a.m. each day the groups gather.

On Tuesday, July 8, the groups will investigate terrestrial bugs, including ants, beetles, pillbugs and mealworms using a magnifying lens. While playing bug bingo and building clay critters, they’ll learn what’s what in the invertebrate world.

On Wednesday, July 9, kids will investigate local pond water that will show the stages of insect metamorphosis, camouflage and adaptations to a watery world.

On Tuesday, July 15, kids will learn about the physical features of mini-beasts that help them to catch their prey. Also, they’ll play a bird beak game to see how birds prey on an assortment of spineless critters.

On Wednesday, July 16, kids will construct and take home their own bug net, butterfly holding cage and temporary bug home. They’ll also learn how to set up bug traps, a Berlese funnel and other tools for further mini-beast investigations.

Registration is required; call

463-2069.

Special markets

A special Farmers Market will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, July 11, in the Village Green because the market will be closed for Strawberry Festival festivities on Saturday, July 12.

George Page of Sea Breeze Farm will be there on Friday with milk, eggs, lamb, chicken and cheese. Other farmers and crafters will also be there selling goods.

The Wednesday Farmers Market will open from 2 to 5 p.m. July 16 for the season in the Village Green.

Tunes at Noon will play between noon and 3 p.m. each Wednesday as well.

For more information, see www.vigavashon.org or contact market manager Joanne Jewell at 267-8146.

Fun Run

Bill Burby Inspirational Fun Run and Walk will be Saturday, July 12.

This family-fun event starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 12, at the corner of Vashon Highway and Gorsuch Road.

Choose a 10K or 5K run or a 5K walk and save $10 by pre-registering by July 10. Pick up forms at the library or Island businesses such as Thriftway, Northwest Sports, Vashon Athletic Club, The Little House and The Beachcomber or request a registration form via e-mail at burby10k5k@aol.com. On-line registration is at www.signmeup.com/60333. Day-of-race registration opens at 8 a.m. and costs $25. Kiwanis’ pancake breakfast tickets will also be available for those who are hungry afterward.

Opera preview

The Vashon Library will offer an opera preview with Norm Hollingshead at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 27. He will preview “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi.

Glorious pageantry, rousing choruses and a basketful of great tunes elevate the moving tale of forbidden love between general and slave girl in ancient Egypt.

The grandest of all grand operas, “Aida” is also an intensely personal love story overflowing with passions as up to the minute as our own.

Verdi’s power to translate human emotion into magnificent music was at its zenith when he created this highly original and enjoyable masterwork, arguably the best evening’s entertainment he ever devised.

No registration is required. Call the library for more information at

463-2069.