Support Group
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) friends and family support group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the library at Vashon Presbyterian Church, 17708 Vashon Highway SW. The meeting may also be attended remotely, by following the Zoom link found at vashonpreschurch.org/events. Questions? Contact Leigh Weber at 425-221-1142.
Vashon Senior Center
All the following events take place at Vashon Senior Center, at 10004 SW Bank Rd, unless otherwise noted.
Jane Neubauer will host the third in a series of sessions discussing matters about planning for end-of-life, “Shaping Your Legacy,” at 1 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the Senior Center, at 10004 SW Bank Rd. Questions will include: Do you want a gathering? What will happen to your body? What not to miss in your obituary, unfinished business, and writing letters to families and friends? This is the third talk in a monthly series.
The Senior Center will lead a “Troll Hunt” beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 18, to visit troll sculptures in Issaquah, Ballard and Lincoln Park. Those who attend should be comfortable walking on paved and dirt trails. Bring a snack; a lunch spot will be selected along the way. The cost is $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Call 206-463-5173 for more information.
Comp Plan meeting
A King County Council committee will host a public meeting on Vashon at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Hosted by the Local Services and Land Use Committee, the meeting will be an opportunity for island residents to learn more and weigh in on the once-in-a-decade update to the county’s comprehensive plan, the primary planning document for unincorporated King County.
Doors to the meeting will open at 5 p.m. This meeting has no Zoom option but will be live-streamed on the King County TV livestream, Comcast Channels 22 and 322 (HD), or on Astound Broadband Channels 22 and 711 (HD).
Talk at Library
A free talk, “They Want Our Rythmn, but Not Our Blues,” exploring the topic of African American innovation through pop culture, will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Vashon Library.
The speaker, Dr. LaToya Brackett, is an associate professor of African American studies at the University of Puget Sound. The talk, for teenagers and adults, is intended to serve as a guide to appreciating the art of Black pop culture by understanding how and why African American culture was created, and when and where it appears across multiple platforms of popular culture.
The talk is sponsored by Humanities Washington and the Vashon Friends of the Library. Registration is not required, and reasonable requests for people with disabilities are available by emailing access@kcls.org at least seven days before the event.
Grief Ritual
A monthly community grief ritual is held on the first Sunday of every month, from 1-3 p.m. at the Tree of Life Wellness Center at 17331 Vashon Hwy SW, with donations accepted. April’s first Sunday of the month is April 7. Islanders are invited to share and witness, either in silence or out loud, grief for loved ones, pets, relationships, the climate, and wars. Questions? Call Susan Pitiger at 206-818-4232, Brad Davis at 206-799-7235, or Colleen Carrette at 206-713-9875.
Food Drive
A spring food and fund drive to benefit the Vashon Food Bank will happen from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at collection sites outside of Thriftway and IGA. Islanders can help increase food security on the island by contributing non-perishable food, or by purchasing a Thriftway Care Card or IGA Gift Card. The food bank is especially in need of the following items: broth or stock, cooking oil, peanut butter, shelf-stable non-dairy milks, and canned soups, stews, fish, and black beans.
Islanders can also donate reusable clean, dry, structurally sound grocery bags with handles.
Those who miss the event can place donations in the blue shed in the food bank’s parking lot at 10030 SW 210th Street, at the top of Sunrise Ridge, up the hill, and to the right of the Sea Mar healthcare clinic. For more information, visit vashonfoodbank.org or call 206-463-6332.
Film Screening
Choose Plastic Free and Zero Waste Vashon will present a free screening of the award-winning PBS documentary “We Are All Plastic People Now,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at the Land Trust Building.
This hard-hitting film investigates the growing body of research on the health and environmental dangers posed by nanoplastics.
After the movie, Heather Trim, of Zero Waste Washington, will present an update on state and national legislation addressing this important issue, and advise how local citizens can support these initiatives. The group will also share ideas and tips to avoid plastic exposure in daily life. Snacks will be served.
More Earth Month
Island GreenTech and the Whole Vashon Project will offer a free screening of “Regenerating Life” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at the Vashon Theatre. The Earth Day Celebration will happen from 12:30-8 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Dig Deep Gardens, with bands, food, kid activities and informational booths on everything from recycling to water conservation and how to take planet friendly action. Watch The Beachcomber, Facebook and Instagram for more activities.
Garden Club
The Vashon-Maury Island Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Monday, April 8, at the Bethel Church gym. A Garden Club business meeting will be followed by guest speaker, Bill Hibler, who will discuss Japanese maples. Meetings are open to the public.
Water District 19
Water District 19’s next Regular Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in the district’s board room, at 17630 100th Ave SW.
The Board of Commissioners will discuss the 2024 allocation event. The discussion will be about the current “buyback” list that the board made available after last year’s allocation event, how many new water units they will make available and how this allocation event will be done — such as, whether they will allow one application to have multiple water units attached, or will they make the applicant fill out a form for each water unit requested.
Cemetery District
King County Cemetery District’s next regular board meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, in the district’s office, at 9631 Singer Rd. SW.
Tool Library Sale
Vashon’s Tool Library will hold its annual tool sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the O2 building, next to Open Space for Arts & Community, at 18870 103rd Ave SW. This year’s sale will have dozens of portable power tools (battery and corded) and a large selection of hand tools. The money received at the sale goes to the Tool Library’s maintaining existing inventory and the purchase of new types of tools that had been requested by islanders.
Care Closet
The Care Closet is celebrating National Library Week with an Open House and Giveaway from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the Vashon Lutheran Church, 18623 Vashon Highway SW. Come take a peek into the barns and check out the great medical equipment and supplies that islanders provide for one another — for free. Learn how you and your neighbors can make use of this remarkable community resource.
Mental Health class
VARSA, Vashon’s nonprofit supporting the reduction of youth substance abuse, will offer a free Mental Health First Aid class from 3:30-8:30 p.m., on Thursday, April 25, at 9920 SW Bank Rd. Dinner will be included in the class.
The class is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.
The class is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people — covering common mental health challenges for youth, reviewing typical adolescent development, and teaching a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
Find out more and register by emailing info@varsanetwork.org to sign up — spaces are limited.
Ferry Survey
The Washington State Transportation Commission would like to hear from ferry riders on their evaluation of WSF’s recent performance (January – March 2024). Sign up at ferryridersopiniongroup.com to receive a link to the survey.
Daughters’ Dance returns
After a pandemic hiatus for the last three years, Vashon’s time-honored tradition of celebrating our daughters is back. The 13th annual Daughters’ Dance will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts.
The theme for this year’s dance is Starry Night. In keeping with tradition, the dress will be semi-formal. Desserts and drinks will be provided, along with a complimentary photo for daughters.
An optional dinner will be held before the dance, starting at 5:30 p.m. The dinner will be buffet-style, catered by Chantel Jackson of Thyme Well Spent, with vegetarian options available. The dance will start with a dance lesson from the talented Sarah Howard. Music selections will be handpicked by an expert committee of island daughters. Song requests during the event will be welcome.
Tickets are $25 per person for the dance. The optional dinner is $25 per adult, $20 for daughters between the ages of 5 and 11 and free for daughters under age 5. Tickets for the dinner need to be purchased at least seven days in advance to ensure an accurate meal count. Purchase in advance online at vashoncenterforthearts.org. The dance is limited to 120 participants; early ticket purchase is recommended.
The world is celebrating The Earth throughout April. Here on Vashon multiple enviro groups are hosting events to bring us all closer to Home. April 7, 3pm, Choose Plastic Free hosts a film and discussion, “We Are All Plastic People,” at The Land Trust. Just show up. April 13, 10AM- 3PM, The Vashon Tool Library holds a tool sale at Open Space. April 16, 6PM, Island GreenTech and the Whole Vashon Project screen “Regenerating Life,” a free film at the Vashon Theater. The BIG Earth Day Celebration will happen at Dig Deep, Saturday, April 20, 12:30-8PM – with bands, food, kid activities and informational booths on everything from recycling to water conservation and how to take planet friendly action. Watch the BeachComber, Facebook and Instagram for more activities to get you closer to our Home throughout April.
