Memorial Day events

Commemorate Memorial Day (Monday, May 26) with these events at the Vashon Senior Center, located at 10004 SW Bank Road.

• Sunday, May 25: 2 p.m. formal rededication of the World War II Memorial at Vashon Senior Center. RSVP ahead of time by calling the senior center at 206-463-5173 or emailing admin@vashoncenter.org. Seating will be limited.

• Monday, May 26: 1-4 p.m.: Community cookout and unveiling of the “Giving Tree” fundraising wall mural at the senior center.

Clothing swap

Islanders of all ages are invited to a community clothing swap from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at Snapdragon, 17817 Vashon Hwy SW. Bring clothing items in good condition — all styles, for all ages. It’s a chance to “shop” in an environmentally way, save money, try new styles and support Vashon Island Growers Association’s Food Access Partnership.

Senior center events

The Vashon Senior Center, at 10004 SW Bank Road, offers a hot lunch at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and activities throughout the week. Visit vashoncenter.org for a full monthly event calendar. The following events take place at the center.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, May 16, a discussion sharing tips and tricks for maintaining a clean and organized living space in your senior years.

At 12:45 p.m. on Monday, May 19, join King County Librarian Sam Harris for a crafting project. Later, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., the center’s board of directors holds its monthly meeting.

At 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 and 28, enjoy Word Play with Vashon Poet Laureate Margaret Roncone.

Death café

The Vashon Death Café meets from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on every first and third Friday, at the Tree of Life Wellness Center, at 17331 Vashon Highway SW. Upcoming dates include May 16 and June 6. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session, with an objective to increase awareness of death and help people make the most of their finite lives.

Grief retreat

A Grief Retreat will be held May 16-17 at the Vashon Island Unitarian Universalist Church. The retreat is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. It will be facilitated by experienced grief tenders, Jean Berolzheimer, Interfaith Buddhist Chaplain, and Kari Hilwig, a licensed independent clinical social worker. The suggested donation is $20. To reserve a spot, email Jean at jeanberolz@gmail.com or text 206 307-6674. Advance registration is required.

Bird walk

Skilled birder Brendan McGarry will lead the Vashon Bird Alliance bird walk on Saturday, May 17. Meet at Ober Park at 9 a.m., then carpool to Fisher Pond. McGarry, a Pacific Northwest guide, bird biologist and educator, plans to focus on birding by ear, identifying through song and call some of our newly arrived neotropical migrants.

Coffee at the Cemetery

Join King County Cemetery District & Island Funeral Services for “Coffee at the Cemetery” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 17 at 19631 Singer Road SW to learn about the work being done at the Cemetery District and funeral options.

Community advocacy workshop

Not on our Island, in partnership with the DOVE Project, will present a workshop, “Complexities of Community Advocacy: Exploring Privilege and Coercive Control Dynamics” from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17. The workshop will cover gender-based and domestic violence, control and power dynamics, recognizing triggers and trauma, bystander intervention and creating safe spaces for healing and empowerment. Register in advance at vashondoveproject.org/events.

Tire cleanup

Join the Vashon Rotary Club and other local environmental organizations on Saturday, May 17 for the “Epic Day of Service.” Volunteers will remove rogue beach tires and clean up plastic and other environmentally harmful trash on Vashon beaches. Sign up and learn more at tinyurl.com/VashonRotaryTires.

FurBall auction

The Vashon Island Pet Protectors FurBall Auction takes place Saturday, May 17, at the Open Space for Arts & Community. Tickets for the auction, which has a Las Vegas theme this year, are on sale now for $80 and available at VIPP.ejoinme.org/2025furball.

Day of Exile

At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, starting off event programming for the Day of Exile, artist Miya Sukune will read from the book “Love Grows Here” at Vashon Library. Mukai Farm & Garden will then host a commemoration event at 11 a.m. at Ober Park. Finally, at 12:30 p.m., inside the library, author Kiku Hughes will deliver a talk on the power of memory. Hughes is a Japanese American (Yonsei) cartoonist based in the Seattle area whose work explores themes of identity, queer romance, soft sci-fi and anti-capitalist futures.

Palestine film series

Vashon Film Institute, in association with a new local group, Vashon for Palestine, is presenting a series of documentary films about Palestine at Vashon Theatre.

The next film in the series, “From Ground Zero” will screen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, followed by a discussion. The film “Israelism” will conclude the series with a screening at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25.

“From Ground Zero” is a series of short films from 22 Palestinian filmmakers, portraying their lives in Gaza amidst war since Oct. 7, 2023.

“Israelism” is an examination of the portrayal of the Israel-Palestine history and conflict within the Jewish community in the United States. This film is co-sponsored by the Vashon Israel/Palestine, Palestine/Israel Study Group. Following the film screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A led by islander Yve Susskind.

Find out more about the films and purchase tickets at vashonfilminstitute.com/vfipresents.

Sportsmen’s Club trout derby

The Vashon Sportsmen’s Club will host its annual Kids’ Trout Derby starting at noon on Sunday, May 18. Free and open to all island children 12 and under, the Derby offers fun for the whole family and a chance to picnic and enjoy an afternoon at the club pond.

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Sign-up begins at 11:30 am. Participants should bring their own trout gear and bait. No dogs, please. (From Vashon Hwy, drive west on Cemetery Rd., turn left at Singer Rd. and enter the club gate on the left.) For more information, contact Cindy at VSCinfo47@gmail.com.

Sign up for health insurance

Miguel Urquiza, representative of King County Public Health, will help islanders sign up for health insurance, food stamps and ORCA Lift discounted transportation from 12:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, inside Vashon Library.

If Wednesday is not convenient, contact Urquiza at 206-477-6965, 206-491-3761, or miguel.urquiza@kingcounty.gov.

Mammogram screenings

Assured Imaging will offer mammogram screenings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 23, at the J.G. Commons Community Room, located at 17300 96th Place SW. Call 888-204-9214 to schedule an appointment.

Major insurers are accepted and no referral is needed, though patients should bring a picture ID and an insurance card. Patients must be 40 years old or older, with no current breast problems or complaints, and have not had a mammogram in the past year.

Grief ritual

A monthly Grief Ritual is held the first Sunday of the month from 1-2 p.m., including June 1, at the Tree of Life, 17331 Vashon Highway SW. Islanders re invited to share and witness each other’s grief. Questions? Call Susan Pitiger at 206-818-4232 or Brad Davis at 206-799-7235

Boater tech talk

The Quartermaster Yacht Club will offer a tech talk for Vashon boaters from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 3, at Meyer’s Hut at the yacht club, 23428 Vashon Hwy SW.

At this free event, open to the public, yacht club member Rick Oppegaard will show boaters how to use OpenCPN, a free maritime chart plotter and navigation software. Bring your PC or Mac, but be aware that Rick is a PC guy. To register, email mariebrowne2000@comcast.net.

Services van

Washington’s DSHS Mobile Office will bring its services to the Vashon Food Bank’s parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June. 4, at 10030 SW 210th St. Apply inside the van for food, cash, and medical services. Islanders can also drop off paperwork, complete a case, make changes to an existing case, or request an EBT card. Visit washingtonconnection.org for more information.

Men in Black bash

Celebrate the origin of the “Men in Black” film series — the mysterious 1947 Maury Island Incident — from June 13-22 at the Men in Black Birthday Bash in Des Moines, with a look-alike contest, scavenger hunt and more. For more information and tickets, visit mib622.com.

Juneteenth Celebration

Celebrate Juneteenth from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, June 19 at the Vashon Center for the Arts atrium with education, music and snacks.