Celebrate Pride Month

Vashon has events throughout June to celebrate Pride Month, commemorating Vashon’s LGBTQ community. (See page 2.) Pride Month, celebrated nationwide, began after the Stonewall uprising, a series of gay liberation protests in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1969.

Saturday, June 1

Accessorize for Pride: Make a variety of pride-themed accessories to show off your pride in June, bow ties, sunglasses, bracelets & more at the Vashon Library from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Senior Center Rainbow Blingo: an annual fundraiser to benefit The Senior Center at Camp Burton. Doors open at 6 p.m. Find out more and get tickets by calling 206-463-5173 or stopping by the Senior Center at 10004 Bank Rd SW.

Tuesday, June 4

Voice of Vashon: Join the Brieflys with special guest Jennifer Hawke of The Bearded Lady Road Report to talk about her art, Vashon as a “safe place”, and gender nonconformity in the 21st century. Listen in at 101.9 FM from 11 a.m. to noon and online at voiceofvashon.org

Friday, June 7

Pride Street Dance: All are invited to join the DOVE Project and community partners for dancing, music and celebration at Vashon Theatre’s Backlot from 5 to 8 p.m. Come as you are or as you’d like to be.

Saturday, June 8

Family Storytime Rainbows: Read stories, sing songs, learn about rainbows, and make rainbow rafts at the Vashon Library from 11 a.m. to noon.

Tuesday, June 18

Orbit Planet Gala: Celebrate the last day of school, the start of summer, and Pride month, with dancing, DJs, activities, and more, at Open Space for Arts & Community from 12- 3 p.m. Open to middle and high school LGBTQ+ youth and allies.

Friday, June 28th

Get artsy and enjoy festive mocktails at the Senior Center from 1 to 3 p.m., at a pride-themed painting session guided by Collin V.

Wine auction fundraiser

An online auction, featuring the remarkable wine collection of the late islander Wayne Holt — known on the island and internationally as the founder of Software Research Northwest, a software company headquartered in Vashon’s Spinnaker building — will continue through May 31, with proceeds benefiting Vashon Community Scholarships and Vashon Rotary.

Every bid submitted since the start of April 28 will automatically earn a chance to win a three-night luxury stay for New Year’s Eve 2024 at the elegant Grand Desert Resort in Las Vegas.

Go to vashonscholarships.org and click on “wine auction.”

Ice Cream Social

Join Inclusion Island for an ice cream social for adults with developmental disabilities and their families and friends. The party, featuring therapy dogs, will take place from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Vashon Lutheran Church, 18623 Vashon Hwy SW. Questions? Contact Hersheyhousing@gmail.com.

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 Highway, with donations accepted. June’s first Sunday of the month is June 2. 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 or Brad Davis at 206-799-7235 or Colleen Carrette at 206-351-7769.

Palestinian film screening

At Vashon Theatre, Vashon’s Backbone Campaign will present a one-night screening of “Lyd,” billed as a science fiction documentary, at 6 p.m. on June 4. The film imagines and explores an alternate reality of the Palestinian town Lydda, and the residents there who were expelled by the Israel Defense Forces in 1948. Admission is free with donations accepted.

Support group

Vashon’s National Alliance for Mental Illness friends and family support group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Vashon Presbyterian Church, 17708 Vashon Highway SW, and on Zoom. Find the Zoom link at vashonpreschurch@comcast.net. Questions? Contact Pastor Leigh Weber, at 425-221-1142.

Where the Water Begins

King Conservation District invites all to attend a free day of learning and beach walk, from 9-3 p.m. Friday, June 7, at Camp Sealth.

Learn more about natural forces that impact marine shoreline properties of King County. The morning class session will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about ecological, geological, and vegetation management issues associated with shoreline properties. After lunch, walk the beach to see the principles discussed in action. Register and find out more here.

Food Bank drive

A summer food and fund drive to benefit the Vashon Food Bank will happen on Saturday, June 8, with collection sites outside of Thriftway and Vashon Market IGA from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Islanders can 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 spaghetti, tuna, broth, and canned soups or chili. Donations of any clean, reusable, dry, and structurally sound grocery bags with handles are also appreciated.

Those who miss the event can always bring donations to the blue shed in the food bank’s parking lot at 10030 SW 210th St., located up the hill and to the right of the Sunrise Ridge clinic operated by Sea Mar Community Health Centers.

For more information, visit vashonfoodbank.org or call 206-463-6332.

Garden Club

The Vashon-Maury Island Garden Club holds its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Monday, June 10, at the Bethel Church gym. This last meeting of the fiscal year will include a discussion of the club’s Kay White Scholarship Program and an announcement of this year’s award recipients. There will also be a recap of the club’s plant sale fundraiser. Bring your favorite potluck dish to share.

Birding events

Steve Caldwell will offer “Birding by Ear,” a three-hour walk starting at 7 a.m. on Sunday, June, 9, to identify birds by their chirps, squawks, and caws. Participants should meet at the parking lot at the north end of Paradise Valley near 204th St. To find out more and confirm your attendance, email sylvia@sylvansanctuary.com.

Margie Morgan will welcome eight birders to her backyard at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 15, to see and hear birds close up at the multiple feeders and fountains in her garden. To register and find out more, email sylvia@sylvansanctuary.com.

Cemetery District

King County Cemetery District’s next regular board meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, in the district’s office, at 19631 Singer Rd SW.

Healthcare Town Hall

Indivisible Vashon and the Vashon Rotary will host two healthcare town halls on Thursday, June 13, presented by Whole Washington, a charitable organization advocating for universal healthcare in Washington and beyond.

The first workshop, with Vashon Rotary, will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Chautauqua Elementary. The second, with Indivisible Vashon, will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Land Trust Building.

Whole Washington is made up of healthcare professionals and volunteers and supports the creation of a national single-payer healthcare system. The town halls will offer time for attendees to share stories about inadequacies of the existing healthcare system, from staffing challenges to surprise bills and financial debts.

DOVE workshops

Two free workshops will be presented in June and July by Vashon’s DOVE Project.

The first, “Rewriting the Narrative: Transforming Inner Dialogue for Positive Life Outcome,” led by facilitator Alexia Jones, will take place from 12-2 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Mukai Farm & Garden, located at 18017 107th Ave SW.

The second workshop, “Ambiguous Loss,” will have two sessions, with the first from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, June 24, and the second from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, July 8. Both sessions are online. The workshop will be led by Skye White, a Seatte-area psychotherapist.

To find out more about the workshops, and register (space is limited), visit vashondoveprojects.org.

Juneteenth

The Vashon Juneteenth Committee and Mukai Farm & Garden will present an event commemorating Juneteenth from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts. The event will include educational displays, speakers, live music, snacks, and a cash bar.

Juneteenth marks the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved citizens of Texas were finally declared free from bondage, a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. In the summer of 2021, Congress passed legislation with bipartisan support to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Vashon’s celebration of Juneteenth, organized in partnership between the Vashon Juneteenth Committee and Mukai Farm & Garden, is now only four years old.

Master Gardeners

Bring your gardening questions, plant samples, and/or plant photos to the Vashon Master Gardeners, stationed in front of Ace Hardware every Saturday, May through August, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and first Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Vashon Master Gardeners, WSU Extension, at mgvashon@gmail.com for more information.

Open Water Swim

Sign up for Swim Defiance, a historic 3-kilometer open water swim from Vashon’s south end to Owen Beach, in Tacoma, to be held on Sunday, Aug. 11. The competition is limited to the first 100 entrants. Find out more and sign up soon here.