Grace Landing, a proposed community of six single family cottages at 702 Cascade Ave. in Langley, is ready to start building; it just needs to raise $1 million. A collaboration between Whidbey Island Living Legacy—WILL—and Habitat for Humanity of Island County—HFHIC—Grace Landing is designed for long-term housing affordability. Currently WILL is seeking sponsorships and donations to raise about $1 million to commence building of the homes. Both WILL and Habitat are 501(3)(c) nonprofit organizations. WILL’s webpage notes that Grace Landing was awarded a “major grant” from Washington State of $258,990 with a total of nearly $670,000 raised so far, about…
Author: Kate Poss
Kate Poss
Kate's background includes a career in newspaper reporting in Los Angeles for various weeklies and dailies, including The Los Angeles Times. She was a frequent contributor to the online Whidbey Life Magazine. She is working on her third young adult novel with a writing partner. These days, besides working as a personal chef, she writes about the big and little issues that face our island. 'This is Whidbey' is her first publication.
Library Levy vote Aug. 4 Check your mailboxes after July 17th when this year’s primary ballots will be mailed to residents of Island County and Washington state. There are some important issues to consider voting on including Prop. 1, a ‘Regular Property Tax Levy Lid Lift.’ Proposition No. 1 proposes to lift the levy lid from the current .30 per $1000 of assessed valuation to .47 per $1000 of assessed valuation, effective in 2027. For example, if your home is worth $650,000, your maximum payment to support libraries would be about $305, up from the current rate of approximately $195.…
Andre Feriante asked that I post word of his eighth annual Guitar Festival: When Sunday, July 26th from 1 PM – 9PM Where: Royal Alvin Hall, Freeland, Washington, Freeland music hub 1694 E. Main St., Freeland Dear Island, friends, This will be the eighth year that I have organized a Guitar festival here on Whidbey Island. I’m excited to partner with LittleBIGFest this year to present a “Day of Guitar.” We have a wonderful group of local guitarists and Northwest guitarists coming to perform. My philosophy with the festival is to feature the beauty of the guitar and its many…
Reserve your place for a dinner/fundraiser benefitting the Whidbey Watershed Stewards—WWS—July 25th from 5:30 to 8 PM. Held at Cascadia Meadows, at 7027 Maxwelton Road in Clinton, the evening will feature not salmon for meals, as you might expect from the headline, but a picnic dinner with Orlando’s Southern Barbecue, artisan pies, wine from Ott & Hunter, and craft beers from Double Bluff Brewing Co. Dave Parent, a well known now-retired veterinarian is a featured speaker. And guests may bid on auction items. RSVP by July 16th. Dinner is $80/per person. The non-profit’s seeds were planted in 1991 with creation…
As the Whidbey Community Foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is inviting island residents to think about philanthropy in new ways—from simplifying their annual giving to creating a legacy that will benefit Whidbey for generations. Imagine planting a garden in which the assets we invest grow to their best capacity and yields can be shared with the community. The foundation’s webpage notes: “As Whidbey’s only Island-wide community foundation, we introduce caring people to local causes that inspire them. We support Island nonprofits through philanthropy, training and capacity-building. We help donors make meaningful contributions and thoughtful long-term investments in Whidbey’s health…
A late June Saturday afternoon is a fine time for a lawn party ukulele concert and scavenger hunt hosted by Roots of Wellness June 27th from 1 to 3 PM at Healing Circles Langley–HCL–located at 534 Camano Ave. Roots of Wellness, as described on its webpage: “…is a program of Healing Circles Langley. The mission is to help improve individual and community well-being by creating a supportive atmosphere that encourages people to make positive life decisions, build community, and learn ways to improve health and wellness. Roots of Wellness programs are free and take place both at Healing Circles Langley,…
South Whidbey Flying Club pilots flew in the annual Thunder Run, practicing coordination of emergency services in the event of a disaster on Whidbey Island. One of the three planes making the run was Scarlett—a popular red Cessna 150 Aerobat—flown by two young women who flew in their first Thunder Run round-trip from the Whidbey Airpark to Skagit Regional Airport. Pilot McKaela Meffert, accompanied by 17-year-old Kailea Bravo, flew in Scarlett, owned by Fred Lundahl, who runs the South Whidbey Flying Club. Fred has taught more than two hundred students how to fly over the past 60 years. “McKaela Meffert…
Organizers of the second annual Metamorphose: A Concert for Change look forward to an evening of food, interactive art, connection, music and dance. The free concert/gathering at Bayview Community Hall is planned for Saturday, June 27th beginning with a potluck dinner at 6 PM. “Metamorphose is more than a concert. It is an opportunity for our community to connect through music, art, poetry and food! There will be a chance for everyone to add to our collective creativity and to weave together a stronger community fabric,” notes the event’s Facebook page. Additionally: “Music and creativity begin at 7:00. Music with…
The South Whidbey Community Center, which opened in 2018, has become a hub of creativity and community engagement. As it evolves, so do folks who wish to improve its campus, which served for years as the Langley Middle School. Marli Jenkins, founder of Woodhaven High School, emailed: “I wanted to share a little bit about another group I’m involved with, the Campus Stewards of the South Whidbey Community Center. One of my fellow stewards, Cynthia Shelton, is a mover and likes to get things done🙌🏽. We think it would be great to bring some awareness to the efforts being made…
Have you heard about HistoryLink, Washington State’s free online encyclopedia that is regularly refreshed with new stories? The non-profit, founded in 1997 by Walt Crowley, Marie McCaffrey and Paul Dorpat, “with the mission to pioneer innovative approaches to historical research, education and publishing,” now attracts nearly two million visitors a year. It is a go-to resource for teachers’ curriculum and student research, along with being a credible resource for journalists. Paul Dorpat just passed away in late May. A search for Island County, for instance, yields 11 Feature and 26 Timeline entries written by professional writers whose research is vetted.…