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Friends of the Libraries are nonprofit groups that support libraries in their communities. They consist of volunteers and exist throughout the United States and around the world. In general, most Friends groups work to advocate for the library at the local level and provide direct financial assistance for needs not normally covered by the library’s operating budget. Friends of the La Conner Memorial Library was officially formed in June of 1988 and had its 100th member by that October. Friends raised thousands of dollars, paid the mortgage o...
The Anacortes Jazz Walk offers six stages of live music Friday, March 1 from 6-9 p.m. Add this to the First Friday Art Walk and stop at venues clustered in the downtown core, including The Rockfish Grill, The Masonic Lodge, The Blackbird Wine Bar, The Majestic Hotel Lounge, Johnny Picasso’s and Watermark Books. Sample a wide variety of jazz styles, from Seattle vocalist Eugenie Jones at the Rockfish Grill to The Skagit City Slickers at the Majestic Hotel lounge. Support the musicians by buying a $10 donation button. It is presented by the M...
“Mary Poppins Jr.” opens March 8 at the Lincoln Theatre. This Theater Arts Guild’s production of a younger nanny is Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins, Jr., a musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film. Enjoy Bert, the Jack of All Trades, the troubled Banks family and the “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” nanny, Mary Poppins complete with umbrella. Tickets and times: lincolntheatre.org. Source: Lincoln Theatre...
The short-eared owls are migrating birds visiting this area from October through April. They are not nocturnal birds like other owls, but hunt during daytime hours. They look for voles and field mice in open fields with bordering or scattered shrubs and trees. Their short ear tufts are seldom visible, but their light colored face mask and yellow eyes are good identifiers. You can see them in the Samish Flats in an area that is known to birders as the East 90 and also sometimes on the Padilla...
Gardening is a wonderful way to connect with nature, and it's even better when you can use it to help support the local pollinator populations. Bees, butterflies and other insects play a crucial role in pollinating plants, which helps to ensure that we have a bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables and flowers each year. By creating a garden that is welcoming to these creatures, you can not only help support their populations but also enjoy the beauty of your very own pollinator garden. One of...
McIntyre Hall will ring with perhaps 76 trombones when the Skagit Valley College’s music department presents “The Music Man.” This is Meredith Willson’s 1957 story of the fast talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill and his stop in River City, Iowa, where Marion the librarian captures his heart became a six time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy. It plays weekends through March 3. Tickets and times: mcintyrehall.org....
“The Knight of the Burning Pestle” at Bellingham’s Idiom Theater is a “17th century satire full of equal parts chivalry and whimsy in a disorderly, theatrical romp,” promotions claim. written by Francis Beaumont and adapted for the iDIOM stage by director, Glenn Hergenhahn-Zhao. Summing up: “This rarely performed comedy written in 1607 by a friend of Shakespeare’s is a joyride of a play and a love letter to theatrical invention. Perfect for all audiences.” It plays Thursdays-Sundays through March 2. Tickets and times: idiomtheater.or...
The Madrona Poetry Series brings Claudia Castro Luna and J.I. Kleinberg to read Feb.24 at 7 p.m. at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes, 520 Commercial Avenue. The Erik Christensen Band will play....
In the Seattle suburb of Lake Forest Park, where Tony Angell lives, crows gather in great numbers before flying off to Bothell to roost by the thousands. One reason they do this is for the social benefits. When Angell spoke at the La Conner Birding Festival Saturday, Feb. 3, more than 100 curious bird lovers gathered to share an evening to remember that brought many benefits, too. Angell, a renowned author and artist, shared his lifelong experiences and expertise with a crowd that filled the...
Last week the Skagit River Poetry Foundation revealed its 2024 Poetry Festival poster art by Fidalgo Island artist Anne Schreivogl in a ceremony at the La Conner Rotary Club's weekly meeting (Weekly News, Jan. 31). The whimsical poster sets the stage for the festival and invites people to "feel that magic ... that spark is always right there when I've attended the festivals," Schreivogl says. The festival is community driven and not a standalone event. The Foundation puts into action learning...
The Museum of Northwest Art on first Street is brimming with newly opened exhibits and they are free. “Silva Cascadia: Under the Spell of the Forest” features noteworthy Northwest women artists whose works center around the fecund dialogue with trees and forests, rippling out in themes that encompass science and environmentalism, history, art practice, and spiritualism. The art includes two- and three-dimensional works by Northwest women artists inspired by forests and trees. The artists: Maria Cristalli, Linda Davidson, Kathleen Faulkner, Patt...
The annual WSU Extension Skagit Ag Summit is, Feb. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. No registration needed. Lunch included. This year’s themes are leadership, economic viability, innovation and water. The address: 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon. Information: extension.wsu.edu/skagit/event/...
Take extra time at the La Conner Swinomish Library this Saturday and find a seat to see and listen to a concert from the Skagit Brass Quintet, an ensemble culled from the Skagit Community Band. The free concert is 12-1:30 p.m. at the Morris Street library....
Classical music on classical instruments dating to the 17th century, including works of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, will be performed by Elizabeth Blumenstock on violin and Tamara Friedman on fortepiano at 7 p.m. Friday. The musicians are Duo Amadeus and this is an Anacortes Early Music concert at the Croatian Cultural Center NW, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes. Adult tickets are $30 at the door....
The Anna's Hummingbirds are year round residents in this region: They expanded from California and don't have the instinct to migrate south. Their habitat is influenced by humans; they enjoy parks and residential neighborhoods with flowers, shrubs, trees and hummingbird feeders. It is important to keep feeders clean and to change sugar water at least once a week, because mold can kill these birds. During extreme cold weather it is essential to keep the liquid thawed, especially early in the morn...
A quick stroll – if climbing three flights of stairs is a stroll – to take in the newly opened "Birds of a Fiber" and then a treat by spending time viewing the other two exhibits at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum proved to be just magnificent Sunday. "Birds" opened to match this week's La Conner Birding Festival Feb. 3-4 in Maple Hall. The exhibit offers 64 pieces of exquisite fiber art celebrating the love we have for birds and art. Six years ago twenty-five local artists sho...
There are two full days of all things Skagit Valley birding and beyond at the La Conner Birding Festival this weekend, Feb. 3-4 in Maple Hall. Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday winds up with award-winning illustrator and sculptor Tony Angell speaking at 6 p.m. on "For Ravens, Crows, and Other Birds, Timing Is Crucial." Maple Hall will be full, with photographers, painters and other artists displaying their work upstairs. Bird-related activities for kids are on the first floor. Information is at...
Just as regular as the harvest, the time has arrived for the annual Skagit Ag Summit. It will convene Friday, Feb. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. The meeting is an excellent place to learn more about the agricultural community in Skagit County and the issues affecting it, said Don McMoran, director of WSU Skagit County Extension. It also is a place to meet professionals from the field. Scheduled speakers include government employees and officials, academic and s...
The Skagit Community Band performs Friday at 7 p.m. in Maple Hall. Bring your dancing shoes for ‘Let’s dance,” with music from around the world. A second performance is in Anacortes’ Brodniak Hall at 3 p.m. Feb. 4 . Information: Skagitcommunityband.org. Source: Skagit Community Band...
Saturday's lecture at the Museum of Northwest Art capped off the three-month visual and sound exhibition, "Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement and Agency in Times of Climate Change," with a disturbing look at the future of birds. "If birds aren't doing well, we aren't either." said John Bower. He had collaborated with artist Natalie Niblack for their talk, "Inside an Artist & Scientist Collaboration: '66 Birds/3 Degrees,'" as they worked together for her exhibit. They spoke before a full...
The La Conner Birding Festival returns to Maple Hall Feb. 3-4 with art, education and family activities for the whole family. Wildlife artist Tony Angell speaks 6 p.m. Saturday on “For Ravens, Crows, and Other Birds, Timing Is Crucial.” The La Conner Chamber of Commerce is festival host. Doors open 10 a.m. each day. Sunday’s end is 4 p.m. A Facebook page for the La Conner Birding Festival contains more information. Email [email protected]....
Join the Skagit Community Band when it performs music inspired by dance 7 p.m. Feb. 2 in Maple Hall. Selections include: "Four Scottish Dances" by Arnold, "Russian Sailors' Dance" by Gliere, "The Rakes of Mallow" by Anderson and "Armenian Dances" by Reed. Free admission with donations. A second performance is in Anacortes at 3 p.m. Feb. 4 in Brodniak Hall . Information: Skagitcommunityband.org. Source: Skagit Community Band...
As a birder and wildlife photographer I am keenly aware of the impact climate change is having on our wild neighbors. Still, when I saw Natalie Niblack's extraordinary exhibit "66 Birds/3 degrees," a part of "Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement and Agency in Times of Climate Change" exhibition curated by Chloe Dye Sherpe at the Museum of Northwest Art, I did not expect the emotional response I had to Niblack's work. As I walked the room, viewing her bird paintings, their individual songs...
Now that I live in the beautiful, abundant Skagit Valley after thirty-plus years in an Alaskan coastal rainforest, I have the climate and desire to learn how to grow a vegetable garden. I turned to fellow Master Gardener Cathy Markham and asked her to mentor me. With many years of experience gained from multiple acres of gardens and knowledge collected from gardeners who have gone before her, Cathy graciously agreed to guide me. Here are some of the guiding principles Cathy encourages new gardeners to lean on: Grow what you love to eat. You...
