San Juan Island Brewing Company -- Grand Opening!

For the July 27 Grand Opening of the San Juan Island Brewing Company -- Friday Harbor's new and biggest brewery -- I figured I'd get there an hour late to make sure there was anyone to photograph. Big mistake! Both the huge interior and the patio were packed, and there was a line waiting at the door. Luckily for me, co-owner Verne Howard kindly let me in with no better story than that I wanted to take photos for this blog.

Full disclosure: I don't drink beer or any other alcoholic beverage. But I love the cordiality and aesthetic of the new brewery, and I think it's a great gathering place -- especially as one of the few places in Friday Harbor open after 7:00 p.m. Oh, and there's food too! (I just hope they plan to provide wireless.)

Verne is also the owner of Friday Harbor's only two supermarkets, King's Market and Marketplace, so he is a huge contributor to this community. And I'm sure the new brewery will take its place as another of his important gifts.

2016 National Park Service Centennial at English Camp

This year's National Park Service Founder's Day on San Juan Island was an opportunity not only to celebrate the service's first hundred years but also to bring together Saanich, Lummi, and other Coast Salish tribespeople in a historic gathering. The event was held on a sweltering August 25, 2016, at English Camp, part of the San Juan Island National Historical Park. I was lucky enough to cover it for the San Juan Islands Journal.

Speakers included Park Superintendent Elexis Fredy and Washington State Senator Kevin Ranker, along with an array of tribal elders. Highlights included the dedication of a Reef Net Captain Totem Pole by carver Charles Elliott of the T'sartlip Nation and two accompanying Salmon Story Boards by Jewell Praying Wolf James -- all now permanently installed at the camp -- plus two canoes newly built by Dean Washington of the Lummi Nation. There were also three birthday cakes from the park service!

2016 Trashion Fashion Show

The annual Trashion Fashion Show is part of the San Juan County Fair, but it's also an event unto itself. This year's, held on August 20, was the tenth and possibly final show, as founder and local textile artist Francie Hansen is retiring from organizing it. I covered it for the San Juan Island Update. It was actually my first time seeing the show, and I was glad I did!

You may (or may not) recognize former World Wrestling Federation star Lisa Moretti in a hilarious take on the Bride of Frankenstein. Also of note is the lithe and limber Madrona Jameson of Spring Street International School, leading a flash mob dance. And of course, Francie Hansen herself appears at the end to lead the models off in a triumphal parade.