It’s amazing to see in this modern era of texts and twitters, DVDs, MP3s and HDTVs, that there’s also an apparent revival of several technologies from a simpler age. I’ve been noticing a heightened interest in rain barrels, clotheslines, rotary mowers, hunting, fishing, gardening, biking, yes, even walking! Yet some of this, in certain areas, is considered criminal.
Monday marks the official start to Summer 2009 and according to AAA, lower gas prices and enticing travel bargains are encouraging a 1.5 percent increase over last year of people who will celebrate Memorial Day away from home.
There’s a colorful lining in this year’s unusually cold spring: many of Whidbey Island’s rhododendrons will be in full bloom Memorial Day weekend.
Highway 20 on North Whidbey south of the Libby Road intersection is festooned with the pink blossoms of wild rhododendrons, and others both tame and wild can be seen further south, particularly in the Greenbank area.
The Oak Harbor City Council encouraged the community to express their appreciation for the nation’s service men and women for the sacrifices they’ve made for our country by proclaiming May 1 through June 14, 2009, as National Military Appreciation Days.
A strange and fantastic red-and-white striped top hat appears on an empty stage, full of possibilities. A young child enters and is drawn toward the magical hat. He begins imagining what type of wonderful person would wear such a hat, when The Cat in the Hat suddenly materializes!
“You’ve got quite a mind for your age,” quips the cat as he begins singing about the power of imagination. Throughout the fun and silly musical production famous Seussian characters are brought to life: Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz; the Whos of Whoville; General Genghis Kahn Schmitz, Mayzie La Bird, Sour Kangaroo and the Citizens of the Jungle of Nool.
A higher-than-average number of Native American competitors from around Washington and British Columbia came to race long, decorated canoes around the waters of Penn Cove Saturday.
The annual Penn Cove Water Festival drew over 3,000 people to a sunny, downtown Coupeville as Northwest tribes paddled to shore for a day of canoe races, dancing and storytelling.
Is it my imagination, or does food taste better when cooked outside? And I don’t care one bit that they have no nutritional value: I love marshmallows. In anticipation of sunny weather predictions for this weekend, I hurried to the grocery store midweek for another bag of Stay Puffs.
Oak Harbor’s Whidbey Playhouse transformed into a disco inferno last Friday as people put on long-forgotten, halter-neck catsuits and sung along to ABBA tunes.
Playhouse staff screened the 2008 film “Mamma Mia!” after recently picking up a one-year license to play movies.
At any other Audubon Society gathering, birders would need high-powered binoculars to get a good look at a bird, if they could zero in on their target before it takes flight.
This week, Matt Klope treated the society to an up close and personal viewing of hundreds of “expired” Whidbey Island birds.
The third annual Wharf Fest returns to the historic Coupeville Waterfront on June 27 and 28.
This year’s theme celebrates small boats. Kayaks, canoes, rowboats, small sailboats, model boats, and other, small craft are welcome to join the festivities. The object is to assemble as many small craft as possible, in the water, or on land for display.
It’s a pirate life in the upcoming production of “Jolly Roger & the Pirate Queen” at Whidbey Island Theatre for Youth, in Oak Harbor. Join the cast of 15 young actors, ages 5 to 14, for this crazy adventure to Treasure Island, as Roger Goodman (Josh Blyther) seeks to win the hand of his lady love, Sarah Huffington (Caroline Jungmann). Along the way we meet characters of Long John Sliver (Noah Leach) and Bluebeard the Pirate (Jolene George), a colorful pirate crew, the parents of Miss Sarah, who just happen to be dropping by Treasure Island while out for a weekend cruise, and of course a parrot, because no pirate tale is complete without one.
His name is Wong Herbert Yee and his book, “Fireman Small,” was almost forgotten at our house until a few days ago.
Our memory of this treasured book came after we spent an hour gazing at ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” It was late and we knew we had to get ourselves in bed if we intended to get up with good humor. But we were a chatty bunch. We played with our Chihuahuas and dilly-dallied even further.
The Coupeville Arts Center officially changed its name to the Pacific Northwest Art School, early in May.
The new moniker will better describe what the school is today, executive director Sue Symons said: A regional professional art school.