Island News

I’m Not the Church Lady | Marketing as a spiritual practice

Marketing as a Spiritual Practice I think maybe God has a Bingo cage. You know the kind—the big wire ball somebody cranks around at Bingo Night while everyone sits staring at their cards, waiting to see what number comes tumbling out. “B-12!” People look down. Nope. “G-46!” Someone puts a little marker on his card. “I-7!” And so it goes. Except I’m beginning to suspect that somewhere along the way […]

October 16, 17 and 23, 24 and 30, 31: Haunted Roche Harbor Cemetery Tours

October 16, 17 and 23, 24 and 30, 31  | sunset to 10 pm |  Roche Harbor Cemetery Tours |  193 Afterglow Dr |  Friday Harbor,

OCS students learn from Orcas Island musician Jim Bredouw

Students at Orcas Christian School had an opportunity to learn from one of Orcas Island’s longtime musicians and sound engineers when Jim Bredouw visited the school to share stories from his career, projects and music. Bredouw spoke with OCS middle and high school students about his experiences in music and sound engineering, taking students through several stages of his life, including his years as a guitarist, his career in sound engineering, his time in […]

Library to feature art of Shawna Marie Franklin

Shawna Marie Franklin will be October’s featured artist at the Orcas Island Library. Her monoprints and paintings will be displayed in a show entitled Being with Kelp: Ongoing. The subject began as an artistic endeavor when Shawna’s kayaking career ended in 2019, and continues today. Shawna has found in Bull Kelp a subject of great beauty and design options, a metaphor for her love of the ocean and a means to […]

Artworks featured artist for October is Maria Papademetriou

Orcas artist Maria Papademetriou  describes her work is a kind of visual storytelling used to create a narrative, mood,, or message. “My creative process is multilayered and intuitive, using found objects, ceramics, and old photographs. “From a very early age,  4 to be exact, I have been fascinated by the discarded and the forgotten. I strive to give these objects, a new life and a new story. “Through my art, I seek […]

Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson

Experience a night of fingerstyle guitar with Calum Graham

Fingerstyle guitarist Calum Graham will bring his intricate, genre-bending playing to the Orcas Center stage on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at www.orcascenter.org. Born in British Columbia and now based in Victoria, Graham has spent nearly two decades building an international following with original music that is both technically dazzling and deeply felt. Acoustic Guitar magazine named him one of the world’s top 30 guitari

October artist at the Orcas Library

Submitted by the Orcas Public Library.

Orcas Youth Chorus is back

Don’t miss this fabulous opportunity to work with local musician, Stormy Hildreth, for a reboot of the Orcas Youth Chorus!  Middle and High School Students are welcome to attend this weekly class on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30 in the Black Box to expand their musical theory and knowledge, rehearse using healthy vocal techniques, practice standing with poise and posture, and confidently sing rich harmonies with friends. Performance opportunities w

Japanese music masters Také to Ito perform at Odd Fellows

The sounds of traditional and contemporary Japanese music come to Orcas Island when Také to Ito, featuring koto master Curtis Patterson and shakuhachi master Bruce Huebner, perform at Odd Fellows Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 8. Také to Ito – a name evoking také (bamboo) and ito (string), brings together two musicians who have devoted much of their lives to the study and performance of Japanese music. Their […]

October 3: America 250 Trivia Night in Friday Harbor

The Town of Friday Harbor and San Juan Island Brewing Company are hosting a trivia night Saturday, October 3, 2026, starting at 6 p.m. in celebration of America 250.  No pre-registration or entry fee required.  Teams are limited to six players and prizes will be awarded.   “Join us in commemorating our country’s 250th anniversary with […]

Call for artists and artisans: Odd Fellows 2026 Winter Artisans Faire

Submitted by event organizers.

Orcas Senior Center – October highlights

Submitted by the Orcas Senior Center.

Tibetan star Yungchen Lhamo brings a global voice to Orcas Center with local icon Rafe Pearlman opening

On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., in a rare event, Orcas Center will host internationally acclaimed Tibetan-born singer Yungchen Lhamo and Orcas Islander Rafe Pearlman, who will open the show with his own improvisational, nature-inspired vocal music.

30 county residents’ poems selected in Friday Harbor’s 3rd Annual Poetry Gardens contest

Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield selected the 30 winning poems from the 162 entries in the Town of Friday Harbor’s third Poetry Gardens Contest. He noted they make “a really strong, evocative selection” for the Poetry Gardens. Winning poems will be published in a limited-edition booklet and e-book as well as engraved for display […]

David B. Williams comes to Orcas Library for ‘In the Range of Fire and Ice’

What stories can a mountain range tell? On Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m., the Orcas Island Public Library welcomes award-winning author and naturalist David B. Williams for a special conversation about his book, In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington’s Cascades. Williams will be joined in conversation by Amy Frost, Executive Director of the Lopez Island Historical Society. Blending human and natural history, […

Friday Harbor Poetry Gardens contest winners announced

The Town of Friday Harbor and Friday Harbor Arts Commission have announced the winners of their third Poetry Gardens Contest. A blind judging process was used to review 162 entries submitted by San Juan County residents. Selection of the 30 winning poems was made by current Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield who noted they make “a really strong, evocative selection” for the Poetry Gardens. Winning poems will be published […]

Orcas Island Film Festival announces 2026 lineup

By Clare Garvin

Scarecrow contest returns, sign up by October 19

Celebrate fall and participate in the7th annual SCARECROW CONTEST! This year we are again expanding the contest to the Town of Friday Harbor neighborhoods as well! It’s a fantastic opportunity for Town residents and businesses to showcase their creativity while celebrating the season. Plus, decorating the Town and neighborhoods for trick-or-treating adds an extra layer […]

Orcas Center presents “No Time To Waste” + Jaeger & Reid

Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. | Center Stage, Orcas Center Orcas Center will present an evening of documentary film and live music on Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. on Center Stage. The program opens with “No Time To Waste,” a documentary about the late Betty Reid Soskin, the National Park Service ranger who retired from the Park Service at 100 years old. Soskin died at home at the end of […]

Your 2026 Friday Harbor Film Festival experience starts now

Plan your festival, reserve your seats The 2026 Film Guide and Festival Schedule are live, and passholders can now start building their Festival experience! With 34 feature documentaries and 20 shorts to choose from, plus a full rundown of the Program Guide, filmmakers, and everything else new this year, we’ve got the details in our latest blog post — read it before you start building your festival weekend. READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT The […]

A local landmark retires from service

Submitted by the Orcas Island Historical Museums.

Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson

Yungchen Lhamo in concert with Rafe Pearlman

Submitted by the Orcas Center.