Readers, rejoice!
The owner of Vashon Bookshop, now closed to the browsers and shoppers due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been busy working behind the scenes to keep the pipeline of new reading materials flowing to local readers.
According to owner Nancy Katica, the bookshop is now able to offer direct shipments to customers through its supplier.
To order a book, call 206-463-2616 or email vashonbookshop@gmail.com. Katica advised that it may take 24 hours for messages and emails to get a response.
All orders must be prepaid, and books will arrive via USPC four to five days from the time of order.
Join the virtual Free Range Choir
Vashon’s beloved Free Range Folk Choir, directed by islander Shane Jewel and boasting 60 to 80 members each season, has announced that its spring season will take place virtually, on the Zoom platform, with members meeting online for nine weekly sessions starting Monday, March 30.
Singers can sign up for the choir and read more about the virtual sessions at freerangefolkchoir@blogspot.com.
Those who are interested in attending a free session can request to do so by signing up for the choir’s mailing list on the same website, using the “subscribe” button. Dues for the season (about $6 per session) can also be paid on the website via PayPal.
According to choir director Jewel, all that is needed to participate is a cell phone, or better still, a computer with a webcam. Ear-buds or headsets will also enhance the experience.
This season, the choir will sing music of community, compassion, joy, peace and contemplation.
“The Wailin Jennys’ ‘One Voice’ is an example,” said Jewel, who went on to quote the song’s lyrics. “This is the sound of all of us, singing with love and the will to trust. Leave the rest behind, it will turn to dust. This is the sound of all of us.”
At the end of the season, all the choir members will have a chance to video themselves singing their parts and send those recordings in to be compiled and mixed with the rest of the choir’s parts.
“A virtual performance video will be our final goal,” said Jewel, who also urged islanders to tell others, both far and near, about the now-virtual Vashon choir.
“All the parts will be taught call and response style, so send an invitation to your friends and neighbors, your family living across the country, your friend who you have not seen in years who lives overseas,” Jewel said. “Let’s sing together.”
Online fun for drama kids
Studio East, a performing arts academy in Kirkland, is offering a wide variety of online theater classes. The classes range from free, all-ages classes in stage makeup (including forays into fantasy characters), to a variety of one-week-long, paid classes for ages 5 to 14. All classes meet on the Zoom platform. Check out all the offerings online.
Student contest in full swing
The deadline for the Vashon Heritage Museum’s history contest for students in grades 4 and 5 is April 3. Submit island-themed posters, short videos, interviews, essays or poems to admin@vashonheritage.org or bring entries to the museum’s front door between 1 and 4 p.m. on April 3.
The Museum is not open to the public, but someone will be there to take in your entry. Winners will be contacted by phone and email and a celebration will be planned for a future date.
