Vashon Senior Center

Visit Vashon Senior Center for a talk by Robyn Silva at 12:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.

Silva is an Air Force veteran living with PTSD. She will talk about what PTSD does to the brain and body, and will describe what it’s like to have a flashback. She’ll also demonstrate how Andy, her service dog, disrupts flashbacks and helps her in other ways, too. Silva will talk about what it’s like to travel with a disability and the adventure of traveling with a service dog.

From 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, get active with Seattle Theatre Group’s (STG) Dance for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in Ober Park’s exercise room. The STG Dance for PD program is based on the Dance for PD method developed by the Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson Group.

At 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, learn more about DispatchHealth, which is supported on Vashon by Vashon Health Care District. Dispatch Care Health delivers urgent medical care to your doorstep and can treat many injuries or illnesses. Dispatch Care Health accepts most major insurance plans, including Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid. The service is available on Vashon 365 days a year, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., holidays included.

Bird walk

At 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, the Vashon Bird Alliance’s monthly bird walk will be led by ecologist Jim Evans. The group will meet at the Ober Park parking lot, then drive or carpool to a forest path to check up on Vashon’s resident songbirds, woodpeckers and other overwintering feathered friends.

The Bird Alliance’s bird walks are held every third Saturday of the month and are led by veteran birders.

Museum events

Visit the Vashon Heritage Museum from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, for a family day at the museum.

Activities and programming for toddlers and kids will include a salmon coloring activity, creative story time, a scavenger hunt, play dough crafts, and a visit from a historic logger.

A few days later, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, commemorate Native American Heritage Month (which is this November) by learning more about indigenous culture and history at the Heritage Museum.

The museum will host a Zoom webinar on the “Doctrine of Discovery,” which deprived Indigenous peoples of their land — claiming that, because it was not under the flag of a sovereign Christian nation, it could be taken by whoever “discovered” it.

ASU Law Professor Robert Miller (Eastern Shawnee Tribe) and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Brandon Reynon of the Puyallup Tribe will discuss the doctrine’s history and continued impacts. Register at vashonheritagemuseum.org/events.

Unitarians welcome Nature Center director

Join the Vashon Unitarians at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, when Bianca Perla will discuss her motivation in founding the Vashon Nature Center. Bianca is an ecologist and innovator. The Unitarians meet at Lewis Hall in Burton, west of Burton’s Fire Station 56.

Vashon Care Network giveaway

The Vashon Care Network’s Care Closet will host an open house and free giveaway of excess medical equipment from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, located on the grounds of the Vashon Lutheran Church, on Vashon Hwy SW. There will be four-wheel, two-wheel, and up-walkers available, as well as canes, crutches, incontinence supplies, and other specialty items. Come enjoy a hot cup of cider while looking for something you need, and learn how the Care Closet works, should you need to borrow medical equipment in the future.

Ferry advisory meeting

The Vashon Ferry Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Vashon Land Trust Building and on Zoom. The discussion will include the status of the Fauntleroy Terminal and Span Replacement Project and the current work on the revision of the north-end two-boat schedule. Time will be made for public questions and comments. Join the meeting via Zoom by visiting tinyurl.com/VashonFACNovember.

Services Van

Washington Department of Social and Health Service’s mobile office will offer its services on Vashon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Vashon United Methodist Church. Apply inside the van for food, cash and medical services. Islanders can also drop off paperwork, complete a case, make changes to an existing case, or request an EBT card. For more information, visit washingtonconnection.org.

Health Insurance

Sign up for, change, or fix problems with Affordable Care Act health insurance when King County Public Health representative Miguel Urquiza will assist islanders from 12:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Vashon Library. At the event, islanders can also sign up for the county’s Orca Lift reduced transportation program; and food stamp benefits. Date and time not convenient? Urquiza can also be reached by phone at 206-477-6965 or 206-491-3761, or by email at miguel.urquiza@kingcounty.org.

Community Council meeting

The Vashon-Maury Community Council holds its annual meeting at the Vashon Presbyterian Church from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21.

This is a major meeting for the council, which will announce its new board members for the next two years, discuss and vote on changes to bylaws and standing rules, and discuss and vote on a community forum on Noxious Weed Control.

Learn more and find the agenda and link to join the meeting via Zoom by visiting v-mcc.org.

Jingle Bash

Kick off the winter holiday season with Vashon’s premier holiday art event.

Jingle Bash will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Vashon High School. It will feature 60 art, craft and specialty food vendors from throughout the Puget Sound region, live music by local musicians and lunch served hot by Aeggy’s Food Truck and El Paisano Tamales. Island photographer Yui Holbrook will also be on hand to snap photos of kids and families with Santa Claus. Register for photos with Santa by visiting tinyurl.com/mrxcfsbk.

Musicians include Colette Jones, an Americana acoustic duo, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Pine & Shake, a 1920s and 1930s blues, jazz, jug, and ragtime band, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.