Graphic novel club meets
The Graphic Novel Club meets from 5 to 6 p.m. every third Thursday at Books by the Way. Students are welcome to come and discuss favorite graphic novels and share work with others. This Thursday, Dec. 18, will feature a talk and drawing project from Vashon’s favorite animator, Bill Jarcho. Call Books by the Way at 463-2696 for more details.
— Jenni Wilke
Young adults gather to talk
What do young adults need and want from their parents? The decade between 20 and 30 years old is one of great change and challenge but also of independence. So how do young adults want (or not want) their parents to help?
Young adults, age 20 to 29, are invited to join others to talk about their needs and wants and how their parents can or cannot be involved. This facilitated conversation will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Café Luna, and will be hosted by Devon Atkins and Joyce Victor, who earlier this month facilitated “Where the Road Map Ends: How Can I Best Parent My Young Adult Child.”
This session for young adults will include discussion about the choices, expectations and boundaries of the parent-child relationship during this all-important decade and will focus on communication, relationships, family obligations, work, money and other issues initiated by those participating in the conversation.
There will be no cost, refreshments will be provided, and pre-registration is encouraged.
For information about this conversation and future facilitated conversations, contact Atkins at 353-9227 or oyuijf@aol.com.
— Devon Atkins
Democrats celebrate
Get your appetite ready for good food and witty conversation. Everyone is invited to the Vashon Democratic Club annual holiday party/potluck at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in the Land Trust Building. We’ll reminisce about our successes over this year and discuss our challenges for the next. Jason Osgood, who ran for Secretary of State last month, will speak to us about his candidacy for the Director of King County Elections. This election will be held on Feb. 3, 2009.
For this year’s party, we will collect donations for the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank. With donations, money goes further than food for the food bank (it can buy wholesale), so we encourage you to donate checks made out to “Vashon Food Bank.” For those who prefer to make food donations instead of or in addition to monetary donations, the food bank can use the following: canned fruits and vegetables, canned whole meals (pork & beans, soups, etc.) and canned/jarred proteins (peanut butter, tuna).
We already have a number of dishes lined up for the potluck. Items we can still use include white potatoes, vegetable dishes, casseroles, bread, salads, vegetarian fare, desserts and beverages.
Please help us accomplish our goal of a no-trash potluck by bringing your own, non-disposable dinnerware.
If you or your group would like to make a presentation at one of our meetings, or for general information, please contact me at 463-0079.
— Roger Fulton
Quilters meet in January
The members of Vashon Island Quilt Guild held their holiday meeting Dec. 9, and brought donations of fabrics for quilts for Children’s Hospital patients and for wounded soldiers through American Heroes Quilts. Food items were brought for the Vashon food bank along with toys to be given to Toys For Tots.
Guild members approved the purchase of a “brick” in a pathway being built at the La Conner Quilt Museum in support of the capital fundraising drive. The brick will be inscribed “Vashon Island Quilt Guild.”
Upcoming quilting classes at Island Quilter were announced.
The next meeting will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Presbyterian Church.
— Jo Ann Bardeen
School board on Comcast 21
Voice of Vashon’s television programming on Comcast Channel 21 for the upcoming week will feature a rebroadcast of the taped Dec. 11 school board meeting at McMurray Middle School. It will be shown at 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, and again 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29.
For the full broadcast schedule, including both audio and video schedules, see www.voiceofvashon.org. If you have been creating your own video that you would like to share with your Vashon/Maury neighbors, please e-mail dans@islandimage.net.
— Dan Schueler
Unitarians join church
On Sunday, Dec. 21, the Vashon Island Unitarian Fellowship will join with the Burton congregation in a joint Christmas Service led by Rev. Marcus Walker of the Burton Community Church at 23905 Vashon Hwy. S.W.
Religious exploration will feature a celebration of the winter solstice.
Join us for a special coffee hour in Lewis Hall following the service.
For additional information, contact Stan Merrell at 463-7670.
— Wendy Wharton
Presbyterians host party
Vashon Presbyterian Church will open its doors to all in the Vashon community who wish to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in a safe, substance-free environment from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31. Popular interactive video games, foosball and bingo will be enjoyed by all. Specific activities for young children are also being planned. From 8:30 to 10 p.m., musicians, young and old can play together in a fun jam session.
A key feature of the evening will be a New York New Year at 9 p.m. Families with young children or anyone else who desires a shorter evening will especially enjoy this early countdown with the same noise makers and falling balloons of a traditional midnight event. Ice cream sundaes will follow.
Coffee and hot cider will be provided as well as ice cream sundaes for the 9 p.m celebration. Everyone able is asked to bring a favorite snack or non-alcoholic beverage to share.
Vashon Presbyterian Church is sharing its central facility, but this is not a religious event. There will be no prayer or midnight worship service. Anyone who desires a safe but fun evening will be comfortable. Put this on your calendar and start talking with others now.
— Carol Potter
Chamber meets soon
A Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, at Courthouse Square.
You are invited to attend this month’s meeting featuring the Lavender Growers Association. They will be talking about the Lavender Harvest Festival 2009 and the opportunities created from bringing visitors to the Island. Everyone is encouraged to come and promote their business and meet other business people.
Chamber members, this is your chance to throw your business name in the drawing for one of the next Chamber of Commerce-sponsored ads to run in The Beachcomber to promote your business, free of charge.
Light refreshments will be provided for everyone.
— Lee Ockinga
Lipe looks ahead
The Island’s new fire chief told Vashon Kiwanis on Dec. 10 a benchmark audit of the district’s spending is due out soon and 2009 will be devoted to “try to get the volunteers back, … if any are willing.”
He left Wednesday to bring his family to the Island from their home in a small New Hampshire beach town.
Answering questions, Hank Lipe, who comes from Dutch ancestors and has lived in a variety of eastern towns, said our paramedics on the Island “are the best in the nation.” He emphasized county’s entire paramedic program is among the best in the nation, and he’s seen many programs in his 31 years in the fire service.
He also said he hoped to reduce department response times to emergency calls on the Island and expected the current audit to give him baseline figures from which to manage the district’s budget.
In other action, Ed Williams was inducted into Kiwanis Legion of Honor for 31 years as an active member. Williams has agreed to chair the 2009 annual Kiwanis Strawberry Festival Pancake Breakfast. The breakfast is the source of money for the Community Fund, from which up to $6,000 yearly has been granted on the Island.
For more information, see www.Vashonkiwanis.org.
— Jay Becker
Give cute pets at Christmas
Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ 2009 Pet Calendar is available for $15 at the following locations: Pandora’s Box, Books by the Way, Fair Isle Animal Clinic and the Vashon Bookshop.
— Victoria Rohlfs
