English Language Learners

Vashon Library, located in Ober Park, is offering two new free programs. The first is English Language Learners (ELL) classes, which began on Thursday, Jan. 16, and will continue from 4:45-5:45 p.m. on Thursdays through April 10, except for March 20.

Visit kcls.org/adultlearner to learn more, or pick up flyers in Spanish and English at the library.

Free Tax Preparation

Volunteers from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are offering free tax preparation again this year, on Thursdays at the Vashon Lutheran Church.

The free services are available to anyone, regardless of age. However, AARP-prepared returns are limited to non-complex returns. Acceptable returns can include wages (W-2), Social Security and pensions (1099R), unemployment (1099G), dividends/interest (1099INT/DIV), capital gains (1099B), and self-employment (1099NEC) income — no inventory, depreciation or rental income.

Email VashonAARP@gmail.com to make an appointment, noting your phone number and the best time to call.

Senior Center

The Vashon Senior Center, at 10004 SW Bank Rd., serves a hot lunch at 12 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and offers multiple activities throughout each week. Upcoming highlights include a watercolor class taking place from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Senior Center. Stop by the Senior Center throughout February to see a group watercolor show.

Visit vashoncenter.org to see a full calendar of events.

Heritage Museum

A family day will take place at the Vashon Heritage Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, with free activities and programming for toddlers and kids including crafts and a scavenger hunt. The museum is located at 10105 SW Bank Rd.

Antiques Rockshow

The Antiques Rockshow returns to the Vashon Library from 1-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 15. The Vashon Union of Geologists will provide education about rocks and geology on Vashon and an opportunity for people to bring their rock finds for assessment. There will be prizes awarded for the roundest rock and the best heart-shaped rock (rocks must be found/natural in origin but can be polished). This is a free, all-ages event for rock enthusiasts with no registration required.

Bird Walk

Join veteran birders Karen Fevold and Kathryn True for a free bird walk at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. Meet at the Ober Park parking lot, then carpool to various island locales, including Fisher Pond, Tramp Harbor and upper Quartermaster Harbor. The bird walk is sponsored by Vashon Bird Alliance and is open to all. Remember to bring your binoculars.

CPR, AED and First Aid

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) is offering free training in first aid skills including CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and using an AED (automated external defibrillator) in a class to be held from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at VIFR’s training center at 10019 SW Bank Rd.

Visit vifr.org/cpr-classes to register.

Brown Briefly

Wednesday, Feb. 19 is the 83rd anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal and incarceration of all Japanese Americans residing in the West Coast Exclusion Zone, which included Vashon-Maury Island.

Join the Brown Briefly’s Amy Drayer, Craig Beles, Kevin Jones, Truman O’Brien, and Bruce Haulman on Tuesday, Feb. 18, as they welcome guest David Perley, who will discuss his Vashon family, the Tanakas and Sakaharas, and his research on other Vashon Japanese American families. They will also discuss the Friends of Mukai’s Day of Remembrance event on February 23.

Health Insurance

Miguel Urquiza, representative of King County Public Health, will help islanders sign up for health insurance, food stamps and ORCA Lift discounted transportation from 12:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Vashon Library. Islanders can also change their insurance or ask Urquiza for help in fixing problems with their current insurance.

Contact miguel.urquiza@kingcounty.gov, or call 206-477-6965 or 206-491-3761, if Wednesday is not convenient.

Grief Workshop

Islanders are invited to a free grief workshop from 6:30-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Grange Hall, located atop the north-end ferry parking area. This grief workshop will provide an opportunity to explore and express grief through poetry and ritual. The event will be facilitated by therapist Kari Hilwig and poet Elizabeth Austen.

Register at tinyurl.com/vashonpoetry, in advance.

Day of Remembrance

The Friends of Mukai will host a Day of Remembrance event from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Mukai Farm & Garden, featuring a screening of Frank Abe’s film “Conscience and the Constitution.” The film documents the story of 63 Japanese Americans who chose to refuse the draft while at the Heart Mountain concentration camp.

The Day of Remembrance commemorates Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

Human Mural

Join Vashon’s Backbone Campaign’s upcoming art and activism project to create and aerially photograph a human mural of a Southern Resident Orca whale. The action will take place from 1-2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Lisabeula Park.

Visit tinyurl.com/5d5r4nf4 to register and find out more.

Refugee Shabbat

Vashon Havurah, working with Indivisible Vashon, will host locally the seventh annual refugee Shabbat at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. The Havurah is located at 15401 Westside Hwy SW, Vashon.

The event, supporting the immigrant and refugee community, will feature island poet-activist Merna Ann Hecht, reading a compilation of pieces from the poetry of refugee and immigrant youth, accompanied by Michelle Dobson on cello.

Jenna Riggs and other islanders will also speak about work on Vashon to support the local immigrant and refugee community. They will share ways for the Vashon community to get involved.

The annual Refugee Shabbat is a project of HIAS, a Jewish American nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid to refugees.

Donations will be accepted to support the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW. Refreshments will be served.

Boating Classes

Quartermaster Yacht Club will offer two free boater education classes for adults in March.

The first will be a “Tech Talk” class, open to the public, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at Meyer’s Hut, located down the hill from 23428 Vashon Hwy SW.

Jones will cover the basics of anchoring — including ground tackle hardware, location selection, procedures, and what to do in an emergency. To register, email mariebrowne2000@comcast.net by Feb. 28.

A second free, state-approved boater education class, taught by Yacht Club Captain John Burke, will cover the information needed to receive a Boater Education Card — required for most operators of vessels with a 15-horsepower (or greater) motor.

Take the course and pass the test to get the card in Burke’s fast-paced class, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Meyer’s Hut. Advanced reading materials will be sent to all those who register.

Email mariebrowne2000@comcast.net to register by Feb. 28, providing your full name and phone number. Attendance is limited to 20 adults over the age of 18. More than one adult can be registered in an email.

Buzz into spring

Vashon Island Beekeepers Association’s (VIBA) teaching apiary is a local resource for beekeepers of all levels. VIBA holds regular meetings at the apiary to raise bees and beekeepers. This year, in addition to refining its basic practices, VIBA plans to teach vertical splits, swarm trapping, and package installation in a Top Bar hive. Mentorship opportunities are also available.

The first meeting of the 2025 season will be at 12 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at the apiary. A yearly membership to VIBA is $35 per individual or $50 per family.

This year, VIBA will also offer a three-session course for new beekeepers, “Intro to Beekeeping,” to take place from 10:15-11:30 a.m. on March 8, and 1-3 p.m. on March 9 and March 30.

The cost is a $75 donation to VIBA which includes a membership for the year, due at the first class.

Visit sites.google.com/view/vashonislandbeeassociation to find out more about start-up costs for beekeepers.

Email vashonislandbeekeepers.info@gmail.com by March 1 to sign up the class, or connect with group on Facebook by searching VashonBeekeepers. The apiary’s address will be provided to those who sign up for meetings or join the group.