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:

Join the Vashon Senior Center and Vashon Park District from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 for a special session of Seattle Theatre Group’s (STG) Dance for PD, in the Ober Park Exercise Room. This program blends dance, live music, and community to create an inclusive experience with professional dancers. No prior dance experience or Parkinson’s disease diagnosis is necessary — everyone is welcome. The class is free, but preregistration is required.

Register at tinyurl.com/3yy88pwk or by calling the Senior Center at 206-463-5173.

On Monday, Feb. 24, there will be a birthday lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., with members born in February eating free that day; a book group at 1:30 p.m. to discuss “The Women,” by Kristin Hannah, and a Senior Center board meeting from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

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

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. The workshop, facilitated by therapist Kari Hilwig and poet Elizabeth Austen, will provide an opportunity to explore and express grief through poetry and ritual.

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. (See commentary, page 6, by Rita Brogan and Bruce Haulman.)

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

Human Orca 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.

Get services

Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) mobile van will be on Vashon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at the United Methodist Church, located at 17928 Vashon Hwy SW. Apply inside for food, cash and medical benefits. Islanders can also drop off paperwork, complete a review, make changes to an existing case, or request an EBT card.

The DSHS van will return to Vashon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at Vashon Food Bank, 10030 SW 210th St.

Rotary club

The Vashon Island Rotary Club will meet from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Wine Shop Vashon. The club will meet at the same time and place on the final Thursday of March, April and May.

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.

The teacher, Kevin 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.

Land Trust

Join the Vashon Maury Island Land Trust at their annual open house from 5 – 7 p.m on Friday, March 7, at the Land Trust building, at 10014 SW Bank Rd.

Learn about the Land Trust’s work, ask its staff questions, and enjoy refreshments and snacks. There will be a short program at 6 p.m., offering a peek at the Land Trust’s plans for 2025.

Buzz into spring

Vashon Island Beekeepers Association’s (VIBA) holds regular meetings at its local apiary to raise bees and beekeepers. 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.

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

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

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

Visit tinyurl.com/jcfkjcfu to learn more.

Robot headlines fundraiser

Islanders can witness the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and creativity at “AI, Robot and You: A Journey into the Future,” a upcoming fundraising event for Women Hold the Key (WHtK), a nonprofit on Vashon Island that fosters strong, supportive communities where women can thrive through connection, celebration, and shared learning.

The family-friendly event, “AI, Robot and You: A Journey into the Future,” will take place from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

It will feature islander Ben Goertzel, the CEO & chief scientist of SingularityNET, along with development team members Dianne Krouse and Caroline Robin Cariste. The evening will include a special performance by Desi the Robot — an AI-powered robot musician created by Goertzel, and human members of the fronted by robot, “Desdemona’s Dream.”

Visit womenholdthekey.com for more information and tickets.

Recurring events

Tax help: Volunteers from the AARP offer free tax preparation help on Thursdays at the Vashon Lutheran Church. Email VashonAARP@gmail.com to make an appointment; note your phone number and best time to call.

Meditate: The Vashon Oneness Center offers a free chance for islanders to meditate together every Monday from 5 – 6 p.m. at the Vashon Senior Center.

ELL classes: Vashon Library, located in Ober Park, offers English Language Learners (ELL) classes from 4:45-5:45 p.m. on Thursdays through April 10, except for March 20. Visit kcls.org/adultlearner for more.