Senior Center

The Vashon Senior Center, at 10004 SW Bank Rd., offers a hot lunch at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and activities throughout the week.

Two work sessions on creating advance care directive documents will take place on Friday, Feb. 28 — the first from 1-2 p.m. and the second from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Reserve to attend at 206-463-5173.

A talk in an ongoing series, “Armchair Travel with Barb Gustafson,” will take place at 12:45 p.m. Monday, March 3. Gustafson will explore Blake Island, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Port Townsend and Sequim.

Visit vashoncenter.org for a full event calendar.

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.

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.

Community Weaving

Learn to weave with tapestry artist Suzanne Hubbard from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Vashon High School gym. The event is also a rehearsal for four live demonstrations of community weaving, to be presented a week later, on March 8, at Vashon Center For the Arts in celebration of International Women’s Day.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Tea master Kyoko Matsuda will conduct a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, known as “Chano-Yu,” on Saturday, March 1, at Mukai Farm & Garden.

The tea ceremony can symbolize harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. There will be two 45-minute sessions with capacity for eight participants each, at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Registration is first-come, first-served by contacting ayuayusnake@gmail.com. There is a suggested $10 donation, according to Friends of Mukai, the nonprofit that operates and maintains the farm.

Brown Briefly

Join the hosts of Voice of Vashon’s Brown Briefly show at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4, on 101.9 FM or live at voiceofvashon.org to hear from “small talk” guest Brian Vescovi, executive director of Granny’s Attic. The Brieflys will discuss all that Granny’s does for the island, its storied history, and what’s coming up for this longtime Vashon nonprofit.

Boating Classes

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

The first is 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.

Build land resilience

Derek Churchill, a senior forest health scientist for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, will discuss how landowners on Vashon can make their forested land more resilient to climate change. The talk, sponsored by the Vashon Bird Alliance, is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, at the Land Trust Building.

Churchill, a Vashon resident who’s led many public and private forest restoration projects across Washington and Oregon over the past two decades, will discuss topics such as kinds of trees and shrubs to plant, thinning strategies, wildfire risk, and forest health issues.

Family Feast

Vashon Family Feast, hosted by Vashon’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in the Vashon High School cafeteria.

The annual family-friendly dinner is chance for islanders to share a meal before the lively student vs. staff basketball game at the VHS gym.

The three-course meal, prepared by the school district’s food services team, will include appetizers including freshly baked pita bread with hummus, tzatziki, olives, and vegetables; entrees including butter chicken with peas, butter chickpeas with rice, chicken shawarma, or tofu shawarma with rice; couscous and Matsuda Farm salads; and made-from-scratch lemon cake.

Tickets, sold at vashonpto.com through Friday, Feb. 28, are $20 for adults and $10 for kids. All proceeds will benefit student and staff funding requests at district schools.

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 (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 is 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.

Inclusion Island

Join Inclusion Island, a group of adults with developmental disabilities and their friends and family, for a Saint Patrick’s Day party from 2-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March. 8, at Bethel Church, located at 14736 Bethel Ln SW. The afternoon will include food, games, and more.

Questions? EmailHersheyHousing@gmail.com.

Garden Club meeting

The Vashon-Maury Island Garden Club will host its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, March 10, at the Bethel Church gym. Guest speaker Jerry Gehrke, aka “the Bee Guy,” will talk about nature’s most effective pollinators — mason bees — and answer questions about these hardworking creatures that help our fruit trees thrive. Learn more by visiting vmigc.org/activities.

Women Hold the Key

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

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 and 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 band fronted by Desi, “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 the 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.