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They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. But that is not entirely true, as was the case at Swinomish Thursday. That's when the local tribal community held its annual Blessing of the Fleet and First Salmon Ceremony, which led off with a noontime feast of salmon and seafood provided by Swinomish fishers. The tribe's gymnasium was filled with those taking part in the meal, many of whom later walked in a large procession up Pioneer Parkway and down Moorage Way to the shoreline, where clergy...
Marna Hanneman will be La Conner 's next mayor, no contest. Hanneman, on the planning commission since 2015, was the only person filing to run for the office during the May 15-19 period. Council members Mary Wohleb, an incumbent elected in 2019, and Annie Taylor, filing for the position she was appointed to in 2021, will also be elected when they vote for themselves. No one filed to oppose them. The only locally contested race is between John Agen and Janie Beasley for La Conner School District Director Position 2, almost a repeat of the 2019...
A La Conner High School senior is a true lifesaver. Not just once, but twice. Finn Hakenson on separate occasions earlier this month helped two men in distress in Whistle Lake at Mount Erie Park in Anacortes. Both survived thanks in great part to Hakenson's fast thinking and strong swimming skills. The first rescue, on May 12, was the most dramatic. Hakenson was in the lake waiting for his friends and track and field teammates Brenden Kitchen, Isaac Kitchen, Floyd Dent and Flint Huizenga to...
Community journalism has a rich history, but the present business model has its issues. Yet the future of local news coverage across America isn't lacking reasons for optimism. Faced with shrinking advertising revenue that has led to a shedding of reporting, editing and production jobs across the nation, print newspapers are looking at creative strategies to keep the industry alive for the next generation of readers. One promising option, among several suggested during a special forum in Mount...
The march of madness and meanness continues. Last week Montana, Nebraska and Florida’s legislators joined the stampede in outlawing gender-affirming care to teens and youths in their states. These laws will punish doctors and healthcare practitioners for assisting youth in developing into their genuine selves. Gender-affirming care is “age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the wellbeing of many transgender and non-binary people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria, or distress that results from having one’s gender ident...
It’s with great interest that I hear about the parcel of property being quasi-gifted to the town. I’ve looked at that property for a very long time. During the slough burp of Dec 27, it was pretty much covered in water. I’ve lived at Channel Cove, contemplating this property has been a natural for me. As a lifelong farmer in the area, I’ve thought long and hard about turning it into a garden, but then I’ve thought about the strikes against it. Deer can climb and jump over significant fencing, raccoons can climb over any fencing and they’ll h...
Part II following May 17 So where are we at the moment? The Shelter Bay board once again surprises no one with their majority vote to declare the recall petitions for the five executive officers are invalid. Rather than listening and adhering to the community's wishes and intent, they narrowly interpreted their poorly written rules to establish a technicality. The board majority (5) – with strong opposition by the board minority (4) – moved forward with: • A rent adjustment index that virtually doubled the rent. • Removing legal counsel...
There’s no escaping flood risks in La Conner, but there are temporary and permanent options that can improve the odds of successfully managing future high-water events like last December’s that caused nearly $2 million in damages. Those options are spelled out in a flood mitigation report from engineer Evan Henke and presented to the Town’s Emergency Management Commission at Maple Hall May 9 by Public Works Director Brian Lease. “This plan,” wrote Henke, of David Evans and Associates, “is intended to be a ‘living’ document that is frequently r...
One of the most common complaints electric utility customers have about utilities is that utility bills are hard to understand. I looked at PSE’s website page, “How to read your bill.” Having done that, I decided to write this. Think of electricity as being similar to water. Water delivered to your home is usually metered in cubic feet. (There are about seven and a half gallons in a cubic foot.) The rate at which water is delivered is measured in cubic feet per second. When you get your water...
Frederick William "Ted" Hiller, 96, a long time La Conner resident, died in Mount Vernon on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Ted was born in Norwood, Massachusetts on March 11th, 1927, at the beginning of the Great Depression. Ted learned independence from a very young age, mostly raising himself due to family circumstances. Ted told stories of hitchhiking "the triangle" around Massachusetts for fun before he was even old enough to go to school. In 1937, at the age of 10, he witnessed the Hindenburg's fin...
Now it is the La Conner Town Council’s turn to decide how best to regulate adult businesses should one or more try to locate here. Fortunately, the panel has received some grown-up advice. The La Conner Planning Commission last week unanimously approved forwarding to the Council a detailed and highly restrictive framework developed with Planning Director Michael Davolio and Assistant Planner Ajah Eills based on court rulings issued in First Amendment and freedom of expression cases. The plan limits to industrial zones on the town’s north and...
Skagit County Public Works is working on Best Road Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from McLean Road to the Fir Island/Moore intersection through June 15. Public Works is performing milling repair in preparation for the upcoming chip seal program in July and August, and everyone will need to expect delays during this time of construction. Source: Skagit County Public Works...
It could have been the perfect weather or the Guitar Festival that steered residents away from the Citizen Engagement Opportunity in the La Conner Swinomish Library conference room last Saturday, May 20. About ten people came to it, including La Conner Town Councilmembers MaryLee Chamberlain and Rick Dole. The relaxed setting encouraged public discussion of pre-selected topics: sustainable businesses; open spaces, infrastructure needs; public safety; and density development and growth. The gathering was put on by the council’s communications c...
The La Conner Kiwanis Club High School Student of the Month for April is Yamileth O'Campo Contreras. Yami is a freshman at the La Conner High School. She is the daughter of David and Karen Contreras. Yami is active in school sports playing soccer, basketball and softball. She enjoys her science and math classes. Outside of school Yami enjoys drawing and painting as well as hanging out with friends and family. After graduating she would like to become an interior designer or an artist. The...
La Conner High School golfers nearly left the country to qualify for state competition in the Olympia area this week. Four of its members – Sammy Williams, Gage Tenborg, Abi Udlock and Natalee Koch – emerged from Northwest Tri-District 2B trials at Loomis Trails Golf Course in Blaine with single round scores allowing them to advance to the state tournament at Tumwater Valley Golf Club. Williams carded a 90 to place sixth on the Tri-District boys’ leaderboard. Tenborg was one stroke back, at 91, to clinch seventh place. On the girls’ side, U...
Shelter Bay residents reelected Joe Hurley to their board of directors Saturday, May 20 at the community’s annual meeting. New on the board are Rod Proctor, who was appointed and served briefly in 2022, and Rick Parnell. The winners were overwhelming selected. Their totals: Hurley, 308; Proctor, 278; Parnell, 249. They beat candidates Jan Paul, 190 votes; Julie Peddy, 138; Marianne Remme, 90; and Larry Tagala, 87. Also newly on the board is Lawson Earl, selected by board members May 17, replacing Judy Kontos, recalled by the community in A...
Jamie Damien-Sams, a senior at La Conner High School, was chosen as Soroptimist Honored student for May. Jamie has been a high school cheerleader for three years and recently received the Jamie Joe Cheer Leadership Award for "dedication to cheer squad, education and school spirit." Jamie joins the other cheer squad members supporting basketball and football teams at home and away games. Jamie has played on the LCHS softball team since eighth grade. She started in the outfield and has moved up...
La Conner is no stranger to either history or good music. Both will be evident in town on Friday. That’s when the Skagit Community Band, directed by La Conner resident Vince Fejeran, celebrates its 60th anniversary with a free concert and silent auction at Maple Hall. The concert, in keeping with the spirit of the occasion, will feature favorite selections from through the years. After all, the band has played at special events across decades throughout the Skagit Valley area. But La Conner, where Fejeran was a popular music teacher and band d...
Skagit Adult Day Program will host their 10th annual "Music and Memories Dinner & Fundraiser" at Maple Hall June 3 from 5-8 p.m. Dinner and drinks will be provided from Santo Coyote along with musical entertainment from local duo Joe and Kelly. Tickets are $80 per person. SADP is the only organization in Skagit County providing day programming for adults with dementia. Clients are currently served at Bradford House in Burlington but one of their goals is to bring back Gentry House in Anacortes....
Fresh local seafood is wonderful! I pulled out my largest aluminum bowl to hold the shrimp. Alive, jumping around. I kept them in the bowl until ready to cook. I cooked them immediately. I pulled out my very large canner, to boil the shrimp. I use a Brita water filter to filter the cooking water. I filter the water and add sea salt to the cooking pot. Coonstripe shrimp are sweet and we enjoy them warm. They are cooked whole. The water must cover the shrimp in the cooking pot. Ingredients Fresh s...
Sunday, May 14 4:00 a.m.: DUI arrest – A driver was observed crashing his vehicle into other vehicles parked on the street. The driver was stopped by law enforcement and arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Caledonia St., La Conner. Monday, May 15 1:02 p.m.: Hot dog – A dog was locked in a hot parked car. Town code enforcement was notified to check on the car and dog inside. 1st St., La Conner. Thursday, May 18 7:52 a.m.: Thirsty and stubborn – Report of a man sitting on the p...
Guitar Festival: This week we had numerous guests who came to La Conner expressly for the La Conner Guitar Festival. Many of them have come before and plan to come again. I can see why! Walking into Maple Hall with all of those incredible pieces of art – guitars of all shapes and sizes – was just breathtaking. It was worth the cost of entry just to walk through the hall, and the shows were a bonus. We had a guitar circle in the RV park two nights in a row and at least one luthier stayed with us...
