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When you drive around Skagit County, you see lots of animals: horses, cows, goats and more. One small farm on Best Road that immediately caught my attention has a sign stating JF Miniature Donkeys. The owners are Julie and Todd Jones and they gave me a tour of the property that enabled me to interact with many of the donkeys, who it turns out are very friendly, much more like pet dogs than horses or cows. My question as a reporter was, "What do you do with all of these donkeys?" The answer was...
Another day, another dollar. More than a familiar lament, it was truly a way of life for one of La Conner’s more famous – or infamous, depending on your political leanings – native sons. Hulet M. Wells, born in 1878 on a farm near town, toiled in hayfields as a young man for a buck a day. He also worked variously as a railway section hand, postal worker, street paver, logger, miner and shingle weaver. And that’s just to name a few. But his eventual calling was that of a labor activist, a role that led Wells in 1912 to run for mayor of Seattle...
La Conner showed its colors Saturday with a joyous celebration of famed local author Tom Robbins, named King for a Day and hailed by fans as he and wife Alexa led a parade down First Street perched atop the vintage La Conner fire truck. In a nod to his bestselling novels, fans showed up in outrageous costumes, the most popular of which were nods to Sissy, the hitchhiking model of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" The day was a celebration of imagination and creativity in all its forms. Favorite...
On Nov. 7, some voters will decide whether to dissolve the Columbia County Library in Dayton, Washington. If they choose to do so, librarians said it would be the first time in the country that a public library is dissolved following a book challenge. Everything in the building would go to the State Library, and the building would return to the City of Dayton. A lawsuit is calling a ballot measure to dissolve a southeastern Washington library unconstitutional. The complaint aims to keep the measure off the November ballot. It all started a litt...
Republican senators who walked away from this year’s legislative session will be barred from running for re-election next year, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced Aug. 8. The conclusion, announced after months of speculation, might not be a surprise to voters who overwhelmingly voted last year to create consequences for legislative walkouts via Measure 113. But the decision drew an immediate promise of a court challenge from GOP lawmakers, who have said the measure was so sloppily worded that they are technically allowed to s...
First term state lawmaker Clyde Shavers (D, Oak Harbor) brought plenty of energy to a downtown La Conner appearance last Thursday. And for the 10th District Democrat it was a case of substance matching style. That's because Shavers also brought with him to the 75-minute afternoon stop at Ravens Cup Coffee & Art Gallery on First Street a detailed update on clean energy legislation and policy measures both in Olympia and around the country. His audience, primarily founders of the La Conner-based...
The La Conner Town Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Upper Maple Center at 104 Commercial St. Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Public Comments (Limit: 3 minutes per person) Presentations Consent Agenda Consent agenda (Approved without objection 5/0) Approval of the minutes: Aug. 22, 2023 Finance: Approval of accounts payable. Approval payroll Items removed from the consent agenda Reports Chamber report Revenue /expenditure report Department head reports Mayor’s report Council committee reports Unfinished Business: Center S...
Can Spam, the ubiquitous low-cost processed meat, be more than just a pantry staple? This intriguing question took center stage at the Tom Robbins Day Spam-Carving Contest in Gilkey Square Saturday. Twelve talented carvers, generously sponsored by local organizations and community members, embraced the challenge of turning Spam into artistic masterpieces, captivating dozens of enthusiastic onlookers. With a mere 15 minutes on the clock and two cans of Spam as their medium, participants wielded...
Of course there is a Tom Robbins Fan Club on Facebook and of course King for a Day celebration organizer Gina McCarthy posted news of the Sept. 2 activities there and of course at least one Irishwoman came to La Conner Saturday. Gerri Roche of Wexford, Ireland took it as a sign. She shared fellow Irish native McCarthy’s post “a few weeks ago” and at least half a dozen fans traveled to participate. Kerry McGrath came from Palmyra, New York. “It’s been on my bucket list,” she said. “The universe opened a path for me and I took. it.” Jen Innc...
The Port was honored to host the Tom Robbins parade this past weekend! What a spectacle! It was a lot of fun, though, and many of our guests were able to see La Conner put on quite a show. We found a rowboat in Sullivan Slough last week. It has some small damage in the stern but it is otherwise a beautiful little boat. If anyone knows whose it is, please have them call the office at 360-466-3118 and we will be happy to return it. We met with the Army Corps of Engineers recently and they told us...
Due to the increase in moisture levels, recreational fires are now allowed in unincorporated areas of Skagit County, the County posted on Sept. 1. Residential yard and land-clearing fires continue to be banned until further notice. Recreational fires are those used for cooking or pleasure, consist only of charcoal or seasoned firewood, and meet the following requirements: Burn restrictions are still in effect on all Washington State Department of Natural Resources lands. No fires are allowed on DNR-managed recreational sites in Skagit County....
Tulip Valley Farms proprietor Andrew Miller is back in Skagit County Superior Court, this time with farmer Larry Jensen, sued by Skagit County for Miller’s development on Jensen’s Bradshaw Road property last fall. The Aug. 8 lawsuit states that developments took place without “obtaining a single permit or necessary developmental review as required by state law and the Skagit County Code.” The County asks the court to confirm the violations are a public nuisance, to permanently enjoin them and order Jensen and Miller to abate them. When Tulip Va...
An adhoc Agritourism Stakeholder Working Group created in July has submitted agritourism policy concepts to the Skagit County Planning Commissioners. The group's goal is to help the county shape code that lets large and small farmers and venue operators thrive. The group was formed after the Planning Commission's July 25 public hearing on agritourism zoning recommendations made by the county's Agricultural Advisory Board. Those recommendations proposed changing the definition of "agritourism" to...
When I was the editor of the newspaper in Oak Harbor nearly 40 years ago, I was given a copy of a commencement address by author Tom Robbins that was delivered to a handful of graduates at the Off Campus School in Oak Harbor on June 7, 1974. The Off Campus School was an alternative for students who previously dropped out of regular high school. Press reports called the program “hotly controversial.” I tucked the speech away back then and recently found it in my files. I wondered how Robbins came to be on Whidbey Island that night. The Off Cam...
Some people, no matter how dire the situation, always see things with a glass half-full perspective. And then there's Tom Robbins. The acclaimed La Conner author, who famously quit his gig at the Seattle Times by calling in "well," has during his more than 50 years here earned repute as a joy hunter, always seeking and cherishing life's "cup runneth over" moments. That tireless devotion to optimism, regularly punctuated with wit and whimsy, will be saluted during "Tom Robbins Day" festivities in...
When saluted by La Conner Rotarians Saturday night at Maple Hall, Mayor Ramon Hayes didn't speak at length about accomplishments that have marked his unprecedented four terms in office. He instead chose to focus on a task left uncompleted until that very moment, when he was presented the Paul Harris Fellow recognition, a $1,000 contribution to the national Rotary Foundation in Hayes' name. Hayes, who is bringing his 16-year tenure to a close, used his remarks to shift attention from himself to f...
La Conner leaders continue to develop a saltwater flood mitigation plan before king tide season this fall. They will meet Sept. 1 with representatives of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe at their south end property to discuss placing flood barriers there. La Conner Town Councilmember Rick Dole relayed the news to council, which met after the commission concluded its business Aug. 22 in Maple Hall. Town Administrator Scott Thomas reported discussions have begun with north end business owners for...
In recent years, scrapbooking has become a popular hobby. But for a La Conner area resident it has long been more than that. Anne Waldron has over time filled several of her old-school hardcover photo albums – the ones reinforced by clear protective overlay pages – with an eclectic collection of local and national news articles, favorite cartoon strips, advertisements bearing images of celebrities and treasured family memorabilia. They are assembled in no particular order. Even so, none see...
The Washington state Department of Health has issued area lake and beach closures and closed recreational shellfish harvesting due to toxins. All waters around the entire San Juan archipelago from the southeast tip of Guemes Island west and north to Canadian waters and southwest to northern Whidbey Island is a Marine Biotoxin Closure Zone closed for harvesting all species including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates, but not crab or shrimp. Beaches closed for all species of shellfish harvesting include:...
As August draws to an end, we can start to take stock of a season of travels. We had several marina members travel to Canada and Alaska this summer. One couple I spoke with put their fourth marker on the saloon hatch, celebrating another summer lived with a lot of adventure. They boated, fished and hiked to every hot spring between here and Skagway. Others are just getting back and have not come into the office yet to tell me their highlights, but they will. This is the kind of thing a community likes to share and we are always happy to hear ab...
Good fences make good neighbors. That adage is being put to the test – at least for the short term – at the 306 Center St. construction site, where safety fencing installed ahead of mandated soil removal has blocked nearly a dozen parking spaces of several businesses, including two cafes, at the adjacent commercial building. The fencing went up on Aug. 15. Since then, employees and customers of businesses in what locals refer to as the Station House Building, have sought parking elsewhere. Opt...
A hazy blanket hovered above La Conner last weekend as smoke from multiple wildfires in north central Washington and southern British Columbia drifted into the area, shrouding typical summer views of the snow-capped Cascades but providing brilliant red sunsets over Swinomish Channel and Skagit Bay. By Monday, though, local air quality was much improved as weekend north winds returned to onshore flows, bringing relief in the form of slightly cooler morning temperatures and easier breathing. At 3...
La Conner is taking a novel approach when it comes to celebrating the best things in life. The town will be the scene for "Tom Robbins Day" Sept. 2, an event designed to promote fun, friendship, wit, whimsy and positive vibes, all reflective of themes and characters in books penned by La Conner's famed best-selling author. It will also be an opportunity to support mentoring opportunities in the arts for local youth at the new La Conner Swinomish Library. A full slate of activities is planned, in...
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into how and why Marion County sheriff’s deputies and local police raided the Marion County Record newspaper office and the homes of its owners and the town’s vice mayor Aug. 11. Police seized computer equipment and cell phones from Record staff and the vice mayor. The case quickly gained national attention as an unprecedented violation of established American press rights. “Freedom of the press is the core value when we think about our democracy,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pi...
Our summer reading program, All Together Now, has officially ended, but please don’t stop reading. Make sure to turn in your reading log so you can get your reward for all your reading during summer vacation. We hope you read some terrific books and discovered new genres and authors while meeting your reading goal. When you stop by the library to turn in your log, please tell us about the best book you read this summer. You can fill out a bookmark to tell others about your book so others will check it out. We had a wide variety of summer r...