Guemes Island Community Center Association
Enriching and Connecting Our Island Community
GIHS, Dec 9
With the end of the year comes many holiday festivities but please add one more to your list. On Monday, December 9th, the Guemes Island Historical Society invites you to our annual “open house,” celebrating the holiday season and the new year to come. We'll have refreshments, lots of conversation and the annual reading of the 1888 Guemes Christmas Story.
There won't be a formal program but we will be displaying an assortment of “Guemes Gear” from years gone by. T-shirts, hats, etc. will be on display along with a bit of their history. We'd love to have you share your vintage (or perhaps new) Guemes items with the group by wearing them or just pulling them from that sack in the back of the closet to astound us all.
The open house begins at 7 p.m. at the Guemes Island Church and will be preceded by our monthly business meeting at 5:45 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Hope to see you there!
Holiday Dinner, Dec 14
Join us for our all-island annual holiday dinner and potluck on Saturday, December 14 at 5 p.m. at the Community Center. Bring the kids early for children's activities at the Church from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Santa will be visiting by 6:30 with gifts for the kids!
The Church provides roasted turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and gravy. GIPOA provides beverages. GICCA decorates the Hall. The Fire Department puts up the outside lights. The Ferry Committee sets up tables and chairs. Everyone helps clean up. If you're able, bring a potluck dish. If not, just come and share a meal at this festive community event!
Chamber Music, Dec 29
Guemes Island Chamber Music
Winter Concert
Guemes Island Community Center
Dec 29, 3:30 pm
Tickets $25: Purchased at the door
Featuring the musical talents of:
Nancy Bean, Violin
David Bean, Violin
Karie Prescott, Viola
Lloyd Smith, Cello
Performing the music of Stamitz, Haydn, Tartini, Vivaldi, and Simon and Garfunkel Scarborough Fair.
Island News
Do You Have a New Neighbor? Directory Update Reminder Summer 2019 Printed Directories Available Stage Timeline and Expenses
GICCA Welcomes New 2020 Board Members - At the GICCA annual meeting on Thursday, November 21, 2019, the community elected 2 new Board members - Kathy Whitman (pictured here) and Mary Hale (not pictured). Kathy and Mary join returning Board members Rob Schroder, Loalynda Bird, Carol Deach, Libby Boucher, and Barb Ohms as your 2020 GICCA Board.
Kathy Whitman first came to Guemes in 1973 when she and her sister purchased a tiny cabin in Holiday Hideaway. Her two kids and husband loved the shared cabin, enjoying many hours on the beach. After Kathy’s husband died, she had to develop a new plan for her life and in 2018 made the choice to make Guemes Island her full-time home. She enjoys outside activities including volunteering as a steward for the San Juan Preservation Trust at the Peach Preserve. Kathy shares her love and talent for art by hosting Guemes Casual Art groups at her home. Both of her sisters now have their own homes or cabins on the island.
Kathy earned two degrees from UW in Art and in Recreation plus continued education in financial management, art skills, diversity, risk management, and organization. Her background in grant award review, grant writing, fundraising, and creative marketing will be valuable assets to the GICCA Board and our future work for the Guemes community.
Mary Hale and her husband Jeff are life-long Washingtonians who moved to Guemes Island in 2017 after raising their two children and retiring. Drawn to Guemes’ beauty and sense of community, they readily embraced island life as full-time residents. Besides giving back to the community, Mary hopes to share her experience from having worked 28 years at the University of Washington. Her work there involved, among other things, administering multiple budgets, coordinating numerous events, and authoring a web site. Mary says she especially enjoyed the challenge of crunching numbers, staying organized, and paying close attention to details.
Mary views the Community Center as a positive gathering place for recreational, educational, and social activities—all of which foster a sense of belonging here—and, to that end, she sees the GICCA Board member’s role as striving to be a good steward of this valuable asset.
When Mary isn’t on a walkabout in nature, she enjoys volunteering at the Library, attending Historical Society events, supporting the Skagit Land Trust, and being involved in fun activities such as the Dog Island Dog Show, Luminary Parade, and Fourth of July Parade.
We welcome Kathy and Mary as the newest members of the 2020 GICCA Board.
Meet Your Neighbor
GICCA Welcomes New 2020 Board Members - At the GICCA annual meeting on Thursday, November 21, 2019, the community elected 2 new Board members - Kathy Whitman (pictured here) and Mary Hale (not pictured). Kathy and Mary join returning Board members Rob Schroder, Loalynda Bird, Carol Deach, Libby Boucher, and Barb Ohms as your 2020 GICCA Board.
Kathy Whitman first came to Guemes in 1973 when she and her sister purchased a tiny cabin in Holiday Hideaway. Her two kids and husband loved the shared cabin, enjoying many hours on the beach. After Kathy’s husband died, she had to develop a new plan for her life and in 2018 made the choice to make Guemes Island her full-time home. She enjoys outside activities including volunteering as a steward for the San Juan Preservation Trust at the Peach Preserve. Kathy shares her love and talent for art by hosting Guemes Casual Art groups at her home. Both of her sisters now have their own homes or cabins on the island.
Kathy earned two degrees from UW in Art and in Recreation plus continued education in financial management, art skills, diversity, risk management, and organization. Her background in grant award review, grant writing, fundraising, and creative marketing will be valuable assets to the GICCA Board and our future work for the Guemes community.
Mary Hale and her husband Jeff are life-long Washingtonians who moved to Guemes Island in 2017 after raising their two children and retiring. Drawn to Guemes’ beauty and sense of community, they readily embraced island life as full-time residents. Besides giving back to the community, Mary hopes to share her experience from having worked 28 years at the University of Washington. Her work there involved, among other things, administering multiple budgets, coordinating numerous events, and authoring a web site. Mary says she especially enjoyed the challenge of crunching numbers, staying organized, and paying close attention to details.
Mary views the Community Center as a positive gathering place for recreational, educational, and social activities—all of which foster a sense of belonging here—and, to that end, she sees the GICCA Board member’s role as striving to be a good steward of this valuable asset.
When Mary isn’t on a walkabout in nature, she enjoys volunteering at the Library, attending Historical Society events, supporting the Skagit Land Trust, and being involved in fun activities such as the Dog Island Dog Show, Luminary Parade, and Fourth of July Parade.
We welcome Kathy and Mary as the newest members of the 2020 GICCA Board.
Holiday Special — Anchor Away!
This 3000 lb monolith made from leftovers from the stage foundation concert pour, with an embedded chain, would make the perfect stocking-stuffer for the boater who has everything! At the next very high tide, we can place this anchor on your mooring site with your chain clevis and buoy attached. Make a donation of $500 to the Stage Project and own a piece of island history!
Please contact GICCA Stage Project Manager, Rick Norrie at 360-661-5770 for donation information. Thank you for supporting this Guemes Island Community Center Association project.
More GICCA Stage Progress
As you drive past Schoolhouse Park at Edens Road and Guemes Island Road you can see the latest progress at the GICCA Stage. The "showcase" log, donated by Lorrie Steele, is now in place atop the two front vertical logs, donated by Yadi Young. This large arch frames the beautifully crafted back milled beam that is made from timber from Darrington, WA.
Click on the box above to start your shopping & Amazon will donate to GICCA. Thank you!
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of AmazonSmile purchases to their customers' chosen charitable organization. Guemes Island Community Center Association is registered on AmazonSmile. So, if you’re already shopping anyway, why not let Amazon make a small donation to GICCA - at no additional cost to you or GICCA!
How does it work?
- Click on the AmazonSmile box (right) which brings you to the AmazonSmile GICCA page
(you might want to bookmark that page to easily find it again). - Sign in to Amazon as usual.
- Then, just shop as you normally would!
Click here to see how much you have made GICCA smile. Thank you!