September 2019 – Guemes Island Community Center Association

The 4 Chicks and Phantom Power

The 4 Chicks and Phantom Power Bring Music Events to the Hall

The 4 Chicks – Cheryl Mansley, Libby Boucher, Lorrie Steele, and Suzie Gwost create a down-home feel at their expertly produced musical events at the Guemes Island Community Hall. Curating the sound before and during the shows is Phantom Power – Tony Boucher, sound engineer, with Rick Mansley and Samantha Legowik providing behind-the-scenes support.

Cheryl moved to Washington from West Virginia where for twelve years she produced The RiverHouse Concert Series and later The Blue Moon Sundays Concert Series. She was the Music Director for the West Virginia Wine & Arts Festival and also helped produce The Mountain Stage NewSong Festival. On farms, in homes, cafes, and teahouses Cheryl’s productions focused on bringing the community together to enjoy music in a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. Her graphic arts expertise adds a professional flair to every 4 Chicks’ event.

Libby is the support and logistics person that every great team relies upon whether it’s for housing the musicians, managing the hospitality and promotion or staging the room. Her husband Tony and son Max round out the crew that helps produce these events.

Lorrie is a dancer who began with ballet then taught dance in Anacortes for 37 years. In 2001 she started the Fidalgo DanceWorks studio that is now a thriving non-profit that promotes the art of dance. Classes are offered to students of all ages and abilities from age three to seniors with genres from tumbling to belly dancing with everything (ballet, African, tap, jazz, modern, swing, hip hop) in between. Two years ago Lorrie retired from the studio and now focuses on her second love, promoting horsemanship on Guemes Island. She can often be seen riding her horse along Guemes Island Road. Lorrie brings her passion for promoting the arts to Guemes Island through her participation in the 4 Chicks’ productions.

Suzie’s love of music is a family affair. Her fiddle playing and that of her father, George Park, along with husband Mike’s guitar picking have gotten many feet a-tappin’ here on the island. Suzie brought her friend, Cowboy Poet Dick Warwick, to Guemes on several occasions. After attending a Brian Bowers concert in Mount Vernon with Cheryl and Lorrie, the production collaboration began and The 4 Chicks were born.

From another Dick Warwick show to our own Guemes Island Brian Bowers concert then the American Fingerstyle Guitarists, islanders can look forward to the next 4 Chicks’ down-home production –The Gothard Sisters at the
Community Hall on Saturday, September 14. See details on myguemes.org.

Help Fund New Stove at the Church

The Guemes Church commercial kitchen has hosted many meals and food-related events over the years. The kitchen's commercial stove has been a real workhorse but now needs to be replaced.

The Gathering Lunches feed up to 60 people on Thursdays during the offseason. Soup Suppers, the Holiday Bazaar, the Holiday Dinner feast, and the Strawberry Sunday Social all use the facility for food prep. The kitchen stands ready to serve our community during an emergency, working in coordination with the Community Hall as an emergency shelter.

If you or your organization has enjoyed events made possible because of this community kitchen or your private event has cooked there, please make a donation to help purchase the new kitchen stove/oven.

Checks can be made payable to the Guemes Island Community Church with a notation "for kitchen stove." Donations can be mailed to 7611 Guemes Island Road, Anacortes, WA 98221.