Hey, its: Friday, July 18

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Orcas Today: July 18th-20th

Fun in the Park: Tumble & Move
July 18th from 12:00-2:00pm at Buck Park
Come have fun in Buck Park throughout the Summer on Fridays from 12-2pm. Free for all ages!

Art with Carla at the Orcas Senior Center
Fridays from 1:00-3:00pm
Led by experienced artist Carla Stanley, this lighthearted class focuses on the creative process with a strong belief in your artistic potential, regardless of skill level. The class is $10 (or $8 for OSC members). Contact Carla at 360.317.5652 or onlyonorcas@gmail.com to secure your spot. Uncover your artistic potential and join creative Fridays at Orcas Senior Center!

Teen Anime & Manga Fridays
Fridays from 2:00-3:00pm at the Orcas Library
This program runs June 20-August 22.  This summer, we’re diving into Delicious in Dungeon—where fantasy meets food in the most unexpected (and hilarious) ways. Join us each week for episodes, manga chats, snacks, and hangouts. All teens welcome. Come nerd out with us!

Needlework Circle at The Orcas Senior Center
Fridays from 2:00-6:00pm
Join this weekly gathering for knitters, crocheters, embroiderers, and all needleworkers at Orcas Senior Center, every Friday at 2pm. Come hang out—no project required! Whether you haven’t knitted in years, want to learn to crochet, or just want to relax and chat, you’ll find a wonderful selection of donated yarn, needles, books, and plenty of friendly advice. For more information, contact Edy Hansen at edy@orcasseniors.org or 206.413.6167

Live Music at Orcas Island Winery
July 18th at 4:00pm
Featuring Seagrass Music.

On Screen at Orcas Center: Jean Cocteau Documentary
July 18th at 7:00pm
In the years before fame alone would be accepted as an art form, multi-faceted poet, playwright, visual artist, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau considered his artistic lot in life one of obscurity and celebrity. Over decades, this fragile workhorse pioneered a dazzling private & public alchemy of staggering talent, success, renown, and controversy.

Orcas Island Farmers Market
Saturdays from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Village Green
The 2025 Summer Farmers Market promises to be better than ever! All Summer long you can head down to the Village Green every Saturday from 10am-2pm and support your favorite vendors, farmers and food growers, and catch some amazing musical talent from the stage.  Featuring live music by Grace McCune and Anna Mueller.

Olga Daze
July 19th from 10:00am-2:00pm at Olga Park
Come for breakfast at the bake sale, featuring the world famous maple bars made on the spot. Stay for lunch then come back to the bake sale for dessert. The parade starts at noon and features an OIFR fire truck and antique cars. Live music will be performed throughout the day and includes our island’s most talented musicians. Children’s games and face painting guarantee lots of fun and prizes. Have fun with an antique printing press and make your own, one of a kind document in beautiful calligraphy. And don’t forget the history booth. Olga is rich in history and charm. A long tradition at Olga Daze is the auction of a beautiful handmade quilt. The quilt will be on display and raffle tickets available until 1:45 when the drawing happens. You do not need to be present to win. Then to cap off the day a riding mower race at 2pm! Want to enter? Call Steve at 360.376.1461. All proceeds support the maintenance of the historic,1913 Olga Energetics Club building. See you in Olga!

Celebration of Life
July 19th at 5:00pm at the Grange
Potluck and open mic night remembering and celebrating the lives of Rivkah Sweedler, Frances Applegate, Jesse Applegate and James Applegate. Bring food, instrument, and voice to remember and celebrate these special islanders. Starts at 5pm and goes until everyone leaves! For more info contact Lola Applegate at 206.919.4311

Outdoor Summer Concert Series
July 20th at 5:00pm at the Village Green
The Orcas Center’s Free Summer Concert Series continues with another incredible line-up featuring Bobby Bare Jr and Mars FM. 

Get out and Hike

Cascade Falls Trail – Easy

.25 mile. 130 feet elevation loss The perfectly and naturally framed Cascade Falls are some of Moran State Park’s most well-known and popular natural wonders. The trail to the falls begins just off Mount Constitution road, where parking is available and leads quickly to the Upper Falls. These smaller falls give a taste of what is to come and serve as the source for the gentle stream that flows along the trail down to the Lower Falls. Several promontories above the falls provide excellent photo opportunities and the spray comes all the way up to the trail during the rainy seasons. The trail ultimately winds down to a bridge over the stream, where primitive trails wind through the brush directly to the falls. The water is cold, but when the stream runs low visitors can walk out right under the falls. This sometimes steep but short trail is a wonderful chance for all ages to enjoy natural water wonders on Orcas Island.

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A Bite Of Orcas

Orcas Hotel Café – By Howie

I am an American. Those four little words should tell you everything you need to know about how much I love burgers. Okay, not everything, but I hope you get the idea. There’s nothing quite like it: Meat, Toppings, Condiments, Crispy Toasted Bread, mix and match to your liking (yes, I realize I also just described a normal sandwich, but follow me on this one), and chow down! That being said, I do also realize that not all burgers are created equal: a gourmet burger is not a good comparison to a cookout burger, and while I do enjoy both (very much so), when you decide to up the ante and treat yourself to a restaurant, you expect something a bit more on the decadent side. And, I am pleased to report, that (at least) the food given to me by Orcas Hotel Café did not disappoint! Orcas Hotel has a long history of different chefs and restaurant names gracing its doors, but in the new world of Survive the Pandemic (take that however you will) they have opted for a simpler design: small café, small menu, daily specials, lunch, and dinner; no frills, basically. Their entire ordering process for dinner is online so my esteemed colleague and I had to change up our usual rules, and I took his recommendation for the Cheeseburger with Fries while he went with the Burmese Chicken Curry Special (read Simon’s review of Orcas Hotel Café here). Now, my overly simplified palate may suggest that I got the raw…

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