Hey, its: Sunday, October 19

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Orcas Today: October 17th-19th

Orcas Island Film Festival
October 15th-19th at Various Locations
Now in its 11th year, the Orcas Island Film Festival celebrates and promotes the art of cinema as a catalyst for connection, creativity, and cultural understanding. OIFF is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inspiring critical thought, and bringing communities together through the transformative power of storytelling.

Kids Storytime at the Orcas Island Library
October 17th from 11:00am-12:00pm
Join Jenny for storytime in our kids section!

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!

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

Teen Event: Spooky Movie Fridays
October 17th from 4:00-5:45pm at the Orcas Library
Get in the Halloween spirit with a different spooky (but teen-friendly!) movie every Friday. Popcorn provided!

Orcas Island Fall Farmers Market
October 18th from 10:00am-2:00pm at the OISD Cafeteria
The 2025 Fall Farmers Market promises to be better than ever! Now through November, you can head over to the Orcas Island School Cafeteria every Saturday and support your favorite vendors, farmers, and food growers, and catch some amazing musical talent from the stage. Featuring live music by Summer Barbone.

Completely Arbortrary – Tree Podcast & Treevia
October 19th from 4:00-7:00pm at the Orcas Library
This weekly podcast is a scientific look at trees and how they affect and are affected by everything, hosted by master arborist and environmental educator Casey Clapp and his tree-curious friend and musical artist Alex Crowson. Each episode features a tree from around the world and a discussion about its unique position in culture, ecology, and history. These discussions can range from urban forestry and evolutionary biology to folk mythology and popular culture. The hard science is framed in plenty of silliness, with a casual tone, games and parody songs, and the titular arbitrary numerical rating of the tree at the end of each episode.

Get out and Hike

Cold Springs Trail – Difficult

4.3 miles. 2058 feet elevation gain. Cold Springs Trail connects the Cascade Lake Day Use Area with Mount Constitution Rd. and is the trail most often used for training by prospective mountaineers. The trail climbs up the west side of the mountain with numerous switchbacks, creeks, and vistas looking out towards East Sound. Start at the trailhead on top of the mountain beside a picnic shelter and head down for an easier route, or commence your hike from the Day Use Area for a rigorous journey that locals use to prep for hiking in the Cascade Mountain Range. This hike can take a few hours going up or down, and several flat promontories are great for snack breaks and picnics. Hikers can travel from the trailhead across Mt. Constitution Rd. to the Little Summit/Mount Constitution trail for further mountaintop adventures. Biking is permitted during the offseason.

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A Bite Of Orcas

Matthew’s Smokehouse and Deli – By Simon

A Brief Overview Southern cooking, at its essence, is comfort. Comfort for both body and soul, and a place for people to come together in an environment, created as much by the food as anything else, and share experiences. Fueled by salt and fat, southern cooking is not a tame cuisine and takes a skilled and sure hand to wield it well. A chef must walk the path of authentic southern cooking lest they move towards unflattering imitation, slathered in store-bought barbecue sauce, reliant on little more than sugar to mask the clear lack of flavor. It is unexpected then, at least to me, to find something so outlandish as a Southern-style smokehouse located here on Orcas Island, especially in the building that once housed what was perhaps “just another American-Italian semi-fine-dining restaurant”. While I came away from my meal somewhat conflicted, certain things were never in doubt. Clarity, however, eludes me when examining the intricacies of the ownership of the establishment. Despite this fact…

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