BY KATY SHANER
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
March 18, 2015
Welcome to the weekend on Whidbey. Many weekend events start on Thursday night so this “What’s Happening” covers Thursday through Sunday. “What’s Happening” is a collaborative information guide project between the The Visitor Information Kiosk and Whidbey Life Magazine.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19
OUTCAST PRODUCTIONS
“Nickel and Dimed” at 7:30 p.m. (Also Friday and Saturday, March 20 and March 21).
Can a middle-aged, middle-class woman survive, when she suddenly has to make beds all day in a hotel and live on $7 an hour? Maybe. Acclaimed author Barbara Ehrenreich set out to research low-wage life firsthand. Barbara’s best-seller about her odyssey is vivid and witty, yet always deeply sobering. Joan Holden’s stage adaptation is a focused comic epic shadowed with tragedy.
Tickets are $18 for adults and $14 for students/seniors. www.outcastproductions.net www.brownpapertickets.com or reserve tickets by emailing ocp@whidbey.com, 819 Camano Ave., Whidbey Fairgrounds, Langley, Black Box Theater
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
WHALE WATCHING
Gray whale migration is anticipated to be the largest in local history. Whale-watching excursions aboard the 100′ M/V Mystic Sea will depart from Langley three days per week, increasing to five weekly tours in April through May 10! Approximately 250 Gray whales will find their way into our inland Salish Sea.
The Mystic Sea has a 98% whale-sighting success rate, and each three-hour excursion offers plenty of additional wildlife-spotting opportunities. Excellent inside and outside viewing, heated cabins and complimentary hot coffee and tea. Limited to 60 passengers. Departure time: Friday-Sunday, March 20-31 at 11 a.m., Thursday-Monday, April 1-May 10 at 11 a.m. Additional cruise on Saturday & Sunday at 3 p.m.
Reservations: www.mysticseacharters.com or call 1-800-308-9387 or 360-588-8000, Monte and Cindy Hughes, Mystic Sea Charters, mysticncia@seanet.com or www.mysticseacharters.com.
CELEBRATE SPRING EQUINOX
At the Beach! Spring Equinox! (Saturday, March 21 is Public Beach Access Day and Sunday, March 22 is World Water Day.) Make either or all of these. Don’t forget: Pack it in and Pack it out. Leave No Trace. Look, but do not disturb, beach creatures. Turn the rocks back over after you look at the crabs. Do not Trespass on Private Tidelands. To learn more about Island Beach Access, check out www.islandbeachaccess.org.
HARE-RAISING! A LITERARY CABARET
at Ott & Murphy Wine in Langley. Celebrating the Spring Equinox and “les lapins de Langley.” Hosted by David Ossman with special guests and friends Beverly Graham, Max Cole-Takanikos, Robert Marsanyi and a few surprise hop-ins, in an irreverent program centering on multiple Rabbits, Hares and Bunnies, with stories by Beatrix Potter, A. A. Milne and Lewis Carroll, Native American tales, a poem by Wallace Stevens, a song by Jefferson Airplane and more!
Two shows, 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. $10 cover charge. Call for reservations 360-221-713. Ott & Murphy Tasting Room is located at 204 First Street, Langley, www.ottmurphywines.com.
LAND OF THE HEADHUNTERS
Returns to the big screen! 1:30 p.m. at the Clyde Theater, Langley. The Island County Historical Society will be screening the recently re-released silent film classic “In the Land of the Headhunters.” This rare film, produced by photographer Edward S. Curtis was shot in and around the Prince Rupert area of British Columbia and debuted in 1914.
The film portrays a simple love story, but is renowned for the Kwakwaka’wakw actors, who Curtis had dress in their aboriginal cedar bark and animal skin clothing. A single damaged, incomplete print of the film was salvaged from a dumpster by film collector Hugo Zeiter of Danville, Illinois, and donated to Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History in 1947.
George Quimby re-edited this print in 1974, added a soundtrack by Kwakwaka’wakw musicians, and released the result as “In the Land of the War Canoes.” The film also accurately portrays Kwakwaka’wakw rituals that were, at the time, prohibited by Canada’s potlatch prohibition, enacted in 1884 and not rescinded until 1951.
Admission is $7, with proceeds to benefit the Island County Museum. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the museum, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily or by calling (360) 678-3310. Tickets will also be available at the door, based on availability. The film is suitable for all ages, though some convincing severed heads do make a cameo appearance! wp.islandhistory.org/. The Clyde Theater, 217 First Street, Langley. For movies showing at the Clyde, go to theclyde.net or call (360)221-5525.
OUTCAST PRODUCTIONS
“Nickel and Dimed” at 7:30 p.m. (See Thursday, March 19 for details.)
SATURDAY MARCH 21
CARMINA BURANA
C
omes to Oak Harbor! Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island—2014-2015 Season “Soaring to New Adventures” at 7 p.m. Oak Harbor High School in the gymnasium. Anna Edwards, Music Director.
Also Sunday, March 22 at 2:30 pm at the South Whidbey High School Gymnasium in Langley.
PROGRAM: Humperdinck ~ Suite from Hänsel and Gretel. Selected Choral Pieces performed by OHHS Harbor Singers. Carmina Burana featuring the Massed Choir of Whidbey, Soloists: Karl Olsen, Lisa Berritella, Voltaire Verzosa. The sheer size of the orchestra and choir necessitates holding this concert in the school’s gymnasium.
Collected funds will go to Help House in Oak Harbor. General Admission tickets are $25 Adult and $20 Senior/Military. Students under 18 are admitted free (under 14 must be accompanied by a paying adult). Tickets available for the Langley concert at Moonraker Books in Langley and Vino Amore in Freeland. Tickets for the Oak Harbor concert are available at bayleaf in Coupeville and Click Music in Oak Harbor. For on-line tickets and information, please visit our website http://www.sowhidbey.com or call 360-929-3045.
EOSTAR,
The Spring Equinox. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Before we plunge forward into the light half of the year, this is a moment of balance to think about what we are symbolically planting in our lives, a time to open ourselves to inspiration and growth. This will be a family-friendly event with childcare available for wee ones.
You are invited to bring a food item and stay for a potluck luncheon following the ritual. Questions? Contact Janella at earthspirit@uucwi.org. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island, 20103 SR 525 north of Freeland, www.uucwi.org/.
WINTER SKY
Star Party from 8 to 10 p.m. at Ebey’s Reserve Lookout. Open spaces mean big skies! Join the Whidbey Camano Land Trust in partnership with the Island County Astronomical Society as open spaces and big skies are celebrated at a Winter Sky Star Party at Ebey’s Reserve lookout next to the cemetery. Basic instruction and telescopes will be provided by the astronomical society, although you’re welcome to bring your own telescope. Several planets and galaxies will be within view, including Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula and double stars.
Questions? Contact Janelle Castro at 360-222-3310, janelle@wclt.org. To register for the activity, visit www.wclt.org/event/winter-sky-star-party/.
JILL JOHNSON, MASTER STORYTELLER
Whidbey Children’s Theater from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Jill has traveled the globe telling and collecting stories and perfecting her craft. She has been a resident storyteller for preschools, senior and assisted living centers and historical and creative writing programs on Whidbey and off-island. She has also been a featured storyteller at the Forest Storytelling Festival in Port Angeles and the Bay Area Storytelling Festival near San Francisco. Jill is a past president of the Seattle Storytelling Guild and is a published author of storytelling essays and articles.
This all-ages show will take the audience on The Storyteller’s Journey. Tickets Prices: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students. Seating is general admission. (recommened ages 4+, no babes in arms, no late seating). Tickets at www.whidbeychildrenstheater.org, (360) 221-8707, contact.wct@gmail.com. 723 Camano Ave, Langley. www.whidbeylifemagazine.org/directory/listing/jill-johnson.
LAUGH OUT LOUD
With Comedy Island Improv Troupe in Langley! At 7 p.m. with special guests Keith Mack, Gabe Harshman, Matt Bell, Max Cole-Takanikos and more! All-ages show with comedy, music and more! Suggested donation of $10 or more. A benefit fundraiser for Whidbey Children’s Theater! At WCT, 723 Camano Avenue, Langley (360) 221-8707.
“ORIGINAL JIM” LIVE:
Beatbox Soul: From 7:30 to 9:15 p.m at WICA. Tickets are $15. Whidbey Island Center for the Arts chooses four local artists every year to perform free of any production expenses while taking in the profit from ticket sales for the evening. This spring concert by local songwriting vocal percussionist, Original Jim, will feature songs from his debut solo album “Beatbox Soul.” (360) 221-8268, www.wicaonline.com.
OUTCAST PRODUCTIONS
“Nickel and Dimed” at 7:30 p.m. (See Thursday, March 19 for details.)
CELEBRATE PUBLIC BEACH ACCESS DAY
On our Island Beaches! (Sunday, March 22 is World Water Day.) Meet at 11:30 a.m. (low tide) at Robinson’s Beach. Directions: 1.7 mi: From the stoplight in Freeland, follow Fish Road to Mutiny Bay Road. Turn Left onto Mutiny Bay Road and Right at Robinson Road. Robinson Beach is straight ahead!
Don’t forget: Pack it in and Pack it out. Leave No Trace. Look, but do not disturb, beach creatures. Turn the rocks back over after you look at the crabs. Do not Trespass on Private Tidelands. To learn more about Island Beach Access, check out www.islandbeachaccess.org.
SUNDAY MARCH 22
CARMINA BURANA
Comes to South Whidbey! Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island—2014-2015 Season “Soaring to New Adventures” at 2:30 p.m. at the South Whidbey High School in the gymnasium. Anna Edwards, Music Director.
PROGRAM: Humperdinck ~ Suite from Hänsel and Gretel. Selected Choral Pieces performed by OHHS Harbor Singers. Carmina Burana featuring the Massed Choir of Whidbey, Soloists: Karl Olsen, Lisa Berritella, Voltaire Verzosa. The sheer size of the orchestra and choir necessitates holding this concert in the school’s gymnasium.
General Admission tickets are $25 Adult and $20 Senior/Military. Students under 18 are admitted free (under 14 must be accompanied by a paying adult). Tickets available for the Langley concert at Moonraker Books in Langley and Vino Amore in Freeland. For on-line tickets and information, please visit our website http://www.sowhidbey.com or call 360-929-3045.
Collected funds will go to Good Cheer Food Bank in Langley. TICKETS: $25 Adult / $20 Senior-Military / Students FREE. Tickets at Vino Amore in Freeland and Moonraker Books in Langley. Cash/check/credit card at the door. www.sowhidbey.com orchestra@whidbey.com, (360) 929-3045.
BOOK READING & SIGNING
with author Don Stuart from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Historic 1904 Barn at Greenbank Farm. No admission fee and prior event registration is not required.
Don Stuart, former Northwest Regional Director of the American Farmland Trust and author of the bestselling book, “Barnyard and Birkenstocks: Why Farmers and Environmentalists Need Each Other,” sees two dangerous and connected trends—the loss of farms and damage to ecosystems. Farmers are concerned about losing farmland and environmentalists worry about damage to ecosystems. His book artfully and practically outlines strategies for both parties to collaborate for win-win solutions. Join Greenbank Farm and the Whidbey Camano Land Trust as Stuart visits Whidbey Island for this special presentation and book signing.
A special Welcome Reception for the eight new students who will be beginning training at Greenbank Farm’s Organic Farm School will follow the program. Complimentary snacks and refreshments will be available. Information: greenbankfarm.org.
TREASURES OF TURKEY
at NWLA Cultural Center from 4 to 6 p.m. in Langley. Prior to the Language of Food event (“Welcome to Türkiye” on March 28), NWLA invites you to a special presentation by Graham Umit Dogan, including a travel slideshow and panel discussion of contemporary Turkey. Admission is by donation at the door. Onsite lodging accommodation is available! NWLA info@nwlanguageacademy.com. NWLA Cultural Center, 5023 Langley Road, Langley, (360)321-2101, www.nwlanguageacademy.com.
SUNDAY MUSIC AT BLOOMS WINERY
Taste for Wine & Art Enjoy Sunday Afternoons with Live Music. Sunday Music Series. Erik Christensen & Friends from 3 to 5 p.m.
Join Erik Christensen on guitar and vocals, Che Edoga on violin and Mark Strohchein on bass for a great afternoon of live music! No cover, no minimums. The annual Mother Earth Art Show has opened, with paintings by Sharon Tryon and Anna Davis, photography by Elizabeth Atly and pottery and shell art by Carol Rhodes. Bayview Corner Cash Store, 5603 Bayview Rd., Langley. (360) 321-0515, www.bloomswinery.com or www.tasteforwinewhidbey.com.
CELEBRATE WORLD WATER DAY
at the Beach! Don’t forget: Pack it in and Pack it out. Leave No Trace. Look, but do not disturb, beach creatures. Turn the rocks back over after you look at the crabs. Do not Trespass on Private Tidelands. To learn more about Island Beach Access, check out www.islandbeachaccess.org.
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The Visitor Information Kiosk is funded by the Greater Freeland Area and Langley Chambers of Commerce and What’s Happening is prepared by Katy Shaner, Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, contact Katy at ktshaner@whidbey.com.
Got an event you’d like to see on What’s Happening? Make sure to put it on the Whidbey Life Magazine Calendar.
Since 2008, the Visitor Kiosk has welcomed over 22,000 visitors to Whidbey. The island offers a wealth of activities, places to stay, eateries, shopping and an abundance of the natural environment to enjoy and appreciate. Welcome and enjoy your visit. Do come back.
Event contributions from Katy Shaner, Whidbey Life Magazine www.whidbeylifemagazine.org, and Drewslist drewslist@whidbey.com.
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