Small Town News

Happenings on Harstine kick off for the summer months

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HARSTINE ISLAND NEWS

I've mentioned this before, but this visual experience keeps jumping at me as I drive the island-it's all those wildflowers. Somehow I'm seeing more of them along the roadways than I remember from previous years.

There are the white-topped daisies waving at us from their long thin stems.

Those foxgloves, the tall and all purple-pink-lavenderish-white flowers, come back to us every other year and have arrived in abundance. I've taken to cutting the stems at the end of their season and scattering the seeds along my driveway in hopes they will overrun me as I drive through them.

And then in a couple of those recently cut, barren forest areas there have been acres and acres of purple lupine jumping up to give us joy.

REUNITE WITH LONG-LOST PEERS

This has been a wonderful and exciting year for our Pioneer School District. The passing of that bond issue was huge and work is presently going on to get that new school built. As part of an ongoing celebration, the district is putting on its first Pioneer School Reunion. It will happen from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. I know this because the Pioneer Kiwanis Club will be cooking and serving barbecue hamburgers with some fixings for $5 a person. The event will be held in the intermediate middle school gym/courtyard. They are also going to provide name tags for everyone, so when you're making your way through the crowd you'll be able to put the name to a face that you remember from those school-yard days.

'MAGNOLIAS' PEEKS INTO SOUTHERN LIVING

I was driving by the community hall the other evening and stopped there at the stop sign. The front doors were open and I saw a lot of activity. As I turned the corner I started thinking that there must be a play in the works going on in there. Then I received this email from Barbara Hubbard:

The Harstine Island Theatre Club is currently in rehearsals for the much-loved play "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling. It is a skillfully crafted, lovingly evoked picture of eccentricity in the small-town South. It is a story of how love and friendship gets us through the joys and tragedies of life. As Truvy says, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." The cast includes seasoned veterans and talented newcomers, including Trinity Kirk as Shelby. Other cast members are Betty Helm as Ouiser, Anita Chandler as Clairee, Dee Ann Meacham as Truvy, Vikki Voss as M'Lynn and Lilly James as Annelle. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. July 1 and July 2, and 2 p.m. July 3. Admission is $10 and tickets are available at Jarrell's Cove Marina, Olympic Bakery and Lynch Creek Floral.

CONCERNS ABOUT SQUEEZE SAFETY, DUES

Here are just a few notes from the Harstine Island Community Club's June meeting. Remember, it gets together around 6 p.m. every second Friday of the month. This is a great place to find out everything that is going happening on our island.

It looks like our annual Apple Squeeze is going to be altered this year because there is a food safety concern about the apple presses. The club is looking for some' volunteers to install new safety bollards in front of the walkway in front of the hall.

The 2016 dues are due for the club. Jim Irving, the club treasurer, is always happy to take your $25. Our 100-plus year old building is always in need of repair and your dues go a long way in keeping it in the wonderful shape it is in. We will probably see a burn ban from July 1 through Sept. 30 this year.

Our local fire district has a new program of free smoke detectors for those who can't afford one. They will even come out and install it and do a quick home fire assessment for you. The club needs a new generator for island emergencies. Presently it is trying to raise $5,000 to buy a new one. Any help would be appreciated.

Mike Callaghan can be reached at sobadog@msn.com



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