News briefs

Goosefoot moves last salvage home

Goosefoot said farewell to the last home in its house relocation program on Wednesday as the structure was moved to its new South End location. New owner Curt Gordon plans to renovate the house as an affordable rental home.

The 950-square-foot house was one of the original homes in the Useless Bay Colony, and was built about 1916. The home was moved to a new location about 2.3 miles north of Bayview.

Goosefoot has relocated and refurbished 13 homes slated for demolition since 2000 and helped low-income families secure mortgages to purchase them. The increasing costs of land and renovations now outweigh the financial viability of house-moving program, Goosefoot officials said.

Grace Itaya plays benefit concert

South Whidbey High School senior Grace Itaya will present a solo piano recital at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts next week.

Music for the evening will be highlighted by selections from Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. Itaya has studied piano for the past 10 years and will present her senior culminating performance as a fundraiser for a cause she plans to pursue as a life goal, medical research.

Proceeds will go to the Biomedical Research Institute toward its malarial research.

The recital begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 and tickets are available at the door for a $10 donation.

Club to work at Langley City Hall

Langley’s mayor wants you: for landscaping improvement help at Langley City Hall.

Mayor Paul Samuelson and the Langley Community Club Board will be working to beautify the grounds around the city hall today and next weekend. They are calling for volunteers who want to help make the city look better.

Help is needed with landscape, pruning and related chores. The work party is 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 17, and Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. Bring gloves and basic yard work tools.

For information, call 221-4246.

Lawmaker hosts five coffee talks

State Rep. Barbara Bailey will hold five “coffee talks” in the 10th District this month, and three of them will be on Whidbey Island. Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, invites people to share their views in an informal setting.

Her stops on Whidbey will be 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 21 at Solid Ground Coffee Shop,

275 SE Cabot Drive, Suite A9, in Oak Harbor; 10 a.m. Thursday, May 22 at 1504 Coffee at

18220 State Route 525, Freeland; and noon at Miriam’s Espresso Café, 200 S Main St., Coupeville.

The other coffee talks are

9 a.m. Friday, May 23 at Starbucks, 26802 92nd Ave. NW, Suite D1, Stanwood; and 11:30 a.m. at Islander’s Restaurant, 848 North Sunrise Blvd., Building D, Camano Island.

Get help with

federal rebate

The federal government is still accepting applications for the “economic stimulus” rebate.

AARP is standing by with trained volunteers to help people to apply. Assistance will be offered at Brookhaven in Langley from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, May 20 and at the South Whidbey Senior Center at Bayview from 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, May 29.

People looking to apply should bring a Social Security statement and veteran’s administration pay information.

GOP women will host Rep. Bailey

State Rep. Barbara Bailey will be the guest speaker at the South Whidbey Republican Women’s monthly meeting next week. The 10th District Republican will be speaking about this past session in Olympia and about her candidacy in the November election.

The meeting will be held May 20 at Useless Bay Country Club at 11:30 am. All Republican women are invited to attend. For reservations, call Pam Luhn at 579-8868 or Jean Goodfellow at 579-5348.

Help needed for July 4th parade

The Maxwelton Community Club is getting ready for this year’s Fourth of July parade, and organizers say it promises to be a big one since the holiday is on a Friday.

The club is looking for additional volunteers to help put it all together and carry it out. There are several jobs that can be done the day of the parade and won’t take much time. Volunteers can contact the club at 321-2581 or e-mail maxweltonclub@whidbey.com.

Design entries for this year’s button are also welcome from those 18 and under who are connected with the Maxwelton Valley area. Entries are due by June 1 and the winner will receive a $50 prize.

At this year’s parade, Whidbey Sea-Tac Shuttle will provide service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. between French Road and the beach turnaround. Drivers should expect portions of Maxwelton Road to be closed near the parade route, so plan trips accordingly.

Non-motorized, fun parade entries are encouraged. Political entries are limited to one vehicle per candidate. Memberships ($3 or more) help the Maxwelton Community Club make the parade and other local projects possible.

Tours offered at pioneer cemetery

Local historian and pioneer family member Roger Sherman will lead a guided tour of Sunnyside Pioneer Cemetery later this month.

The cemetery is the scenic resting place for many of central Whidbey Island’s early pioneer families, with graves dating back to the 1850s. Sherman’s tours are always informative and entertaining. The walk and talk is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, May 25.

Tour passes are $5 per person and all proceeds benefit the Island County Historical Society Museum. Passes are available at the museum in advance or at the cemetery the day of the event.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 360-678-3310.

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