NEWS-TIMES WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 11 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Sports: 10 Wildcats qualify for regional. A9
Islanders balk at Lincoln Day Dinner off-island By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Rick Castellano, executive director of the Island County Historical Society, examines the nose of Chief Snakelum’s canoe. It was removed by canoe restoration expert Steve Brown to make the 27-foot craft easier to move.
Chief Snakelum’s canoe due a major historical makeover By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
With a heave-ho from a team of volunteers, a historic canoe that once belonged to the renowned Chief Snakelum of Central Whidbey went in for an overhaul this week. Estimated to be at least 160 years old and built of a single piece of Red Cedar, the 27-foot canoe was transported to the Reuble Barn on Fort Casey Road Monday where it will spend the next several months undergoing restoration. While it is one of many that have for years sat on display in front of the museum, Snakelum’s canoe is particularly special. Not only did it ply the waters of Penn Cove at the time when white settlers were staking their first land claims in Coupeville, but few canoes of that age and style are still in existence. “It’s a very rare and impor-
tant cultural artifact,” said Rick Castellano, executive director of the Island County Historical Society and the museum in Coupeville. “It’s one of the few remaining.” Believed to have been acquired by Snakelum in the early 1850s, it was passed down to his oldest son, the equally famous Charlie Snakelum, who died in 1934. The canoe was displayed at the Block House Inn, which is now the museum grounds, before it eventually came into the historical society’s possession. Over the years, time, weather, and souvenir seekers have taken a toll on the ancient canoe and it was high time for a restoration project, Castellano said. But getting it out of the canoe shed was easier said than done. Enlisting the help of the Coupeville Lions Club and the members of the Coupeville SEE CANOE, A4
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Coupeville Lions Club member Mel Rogers and Langley resident Pete Little help hoist a historic canoe from the canoe shed in front of the Coupeville Museum on Monday. It will be restored over the next several months.
The Lincoln Day Dinner has long been an important tradition for the Island County Republican Party. It’s a time when candidates make announcements, money is raised for campaigns and people get a chance to mingle. This year it will be a much different event, which has some members of the party upset and skeptical. The April 14 dinner is being held at the Comcast Arena in Everett and the keynote speaker will be John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. There will even be a professional comedian. The cost is $100 a person or $55 for active-duty military members. A special VIP reception with Bolton costs an extra $85. “Contrary to the stereotype about Republicans, the truth is a lot of us can’t afford that,” said Oak Harbor resident Robyn Kolaitis, the past president of the Republican Women’s Club of North Whidbey. Kolaitis said she always enjoyed the camaraderie of the traditional dinner. “It was an island-wide event. A lot of us only saw each other at the dinner. It was a time to relax and spend time with each other,” she said. “Now we’re being forced off the island with a lot of people we don’t know.” The deviation from the tradition site at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club also spurred a lively discussion on the political website, www. islandpolitics.org. Brett Wilhelm, chairman of the Island County Republican Party, said he’s sympathetic of the concerns about the dinner event being taken outside of the county. The reason, he said, is that there simply isn’t a venue on Whidbey or Camano Island large enough
to accommodate the expected turnout. Wilhelm said 700 or more guests are expected at the dinner and they won’t all be members of the Island County Republican Party. “I think we’re going to get people from as far north as Whatcom County and as far south as Seattle and beyond,” he said. Apart from Bolton and comedian Argus Hamilton, a number of dignitaries, including state Attorney General Rob McKenna, a candidate for governor, will attend the event. Oak Harbor City Councilman Jim Campbell, a Republican running for county commissioner, said he’s going to the dinner and he’s impressed with the the keynote speaker. Yet he also liked the traditional Lincoln Day Dinner and wishes the Bolton speech had been a separate event. As a candidate who will rely on donations, Campbell is also concerned about whether the event will really be a fundraiser. After all, it’s undoubtedly expensive to hire Bolton and rent the arena in Everett. “I’m being selfish here. I would like the party to give me a lot of money for my campaign,” he joked. Wilhelm, however, is confident that the dinner will be a moneymaker because of the expected turnout. He said the dinner will completely be run by the Island County Republican Party, which is flying Bolton in for the event. For more information about the dinner or to register, go to the Island County Republican Party’s website at www.islandcountygop.com.