INSIDE: Homeward bound...A6
Record South Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 71 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Whidbey Island is hooked on fishing Good Cheer
celebrates 50th birthday
BY JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Sometimes, even a polished cast and your best rod just aren’t enough to bring home the fish. Clinton resident Don Hoffler had them both Monday evening as he sat fishing from a wooden stool, away from the crowd, at a less visited spot at Bush Point on South Whidbey. He had “Ol Faithful” with him, a rod he made himself decades before. Yellow duct tape now secure the reel to the old cork grip, but Hoffler swore that he and that pole had landed hundreds of fish together over the years. Coupled with a cast that he had nearly perfected over a lifetime of fishing, a cast he was more than willing to demonstrate to anyone willing to watch — and bend your ear while he’s at it — his odds of a fresh salmon dinner seemed better than most. Yet he was one of many that day who left for home with an empty cooler, though he doesn’t begrudge it. “It’s a lovely sunset area even if you don’t catch any fish,” Hoffler laughed. Salmon season is in full
By Michaela Marx Wheatley Special to the Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Clinton resident Don Hoffler casts for coho at Bush Point on South Whidbey Monday. Fishing season is now in full swing and the experts are reporting a good year. swing and Whidbey Island beaches and shorelines are regularly peppered with anglers; some fishing from the beach with rubber waders while others buzz the waterways in boats. While fishing appeared luke warm at Bush Point on Monday, and at Keystone
this past Friday, this has overall been a pretty solid year, according to Gary Ando, the fishing expert at Ace Hardware in Freeland. Humpies or pinks, one of the more numerous types of salmon, only run on odd years, which means that even years tend to be rather slow.
While fishermen have to content themselves angling for the more elusive silver and coho salmon, they have done surprisingly well. “This year has been exceptional,” Ando said. “It’s quite amazing, actually.” See Fishing, A6
Bright smiles meet students on first school day By Michaela Marx Wheatley Special to the Record
It was a busy morning Tuesday at South Whidbey elementary school as the kids, including 80 kindergartners, swarmed the school. Superintendent Jo Moccia was welcoming parents and directing traffic in the hallway for the many nervous children followed by even more nervous parents. “The school year is off to a terrific start,” Moccia said. “Students and teachers are excited to be back and we look forward to another great year.” It was the first day of Kindergarten for Branson Bloom. His parents Jacob and Bristol Bloom flanked him on his way to Suzanne Haugen’s class. Mom was beaming proudly, but Branson was just not ready for interviews. After a hug from mom, he still was not ready to talk. “It’s a big day,” Bristol Bloom said. See First Day, A6
It’s been half a century since a small group of friends from the St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church got together to spread some holiday “good cheer” to their less fortunate neighbors. A pair of socks, a toy for the kids and a few food items for their families was what this group shared during its inaugural season of 1962. Little did they know that their idea would morph into a self-sustaining, model food bank that grows its own produce and provides food for an average of 864 families each month. The idea was simple: In 1962, a small group of friends approached the local welfare department for a list of families in need during the holidays. To their surprise they received 120 names of South Whidbey residents — many of them children. A strike at Boeing had contributed to the tough times, but it was also a more rural Whidbey Island. “People were helping each other back then,” recalled Richard Clyde, who spent most of his life in Langley running a garage and became a board member in the late 1980s. “People helped each other because there wasn’t anybody else around.” Recognizing the need, the group formalized its efforts by forming the South Whidbey Good Cheer Inc. in 1963. The organization was led by three strong women: President Marian Howe, who had a talent for starting charitable organizations; vice president Ida deArmand; and treasurer Hanna Tommy Double, who ran the Langley thrift store for almost 25 years and remained honorary board president for the remainder of her life. In 1964, the group held its first fund drive. They made a record-setting $61.60. The organizers were amazed by the generosity of the community, but they offered prudent words in an article in the Whidbey Record after many families had sent in $5. “While we’re deeply grateful, we want to say such large amounts are not necessary. ‘A dollar donation buys two pairs of socks, and 50 cents buys a game,’” they told Record readers. Today, $61.60 barely fills a grocery basket, but Good Cheer can turn it into $554.40 worth of food, said Kathy McLaughlin McCabe, Good Cheer’s executive director. But that’s a drop in a bucket measured on today’s needs. Last year, Good Cheer distributed 778,913 pounds of food.
The early days
Michaela Marx Wheatley / The Record
Branson Bloom was nervous for his first day in kindergarten as mom Bristol Bloom dropped him off at Suzanne Haugen’s class. As Branson walked to class with mom and dad, Jacob, he could barely speak.
In 1965, after two seasons of spreading Christmas joy, the founders submitted an application to become a nonprofit 501(c)(3) — the first of its kind on South Whidbey. At that point, the organization was funded mainly through proceeds from the thrift store that also opened in 1965 in the old post office in Langley next to the Dog House, which is a gallery today. See Good Cheer, A8