South Whidbey Record, February 27, 2013

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INSIDE: Senior Moments: wrestling ... Sports, A7

Record South Whidbey

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 17 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢

Drinks and a show: WICA seeks full liquor license School leader expresses doubts, concerns about serving hard liquor By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter

LANGLEY — Have a glass of wine, or perhaps a martini, with that play. Hard liquor may come to Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The nonprofit arts group is applying for a full liquor license. First, it needs the permission of the South Whidbey School District and the Langley City Council. Before WICA can make some bucks from booze, its leaders will make their case to the school board Feb. 28. “It’s a secondary benefit rather than a primary benefit,” said Stacie Burgua, WICA’s executive director. “It’s an added enjoyment for our patrons.” Serving alcohol, especially hard liquor, gave the board pause, however. Liability and insurance concerns led the board to check with their attorney, Jennifer Divine of Miller Nash. And though she cleared many of the legal issues, School Board Chairman Steve Scoles said he has questions for WICA. “The hard liquor, we’re not comfortable with,” Scoles said. “It’s just another level of adult drinking. Beer and wine are generally associated with a social occasion … If you’re serving martinis and margaritas, it raises the stakes in terms of how much alcohol people are consuming at the site.” Limiting WICA’s license to beer and wine and excluding spirits was one option the board could pursue. Making bank from selling beer and wine was far from a triple-fold investment for the theater. Last year, WICA sold $1,581 worth of beer and wine. Of that total, $400 was spent on the booze and $600 for liquor licenses at events like DjangoFest See Liquor, A6

Ben Watanabe / The Record

Deana Duncan demonstrates where WICA could set up its bar. The nonprofit theater needs the South Whidbey School District’s approval before it can apply for a liquor license.

Mystic Sea whale watcher arrives Friday in Langley By JIM LARSEN Record editor Friday afternoon, the 100-foot long M/V Mystic Sea will carefully moor at Langley Marina for a twomonth stay that should bring plenty of new tourists to Langley anxious to take the boat out to view gray whales. The whales have been reported near Langley for several weeks now, so the time is ripe for the Mystic Sea’s arrival. “I heard they were off the bluff and looking good,” boat owner Monte Hughes said Tuesday. For the past 22 years, the Mystic Sea, based in Anacortes, has done most of its Puget Sound whale watching out of LaConner and Coupeville. “We’ve been trying to come to

Langley for over 10 years with the idea they’d have a dock,” Hughes said with a chuckle. Langley’s long-awaited marina expansion has just gone out for bid, but nevertheless the marina is ready for the Mystic Sea, according to Ed Field, operations manager. Field said the 120-foot long “C Dock” has been cleared for the Mystic Sea’s arrival. “We’ve been working with Monte (Hughes) on procedures for bringing the boat in and out, making sure there’s no interfering with other boats,” he said, adding that will be easier at high tide than low tide. Hughes said the Mystic Sea is expected to arrive in Langley between 1 and 2 p.m. Friday. The port also received an extension from a state agency to allow a longer period for commercial ves-

Photo courtesy of Mystic Sea

The MV/Mystic Sea will arrive in Langley Friday, March 1, to prepare for whale watching excursions beginning Saturday, March 8. The boat is expected to bring more revenue to Langley merchants as well as the Port of South Whidbey. sels to use the marina. Traditionally, it is been turned over exclusively to transient pleasure boats beginning

in April. Field said an extension to the end of April has been approved for the Mystic Sea, giving Hughes

the time he needs for his whale watching tours. The large boat will bring in extra money for the port, paying $850 a month in moorage plus $1 a head for each passenger. Beginning Saturday, March 8, and continuing through April 29, the M/V Mystic Sea will be offering gray whale watching cruises lasting 2 ½ to 3 hours out of the Langley Marina. The vessel will return to its homeport of Anacortes on May 1 for the orca, humpback, and minke whale watching season. Hughes predicts plenty of demand for his service and a boost to the city’s economy. “Visitors from near and far will have plenty of time after returning from their gray whale cruise to explore Langley … relax, shop, dine, and stay the night in the beautiful Village by the Sea,” he said. To ensure that the “Langley Experience” is convenient and See Whale, A6


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