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Thursday, April 3, 2014
VOL. 19, NO. 35
Concert to benefit Oso landslide victim By Ron Newberry Staff Reporter
The feeling of loss over the lives taken in the Oso landslide hit home on Whidbey Island. And residents on the island are rallying to help. A benefit concert is planned for Friday night, April 4, at the Roller Barn in Oak Harbor to help Seth Jefferds, an Oso resident who lost his wife and granddaughter during the March 22 mudslide. Jefferds is the brother of Whidbey residents Ian and Rawle Jefferds, co-owners of Coupeville-based Penn Cove Shellfish. Seth Jefferds’ wife Christina Jefferds and their 4-month-old granddaughter Sanoah Huestis were in the Jefferds’ Oso home along the Stillaguamish River when the slide struck. “He lost his house, his wife and grandchild,” said his sister-in-law Karen Jefferds, Ian’s wife. “He’s not the only one certainly. We’re trying to do everything we can to help him rebuild his life,” she said. “A lot of people wanted to be involved to help generate money for him.” Whidbey-based band Johnny Bulldog will perform the benefit concert, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and music starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50. The use of the Roller Barn is being donated for the event, as is pizza from Hot Rocks Pizza and beer from Flyers Restaurant and Brewery. Tickets are being sold at Flyers, Re/ Max Acorn Properties and Ace Hardware in Oak Harbor and bayleaf, the Front Street Grill and Red Apple Market in Coupeville. Seth Jefferds, a volunteer firefighter in Oso, and his stepdaughter Natasha Huestis had gone to town when the mudslide occurred. It took nearly a week until searchers found the bodies of their loved ones. Christina Jefferds, 45, was a dental office manager in Marysville known for her gentle-heartedness. “She was a great person,” Karen Jefferds said Monday. “I guess like anybody, we’re all in mourning. We’re dealing with it the best we can.”
Megan Hansen photos
Above: Kathy Baxter explains how a grant from Ebey’s Forever Fund was used to replace siding, windows and the roof of the Perkins House. Right: Last April crews removed siding, which revealed the house’s original siding. Crews also replaced the roof with historic materials.
Forever Fund making memories Trust Board announces 2014 grant recipients By Megan Hansen Editor
Kathy Baxter is a punch list away from completing her dream home. As she walks through her newly preserved and renovated historic farmhouse in Ebey’s Landing National historical Reserve this week, she ponders how all the stars aligned at just the right time. Last year Baxter purchased the Perkins House, built in 1890 and located on Ebey Road. With the help of a grant from the Ebey’s Forever Fund and personal financing, Baxter was able to convert the old farmhouse into a dream. The grant from the Ebey’s Forever Fund was $11,000 for windows, doors and siding. As
with all of the grants, Baxter had to match the funds. During the process, Baxter said, her goal was to make the house what it needed to be and not all about what she wanted. Over the course of the year, she’s fondly named the house Mable. “She just looks like she’s standing up straighter,” Baxter said this week. As Baxter’s preservation project on the house nears a close, a new batch of property owners are being given the same opportunity. The Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve announced its 2014 grant recipients. The matching grants aim to stabilize and sustain iconic heritage buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An independent advisory committee was
established to review the grant applications. “With over $160,000 in funding requested, there were a total of 12 applicants, with nine projects awarded grants,” said Carol Castellano, office administrator for Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Some of those projects include the installation of a hay mow floor and rafter stabilization at the Comstock Barn; shingle roof replacement and window protection at the Engle Water Tower; and chimney repair and window/sill restoration at the Old County Court House on Madrona Way. “Ebey’s Landing Historical Reserve is all about the history of the people, their homes and their buildings,” said Paul Whelan, who served on the grant review board. “Ebey’s See GRANTS, page 7