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Thursday, MAY 15, 2014
VOL. 19, NO. 40
Lions offer swim lesson scholarships By Megan Hansen Editor
After more than 50 years of Coupeville Lions running swim lessons each summer, the club has decided to change things around. The club will no longer fit all the swimming lessons into a two-week period this summer at Camp Casey, but will partner with the facility to offer five two-week sessions. Lion member Molly Hughes said the decision was made after years of competing with other swim programs on the island. When lessons were first started, they were the only option on the island. Over the years, additional pools have been built and the club now has to compete. At its height, the program had 200 children participating, Hughes said. Last year, the club served 100. “We’ve always run it as a service project,”
See Lions page 16
Five submit for principal position By Megan Hansen Editor
Candidates are lining up in hopes of becoming the next principal of Coupeville middle and high school. Superintendent Jim Shank said Monday that there are five applicants already for the position. The position was posted last week after the school board approved the resignation of Principal Sheldon Rosenkrance, who accepted the position of superintendent in Estes Park, Colo. A selection committee is being established with three members. Two were appointed Monday — school board members Vanessa Matros and Kathleen Anderson. The committee is still seeking a third member.
See Principal page 16
Katie Hodges tries to hold little Delaney Hodges still to get her face painted, but the toddler wasn’t thrilled about the idea. The Hodges family traveled from Oak Harbor to attend the Penn Cove Water Festival Saturday.
Water Festival makes a splash By Jessie Stensland Editor
One-year-old Delaney Hodges of Oak Harbor toddled up and down Front Street in her yellow outfit as her parents kept a close eye on her Saturday afternoon. But unlike many of the other residents who crowded the streets during the Penn Cove Water Festival, she wasn’t in search of Native American canoe racers, a bowl of mussels or Indian dancers. She apparently wanted a balloon. Which she got, though she wasn’t so hot on the face painting. “This is a lot of fun,” her mother, Katie Hodges, said as she corralled the little girl. She and her husband brought the kids to Coupeville for some outdoor fun. And they weren’t the only ones. Children and puppies were out in force, exploring the sights and sounds of a festival dedicated to both marine life and Native American history. It was standing-room-only at the main stage, where a compelling mixture of story tellers, singers and musicians performed.
More to see For more photos from the Penn Cove Water Festival see page 9 or go to www.whidbeyexaminer.com to see a slideshow.
Swil Kanim, a member of the Lummi Nation, wowed the crowd with a unique combination of violin virtuosity and native storytelling; he managed to be both funny and inspirational.
Again this year, the Tsimshian Haayuuk Dancers performed traditional dances. The event, as always, revolved around the tribal canoe races. The contestants paddled long canoes with surprising speed in great loops around Penn Cove. Chief Angie Bailey of the Sto:lo Nation in British Columbia said the Penn Cove Water Festival is the first event of the canoe-racing season. She said the team members have been practicing and exercising for the past two months. While the canoe races are a reminder of local history, they’re also a lot of fun. “I get a lot of adrenaline from racing,” she said. “It’s great.”