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SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 52 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Port to consider managing Langley fairground
Celebrate America to light up Freeland By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record The 20th annual Celebrate America festival will light off in Freeland next week. Continuing a tradition of fun and entertainment, the Thursday, July 3 event takes place in Freeland Park on East Shoreview Drive. “It’s a fair kind of feeling — just a fun atmosphere,” said Dareld Chittim, associate pastor of South Whidbey Assembly of God Church. The church has organized the celebration, which is funded entirely by donations, for the past two decades. The event provides a way for the community to come together in a family-friendly atmosphere and celebrate the freedom that we enjoy as Americans, Chittim said. Food vendors will dish out a smorgasbord of delicacies beginning at 4 p.m. Stacy Madsen, a Whidbey Coffee employee, said the company has been giving out free coffee for the past four years, a tradition they plan to continue. “It’s pretty amazing that such a small community can come together to put on such a big event,” Madsen said. Wee Whidbey Islanders can romp in the bouncy castle or have their faces painted from 3:40 to 7:40 p.m. and island musicians will begin performing at 6 p.m. Performing this year are: HeartGraves, an alternative rock band composed of siblings Conley and Newton Kellogg; South Whidbey Blues Combo with Garrett Poteat on piano,
Four decades has allowed the South Whidbey Kiwanis group to collect a lot of memories and even more moolah from running a fireworks stand in Clinton. On Wednesday, the non-profit group committed to helping children was back at it, setting up the trailer that houses about 75 cases’ worth of sparklers and ground blooms and mortars and a sinister-looking 16-shot box called “YOU Da’ MAN.” For a pair of Kiwanians who have helped run the stand for several years, some memories are getting as hazy as the night sky around Independence Day on Whidbey Island. Ron Myers, the past club president and the current regional president in charge of several Kiwanis clubs around Western Washington, recalled that the stand never sold a $600 package of fireworks. His comrade at the booth disagreed. Don Lamontagne said not only did it sell every year, but some years they had to order a second one for an eager customer. The truth existed somewhere between their stances. Liz Lisicich, the TNT Fireworks sales area manager in charge of the Whidbey stands, has worked with the South Whidbey Kiwanis since she started in the fireworks business. She said the larger packages sell some
SEE CELEBRATE, A12
SEE KIWANIS, A20
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Don Lamontagne, a member of the South Whidbey Kiwanis Club, tapes pennant bunting to the trailer at Ken’s Korner in Clinton on Wednesday. Sales average $40,000 for the nonprofit.
KIWANIS FIREWORKS
Little stand delivers big bang over 40 years By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Theron Colby, 8, holds a package of fireworks at the South Whidbey Kiwanis stand at Ken’s Korner in Clinton.
Boat launches, marinas and leasing land for a cell tower, but the Island County Fairgrounds? In a surprise move Wednesday, Port of South Whidbey commissioners voted unanimously to consider taking over management of the Langley property, a job currently performed by the Island County Fair Association. The decision — approved by commissioners Curt Gordon, Dennis Gregoire and Ed Halloran — was nothing more than a promise to begin a dialogue with county officials, but board members made it clear they were interested. “There’s great opportunity there as an Island County event center,” said Gordon, president of the board. “It fits the port’s mission, it fits the port’s taxing authority; it is probably prudent at least that we look into this.” He emphasized that any future agreement with Island County, which holds the deed to the nearly 13-acre fairgrounds, would be limited to stewardship of the property and not orchestrating the annual event itself. “I want it to be clear that ... we want to support the fair, but don’t want anything to do with running a fair,” Gordon said. That’s just fine with leading fair association members. Diane Divelbess, president of the group, told The Record Thursday that the proposal was “exciting” as it might be a solution SEE FAIRGROUNDS, A13