SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
Fall sports • Pages 9-12
WEDNESDAY, September 10, 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 37 75¢ islandssounder.com
Power of cinema
First annual Orcas Island Film Festival is coming this October
by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Publisher
With its deep appreciation for the arts, Orcas Island is the perfect place to celebrate cinema. “I am a big film fan,” said Jared Lovejoy, who is spearheading the first annual Orcas film festival. “I love art house theaters and we have two viable locations here: the Sea View Theatre and Orcas Center. So it got me thinking.” After receiving a lodging tax grant through the chamber, Lovejoy’s vision is now becoming a reality. From October 10 to 13, “Orcas Island Film Festival – Off the Edge” will screen 25 independent, international, award-winning narrative and documentary features. Participants can meet directors and actors and participate in Q&As with filmmakers. Tickets for weekend or day passes go on sale the week of Sept. 15. A full calendar of events will be online mid-month at www.orcasfilmfest.com. Watch for a two-page special in the Oct. 1 edition of the Sounder. “It’s a great time of year to see films and share that experience,” Lovejoy said. “Festivals often turn into a big party. It’s usually a fun crowd.” He is partnering with Carl Spence, artistic director of the Seattle International Film Festival, to produce the Orcas event. SIFF is one of the top film festivals in North America. “Jared is a good friend, and I knew that anything he would be involved with would be something beneficial for the community,” Spence said. “He also knows how to produce great events. My husband and I own a house on Orcas Island and spend as much time as we can here despite the fact that we have more than
full-time jobs back in Seattle. The festival gives me another reason to find time to come back in October.” Lovejoy and Spence hope the festival will grow into a destination event. SIFF is using its existing mailing list and media contacts to promote the festivities, so a fair number of off-islanders are expected to show up. “There are already a number of film industry professionals who live and visit this magical island, and more are sure to discover it after visiting with their films,” Spence said. The festival is also made possible by volunteers and business sponsors who are giving funds and in-kind donations. Lovejoy says that it has been “gathering community momentum.” “Everybody is chipping in to make it work,” he said. “We hope it will be a yearly event that we all benefit from.” Lovejoy offered something a little special this year: a film grant program. After raising three $1500 grants, filmmakers were invited to submit scripts for a short film that would be shot 75 percent in the San Juans. There were 23 submissions and the winners were chosen by a panel of industry professionals both on the island and in Seattle. Once filming is complete, the shorts will be uploaded online for community voting. The winner will be featured in the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. The three films are outlined below. “Drift” follows the journey of a broken branch as it travels between the San Juan Islands. Severed abruptly from its tree and cast aside, the branch finds
SEE FILM, PAGE 3
Human remains found in Moran A fisherman found decomposed human remains with a wallet in a collapsed tent located off-trail in a secluded area of Moran State Park near the bridge over the Cascade Lake lagoon on Sept. 6. The wallet contained a Texas driver’s license for a person from Plano, Texas. County Coroner Randall Gaylord said the remains were too decomposed to match the driver’s license, so he will arrange for a dental examination and search out dental records. In the meantime, family members of the person identified in the driver’s license have been contacted. According to Gaylord, the cause of death was not apparent from the view of the scene. A complete forensic examination will take
place at the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. “Our first objective is to determine who this is and to notify his family,” Gaylord said. A medium-sized backpack in nearly new condition was nearby. It contained a computer, a change of clothes and certificates of graduation from Kansas State University with a masters in electrical engineering and from other schools. A Seattle Times newspaper for May 21, 2014 was also found in the backpack. Anyone who might have information is invited to call the San Juan County Sheriff at 378-4151 or the County Prosecutor/Coroner at 378-4101.
by CALI BAGBY
Officials say some buildings are slated to be finished as soon as December. This initial phase includes work on building 200, the music and career technical educa-
School construction is well underway Assistant editor
The school bell will be accompanied by the grinding of heavy machinery this school year as students head to the classroom. “The school staff worked really hard to make everything ready and safe for the kids,” said Project Manager Liz LeRoy of Alliance Construction Management in Seattle. The commotion is due to the fact that the grounds of the Orcas School are in phase one of the renovation process, which is going full steam ahead thanks to voters’ approval of a bond of $11.9 million for a campus makeover. Voters also approved a two-year general technology capital projects levy that will pay for modernizing the school’s technology facilities. Work by Tiger Construction began in June right after graduation. “We wanted to take advantage of summer to complete the underground work and finish the demolition to minimize the exposure to kids and prioritize safety,” said LeRoy.
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 5
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