Whidbey Examiner, April 23, 2015

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Examiner The Whidbey

Bike shop looks to keep cyclists spinning

First-place winner, 2014 WNPA General Excellence

50¢

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www.whidbeyexaminer.com

Thursday, April 23, 2015

VOL. 20, NO. 37

Regatta sailing into cove By Jim Waller Staff Reporter

The waters of Penn Cove will be dotted with a fleet of sailboats this weekend as the Oak Harbor High School sailing team hosts the Northwest Interscholastic Sailing Association Double Handed District Championships Friday through Sunday, April 24-26. The Coupeville Wharf will be the launching point for the tournament, which will feature about 160 sailors from more than 20 schools. During the tournament, the event will have exclusive use of the wharf dock and the Coupeville boat launch will be closed to the public. Erik Mann, volunteer instructor and board member for the organization, said the group wanted to host the event in Penn Cove because the cove is deeper than the waters in Oak Harbor. See REGATTA, page 12

Plan coming to complete solar project By Megan Hansen Co-Editor

The Greenbank Farm solar project may finally see completion. The Port of Coupeville approved an agreement this month for Greenbank Community Solar LLC, a Mount Vernon based company, to lease the three remaining plots at the farm. Per the five-year agreement, Greenbank Solar will raise $250,000 from up to three dozen local participants. Kelly Keilwitz from Whidbey Sun & Wind designed and will install the solar panels. Kevin Maas from Greenbank Solar LLC presented two options to the port. Option one includes annual lease payments of $1,600, gifting roughly $6,000 in electricity annually directly to the farm, completion of a livestock-grade fence around the perimeter of the solar array and See SOLAR, page 2

Ron Newberry photo

Margot Bottolfson makes a few points about a plant arrangement while talking to Patrice Heyduck, right, Tuesday in the greenhouse the Coupeville Garden Club shares with the Coupeville School District. The garden club’s annual plant sale is Saturday at the Rec Hall.

Garden club plant sale Saturday By Ron Newberry Staff Reporter

The howling wind that whistled outside the Coupeville Garden Club greenhouse brought out some light humor among members. They could laugh a little about it Tuesday. But there was nothing funny about the forces of nature for this club last year. The Coupeville Garden Club’s annual plant sale that takes place Saturday, April 25 at the Coupeville Recreation Hall is a big deal to members, serving as its major fundraiser of the year. Last year, wind knocked out power to the greenhouse the club shares with the school district in late January, turning hundreds of starter plants into tiny frozen statues and wilting the club’s hopes for a successful plant sale in 2014. There is no such bad fortune this year. This Saturday’s sale, which goes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature more plants and wider varieties that didn’t experience any growing interruptions. About 250 tomato plants will be on sale, as well as a large selection of perennials and

annuals, including many specialty geraniums. There also will be hanging baskets of annuals, fuchsias and lots of garden art, including concrete leaves. Russell Johnson built two metal garden trellises that will be raffled off to benefit the garden club. “We’re in good shape this year,” said Chipper Cromley. “We planted 300 tomato seeds and they all came back,” said Linda Youngs. The Coupeville Garden Club, which started in 1961, is dedicated to the tending of its historic town in colorful, well-manicured ways. The Coupeville club takes care of the grounds at the Rec Hall, Cook’s Corner

Park, Coupe’s Park and around the town’s welcome sign at State Highway 20 and North Main Street. The barrels that are seen throughout Coupeville are planted and maintained by the Coupeville Garden Club. In May, the club will be tending to hanging baskets. “It makes it feel friendly, I think,” Youngs said of the town. “I love this town,” said Patrice Heyduck, who moved to Coupeville from Illinois 15 years ago. “We could have lived anywhere in Washington. We chose Coupeville. For more information about the Coupeville Garden Club or plant sale, go to www. coupevillegardenclub.org


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