Ferry Peak Season Begins May 20
Peak season schedule and fares begin Monday, May 20
Anne McCracken Memorial Poetry Reading, Sunday, May 19, 2:00‒4:30
The Skagit River Poetry Foundation will host a free poetry reading in memory of longtime islander and poetry lover Anne McCracken on Sunday, May 19, from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. at the Schoolhouse Park Community Stage or Guemes Island Community Center on Guemes Island, depending on weather. Read more
Guemes Island School District #21
1873 First log school was built, 3/4 mile east of the ferry landing.
First teacher was Laura O’Bryant, daughter of island settler, H.D. O’Bryant.
1885 Second log school built at the crossroads on land donated by William Eden
1910 A two classroom lumber framed schoolhouse was built at the crossroads.
Guemes Moms taught kindergarten at the Community Hall
1948 Guemes and Anacortes School Districts consolidate. Grades 4-12 attend school in Anacortes
1962 School closed, ‘due to dwindling student numbers, difficulty in finding good teachers and sanitary concerns.’
December 2,1962 Life jackets were installed above each seat on the school bus
1973 school was demolished
1974 School land was deeded to Skagit County and became School House Park.
According to GIHS Minutes, September 13, 2004, ‘At peak, there were maybe 20 kids at one time in the two room school. Older teachers were sent to teach on the island.’
1976 First School Reunion, 2000 Second Reunion Read more
Saving Lives and More – The Guemes EMT Training Program
On Saturday, March 30th, 2024, a tsunami hit the west shore of Guemes Island, flattening homes and injuring many residents. Lucky for us, it was a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill, part of the current Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training program. Homes were unharmed and local volunteers had (gruesome) fake injuries, thanks to the make-up magic of Savannah Reed from Remote Medical Training. Eight EMT trainees, led by EMT trainer Chris Immer and Fire Chief Olivia Cole dealt with everything from broken bones, impalements, head injuries, and someone stuck in a tree. Everyone was saved. Read more
Remembering JoAnn Shoemake
They also spent a great deal of time at their beach cabin on Guemes Island, making countless wonderful memories with their family and friends. JoAnn’s unofficial rule was to live each day to the fullest and to keep healthy, which she certainly did through her many wonderful pursuits over her long and very full life. [Read more]
Skagit County Ferry Online Punch Card Orders
As part of Skagit County’s transition to electronic ticketing, we are no longer accepting online orders for punch cards on our website. We need to transition our point-of-sale system to our new vendor and payment processor, which requires a short period where online payment cannot be accepted.During this transition period, tickets and punch cards can be purchased via phone at 360-416-1436, or in-person at the ferry ticket office in Anacortes (credit/debit/apple/google pay only), or at the Skagit County office in Mount Vernon at 1800 Continental Place (cash or credit/debit). Launch of the new ferry app and online ordering system will be June 6. Any mail-in punch card orders post dated after June 5 will be returned to the sender. Starting June 6, will will not accept mail-in orders.
Proposed Higher Garbage Rates
A public hearing on the proposed new solid waste rates on Tuesday, May 21, at 8:30 am in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon. The proposed rate structure would result in an average 30% increase in costs for customers. The public is encouraged to comment on the proposal by mail or email, in person or via Zoom. Read more
Amending The Sea Water Intrusion Policy
The amendment would require applicants to submit an application and supporting materials for review prior to drilling a well in a seawater intrusion area within a sole source aquifer. Read more
Shellfish Harvesting In Skagit County
The Washington State Department of Health has updated the Shellfish Safety Map to reflect the seasonal vibrio bacteria advisory for recreational shellfish harvesting in Samish Bay from May 1 through September 30, 2024. Read more
The Guemes Island Historical Society Is Creating A New Guemes Cookbook
Recipes for the Guemes Island Historical Society Community Cookbook are due Friday, May 31, 2024. The response has been amazing. I have already received over 95 recipes. We want to include all who want to be included, so please send in your recipe(s) by the due date.Recipes for the Guemes Island Historical Society Community Cookbook are due Friday, May 31, 2024. The response has been amazing. I have already received over 95 recipes. We want to include all who want to be included, so please send in your recipe(s) by the due date. Read more
Guemes Island Ferry Ticket Expiration Policy
Skagit County is aware of the complaints submitted regarding the expiration policy of Guemes Island ferry punch cards. The usage of expired punch cards is not authorized by Skagit County. We do sincerely apologize for the confusion and we are investigating this matter further…We hope the transition to electronic ticketing will help with our multi-ride tickets in the future. There will still be an expiration date for those tickets moving forward and the QR code attached to those tickets will not work past the expiration date. Read more
“We have noticed that there’s been a change in the enforcement practice re the dates stamped on the car tickets. This happened with no prior notification. We have previously tried to minimize use of the car tickets. That will cost us quite a bit of money now in expired and unused car punch tickets.” – Ralph M.
Guemes Island Ferry Ticketing Meeting
Skagit County Public Works staff will host a Guemes Island ferry ticketing community meeting on Monday, May 20, from 5 pm to 6:15 pm at the Guemes Island Community Center, 7549 Guemes Island Road, Anacortes. The meeting will also be hosted over Zoom. Skagit County Public Works staff will provide brief updates about Guemes Island ferry projects then there will be a presentation of Skagit County’s transition to electronic ticketing and a demonstration of the new ticketing software. Read more
