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"Many Hands Make Light Work"

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Wednesdays at 12:00 PM

Majestic Inn & Spa

419 Commercial Ave
PO Box 94
Anacortes, WA 98221
United States of America

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Rotary Park Gets a Summer Spruce-Up with 15 volunteers

Posted by Tom Decker on Sep 02, 2026

Rotary Park and the Cap Sante trails and viewpoint now look a whole lot better after an energetic August 12 work party powered by Anacortes Rotarians, Heritage Bank volunteers and a visiting volunteer from San Francisco.

The crew included 5 Rotarians, 9 Heritage Bank volunteers plus guest helper Thel Wong, who came all the way from the San Francisco area. The assemblage put in a combined 36 hours clearing weeds, brush and briars along three miles of main trails; tidying the summit viewpoint; and sprucing up the lower walkway, gazebo area and parking area.

Special thanks to Heritage Bank, whose team has now joined us for three consecutive annual cleanups at these sites. Their Community Volunteer Day continues to make a real difference in local parks.

Thanks, too, to all who wielded weed whackers, brooms, loppers or willing pair of hands. Results really show with trails are cleared, the viewpoint brighter, the thorns in retreat.

Another plus--As we worked we heard lots of “thank you” comments to our crew and the Anacortes Rotary Club from park passersby.

Rotarians: Jim Poitras, Cheryl Poitras, Ed Skoroda, Tom Decker and Krista Oicles, who pulled double duty as both a Rotarian and Heritage Bank volunteer.

Heritage Bank volunteers: Al Shott, Grace Tesch, Joanna Moen, Julia Klingman, Heath Treichel, Nora Espino, Liz Svoboda, Isaiah Stroder and Mark Petty.

Rotary in the Community

Posted on Jul 15, 2026

Anacortes Rotarians work to make our community better in a variety of ways. Major projects, like building the Cap Sante Trail & Viewpoint tend to be the most visible. Many school and civic organizations know of Rotary primarily from the numerous grants, large and small, that it provides each year. Other groups, such as the Salvation Army appreciate hands-on help from Rotarians for their programs and events. Individual Rotarians can be seen tutoring students in our schools, volunteering in our parks, serving on local boards, and providing a hand to local non-profits. Enjoy the pictures below as they showcase just a few of the things our energetic members do.

Stepping Up for Walkfest

Posted by Tom Decker on May 12, 2026

Inaugural Anacortes Walk Fest Draws 230 Participants, 370 Walk Bookings, Fills 92% of Available Walk Reservations

Anacortes Walk Fest exceeded expectations in its debut run May 1-4, 2026, attracting 230 registered participants. Of the 400 available bookings across 29 guided walks and hikes, nearly 370 were filled. The four-day event featured 29 volunteer-led outings on Fidalgo Island and surrounding parks, with options ranging from easy strolls to challenging treks, with Anacortes Rotary members playing key roles every “step” of the way.

Rotary Role:
29 Walks—11 led by Rotarians
13 Steering Committee members—8 of whom are Rotarians
10 Super Walkers (completed 3 or more walks) 2 Rotarians (Mike McClintock, Joe Cohen)
Key early start-up financial support--$3000 from Anacortes Rotary
Primary source of many of our more than 70 volunteers in the first ever Walk Fest

Stats:
230 walkers registered for 367 reservations slots. more than 90 percent full
48.2 percent from Anacortes
51.8 percent visitors from outside Anacortes
(Seattle area-8.2%, Bellingham 8.3%)

Keys to Success: In four remarkable days. Walk Fest worked because of:

• Extraordinary walk leaders and sweeps helped everyone soak in the beauty of Fidalgo Island (Many Rotarians)
• A superb behind-the-scenes team kept registration, trail support, and logistics running smoothly (Even More Rotarians and spouses)
• Our walkers/hikers showed up curious, energetic and genuinely fun to be around (A bunch more Rotarians)

• Our Key Rotarian Walk Volunteers

Walk Leader Rotarians
Melissa Turnage (Mt. Erie Summit)
Bonnie Bowers (3 walks, Working Waterfront)
Mary Trester (2 walks, Working Waterfront)
Jim & Stephanie Renfro (2 walks, Deception Pass)
Ron Litzinger (the 12-mile classic)
Jerry Ladd (12-miler with Ron)
Mary Staley (Tommy Thompson Trail)
Vicki Stasch (Cap Sante Summit)
Barb Matheson (spouse of Mike)
Peggy Flynn (Guemes Channel)
Tom Decker (Cap Sante Summit)
Betty Kuehn (Old Growth Forest hike)

Steering Committee Members
Treva King (Volunteer recruiter)
Vicki Stasch (Funding)
Jesica Kiser (Administration)
Bonnie Bowers (Logistics/Safety)
Peggy Flynn
Jordan Hay
Mary Trester
Mark Lione
Tom Decker (Coordinator)
Nancy Wong (spouse of Tom)

Volunteers
Lindy Reno and John Reno
Rick Star
Janie Crane
Jeremy Graham
David Jackson (former club member)
Chris Hansen (former club member)
Jeannette Papadakis (morning Rotary member)

More Pints for Polio

Posted on May 06, 2026

Pints for Polio was a tremendous success Thursday evening. Our club and the Fidalgo Island "morning" Rotary Club joined forces with Arlington Rotarian Dr Lee Harmon's Vicky Challenge. With the help of generous matching funds, we raised over $26,000 dollars to end polio. Way to go Rotarians! Many thanks to the staff at the Rockfish Grill for their annual support.

From January through April, NO (yes, zero!!) new cases have been reported worldwide. There were 350,000 cases in 1984 when Rotary's PolioPlus campaign began, down to double digits in recent years. Let's hope 2026 will be the year we eradicate this terrible disease once and for all.

Murder....in Anacortes

Posted on Apr 14, 2026

On Saturday Rotarians were transported from the Skyline Beach House to the canals of Venice. Hostesses Therese Rudzis and Sondra Peters crafted a suspenseful whodunnit modeled (quite loosely!) on the exploits of Jeff Bezos and his mega-yacht. Captain Matteo (Skip Peters) knew too much about the secret lifestyles of the rich and famous and was poisoned for it, but by who?

Suspects included newlyweds Lo & Max Millions (Brett & LaShan Harrison), billionaire tech rival Sterling Lochlain (Steve McDermott), ex-husband Ricardo (Rick Star), the artificial intelligence butler (Phil Prud'homme), bestie pop star Peitra (Shelli Stahl), wedding planner Isabella (Bonnie Bowers), and Mayor of Venice, Luigi (Troy Kunz).

Despite investigations and heavy questioning of the suspects over a 3 course Italian dinner, none of the assembled Rotary sleuths correctly guessed that Katy Perry-inspired Peitra was the murderer, motivated by the fear of bad publicity from Captain Matteo's scrupulous logs of her many late nights on Max Millions' yacht.

Fortunately, our intrepid investigators still made the evening a resounding success, raising donations for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, an ongoing project sponsored by our club and the morning club.

Arrivederci!!!

Eco-Action in Action

Posted on Mar 01, 2026

Anacortes Rotary's newest committee went on a field trip this past Wednesday. braving the cold, mud....and smells....to learn how Skagit soils turns organic waste into mulch. Host Carolyn Moulton was joined by Committee Chair Jackie Davison, Mary Staley, Jack Darnton, and Peggy Flynn. Much of the finished product has no doubt graced the yards of multiple "A-Team Landscaping" auction prize winners over the past years.

The club members that went on the tour gained a true appreciation of all the time, energy and resources it takes to create the top soil and other products that Skagit Soils creates, and became better ambassadors for composting! Carolyn Moulton will feature as our lunch speaker on April 29.

Rock(toberfest)ing In Grants Season

Posted on Nov 24, 2025

"Rocktoberfest" was the theme of this year's fall fundraiser. Along with the club's annual "Anthony's Dinner" in the spring, it is raises much of the funding that is given to local organizations through the club's Community Grants program every year. Past grants have targeted social services for youth, families and seniors; education and career training; recreation programs and park development; art and cultural programs and civic enhancements. We welcome applications from both new and established groups and organizations. Past recipients of Rotary funds may certainly apply again. Completed applications should be sent to Jack Darnton, Grant Committee Chair, at darntonfamily@comcast.net.

Paul Harris and Us

Posted on Jul 24, 2025

Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905. Today, individual Rotarians honor Paul’s ideals through donations to the Rotary Foundation, striving for EREY: “Every Rotarian, Every Year”. For each $1,000 in lifetime donations members are recognized for their contributions. In the pictures above, Foundation Chair Ron Litzinger and President Troy Kunz present awards to Stephanie Hamilton, Jim Poitras, Treva King, and Jim MacDonald.

Worldwide, Rotary’s 35,000 clubs funded more than $100 million in grants last year through Foundation contributions alone. Nearly 90% of those funds were spent directly on local projects devoted to literacy, economic development, disease prevention (e.g. polio), water, sanitation, peace building, and environmental stewardship. Overhead expenses are amongst the lowest of any major charity and The Rotary Foundation consistently earns Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating.

Strong, ongoing local commitment and sustainable projects are central attributes of for all Rotary grants. Our dollars are stewarded efficiently as they work their way to local communities, and then continue to work for years with hands-on support from both visiting Rotary donars (like our Skagit IPA team that goes to Honduras every year) and local leaders. Know that your treasure works hard and is managed wisely.

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Posted on May 22, 2025

On a misty Saturday morning in Anacortes, Fellowship Chairs Mary Staley and Therese Rudzis set out 10 Rotarians (hereafter known as the Red Team & Blue Team) , armed with mysterious clues to discover the best Anacortes has to offer. 9 local institutions were visited, including Chandler's Square (where Rick Star's mom was our host), the fire station, and Anacortes' newest curio shop, "The Velvet Anchor". Despite a few miscues both teams eventually succeeded in reaching the The Rockfish Big Top where they celebrated the afternoon with their fellow Rotarians.

Team Effort in Copan

Posted on Apr 30, 2025

Today the club enjoyed listening to passionate accounts of last month's visit to half a dozen villages in and around Copan, Honduras. Duane Clark, Peggy Flynn, Nancy Wong, Mark Lascelles, and Marty Pease (LaConner Rotary) shared experiences, pictures, and keepsakes that highlighted the amazing impact of Skagit County Rotary Clubs' programs that include sponsorship of education for individual students, schools, and infrastructure. Also quietly in attendance were Copan fellow travelers Mary Lascelles and Tom Decker. Click here to learn more about the club's ongoing history in Copan.

About Our Club

Cap Sante Projects

Exploring Banner Buddies

Anacortes Rotary's International Connections

100yr Centennial Archive

Four Avenues of Service

Upcoming Speakers

Aug 19- "Anacortes Community Boating", Mary Trester and Liam Poor

Aug 26- "Club Fireside", Membership Committee

Sep 2- Anacortes Middle School Update Principal, Nathan Plummer

Sep 9- "Rotary Community Grants", Jack Darnton

Sep 16- Cap Sante & Anacortes High School Prinicpal, Molly Huggins

Sep 23- Anacortes School Superintendent, James Everett

To Anacortes By Sea

Jim & Darla

Spend a few minutes with Jim Oschmann and you are likely to find yourself talking about
boating. In fact, Jim & wife, Michelle, discovered Anacortes through boating, though not in the way most folks do. Jim’s love of boating began as a teenager— in upstate New York. No,
that’s not a typo! As a teenager he spent every moment he could boating and skiing on Lake Ontario. He later worked the summers at his parent's small marina (again, not a typo) as an electronics installer and handyman while attending the University of Rochester.

Living in the Rochester, NY area, home of Kodak & Xerox, Jim found himself drawn to optical
science. After completing his bachelors & masters he worked in the aerospace industry and for the AURA consortium— the folks who manage a number of famous telescopes you have heard of, including the Hubble and James Webb. He still keeps one foot in optics industry on the board of Rochester-based optical startup Photonect, consulting for NASA (and others), and as past president of SPIE, perhaps the worlds most prestigious optical society, which is coincidentally headquartered in Bellingham. But that’s NOT what brought Jim to Anacortes.

While working in Redondo Beach CA and later in Tucson, Jim often found himself , boating there whenever he had the chance. While working in Boulder, CO, friends in Woodinville tuned him in to Puget Sound sailing and Anacortes. After spending 8 years chartering, Jim & Michelle made the leap, moved to town, and joined the Anacortes Yacht Club, eventually serving as Commodore.

When not at sea, Jim likes to hike, travel, and golf. He actively seeks opportunities to
contribute to local projects and spent some time helping to build the Rotary Cap Sante trail & viewpoint plus attending a number of fundraising events. Many of us thought he already WAS a Rotarian—now it’s official. Please welcome our newest member!